Alameda, CA

Alameda makes hosting platforms like Airbnb legally responsible for collecting and remitting the City's 14 percent occupancy tax on home-sharing and vacation-rental bookings. Municipal…

Alameda taxes short-term rentals the same as hotels: any home-sharing or vacation-rental host renting a dwelling to a guest for 30 days or less owes a 14 percent Transient Occupancy…

Before renting to a single guest, an Alameda short-term rental host must register with the City Treasurer and obtain a transient occupancy registration certificate within 30 days of…

STRs in unincorporated Alameda County must provide on-site parking consistent with the residential zoning standard and should limit guest vehicles to the number of on-site spaces to…

Unincorporated Alameda County does not set an STR-specific occupancy cap but enforces building code, fire code, and nuisance rules that effectively limit total guests based on bedrooms…

California requires hosting platforms to warn hosts to check their lease and insurance before listing (Business and Professions Code 22592), and AB 537 requires short-term lodging…

Alameda requires EV charging infrastructure at every new development that provides off-street parking, under Municipal Code Section 30-7.5. Multifamily buildings need at least 25%…

Alameda bans parking any large vehicle on a City street or property between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. A large vehicle is one over 80 inches wide, 20 feet long, or 10,000 pounds gross weight.

Alameda's Public Works Director sets which streets carry no-parking, restricted-hours or time-limit rules by posted sign or red curb, and no vehicle may sit on any City street for more…

Alameda enforces no-parking zones with red-painted curbs, disabled parking with blue curb markings, taxicab stands with white curb markings, and loading zones marked by curb paint…

Alameda bars parking a heavy commercial vehicle for more than three hours on any street in a residential district, and bans them entirely along every City park's frontage. A heavy…

Alameda's Chief of Police can order any abandoned, wrecked, dismantled or inoperative vehicle removed as a public nuisance after a ten-day mailed notice. The landowner can request a…

Alameda caps loading zone stops at ten minutes for passengers and thirty minutes for materials, in zones the Public Works Director marks by curb paint or signs. No more than half of…

Alameda's Preferential Permit Parking Program lets the City Council designate residential streets as permit-only zones on a 55 percent resident petition, reserving on-street parking…

Alameda bans parking or leaving any recreational vehicle, trailer or boat trailer on its streets outright, with towing at the owner's expense. The only relief is a police-issued…

Alameda caps residential driveways at a minimum of eight and one-half feet and a maximum of ten feet wide under Municipal Code Section 30-7.8.h, though the Public Works Director can…

California doesn't ban private-property towing, but Vehicle Code Section 22658 controls how it happens. A posted sign at least 17 by 22 inches must warn drivers before a tow company…

Alameda regulates dangerous dogs by behavior, not breed: California law bars breed-specific ordinances. A dog that bites or attacks unprovoked can be declared potentially dangerous or…

Alameda's C-1 Neighborhood Business District treats pet shops and animal grooming facilities as a use requiring Planning Board approval, not a by-right business. Municipal Code Section…

Alameda does not require every dog or cat owner to sterilize their pet, but anyone adopting an unspayed or unneutered dog or cat from the animal shelter must post a cash deposit, and…

Alameda caps most households at three dogs over four months old on a single property, with no equivalent numeric cap for cats in the code. Veterinary hospitals, kennels, breeders and…

Alameda Point's zoning district bans feral cat feeding stations and colonies outright, along with feeding any native or non-native wildlife species that preys on the California least…

Alameda's C-2 Central Business District requires a Planning Board use permit before any veterinary clinic or hospital can open. Municipal Code Section 30-4.9.c.4 conditions approval on…

Alameda law makes it unlawful for a dog to be on any public street, alley or public place unless it is on a rope, chain or leash strong enough to control it and under the supervision…

Alameda bars anyone from keeping a wild or exotic animal, reptile, fish or insect on property they own, occupy or control. The ban sweeps in venomous animals and state or federally…

Every cat over four months old in Alameda must carry a paid license and a current rabies vaccination, with the license tag fastened to its collar whenever the cat is in public. Alameda…

Alameda caps most properties at six chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys or other domestic fowl, and any enclosure housing them must sit at least twenty feet from a neighbor's occupied…

Alameda requires bird-safe glazing on new buildings over 35 feet tall with glass-heavy facades. The Bird-Safe Building Ordinance makes at least 90% of qualifying glazing…

