A Resident's Guide to Vallejo's Local Ordinances

Vallejo is a mid-sized city in Solano County, California, with about 126000 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 148 ordinances across 42 categories that affect daily life in Vallejo.

Property Maintenance

Property Blight: Vallejo's Property Maintenance Ordinance, Vallejo Municipal Code Chapter 7.54, makes it unlawful to maintain property in any of twenty listed conditions of blight, from vacant buildings and peeling paint to weeds that harbor vermin. The code enforcement supervisor issues a warning notice, then a notice of violation setting an abatement deadline of up to thirty days, backed by administrative charges, property liens and infraction prosecution for property owners who fail to comply..

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

Landscaping Rules

Tree Removal & Heritage Trees: Vallejo protects any tree 10 inches or more in diameter, or 25 feet or more in width, standing on a street, park, or the public right-of-way: Section 10.12.110 bars removing one without a signed tree permit application, and gives the owner a 10-day window to protest a director-ordered removal to the beautification advisory commission..

Also covered: Native Plants (moderate), Artificial Turf (moderate), Water Restrictions (moderate). See the full landscaping rules guide for Vallejo for details.

Rental Property Rules

Rental Registration: Vallejo may require landlords to register rental properties with the city and maintain compliance with housing codes. Registration helps ensure rental units meet safety and habitability standards..

Also covered: Just Cause Eviction (moderate), Rent Control (permissive), Repairs & Habitability (moderate). See the full rental property rules guide for Vallejo for details.

Fire Regulations

Outdoor Burning: Vallejo Municipal Code Section 7.44.080 makes it unlawful to burn or cause to be burned any solid waste, bulky goods, green waste, or recyclables anywhere in the city, unless the Bay Area Air Quality Management District has separately authorized the burn. The public works director, health department, and code enforcement officers all enforce the ban..

Also covered: Brush Clearance (moderate), Fireworks (restrictive), Smoke Detectors (moderate). See the full fire regulations guide for Vallejo for details.

Swimming Pools & Spas

Fencing & Safety Requirements: Vallejo requires pool barriers meeting safety codes to prevent drowning. Fences must be at least 4 to 5 feet tall with self-closing, self-latching gates..

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

Short-Term Rentals

Short-Term Rental Parking Rules: Vallejo may require designated parking for STR guests. On-street parking limits apply.

Also covered: Occupancy Limits (moderate). See the full short-term rentals guide for Vallejo for details.

Noise Ordinances

Leaf Blower Rules: Vallejo regulates leaf blower use by time of day. California banned sale of new gas-powered small engines effective 2024 (AB 1346).

Also covered: Quiet Hours (moderate), Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound (moderate), Barking Dogs (moderate). See the full noise ordinances guide for Vallejo for details.

Cannabis Regulations

Dispensary Zoning: Vallejo allows retail cannabis sales only in the NMX, CC, NC, RC, IL, and IG zoning districts, and only with an approved minor use permit under Chapter 16.606. Cultivation, distribution, manufacturing, and testing labs are confined to the IL and IG districts plus Zone 1A of the White Slough Specific Plan Area, so the city has not opted out of licensing commercial cannabis..

Also covered: Home Cultivation (moderate), Buffer Zones (moderate). See the full cannabis regulations guide for Vallejo for details.

Soliciting & Door-to-Door

Solicitor Permits: Vallejo requires anyone peddling goods door-to-door or soliciting future-delivery sales outside a fixed business location to carry a peddler/solicitor permit from the public works director, renewed yearly and displayed as a visible badge. Charitable, religious, and youth exemptions exist, but everyone else faces administrative fines starting at $250 for operating without one, rising to $1,000 for repeat violations within a year..

Also covered: No-Knock Registry (moderate). See the full soliciting & door-to-door guide for Vallejo for details.

Home Business

Signage Rules: Vallejo bars any sign, name plate, or advertising for a home-based business, including window displays of products or business materials. Section 16.321.04(K) makes the prohibition absolute: unlike most home occupation codes that allow a small nameplate, Vallejo permits none at all..

Also covered: Zoning & Home Occupation Permits (moderate), Customer Traffic Restrictions (moderate), Home Daycare (permissive). See the full home business guide for Vallejo for details.

