Humboldt County, CA Ordinances (2026)

Humboldt County permits accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and junior ADUs in any zone allowing single-family or multifamily residential use, with ministerial 60-day approval, 4-foot side/rear setbacks, detached size cap of 1,200 sq ft, attached cap of 50% of the primary residence, and a prohibition on short-term rentals of 30 days or less.

One-story detached sheds 120 sq ft or smaller are exempt from a Humboldt County building permit under the adopted California Building Code, but they must still meet zoning setbacks and any utilities serving the shed require permits; defensible-space rules also apply on parcels of 1 acre or more.

Humboldt County allows conversion of an existing garage or accessory structure into an ADU or JADU with zero required setback, ministerial approval, no separate utility connection fees, and no impact fees if under 750 sq ft; short-term rentals (30 days or less) remain prohibited.

In unincorporated Humboldt County, the keeping of chickens, poultry, horses, cattle, sheep, goats, and other livestock is governed by the County's Inland and Coastal Zoning Regulations administered by the Planning & Building Department, and California state law gives livestock owners broad protection against farm-related nuisance claims under the Right-to-Farm framework.

Humboldt County does not impose a breed-specific dog ban, and California state law affirmatively prohibits any local ordinance that is 'specific as to breed' for the purpose of declaring a dog dangerous or banning ownership – Food and Agricultural Code section 31683 only allows breed-specific spay/neuter or breeding requirements in unincorporated areas, not breed-based ownership bans.

Neither California state law nor Humboldt County's published Animal Control materials set a hard numeric cap on companion pets per household in unincorporated areas, but once the number of dogs reaches a 'kennel' threshold the operation becomes a regulated land use that must comply with the County's Inland and Coastal Zoning Regulations and obtain the appropriate use permit through the Planning & Building Department.

Humboldt County Animal Control (operated by the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office) enforces dog-at-large and leash rules in unincorporated areas, and California state law requires every dog over four months of age to be licensed and currently vaccinated against rabies.

In unincorporated Humboldt County residential zones (RS, R-1, R-2), solid fences within the front-yard setback are capped at 3 feet, while open fences (at least 70% open to light and air) may reach 7 feet. Outside the front-yard setback, fences up to 6 feet are generally allowed without a zoning or building permit.

Fences six feet or under do not need a Humboldt County building or zoning permit. A building permit from the Building Inspection Division is required for any fence taller than six feet. Any fence or gate built in or adjacent to a County road right-of-way also needs an encroachment permit from Public Works.

In residential front-yard setbacks, only fences that are at least 70% open to the passage of light and air qualify for the taller 7-foot allowance. Chain link or other woven wire smaller than 6-gauge is prohibited in the front-yard setback, and fences in the road visibility triangle must not obstruct vision.

California Civil Code Section 841 (the Good Neighbor Fence Act) governs shared boundary fences in unincorporated Humboldt County. Adjoining landowners are presumed equally responsible for the reasonable costs of construction, maintenance, and replacement, and a landowner who intends to incur such costs must give the neighbor at least 30 days' prior written notice describing the work and the cost share.

Small backyard recreational fires (warming, cooking, ceremony) do not need an air-district or CAL FIRE permit, but state law requires 100 feet of defensible space around every structure and prohibits unattended fires that create a hazard.

Open burning of natural vegetation requires a North Coast Unified AQMD permit year-round plus a CAL FIRE permit during fire season (May 1 through end of season). Burning trash, painted wood, plastic, or construction debris is banned statewide.

Small recreational and ceremonial campfires (warming, cooking, ambiance) do not require a North Coast Unified AQMD burn permit, but a CAL FIRE permit may apply in State Responsibility Areas during fire season.

Unincorporated Humboldt County is a Safe and Sane county - only State Fire Marshal-approved sparklers, fountains and ground-based novelties are legal. All aerial and exploding fireworks are state-classified dangerous fireworks and are illegal to possess or discharge.

For Cottage Industries, Humboldt County allows only one sign, no larger than two square feet, non-moving, with non-flashing illumination (if any). Home Occupations and Address-of-Convenience uses must have no external evidence of the business, meaning no business signage on the dwelling or premises is permitted.

Humboldt County's zoning standards for home-based businesses prohibit outside activity or storage, cap business use at 25% of one floor of the dwelling, prohibit non-resident employees, and forbid any external evidence of the business. Cottage industries are additionally capped at 1,000 square feet (or 25% of the dwelling, whichever is less) and limited to properties with improvements on less than two acres.

Humboldt County issues two distinct planning permits for home-based businesses: a Home Occupation Permit (or Address of Convenience) under County Code Sections 313-50.1 and 314-50.1, and a Cottage Industry Permit under Sections 313-45.2 and 314-45.1. Each must accompany a regular Business License application filed with the Humboldt County Tax Collector at 825 Fifth Street, Eureka.