Beekeeping is permitted in most Alameda County zones with setback and hive-count limits. Keepers must register with the County Agricultural Commissioner under CA Food and Agricultural…

Alameda bans playing a radio, phonograph, musical instrument or similar device so loudly it creates a noise disturbance, and separately bars portable or vehicle audio devices in public…

Alameda bars construction noise outside 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, with no window at all on Sunday. Limited exceptions cover no-permit…

Alameda Municipal Code Section 24-14.1 bans operating any gasoline, diesel or other combustion-engine leaf blower anywhere within city limits, effective January 1, 2023. The…

Alameda bans playing a vehicle or portable stereo loud enough to be heard 50 feet away in any public place, one of the specific noise disturbances listed in Sec. 4-10.5(b). The same…

Alameda's noise code makes it unlawful to repair, rebuild, modify or test any aircraft in a way that creates a noise disturbance or exceeds the city's dB(A) limits. Municipal Code Sec…

Alameda bars keeping any dog that disturbs a neighborhood's peace through persistent or prolonged barking or howling, folding the violation directly into the City's noise code…

Noise reaching a commercial or industrial property in unincorporated Alameda County may run 65 dB(A) by day and 60 dB(A) at night for sustained sound, climbing to 85/80 dB(A) for brief…

Unincorporated Alameda County sets stricter nighttime decibel limits, 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., than its daytime standard for homes, schools, and commercial property: covering Castro Valley…

Alameda requires a Historical Advisory Board certificate of approval before removing specific named street trees, the Burbank and Portola palms, and any Coastal Live Oak 10 inches or…

Alameda Municipal Code Sec. 23-3.3 requires property owners to keep trees, plants and shrubs originating on their land from encroaching into the public right-of-way. Owners must…

Alameda's landscape ordinance rewards on-site rainwater harvesting: a lot under 2,500 square feet of landscape that meets its entire estimated landscape water demand with stored…

Alameda requires new and renovated landscapes above set size thresholds to follow the state Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance, adopted into the code at Section 30-58.4…

Alameda's Property Maintenance Code caps weeds and other uncontrolled herbaceous growth at 8 inches on every improved lot's premises and exterior areas, and bans noxious weeds…

Alameda's landscape ordinance bans installing any plant species the California Invasive Plant Council lists as invasive on any 'covered project,' the same 500-square-foot-or-larger new…

Alameda's mandatory organic-waste franchise does not reach material a resident composts on the same property where it is generated, whether through backyard composting or on-site…

Artificial turf is permitted in Alameda County as a water-saving lawn alternative. State AB 1572 restricts potable irrigation of non-functional natural turf starting 2027, boosting…

Any permanent or temporary fence on non-residential property that's visible from a public street or access easement needs an administrative use permit under Alameda's zoning code…

Alameda caps residential barriers at three feet in the front yard and six feet in side and rear yards, drops that to three feet inside a corner-lot visibility triangle, and allows…

Alameda's zoning code bans barbed wire, razor wire, and similar materials from any part of a fence citywide, and blocks chain-link fencing on residential property except in rear and…

Unincorporated Alameda County exempts retaining walls under 4 feet from permitting, but taller walls need a permit, and the county bans tire retaining walls outright.

Under California Civil Code 841 (Good Neighbor Fence Act), adjoining landowners in Alameda County share equal responsibility for reasonable costs of shared boundary fences unless one…

Alameda caps detached accessory dwelling units at 1,200 square feet and 18 feet tall, with a bonus to 20 feet for a matching roof pitch. Detached ADUs need a 4-foot side and rear…

Alameda lets an existing garage convert to an accessory dwelling unit with no added setback if it keeps the original footprint, but requires the garage door opening be rebuilt to match…

Alameda requires the property owner to record a deed restriction before a junior accessory dwelling unit permit issues, promising owner-occupancy of either the primary home or the…

Alameda caps backyard sheds and other accessory buildings at one story and ten feet at the parapet under Municipal Code Section 30-5.7.f, with coverage limited to six hundred square…

Alameda bars selling or conveying an accessory dwelling unit apart from the primary home, except as state law allows, and requires any ADU rental to run longer than 30 days, ruling out…

Alameda exempts accessory dwelling units from its Improvement Tax under AMC Section 3-62 and bars treating an ADU as a new residential use for water or sewer connection fees and…

Unincorporated Alameda County has formally adopted the state residential code's tiny house appendix, so a compliant tiny house is a recognized dwelling type here.

