Clovis, CA Local Ordinances Guide

Clovis is a mid-sized city in Fresno County, California, with about 120000 residents. Like most cities its size, it has a set of local rules that may differ significantly from neighboring municipalities. Here is an overview of 160 ordinances across 42 categories that affect daily life in Clovis.

Fire Regulations

Outdoor Burning: Clovis Fire Code Section 307.1.1 bans open burning in any incinerator, can, barrel, pit, outdoor fireplace or similar container anywhere in the city. Residents who want to burn debris must instead follow Clovis Fire Department Standard 5.3, and agricultural operators need a burn permit from the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District rather than City Hall..

Also covered: Brush Clearance (moderate), Wildfire Zones (moderate), Fireworks (restrictive). See the full fire regulations guide for Clovis for details.

Environmental Rules

Stormwater Management: Clovis bans illicit discharges into its storm drain system under the Urban Storm Water Quality Management and Discharge Control Ordinance, joining Fresno, Fresno County, Caltrans, and Fresno State as a co-permittee on NPDES Permit CA0083500. The City Manager, acting as Authorized Enforcement Agent, can inspect property, order cleanup, and issue notices of violation..

Also covered: Coastal Development (moderate), Flood Elevation Requirements (moderate), Flood Zones (moderate). See the full environmental rules guide for Clovis for details.

Property Maintenance

Property Blight: Clovis requires owners of vacant residential, commercial, and industrial buildings to actively monitor and secure the property or it is deemed blighted and a nuisance. Broken windows must be boarded within 24 hours, trash removed within 72 hours, and graffiti removed within 48 hours under Municipal Code § 5.27.301..

Also covered: Snow & Sidewalk Clearing (moderate), Vacant Lot Maintenance (moderate). See the full property maintenance guide for Clovis for details.

Animal Ordinances

Mandatory Spay/Neuter: Clovis requires every dog or cat over four months old to be spayed or neutered unless the owner documents a specific exemption, and no shelter animal may be adopted out unaltered. Municipal Code § 6.1.515 backs the mandate with a 60-day notice-to-comply before any citation, plus a mandatory microchip for exempt unaltered pets..

Also covered: Dog Leash Laws (moderate), Pet Store Rules (moderate), Cat Rules (limited). See the full animal ordinances guide for Clovis for details.

Rental Property Rules

Rent Increase Notice: Clovis mobile home park owners must give each home owner written notice of a rent increase, stating both the current rent and the proposed new rent, at least ninety days before the increase takes effect. The rule applies only to parks with twenty-five or more spaces under the City's Mobile Home Park Rent Review and Stabilization chapter..

Also covered: Rent Control (limited), Rental Registration (moderate). See the full rental property rules guide for Clovis for details.

Landscaping Rules

Tree Removal & Heritage Trees: Clovis requires a tree removal permit before any protected tree listed in Municipal Code Section 9.30.040 comes down on private property. Section 9.30.030 makes unpermitted removal unlawful, and Section 9.30.060 routes applications through the Public Utilities Department with photos, an arborist report, and a replanting plan..

Also covered: Tree Trimming (limited), Rainwater Harvesting (moderate), Native Plants (moderate). See the full landscaping rules guide for Clovis for details.

Swimming Pools & Spas

Fencing & Safety Requirements: Pool enclosure required per CA Building Code Ch. 31 / CBC §3109 and CA H&S §115920 (Pool Safety Act).

Also covered: Pool Permits (moderate). See the full swimming pools & spas guide for Clovis for details.

Trash & Recycling

Illegal Dumping: Dumping waste matter on a vacant lot, street, alley, gutter, highway, park, or other public place is unlawful in Clovis. Violators face a misdemeanor charge plus an administrative citation of up to $1,000, and that $1,000 exposure applies to the first violation and to every one after it, not just repeat offenses..

Also covered: Yard Waste Collection (moderate), Mandatory Organics Recycling (moderate), Recycling Rules (moderate). See the full trash & recycling guide for Clovis for details.

Sign Regulations

Digital Billboards: Clovis bans digital billboards outright. Municipal Code Section 9.34.070 lists changeable copy signs and animated signs, defined to include blinking, flashing, flickering, moving text, and content that changes shape, as prohibited signs citywide.

Also covered: Freeway-Facing Signs (moderate), Window Signs (moderate), Holiday Displays (permissive). See the full sign regulations guide for Clovis for details.

Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules

Encroachment Permits: Clovis requires an encroachment permit from the City Engineer before anyone digs, builds, plants, or stores material within a public right-of-way. Applications take up to 30 working days to decide, permitted work must finish within 90 days, and a security deposit may be required; working without a permit lets the City remove the work at the violator's expense..