Humboldt County does not impose a fixed grass-height limit (e.g., 6 or 12 inches) by ordinance in unincorporated areas. Instead, tall, dry vegetation can be abated as a public nuisance under Humboldt County Code section 351 et seq., and within State Responsibility Areas and Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones, Public Resources Code section 4291 requires defensible space, which Cal Fire interprets as keeping annual grasses cut and dry vegetation removed within 30 feet of structures.

In Humboldt County's State Responsibility Area and Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones, California Public Resources Code section 4291 requires maintenance of 100 feet of defensible space around structures, including removing tree portions within 10 feet of a chimney/stovepipe outlet and keeping trees free of dead or dying wood. Coast Redwood and other large tree removals in the unincorporated coastal zone are also separately regulated under Humboldt County Code section 313-64 (Tree Protection).

Since January 1, 2023, Humboldt County's Building Division enforces California's Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (MWELO) for new and renovated landscapes in unincorporated areas. State law (Gov. Code section 65595) requires every California local agency to either adopt a local water-efficient landscape ordinance at least as effective as the state model or default to the state MWELO.

Humboldt County abates weeds and overgrown vegetation as public nuisances under Humboldt County Code section 351 et seq. (Abatement of Public Nuisances), amended by Ordinance 2457. State-listed noxious weeds are separately regulated by the County Agricultural Commissioner under California Food and Agricultural Code section 5004.

Persistent dog barking in unincorporated Humboldt County is regulated as a public nuisance. The General Plan's Noise Element provides numeric Lmax limits applicable to dogs at residential property lines, and California Civil Code Section 3479 provides the broader nuisance authority.

Humboldt County's General Plan Noise Element exempts heavy equipment and power tools used during construction of permitted structures from the Lmax noise standards, provided the work conforms to the terms of the approved permit; no countywide hour curfew is set by ordinance.

The Humboldt County General Plan Noise Element sets nighttime maximum noise standards of 60 dBA for single-family residential zones (RS, R-1, R-2, NR) measured 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., with 65 dBA permitted during the day (6 a.m. to 10 p.m.).

Amplified music in unincorporated Humboldt County must comply with the General Plan Lmax noise standards (65 dBA day / 60 dBA night at residential property lines), unless held under an approved Conditional Use Permit for a temporary event.

Aircraft-in-flight noise is preempted by the FAA, but Humboldt County manages ground-level airport noise impacts through 65 CNEL Airport Land Use Compatibility Plans. Standard N-S2 requires Noise Impact Combining Zones around the County's airports (Murray Field, Rohnerville, Garberville, Dinsmore, Kneeland, Shelter Cove, and the former Hoopa airport).

Humboldt County prohibits overnight parking (typically 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.) on many specific county roads including all of Patrick's Point Drive, both sides of Scenic Drive, Hatchery Road, King Salmon Avenue, and segments of New Navy Base Road, Elk River Road, Herrick Avenue, Beach Road in Redway, Drydens Road, Jackson Ranch Road, and Vance Avenue.

Humboldt County has no general countywide ban on parking an RV or boat on your own private property, but several code sections specifically prohibit parking vehicles six feet or taller near key intersections, and recreational vehicles used as living quarters are only authorized in permitted Safe Parking/Safe Shelter sites under HCC §314-61.05.

Humboldt County Code Title IV, Division 3, Chapter 1 sets countywide rules for stopping, standing and parking on streets in unincorporated areas: you must obey posted signs, park off the main traveled way (no double parking), and a tiered fine schedule applies.

Humboldt County relies primarily on California Vehicle Code §22651 to tow vehicles parked over 72 hours and on CVC §§22660-22669 (Abandoned Vehicle Abatement) plus the county Safe Parking provisions to remove abandoned, wrecked, or inoperable vehicles from public and private property.

Humboldt County does not have a single dedicated commercial-vehicle parking ordinance; commercial trucks must follow the same HCC §431-1 rules as all vehicles plus state-level commercial parking law in CVC §22507.5, which lets local agencies ban commercial vehicles over 10,000 lbs from parking in residential districts for more than the time needed to load or unload.

Unincorporated Humboldt County requires a Short-Term Rental Permit (Administrative Permit) before operating any whole-unit or home-share rental of 30 days or fewer, with capped totals and Good Neighbor Guide affidavit.

Maximum overnight occupancy is two persons per bedroom plus one (children under 12 excluded), and total STRs cannot exceed 2% of housing stock in the Greater Humboldt Bay Area (5% in other Community Plan Areas).

Every Humboldt County STR operator must collect a 12% Transient Occupancy Tax on rent from stays of 30 days or fewer, register for a Transient Occupancy Registration Certificate within 30 days, and remit tax quarterly.