Alameda only recognizes a home-based business as a lawful home occupation if it does not create excessive automobile or truck traffic in the neighborhood. Municipal Code Section 30-2…

Alameda treats a home-based business as a lawful home occupation under Zoning Code Section 30-2 only if it stays confined within the dwelling on no more than half of one floor's space…

Alameda's zoning code lists licensed family day care homes, large and small, as a permitted use by right in every residential district, including R-1. Section 30-4.1(b)(8) requires no…

A home occupation in Alameda may display exactly one sign, and it cannot be illuminated. Municipal Code Section 30-2 caps home-business signage at a single nonilluminated sign that…

Government Code section 51035 forbids any California city, county, or city and county from prohibiting a cottage food operation in a residential dwelling. The local agency must pick…

California lets home cooks sell meals from their own kitchen under a microenterprise home kitchen operation (MEHKO) permit, capped at 30 meals a day, 90 a week, and $100,000 in annual…

Alameda bans firing, discharging or setting off any fireworks anywhere in the city, and separately bans selling, giving away or even displaying fireworks for sale. Secs. 4-35.2 and…

Alameda lets homeowners build a permanent, in-ground fire pit inside the required rear or side yard, but Municipal Code Section 30-5.7.h.3 requires a minimum five-foot setback from any…

Public Resources Code 4291 requires 100 feet of defensible space around all structures in VHFHSZ and SRA areas of Alameda County, enforced by CAL FIRE and the Alameda County Fire…

California Health and Safety Code 13113.7 requires smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside each sleeping area, and on every level of all dwellings in Alameda County. Alarms over 10…

Much of east Alameda County including the Oakland Hills, Castro Valley, and Sunol foothills is designated Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone by CAL FIRE, triggering strict defensible…

California requires permits for most outdoor burning, with statewide CAL FIRE and Air Resources Board rules that uniformly apply alongside local air district restrictions.

California uniformly applies the State Fire Marshal's propane storage standards through the California Fire Code, which all local jurisdictions must enforce as a minimum.

In unincorporated Alameda County, only small prefabricated above-ground pools under 5,000 gallons and less than 24 inches deep skip the building permit: anything bigger, or in-ground…

Unincorporated Alameda County enforces the California Swimming Pool Safety Act (Health & Safety Code §§115920-115929). Pools deeper than 18 inches require an enclosure at least 60…

Every residential customer in Alameda gets scheduled clean-up collection events through the city's franchised hauler, with up to three cubic yards of bulky waste and three bulky items…

Alameda homeowners cannot leave trash and recycling carts at the curb around the clock. Municipal Code Sec. 21-2.4(a) lets residents set carts out no earlier than 5:00 p.m. the evening…

Alameda requires every occupied property to sign up for weekly solid waste pickup through the city's exclusive franchise hauler, with no opt-out for generating trash. Municipal Code…

Alameda businesses cannot wheel a dumpster or roll-off box wherever is convenient. Municipal Code Sec. 21-2.4(b) requires commercial and multi-family containers to sit in a location…

Every owner or occupant of property in Alameda must subscribe to the franchised hauler's recycling and organic-waste collection and sort discarded material into the correct container…

Only Alameda's franchised hauler, or a permittee under a narrow list of exceptions, may pick up trash, recycling or organics a customer has set out. Municipal Code Sec. 21-3.7 bars…

Recycling in Alameda is not optional curbside courtesy. Municipal Code Sec. 21-2.1(b) makes it mandatory for every owner or occupant to contract with the city's franchisee for…

Alameda bans using any land in the city, owned or merely occupied, as a dumping ground for solid waste or any other material. Municipal Code Sec. 21-3.2 makes both the property holder…

Alameda requires households and businesses alike to keep food scraps and other organic material out of the trash. Municipal Code Sec. 21-2.8(b) obligates single-family and multi-plex…

Alameda residents get scheduled bulky and yard-waste pickups on top of regular cart service. Municipal Code Sec. 21-2.6 entitles each residential customer to on-call clean-up…