Also covered: Obstruction Rules (restrictive), Sidewalk Repair (moderate). See the full sidewalk & pedestrian rules guide for Clovis for details.

Water Use Rules

Recycled Water Rules: Clovis regulates recycled water delivery under its Recycled Water Use Ordinance: users must sign a City user agreement before any recycled water reaches a property, pay metered rates set by the Public Utilities Department, and never cross-connect a recycled water system with potable plumbing. Violations can trigger immediate termination of service..

Also covered: Turf Replacement Rebates (moderate). See the full water use rules guide for Clovis for details.

Soliciting & Door-to-Door

No-Knock Registry: Posting a clearly visible no-soliciting sign is legally enforceable in Clovis: Municipal Code Section 5.25.03 makes it unlawful to hawk goods, solicit orders, or conduct charitable solicitation at a house or residence once such a sign is up. A sign banning either solicitation or peddling is read to ban both..

Also covered: Solicitor Permits (limited). See the full soliciting & door-to-door guide for Clovis for details.

Hotels & Lodging

Transient Occupancy Tax: Clovis charges a 12% Transient Occupancy Tax on hotel, motel, and short-term rental stays of 30 consecutive days or less, effective since January 1, 2023. Operators must register with the Finance Director's Tax Administrator, collect the tax at the time rent is paid, and remit it quarterly, or face escalating delinquency penalties and interest..

Cannabis Regulations

Dispensary Zoning: Clovis bans cannabis dispensaries and nearly all commercial cannabis operations citywide under Municipal Code Section 5.22.05. No zoning district authorizes a storefront dispensary, cultivation site, or retail shop.

Public Conduct

Public Marijuana Use: Clovis Municipal Code Section 5.22.06 confines all marijuana smoking, vaping, and consumption to inside a private residence's habitable areas. Garages and accessory buildings do not count unless fully enclosed at all times during use, so lighting up in a backyard, driveway, park, or parking lot is unlawful anywhere in the city, even for a valid medical patient..

Also covered: Aggressive Panhandling (moderate), Outdoor Smoking Restrictions (restrictive), Loitering Rules (moderate). See the full public conduct guide for Clovis for details.

Noise Ordinances

Barking Dogs: Barking dogs and other animals that create excessive noise violate Clovis Municipal Code § 6.1.701, a misdemeanor unless the City Attorney charges it as an infraction. Animal Services escalates through a warning, then two rounds of administrative citations, and orders the animal permanently removed from the City after a third sustained complaint within 18 months..

Also covered: Vehicle Noise (moderate), Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound (moderate), Quiet Hours (moderate). See the full noise ordinances guide for Clovis for details.

Special Events & Permits

Street Fair Rules: Old Town Clovis street fairs like the Farmers' Market and Big Hat Days run under a City Council-declared Old Town Special Event permit, Municipal Code Chapter 5.20. Vendors need a separate seller's permit from the event sponsor, and violations carry misdemeanor charges plus civil penalties up to $1,000..

Also covered: Sidewalk Dining & Cafés (moderate), Block Party Permits (moderate), Parade Permits (restrictive). See the full special events & permits guide for Clovis for details.

Right to Farm

Agricultural Zoning Protection: Any Clovis subdivision within 300 feet of agriculturally zoned land cannot get final map approval until the owner records a right-to-farm covenant with the Fresno County Recorder, per Municipal Code Section 9.40.170(B). The covenant warns future residents that farm noise, dust, and odor are normal and protected..

Also covered: Farm Nuisance Protection (limited). See the full right to farm guide for Clovis for details.

Curfew Laws

Juvenile Curfew: Clovis bans anyone under 18 from being in any public place or on the premises of a business open to the public between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.

Also covered: Park Curfew (moderate). See the full curfew laws guide for Clovis for details.

Invasive Plant Rules

Prohibited Species: Clovis Municipal Code Section 9.28.090(C)(5) requires owners of nonresidential, multifamily, and planned-development properties to eradicate invasive species from approved landscaping as an ongoing maintenance duty. Section 6.5.502 defines 'invasive plant species' by reference to state and federal invasive-species inventories rather than a local list..

Tree Protection

Heritage & Protected Trees: Clovis designates individual trees as protected 'heritage trees' under Municipal Code Section 9.30.120 through Protected Tree Advisory Committee review and a public hearing. Any person may apply with the property owner's written consent, and an approved designation is recorded with the County Recorder and added to the City's historic resources inventory..