Business Licensing & Operations

Auto Repair on Residential Property: Vallejo excludes on-site vehicle repair, servicing, cleaning, dismantling, or storage from qualifying as a home-based business at all. Section 16.321.05(E) allows only an off-site model, where a home-based operator relies exclusively on off-site suppliers and customers with nothing stored or worked on at the residence..

Also covered: Tattoo & Body Modification (limited), Massage Establishments (restrictive), Tobacco Retail License (restrictive). See the full business licensing & operations guide for Vallejo for details.

Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules

Encroachment Permits: Vallejo bans encroaching on any city-owned property, including sidewalks and rights-of-way, without a permit. The public works director has full discretion to approve, deny or condition any encroachment permit, and the city can cancel one at any time, giving the property owner just thirty days to remove the structure..

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

Hotels & Lodging

Transient Occupancy Tax: Vallejo taxes hotel and short-term rental stays at 11% of rent under Municipal Code Section 3.19.030. Operators collect the tax from transients staying 30 consecutive days or less and remit it monthly to the city's tax administrator, the finance director..

Privacy & Surveillance

License Plate Readers: Vallejo's seven-member Surveillance Advisory Board, created under Municipal Code Chapter 2.27, reviews any city department's plan to acquire, borrow, or adopt a use policy for automatic license plate readers before the city council approves it. Section 2.27.020(E)(3) lists ALPR among the regulated surveillance technologies; Section 2.27.030(D) sets a 45-day advance review window..

Noise from Specific Sources

Car Alarm Limits: Vallejo Municipal Code Chapter 7.82 makes it unlawful for a motor vehicle alarm to sound for more than ten minutes, or for the same vehicle to trigger more than three false alarms in twenty-four hours or five in seven days. Police can deactivate an offending alarm or have the vehicle towed under Vehicle Code Section 22651.5..

Public Conduct

Outdoor Smoking Restrictions: Vallejo Municipal Code Section 7.68.060 bans smoking, including vaping and cannabis, in the unenclosed areas of recreational areas, service areas, dining areas, workplaces, sidewalks and public places citywide, plus common areas of multi-unit residences and commercial properties unless a narrow designated smoking area is set up. Violators face escalating infraction fines under Section 7.68.140, from up to one hundred dollars for a first offense to up to five hundred dollars for a third..

Also covered: Public Alcohol Use (restrictive), Loud Party Ordinance (moderate), Loitering Rules (moderate). See the full public conduct guide for Vallejo for details.

Special Events & Permits

Street Fair Rules: Vallejo requires anyone hosting an outdoor festival, concert, or similar public gathering outside a permanent building to get a city license at least 60 days ahead, backed by a $150 fee, a surety bond, and liability insurance covering the city. The city manager, police chief, public works director, and planning director all sign off before the tax and license collector issues it..

Also covered: Parade Permits (restrictive), Block Party Permits (moderate), Outdoor Heater Rules (moderate). See the full special events & permits guide for Vallejo for details.

Gambling & Gaming

Card Room Licensing: Vallejo Municipal Code Section 7.72.010 bans dealing, playing, or betting at any card, dice, or dominoes game where chance determines the outcome and money or anything of value is at stake, anywhere in the city. Gambling houses and gaming machines are separately banned, with only narrow social, fraternal-license, and licensed-bingo exceptions..

Building Safety

Building Permits: Vallejo enforces the 2025 California Building Code, adopted wholesale by ordinance, for every building or structure in the city. Section 12.04.010 adopts CBC Volumes 1 and 2 with local appendices, and Section 12.04.020 pulls in the code's Division II administrative provisions, including its permit-application requirements, by reference under Government Code sections 50022.2 through 50022.10..

Also covered: Childcare Center Rules (moderate), Green Building Code (moderate), Electrical Permits (moderate). See the full building safety guide for Vallejo for details.

Environmental Rules

Stormwater Management: Vallejo bans discharging anything but stormwater into its storm drain system under Section 12.41.060, and requires a city-approved Stormwater Control Plan before many development projects can get a certificate of occupancy. The Director of Public Works enforces the chapter, which implements the city's NPDES Permit No.

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

Trash & Recycling

Illegal Dumping: Vallejo Municipal Code Section 7.44.100 bans dumping solid waste, bulky goods, green waste, recyclables, junk, debris, or litter on any street, vacant lot, yard, waterway, or public or private place in the city except in authorized receptacles or lawful dumping grounds. Violators are financially liable for the city's full cleanup costs under Section 7.44.160 and face infraction or misdemeanor charges under Section 7.44.170..