Alameda confines adult entertainment activities, defined to include adult bookstores, theaters, peep shows and cabarets, to C-2 commercial and less-restrictive zoning districts, and…

Every tobacco retailer in Alameda, including vape and e-cigarette sellers, must hold a city tobacco retailer's license under the Municipal Code before selling any tobacco product…

Every secondhand dealer in Alameda dealing in bikes, jewelry, gold or silver, tools, firearms or junk must log each transaction in an English-language record book with the seller's…

In Alameda's C-C, Community Commercial District, a tattoo parlor cannot operate on the ground floor. Municipal Code Section 30-4.9A.b.1(ccc) lists tattoo parlors among permitted uses…

Alameda requires every pawnbroker, secondhand dealer and person who buys, sells, exchanges or takes items in pledge to log each transaction in an English-language record book, report…

Running a massage establishment or outcall massage service in Alameda without a City permit is unlawful under Sec. 6-46.3. The Chief of Police investigates every applicant's…

Alameda County bans motor-vehicle repair, servicing, painting or dismantling as a home occupation in unincorporated R and A district homes: the county's rule for its own unincorporated…

New subdivisions inside a City-Designated Water Reuse Area must use EBMUD recycled water for common-area irrigation and install a separate plumbing system for it, under Municipal Code…

Alameda Municipal Code Sec. 22-21.5 makes it unlawful to place boxes, barrels, lumber, goods or wares anywhere on a public street, way or sidewalk if they obstruct free passage…

Alameda bans placing boxes, crates, lumber, merchandise or any other obstruction on a public sidewalk or street, but a revocable encroachment permit from the Superintendent of Streets…

Alameda Municipal Code Sec. 22-16.2 puts sidewalk upkeep on the abutting owner: anyone holding a fee or reversionary interest next to a sidewalk must keep it free of holes, cracks or…

Alameda sorts every business into a named tax classification under Sec. 5-4.1, and the classification sets the rate: outdoor advertising and billboard operators pay on a sliding…

Alameda caps window signs at 10 square feet and 25% of any one window's area under Municipal Code Section 30-6.4.c. Signs are allowed only on windows, doors or openings on the first…

Alameda bans new advertising displays on property next to a landscaped freeway if the sign is designed to be seen mainly by freeway drivers, under Municipal Code Sec. 6-4.2. Existing…

Alameda lets residents post on-premises and directional off-premises garage sale signs without the usual permanent sign permit, but they cannot go up more than two days before the sale…

Alameda's sign code bans flashing lights, changing color intensity, and mechanical movement on any sign, a prohibition broad enough to cover digital and electronic billboards, under…

Alameda lets residents and candidates post temporary political campaign signs without a permit or size cap, but Municipal Code Section 30-6.8.e requires every sign to come down no…

Alameda's R-1 Residential District requires a 20-foot front yard, a 5-foot interior side yard, a 10-foot street-side yard on corner lots, and a 20-foot rear yard. Section 30-4.1(d)(7)…

In Alameda's R-1 Residential District, the main building on a lot cannot cover more than 48 percent of the lot area. Section 30-4.1(d)(5) sets this maximum main building coverage limit…

Alameda caps building height at 30 feet in the R-1 Residential District. Section 30-4.1(d)(6) sets this Maximum Building Height Limit for one-family and two-family neighborhoods…

A motor vehicle burglar alarm, or an exterior burglar or fire alarm, that keeps sounding in Alameda past fifteen minutes after it goes off is a code violation. Alarms installed before…

Alameda bars loading, unloading, opening or handling boxes, crates, containers, building materials or garbage cans between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. if it causes a noise disturbance across a…

A bar, nightclub or other place of public entertainment in Alameda can run a loudspeaker or musical instrument above 95 dB(A) where customers stand only if it posts a visible warning…

A residential air conditioner or refrigeration unit installed in Alameda before the noise ordinance took effect may not exceed 55 dB(A) at the exterior property line; any unit…

Unincorporated Alameda County bans stereo, TV and instrument sound plainly audible at 50 feet at any hour, and defines audible bass alone as enough to prove a violation.