Also covered: Protected Tree Species (restrictive), Parkway Planting (moderate). See the full tree protection guide for Clovis for details.

Building Setbacks & Zoning

Lot Coverage Limits: Clovis caps how much of a residential lot a structure's footprint may cover. Table 2-3 of the Development Code sets a 30% to 40% maximum depending on zoning district, with a Director-approved bonus up to 45% and a 50% ceiling for cottage-home projects in Planning Area 7..

Also covered: Structure Height Limits (moderate), Setback Rules (moderate). See the full building setbacks & zoning guide for Clovis for details.

Outdoor Lighting

Dark Sky Rules: Clovis requires all exterior lighting to be directed downward, shielded, and confined within the boundaries of the lit parcel. Fixtures cannot blink, flash, or exceed 150 watts, and lighting must be architecturally integrated with the buildings it serves..

Also covered: Light Trespass & Shielding (moderate), Billboard Lighting (moderate). See the full outdoor lighting guide for Clovis for details.

Fence Regulations

Material Restrictions: Clovis bans barbed wire fencing citywide except in specific zoning districts. Industrial and commercial-zoned properties may add barbed wire atop a security fence with Planning Director approval, and R-A (residential-agricultural) and P-F (public facilities) properties may do so only with City Council approval after a noticed hearing.

Also covered: Height Limits (moderate), Retaining Walls (moderate), Neighbor Fence Rules (permissive). See the full fence regulations guide for Clovis for details.

Solar Energy

Expedited Solar Permitting: Clovis Municipal Code Chapter 8.14 gives small residential rooftop solar systems a next-day-to-3-day, nondiscretionary permit review instead of standard discretionary review. The Building Department must issue the permit the next business day for a complete over-the-counter application, or within three business days for a complete electronic submission, using a standard plan and checklist drawn from the state's Solar Permitting Guidebook..

Also covered: HOA Restrictions (permissive). See the full solar energy guide for Clovis for details.

Accessory Structures

Tiny Homes: Clovis defines a tiny home as a structure on wheels intended for separate, independent living quarters, and Table 2-2 of the Development Code permits the use only in the MHP Mobile Home Park District. Every other residential zone, including R-1, R-2, R-3, and R-4, leaves the use blank, meaning tiny homes are prohibited there..

Also covered: ADU Rules (moderate), ADU Impact Fees (limited), ADU Rental Restrictions (moderate). See the full accessory structures guide for Clovis for details.

Home Business

Zoning & Home Occupation Permits: Clovis requires a home occupation permit before any business operates out of a residence. Chapter 9.58 confines the enterprise to a residential zoning district, limits it to 25% of the ground-floor area, and the Director must approve or deny a complete application within ten days..

Also covered: Customer Traffic Restrictions (moderate), Signage Rules (moderate), Home Daycare (moderate). See the full home business guide for Clovis for details.

Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors

Sidewalk & Mobile Vending: Selling food or merchandise from a pushcart, stand, bicycle, or one's person on a Clovis sidewalk requires a vendor permit from the Police Department under Municipal Code Chapter 5.33. Vendors must clear school grounds by 300 feet during school hours, stay 500 feet from freeway ramps, keep 200 feet from other vendors, and cannot vend between 10:00 p.m.

Also covered: Food Truck Permits (restrictive), Vending Zones (moderate). See the full food trucks & mobile vendors guide for Clovis for details.

Short-Term Rentals

Occupancy Limits: Clovis STR occupancy typically capped at 2 persons per bedroom plus 2, with a hard max set by permit. Events/parties exceeding cap prohibited..

Also covered: Short-Term Rental Permits (restrictive), Host Presence Rule (restrictive), Noise Rules (moderate). See the full short-term rentals guide for Clovis for details.

Business Licensing & Operations

Auto Repair on Residential Property: Clovis outright prohibits vehicle repair as a home occupation. Section 9.58.050(R) bars body or mechanical repair, upholstery, detailing, and painting from residential dwellings, with a narrow carve-out for mobile minor repair or detailing performed at the customer's own location..

Also covered: Secondhand Dealers (moderate), Tobacco Retail License (restrictive), Towing Companies (restrictive). See the full business licensing & operations guide for Clovis for details.

Public Health Rules

Food Handler Certification: Clovis requires anyone who handles, serves, prepares, or stores food or drink in a bakery, restaurant, hotel, tavern, or similar eating establishment, or who sanitizes utensils there, for more than thirty working days to hold a food handler's card issued by the Health Officer. Employers cannot keep an uncertified worker in that role past the thirty-day window, and the food establishment itself must separately carry a Health Officer operating permit..