Also covered: Bulk Item Disposal (moderate), Mandatory Organics Recycling (restrictive), Bin Placement Rules (moderate). See the full trash & recycling guide for Vallejo for details.

Local Taxes & Fees

Business Tax Classification: Every business operating in Vallejo pays an annual license tax set by council resolution and pegged to a classification carved out in Section 5.04.535. The Gross Receipts scheme sorts businesses by net-profit margin, from Classification A (20%-plus margin professions like attorneys and architects) down through lower-margin retailers, so the rate tracks profitability rather than a single flat citywide fee..

Animal Ordinances

Wildlife Feeding: Vallejo bans feeding wild or feral animals anywhere inside the Vallejo Municipal Marina. Under Municipal Code Section 2.68.385, no person can feed, cause the feeding of, or leave food out for any feral or undomesticated animal on marina docks, grounds, or the adjoining parking lots, and the harbormaster enforces the rule with citywide infraction and misdemeanor penalties..

Also covered: Mandatory Spay/Neuter (restrictive), Dog Leash Laws (moderate), Microchipping (moderate). See the full animal ordinances guide for Vallejo for details.

Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors

Sidewalk & Mobile Vending: Vallejo bars sidewalk food and merchandise vending without a public works department permit good for one year. Applicants need a Solano County mobile food permit, a state seller's permit, and liability insurance naming the city before a badge issues.

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

Parking Rules

Commercial & Oversized Vehicles: Vallejo bars house cars, buses, campers, trailers, school buses, and trucks over three-quarters ton from parking on any residential street, alley, or parkway, and separately bars any truck of 10,000+ pounds GVW from any public street or alley at all, unless the vehicle is actively loading, unloading, or servicing a nearby property..

Also covered: Curb Color Rules (moderate), Street Parking Limits (moderate), Preferential Parking Districts (moderate). See the full parking rules guide for Vallejo for details.

Tobacco & Vaping

Flavored Tobacco Bans: Vallejo bans the sale of any flavored tobacco product outright under Section 5.10.030, covering menthol, fruit, candy, and cooling-sensation vapes alike. A retailer's own marketing claiming a taste or smell other than tobacco counts as presumptive proof the product is flavored, and selling one puts a tobacco retailer license at risk of suspension or revocation..

Accessory Structures

ADU Rules: Vallejo processes ADUs and JADUs ministerially, without a discretionary permit, once a project meets the size, height, and setback standards in Municipal Code Section 16.303.02. Attached units are capped at fifty percent of the primary home's floor area or 1,200 square feet, detached units at 1,200 square feet, and new detached ADUs at sixteen feet or two stories..

Also covered: ADU Rental Restrictions (moderate), ADU Owner Occupancy (moderate), Garage Conversions (permissive). See the full accessory structures guide for Vallejo for details.

Curfew Laws

Juvenile Curfew: Vallejo prohibits minors under 18 from loitering in public places between 10 p.m. and sunrise unless accompanied by a parent, guardian, or other adult with legal custody, or their own spouse if over 18.

Filming & Production

Location Permits: Vallejo requires a film permit before anyone may use public property to shoot a motion picture, television production, or commercial still photography. Municipal Code Section 7.95.030 puts the city manager in charge of issuing permits, and Chapter 7.95 exempts news gathering, in-studio productions, court and criminal investigation filming, and purely private, noncommercial filming that doesn't impede public property..

Also covered: Production Noise (moderate), Street Closures (moderate). See the full filming & production guide for Vallejo for details.

Public Health Rules

Rodent Control: Vallejo Municipal Code Section 7.62.040(B) requires the owner of any vacant building to preserve its interior from water damage and keep it free of garbage, debris and infestation by rodents, insects or other pests. The rule is part of the city's Vacant Real Property ordinance, enforced by the code enforcement division with monthly inspection and posting duties and fines up to two hundred dollars a day for noncompliance..

Homelessness & Encampment Rules

Encampment Sanitation: Vallejo Municipal Code Chapter 7.67 makes it unlawful to camp or store personal property in any park, street or public property unless a specific city authorization allows it. Before anyone is cited or arrested, police or code enforcement must first give an oral warning, then a written warning, and officers must flag possible need for medical, mental health or homeless services before escalating to a citation or arrest..