Alameda requires every sidewalk vendor, roaming or stationary, to hold a city sidewalk vending permit under Article XX of the Municipal Code before selling food or merchandise on a…

Anyone selling food from a pushcart, cart or other nonmotorized unit on an Alameda sidewalk needs a City sidewalk vending permit, a City business license, and, where the food operation…

Alameda bans stationary food and merchandise carts outright from all residential zones and layers on nineteen specific no-vending zones citywide, from a 200-foot buffer around other…

Alameda charges every hotel guest a 14 percent Transient Occupancy Tax on the rent paid for lodging of 31 days or less. Hotel operators collect the tax with the rent, state it…

Alameda requires a Building Official permit before anyone builds, alters, repairs or demolishes a floating home moorage structure, including flotation devices, ramps, floats or docks…

Any development in an Alameda flood hazard area needs a permit from the Floodplain Administrator before work starts, on top of any building permit. The city bases its flood hazard…

Alameda bans non-storm water discharges into the city storm sewer system and makes illicit drainage connections unlawful even if built long ago. The Public Works Director administers…

New buildings, substantial improvements, and subdivision lots inside an Alameda flood hazard area must be built to the base flood elevation plus one foot of freeboard, or to the flood…

Every subdivision approved in Alameda must control construction erosion under Section 30-85.6: sediment-control facilities have to contain erosion-caused deposits and discharge only…

The California Coastal Act, Public Resources Code sections 30000 through 30900, requires Coastal Development Permits for nearly all work in the coastal zone and gives the Coastal…

In Alameda, a tree can become a protected Historical Monument in its own right: the Municipal Code defines a Historical Monument to include "significant trees or other plant life," and…

New subdivisions in Alameda must include street and walkway tree planting and landscaping as one of the required improvements listed in Section 30-86.2, alongside curbs, gutters…

Alameda automatically protects three specific tree categories citywide: the palm trees on Burbank Street and Portola Avenue, any street tree on Thompson and Central Avenues, and any…

Alameda requires a film permit before shooting still photographs, motion pictures, television programs or commercial productions on any City-owned, leased or controlled property or…

Alameda's film-permit office can restrict explosions, noise and hazardous devices that might disturb the peace during a shoot, evaluating each request case by case under Municipal Code…

A filmmaker who needs to close an Alameda street for a shoot must request the closure on the film permit application, and the Public Works Director grants a short-term encroachment…

Alameda does not exempt student filmmakers from its permit rules: Municipal Code Section 5-30.4 states that student produced film or video activity is not exempt from permit…

Alameda administers building permits through the Alameda Administrative Code adopting CBC Chapter 1, and local amendments expire unissued plan reviews after 180 days and require a new…

Alameda adopts the 2025 California Plumbing Code by reference as the Alameda Plumbing Code and layers on a local seismic gas shut-off valve mandate for new construction and remodels…

Alameda adopts the 2025 California Electrical Code by reference as the Alameda Electrical Code, requiring electrical work in the city to be permitted and inspected under that code as…

Alameda adopts the 2025 California Green Building Standards Code as its own Green Building Standards Code and layers on a mandatory local amendment: when a single-family, duplex or…

Alameda charges a separate investigation fee when work starts without a permit and a reinspection fee whenever a required inspection finds work incomplete or uncorrected, on top of…

Alameda Municipal Code Section 24-7.1 makes it unlawful to maintain or conduct any institution, boarding home, day nursery, or other place caring for children under sixteen, paid or…

Castro Valley limits one-family homes to a sliding floor-area-ratio cap, as low as 0.10 FAR on the largest lots, before extra square footage triggers site development review.

Alameda County enforces California H&S Code 17920.10 treating deteriorated lead paint in pre-1978 housing as substandard. Oakland, Berkeley, and Alameda have old housing stocks with…

Alameda requires an event permit before anyone conducts, sponsors or knowingly joins a parade, athletic event or public assembly that obstructs or delays traffic on a public street…

Alameda's Property Maintenance Code makes the owner of any rental structure responsible for extermination before renting or leasing it and for keeping the structure and premises in a…

Before raising rent by the Annual General Adjustment, an Alameda landlord must serve the tenant the legally required rent-increase notice and be current on rent-program fees and unit…

Alameda caps most residential rent increases at an Annual General Adjustment tied to seventy percent of the Bay Area Consumer Price Index, floored at one percent and capped at five…

Alameda landlords cannot terminate a tenancy for any reason outside eight specific just-cause grounds in the city's rent control ordinance, from nonpayment and lease breach to owner…