Also covered: Rodent Control (moderate). See the full public health rules guide for Clovis for details.

Parking Rules

Preferential Parking Districts: Clovis lets the City Traffic Engineer set up limited or permit parking in a residential neighborhood under Municipal Code Section 4.5.1190 whenever event-driven parking is found to adversely affect that neighborhood. Once signs go up, only vehicles displaying a valid permit, decal or sticker may stop, stand or park there during the posted hours..

Also covered: Driveway Rules (moderate), Loading Zones (moderate), Commercial & Oversized Vehicles (restrictive). See the full parking rules guide for Clovis for details.

Tobacco & Vaping

Flavored Tobacco Bans: Selling flavored tobacco, e-cigarette flavor enhancers, or flavored shisha, cigars, and loose-leaf tobacco in Clovis violates Municipal Code § 5.35.09(b). The local ban applies California's state flavored-tobacco law and expressly refuses to exempt premium cigars, shisha, or loose-leaf products the way some other jurisdictions' rules do..

Gambling & Gaming

Card Room Licensing: Clovis Municipal Code § 5.6.03 bans gaming clubs, card rooms and gaming tables citywide, with a narrow exception for the single card room already operating when the 1995 ordinance took effect. Chapter 5.6 caps the city at one gaming club and regulates it under a strict license..

Building Safety

Fire Sprinkler Requirements: Clovis Fire Code Section 903.2.8 requires an automatic sprinkler system in every Group R building, covering single-family homes, townhomes, apartments and other residential occupancies, with no minimum size trigger. The main carve-out is a floor-area exemption for accessory dwelling units under 1,200 square feet, plus narrow exceptions for licensed care facilities meeting specific state Health and Safety Code conditions..

Also covered: Electrical Permits (moderate), Plumbing Permits (moderate), Green Building Code (moderate). See the full building safety guide for Clovis for details.

Homelessness & Encampment Rules

Encampment Sanitation: Clovis bans sleeping or camping in public rights-of-way, parks, and unimproved private lots without owner permission under Municipal Code § 5.27.510. Camps that threaten public health or safety can be removed by police after a warning, and daytime park sleeping between 7 a.m.

Also covered: Sit-Lie Rules (moderate). See the full homelessness & encampment rules guide for Clovis for details.

Mobility & Curb Rules

Bike Lane Rules: Clovis Municipal Code § 5.27.512(b) bars storing, maintaining, or placing personal property anywhere within a bike lane, bike path, or trail, the same right-of-way obstruction rule that covers streets open to motor vehicles. The rule is enforced as an infraction under Title 1's general penalty chapter..

Local Taxes & Fees

Business Tax Classification: Clovis sorts every gross-receipts business into one of eleven rate classifications listed in the Clovis Business Registration and Tax Certificate Classification Manual, each carrying its own fee ratio applied to a $.50-per-$1,000 base rate, from $.15 for automotive dealers up to $3.00 for professional services. The Director of Finance assigns and can revise a business's classification, and a separate certificate is required for every location..

Zoning Overlays & Bonuses

Density Bonus Law: Clovis Chapter 9.26 grants density bonuses, up to 20% extra units for senior housing and a sliding scale for income-restricted units, to housing developments of five or more units that dedicate a share of units to lower-income, very low-income, senior, or moderate-income households..

Filming & Production

Location Permits: Clovis requires a temporary use permit before filming commercials, movies, or videos at a specified location. The Director must find the shoot will not become so frequent that it creates incompatibility with the surrounding area before approving it..

Outdoor Cooking

Outdoor Kitchen Permits: Clovis regulates permanent backyard cooking features under Table 4-1 of Municipal Code Section 9.40.030: a stationary barbecue or outdoor fire pit/fireplace on a single-family lot needs a 10-foot front setback, 3-foot side setback, 10-foot street-side setback, and 3-foot rear setback, with reverse corner lots holding a 15-foot street setback..

Data Centers & Crypto Mining

Data Center Noise Limits: Clovis caps exterior noise at the property line under Municipal Code §9.22.080: 70 dBA day and night on industrial land, but 55 dBA daytime and 50 dBA at night at a home. Data-center cooling and generators must meet the nearer receiver's limit..

Also covered: Data Center Zoning & Siting (limited). See the full data centers & crypto mining guide for Clovis for details.

What to Do With This Information

Think of this as a map of the regulatory landscape in Clovis. For any rule that directly affects a decision you are making, click through to the full ordinance page for penalty details and exceptions, and confirm with the city if the stakes are high.