Zoning Overlays & Bonuses

Density Bonus Law: Vallejo grants a density increase of five to thirty-five percent above the zone's maximum for projects that reserve twenty percent of units for lower-income households or ten percent for very low-income households. The bonus, set under Municipal Code Section 16.214.03, tracks California Government Code Section 65915 and applies only to developments of five or more dwelling units..

Also covered: Downtown Design Guide (moderate). See the full zoning overlays & bonuses guide for Vallejo for details.

Tree Protection

Heritage & Protected Trees: Vallejo requires developers in non-residential zoning districts to preserve existing trees over 24 inches in diameter under Municipal Code Section 16.504.07; removing one takes the planning director's approval based on a certified arborist's report, and every tree removed, except designated fire-prone species, must be replaced three-for-one with 15-gallon stock..

Also covered: Parkway Planting (moderate). See the full tree protection guide for Vallejo for details.

Fence Regulations

Material Restrictions: Vallejo's fence code flatly forbids electrically charged wire, barbed wire, razor wire, chicken wire, welded wire mesh, hog wire, rope, cable, railroad ties, landscape timbers and utility poles in any fence, except in the Rural Residential (RR) zoning district. Chain link is allowed only where the chapter separately permits it.

Also covered: Neighbor Fence Rules (limited), Fence Permit Requirements (moderate), Height Limits (moderate). See the full fence regulations guide for Vallejo for details.

Water Use Rules

Recycled Water Rules: Vallejo's Water-Efficient Landscape Ordinance requires every new or rehabilitated irrigation system to be built ready for recycled water, and it treats any landscape actually irrigated with recycled water as a special landscape area with a capped water budget. A separate water-waste rule bars using potable water for construction and cleanup work when recycled water is available instead..

Sign Regulations

Freeway-Facing Signs: Vallejo prohibits any sign primarily oriented toward a freeway or highway unless the sign owner gets it approved through a formal sign program. Every other sign in the city has to be oriented toward local streets and business entrances instead, under Municipal Code Section 16.509.07(D)..

Also covered: Holiday Displays (limited), Garage Sale Signs (limited), Window Signs (moderate). See the full sign regulations guide for Vallejo for details.

Building Setbacks & Zoning

Lot Coverage Limits: Vallejo caps lot coverage, the share of a lot's area covered by building footprints, at 50 percent in the Residential Low Density (RLD) district, 60 percent in Medium Density (RMD), and 75 percent in High Density (RHD), per Chapter 16.202's development tables, while Section 16.104.09 defines exactly which structures count toward that percentage..

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

Outdoor Lighting

Dark Sky Rules: Vallejo's zoning code caps outdoor light poles at seventeen feet in residential districts, twenty feet in most commercial and office districts, and twenty-five feet in industrial zones. Every fixture must point downward or toward the structure it lights, and any lamp of 2,000 lumens or more has to be fully shielded under Table 16.506-A.

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

Invasive Plant Rules

Tree-of-Heaven Removal: Vallejo's tree protection code names Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima) as one of six fire-prone species the planning director can approve for removal near buildings, skipping the citywide 3-to-1 replacement mandate. Removal still needs a qualified arborist's report confirming the tree stands within 100 feet of a structure.

Also covered: Prohibited Species (moderate). See the full invasive plant rules guide for Vallejo for details.

Historic Preservation

Historic-Cultural Monuments: Vallejo's architectural heritage and landmarks commission can designate a property, structure, or site as a City Landmark, Historic Structure, Structure of Merit, or Contributing Structure under Section 16.614.05 by applying five criteria: architectural merit, cultural value, educational value, historical value, and National Register or state landmark status..

Solar Energy

Panel Permits: Installing solar panels on an existing Vallejo building only requires a zoning compliance review under Section 16.338.02(A)(1), the city's lightest-touch permit, as long as the system meets Chapter 16.338's standards. A system tied to a larger development project instead rides along with whatever use permit or development review that project already needs.

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

Data Centers & Crypto Mining

Data Center Noise Limits: Vallejo's zoning code caps industrial noise at 75 dBA at the property line or district boundary, 65 dBA at any residential zone boundary, and 50 dBA between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.

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

What to Do With This Information

If you are moving to Vallejo, buying a home, or starting a project, use this as a starting point. Each category links to detailed pages with the full text, penalties, and FAQs. Verify anything time-sensitive with Vallejo's city hall or code enforcement office.