Every landlord in Alameda must register each rental unit with the Rent Program Administrator, filing a new registration within 30 days of a tenancy's start and reporting any ownership…

California evictions run through the unlawful detainer process. Under Code of Civil Procedure § 1161, nonpayment requires a 3-day notice to pay rent or quit (excluding weekends and…

California Civil Code § 1954 limits when a landlord may enter a rented home. Except in emergencies, abandonment, or with tenant consent, the landlord must give reasonable written…

California sets no fixed dollar or percentage cap on rent late fees, but a late fee in a residential lease is treated as liquidated damages. Under Civil Code § 1671, such a fee is…

To end a California month-to-month tenancy, a tenant gives 30 days' written notice. A landlord gives 30 days if the tenant has lived there under a year, or 60 days if a year or more…

As of July 1, 2024, California landlords may collect no more than one month's rent as a security deposit, regardless of whether the unit is furnished. The deposit, minus any lawful…

California adverse possession requires five years of continuous, open, hostile possession AND payment of all property taxes during that period under Code of Civil Procedure § 325. A…

Every structure in Alameda must be kept free of insect, rodent and vermin infestation under Section 13-11A.3(h)'s local amendment to IPMC 309.1. When a code official confirms an…

Alameda County health inspectors can order food facility workers to attend a food safety class after repeated violations or if staff lack basic food-safety knowledge.

Alameda County's Department of Environmental Health scores unincorporated-area food facilities and posts a green, yellow, or red placard after each inspection.

Chapter 6.54 makes pharmaceutical manufacturers fund a take-back program for used needles, syringes, and lancets across all of Alameda County, incorporated cities included, so…

Alameda's Historical Advisory Board must issue a certificate of approval before any building, structure, site or significant tree designated a Historical Monument can be altered…

Alameda Municipal Code Section 23-7.2 makes it unlawful to camp, pitch a tent or use camp paraphernalia in any city park, street, or public parking lot, while Section 23-7.3 separately…

Alameda's smoking ordinance defines 'smoking' to include inhaling or carrying any lighted or heated tobacco or cannabis product, then Section 24-11.3 bans that conduct in unenclosed…

Alameda Municipal Code Sec. 23-5 flatly prohibits consuming any alcoholic beverage on any public street, sidewalk or right-of-way in the City. The ban covers beer, wine, liquor and any…

Alameda bans smoking, including vaping and cannabis, in unenclosed public places: parks and other recreation areas, outdoor dining patios, public events, service lines…

Alameda bars roaming or loitering on city streets between midnight and 4 a.m. without lawful business, and at any hour bans standing, sitting or lying on a street, sidewalk or…

Alameda Municipal Code Sec. 8-26.1 makes it unlawful to ride a skateboard, roller skates, coaster or similar toy vehicle on any roadway or sidewalk in a business district, or on…

Alameda County's Social Host Ordinance fines anyone who knowingly hosts a loud or unruly gathering on unincorporated-area property where alcohol reaches a person under 21, $750 for a…

Under Alameda's Dark Skies Ordinance, every exterior light fixture must be fully shielded and aimed downward, with narrow exceptions for low-wattage landscape lighting, historic…

Alameda's Dark Skies Ordinance caps light spilling onto a neighbor's property at one foot-candle, measured right at the shared property line, and requires exterior lighting to be aimed…

Alameda's sign code lets lights illuminating a billboard or other advertising structure project up to four feet past the property line, but only if they clear the sidewalk by at least…

Municipal Code Section 4-10.4 caps exterior noise at a receiving home at 55 dB(A) daytime and 50 dB(A) at night for more than thirty minutes an hour, with absolute ceilings of 75 and…

The City of Alameda has no data-center ordinance and no data-center use category. Server facilities are classified into the nearest listed use - Office, Industrial-Light, or…

Alameda's zoning code treats a built-in barbecue grill like a mini accessory structure: it may sit inside the required rear or side yard only if the Building Official finds it…

Alameda bars every tobacco retailer from selling, offering for sale, or possessing with intent to sell any flavored tobacco product, including flavored vape liquid and menthol…

California prohibits sale of tobacco and vapor products to anyone under 21 statewide under Business and Professions Code 22958, enacted by SBX2-7 in 2016. The Tobacco 21 standard…

