Allensworth, CA

Unincorporated Tulare County permits Accessory Dwelling Units on parcels with an existing or proposed single-family or multi-family dwelling, implementing California Government Code sections 65852.2 and 65852.22. Detached ADUs cannot exceed 1,200 sq ft, attached ADUs cannot exceed 50% of the primary residence, and JADUs are capped at 500 sq ft. State law preempts most local restrictions including owner-occupancy for ADUs (not JADUs).

Unincorporated Tulare County has no stand-alone quiet-hours ordinance with set decibel limits or numeric night-time cutoffs. Noise is regulated through the County General Plan Noise Element and case-by-case nuisance enforcement under Cal. Civil Code section 3479 and Penal Code section 415 (disturbing the peace).

Tulare County Ordinance Code Part 4, Chapter 7 (Control of Animals) defines an Animal Nuisance to include a chronic, continuous excessively loud or disturbing animal noise lasting more than 15 minutes per incident. Periodic barking or other utterances of short duration are expressly excluded. The owner of a noise-making animal is responsible for abating the nuisance.

Outdoor open burning in unincorporated Tulare County is jointly regulated by the Tulare County Fire Department under Part 4, Chapter 5 (Safety Regulations) and by the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District (Rule 4103). Recreational fire pits are allowed but must follow defensible-space clearance and Air District 'No-Burn' day restrictions; permitted burn windows in foothill/mountain State Responsibility Areas are set by CAL FIRE.

Tulare County Ordinance Code Part 4, Chapter 11 (Fire Hazardous Weeds and Rubbish) requires property owners to maintain weeds and grass at no more than 3 inches on parcels of 5 acres or less, and to provide 30-foot fuelbreaks around structures plus 15-foot crossbreaks on larger parcels. Compliance is enforced during the April through October high-fire season by the County Fire Hazard Abatement Program.

Unincorporated Tulare County prohibits all fireworks - including state-approved 'safe and sane' fireworks - in the Local Responsibility Area outside a narrow window, and bans fireworks entirely in the foothill and mountain regions. Sales of safe-and-sane fireworks in the unincorporated LRA require a permit from the County Fire Chief.

Unincorporated Tulare County regulates parking on public roads under Part 7, Chapter 19 (Regulations Concerning Streets and Highways) and California Vehicle Code sections 22507 and 22651. The County has no general ban on storing a recreational vehicle, boat, or trailer on private property in residential zones, but living in a parked RV requires zoning approval and on-street parking of any vehicle for 72+ hours is unlawful.

Tulare County is one of California's leading agricultural counties, and the Tulare County Zoning Ordinance broadly permits chickens, roosters, cattle, sheep, goats, horses, and other livestock in agricultural (AE, AF) and most rural-residential zones. Standard residential R-A and R-1 zones limit the number and proximity to dwellings, and the California Right to Farm Act (Civil Code section 3482.5) protects ongoing ag operations from nuisance suits.

Tulare County Ordinance Code Part 4, Chapter 7 (Control of Animals) requires dogs in unincorporated Tulare County to be under the immediate physical control of a responsible person whenever they are off the owner's property. Dogs at large are subject to impoundment by Tulare County Animal Services.

Tulare County participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and regulates development in Special Flood Hazard Areas under Ordinance Code Part 7, Chapter 27 (Flood Damage Prevention). FEMA's Flood Insurance Study for Tulare County and accompanying FIRMs, originally dated September 29, 1986 and updated by subsequent revisions, are adopted by reference as the regulatory basis for unincorporated lands.