Alameda requires anyone soliciting money, property or sales for a charitable or religious purpose within the city to first obtain a solicitation permit from the Central Permits…

Alameda Municipal Code Sec. 23-1.5 makes it unlawful to be present in any City park outside the hours the park is open to the public. The Recreation and Park Commission sets each…

Alameda Municipal Code Sec. 23-4.3 declares weeds, rubble, rubbish or other rank growth on private property or on adjoining sidewalks a public nuisance when they pose a fire or health…

Alameda requires the owner of any boarded building or vacant parcel to rehabilitate it for occupancy within 90 days of the boarding or vacancy, whether the boarding was voluntary or…

Alameda County, located in the San Francisco Bay Area, has no snow sidewalk clearing ordinance because measurable snowfall is extremely rare in unincorporated lowlands.

Alameda's Municipal Code doesn't license card rooms; it bans card games played for money outright under Sec. 4-48.5, with a narrow exception for whist or bridge tournaments played for…

California Penal Code § 326.5 lets only tax-exempt nonprofits, mobilehome park associations, senior groups, and school-affiliated charities run bingo, and only under a local city or…

California law exempts private home card games from gambling regulation entirely. Penal Code § 337j(e)(2)(D) excludes any card game played in a private home or residence from the…

California has no legal sports betting, in stores or online. Penal Code section 337a criminalizes bookmaking, pool-selling, and placing or accepting any bet on the result of a sporting…

Alameda grants density bonuses to housing developments of five or more units that include income-restricted affordable housing, senior housing, land donations or child care facilities…

Any conditional use in unincorporated Sunol's downtown SD district must be found consistent with the area's historic, architectural, and visual character before Alameda County's…

Alameda's Bay-Friendly and Water-Efficient Landscape Ordinance bars installing any plant species the California Invasive Plant Council rates as invasive on covered new and renovated…

Alameda County does not have a specific bamboo ban, but running bamboo that spreads onto neighboring properties can be addressed as a nuisance under county ordinances and California…

Alameda has no separate right-to-farm nuisance statute; agriculture is governed instead by the 'A' Agricultural Combining District. Section 30-4.14 layers onto a base zoning district…

Alameda County Code shields lawful commercial agricultural operations from private and public nuisance lawsuits triggered only by changed conditions on neighboring land, protecting…

Alameda law requires cyclists moving slower than traffic to ride within a marked bicycle lane, bars motorists from driving in it except to park, turn, or enter the roadway, and…

A low-speed vehicle in California may not be driven on any roadway with a speed limit above 35 miles per hour. Vehicle Code section 21260 permits it to cross a faster road only where…

Alameda allows commercial cannabis retail, cultivation and manufacturing only in specific zoning districts and only with a discretionary use permit, under Municipal Code Section…

Health and Safety Code section 11362.2 grants every adult 21 or older the statewide right to cultivate up to six cannabis plants indoors, and bars local governments from completely…

Unincorporated Alameda County caps garage sales at two per property every 12 months, with each sale limited to two consecutive days under the county's real property nuisance ordinance.

Alameda County HOAs enforce CC&Rs under Civil Code 5850-5865. Before imposing fines, associations must provide written notice, an opportunity to be heard, and a published schedule of…

Alameda County HOAs must offer Internal Dispute Resolution (IDR) under Civil Code 5900-5920 and Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) before filing most lawsuits. Both processes are…

Alameda County HOAs follow Civil Code 5600-5740 for assessments. Regular assessments cannot increase more than 20 percent annually, and special assessments over 5 percent of budget…

Alameda County HOAs conduct architectural review under Civil Code 4765. Associations must provide fair, reasonable procedures with written decisions within a defined timeframe and a…

HOAs in Alameda County operate under California Davis-Stirling (Civil Code 4000+). Board meetings require 4-day notice, open session participation, and minutes available within 30 days.

California voids any HOA governing-document clause that effectively bans or unreasonably restricts a clothesline or drying rack in an owner's exclusive-use backyard. Civil Code Section…

Civil Code section 4735 voids any HOA rule that bans low-water plants, turf replacement, or artificial turf, and bars fines for cutting back watering during a declared drought…

Civil Code § 4745 voids any HOA covenant or governing-document rule that prohibits or unreasonably restricts installing an EV charging station in an owner's unit or designated parking…

Civil Code § 4705 bars every California homeowners association from limiting a member's display of the United States flag on their own lot or within their exclusive-use common area…

California law caps homeowners association fines at $100 per violation or the amount listed in the association's published penalty schedule, whichever is less. Civil Code section 5850…

A California homeowners association cannot foreclose on a member’s home over unpaid dues until the delinquent assessments alone reach $1,800, or until the assessments secured by the…

Civil Code § 4741 bars every California homeowners association from adopting or enforcing a rule that prohibits, or unreasonably restricts, renting out a separate interest, and sets a…

Tenants in unincorporated Alameda County can request county-arranged mediation within 45 days of giving a landlord written notice of untenantable conditions, before other remedies.

Unincorporated Alameda County runs a checklist-based, administrative-only review for small residential rooftop solar systems, with just one consolidated inspection.

Alameda County offers 3-business-day solar permitting under AB 2188 and SB 379. Systems must comply with Title 24 and the 2022 Solar Mandate for new homes.

Alameda County HOAs cannot prohibit solar under CA Civil Code 714 (Solar Rights Act). Only reasonable restrictions are allowed that do not significantly reduce efficiency or raise cost.

California is a two-party (all-party) consent state. Recording any confidential communication without all parties' consent is a crime under Penal Code 632. This applies to phone calls…

California sets a statewide minimum wage floor under Labor Code 1182.12, $16.90 per hour for all employers as of January 2026. Local governments are not preempted and may set higher…

California's Healthy Workplaces, Healthy Families Act under Labor Code 245-249 mandates paid sick leave for nearly all employees statewide. SB 616 (2023) raised the minimum to 40 hours…

California regulates concealed carry weapons licenses statewide under Penal Code 26150 through 26225. Senate Bill 2 (2023) imposes uniform sensitive-place restrictions and applicant…

California preempts most local firearm regulation under Government Code 53071 and Penal Code 25605, reserving licensing, registration, and manufacture authority to the state. However…

California broadly prohibits open carry of firearms statewide under Penal Code 25850 (loaded firearms in public) and Penal Code 26350 (open carry of unloaded handguns). The prohibition…

California prohibits carrying loaded firearms in vehicles statewide under Penal Code 25400 and 25850. Unloaded handguns transported in private vehicles must be in a locked container or…

Sobriety checkpoints are lawful in California and stopping at one is a statutory obligation, not a courtesy. Vehicle Code § 2814.2(a) requires a driver to stop and submit to a sobriety…

California is one of the few states that answers this by statute rather than by case law alone. Penal Code § 148(g) says that photographing or making an audio or video recording of a…

California has no general stop-and-identify statute. The old Penal Code § 647(e), which required a person lawfully detained to give "credible and reliable" identification, was held…

California has no statute that requires you to consent to a search of your car, and none that requires an officer to warn you that you may refuse. What the Legislature and the voters…

California prohibits grocery stores and large retailers from providing single-use plastic carryout bags under Public Resources Code 42280-42288, enacted by SB 270 (2014) and ratified…

California restricts expanded polystyrene food containers statewide through SB 54 (2022) packaging requirements under Public Resources Code 42040-42081. The law mandates that…

California Public Resources Code 42270-42273, enacted by AB 1884 (2018), prohibits full-service restaurants from providing single-use plastic straws unless requested by the customer…

California works from a closed list: Vehicle Code section 24003 says no vehicle may carry any lamp or illuminating device not required or permitted by the code, so an accessory light…

California measures dash cam placement in square inches. Vehicle Code section 26708(b)(13) lets a video event recorder occupy a seven-inch square in the lower corner of the windshield…

Lane splitting is lawful in California. Vehicle Code section 21658.1, added by AB 51 in 2016, defines it as driving a motorcycle with two wheels in contact with the ground between rows…

California does not let you put a cover over your license plate. Vehicle Code section 5201(c) allows exactly two things: a full car cover on a lawfully parked vehicle, and a license…

No section of the California Vehicle Code makes it an offense for a private motorist to own, carry or use a radar detector. The prohibition in Vehicle Code section 28150 reaches only…

California permits metal studded tires only between November 1 and April 30, and only where the studs are tungsten carbide or another suitable material and the metal touching the road…

California never publishes a "legal VLT" for front side windows because it does not permit aftermarket darkening there at all. Vehicle Code section 26708(d) allows only clear…