Imperial County, CA Ordinances (2026)

Imperial County treats a pet's frequent or long-continued noise as a public nuisance when it annoys a reasonable neighbor, with two or more separate adjacent households complaining, or…

Imperial County exempts helicopters operating at a heliport or helistop approved by conditional use permit from the county's general zone-based sound level limits.

Imperial County prohibits operating radios, speakers, or sound amplifiers loud enough to disturb the peace and quiet of a reasonable person in any residential or public area, with an…

Imperial County sets one-hour average sound level caps by zoning district and time of day, from 45 dB overnight in R-1 residential zones up to 75 dB anytime in general industrial…

Imperial County treats any radio, speaker, or amplified device audible from 50 feet away between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. as automatic evidence of a noise violation, regardless of the…

Imperial County bars operating a motor vehicle off a public street or highway at noise levels above what the California Vehicle Code allows on-highway vehicles going 45 mph or less.

Imperial County lets homeowners convert a garage, carport or covered parking structure into an ADU without replacing the lost off-street parking.

Imperial County applies full building code review to site-built and modular tiny homes under 400 square feet, while RVs and manufactured park models follow separate state rules.

Imperial County allows ADUs in every zone permitting residential use, capping attached-unit floor area, requiring a CUP above 1,200 square feet detached, and limiting setbacks to 4…

Imperial County only imposes an ADU owner-occupancy requirement when a lot has both an ADU and a junior ADU, mirroring state JADU law.

Imperial County exempts ADUs under 750 square feet from impact fees entirely, and caps fees on larger units proportional to the primary home's square footage.

A detached carport or private garage in Imperial County's R-1 through R-4 zones may sit in the front yard, clear of setbacks, only on a sloped interior lot, and even then it can't…

Imperial County doesn't license cats, but officers may capture any cat found running at large in the unincorporated area and are authorized to destroy it if judged necessary for public…

Imperial County bans dogs running at large in the unincorporated area; off the owner's own premises a dog must be on a leash or confined in a vehicle, cage or enclosure unless it's…

Imperial County's R-1 zone caps backyard chickens, rabbits and birds at five total per lot for hobby use in enclosed structures, with separate acreage rules for larger livestock.

Imperial County has no breed ban: dangerous-animal rules under Chapter 6.16 turn on an animal's conduct, not its breed, and let the county issue a restraint order once an animal has…

Imperial County's sign chapter exempts window display signs entirely: the county sets no size, coverage, or permit requirement for signage placed in or on a window.

Imperial County lets temporary political, religious, or civic campaign signs go up for up to 60 days, caps residential signs at 20 square feet and 6 feet tall, and fines late removal…

Directional garage-sale signs in unincorporated Imperial County top out at nine square feet, must come down within 24 hours of the sale, and cannot be nailed to a utility pole.

Imperial County requires a conditional use permit for every digital or changeable electronic variable message sign, giving the planning commission discretionary say over any new…

Imperial County treats a stereo, TV or amplifier audible 50 feet away between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. as prima facie evidence of a public nuisance noise violation.

Possessing or drinking alcohol anywhere in an Imperial County park is unlawful unless the director has issued an alcoholic beverage permit for a designated special-event area.

Imperial County allows artificial turf in mobile home and RV park developments but counts it as hard surface, not toward the required 10% landscaping minimum.

Imperial County caps supplemental irrigation at 30 inches of water per year for landscaped areas in new development, enforced through its landscaping-chapter design standards.

Digging up or possessing bulbs, plants or branches of certain protected native species in Imperial County requires a board of supervisors permit, not just a horticultural sign-off.

Imperial County bars landowners in the unincorporated area from letting weeds and other vegetation, including fire-prone brush and chaparral, overgrow and infest their property, backed…

Imperial County's general plan allows up to a 20% density bonus for qualifying residential projects with full water and sewer infrastructure, separate from the state's 25%…

Commercial cannabis activity in unincorporated Imperial County must stay 600 feet from schools and day cares and 25 feet from residential structures, walled off where zones abut.

Imperial County zones cannabis retail, licensed as 'Retail with Delivery', into specific commercial and industrial zones across its Gateway, Mesquite Lake and Imperial Center specific…

In Imperial County's R-1 low-density residential zone, primary homes are capped at three stories or 40 feet, detached accessory structures at two stories or 25 feet, and antennas or…

In Imperial County's R-1 zone, homes need a 20-25 ft front setback, 5 ft side setbacks (15 ft on corner lots) and a 20-25 ft rear setback.

Imperial County requires neighbors to record a mutual agreement before building a fence on the shared property line; without one, the fence must sit two inches inside the line.

Imperial County requires a construction permit for tall fences and retaining walls; a standard wood, chain-link or wrought iron fence needs one once it tops 84 inches.

Imperial County requires a construction permit for any retaining wall over four feet tall, or shorter if it holds back a surcharge or hazardous liquids.

In Imperial County's residential and residential-agricultural zones, front-yard fencing is capped at 30 inches if solid or 48 inches if see-through, and corner-lot fences can't exceed…

Imperial County bans junk materials in fences: no tires, cans, broken glass, used car parts, or vehicles in any fence, in any zone, countywide.

Imperial County requires single-family households in the unincorporated area to subscribe to the county's organic waste collection service and sort food scraps and yard trimmings into…

Imperial County requires commercial businesses and multifamily properties in the unincorporated area to subscribe to a three-container collection service and provide adequate…

New residential development in Imperial County's unincorporated area must screen trash receptacles from off-site view under the planning director's site-design standards.

Dumping waste on public or private property in unincorporated Imperial County without legal permission is an infraction carrying up to a $250 fine; a second offense is a misdemeanor…

Door-to-door solicitors and peddlers working unincorporated Imperial County must get a Solicitor Permit (Peddler's Permit) from the sheriff-coroner's office, on top of the county's…

New single-unit residential development in Imperial County must plant street-side setback trees no more than 30 feet apart and keep parkway plantings under 12 inches tall.

Imperial County bars picking or destroying blossoms, branches or berries of eight named native trees and plants, on public or private land, without a horticultural commissioner permit.

Both large and small family daycare homes are listed as permitted uses in Imperial County's low-density residential zone, following the state law categories that control how many…

Imperial County requires a home occupation to be conducted by appointment only, with no on-premises sales and no commercial freight deliveries, keeping client traffic low enough that…

Imperial County flatly bans any sign at a home occupation site that identifies the service being offered, keeping the business visually undetectable from the street under the county's…

Home occupations are a listed permitted use in Imperial County's R-1 and R-2 residential zones, but only when the owner-occupant obtains a home occupation permit under Division 4…

Imperial County allows commercial and agricultural fireworks storage and assembly only in A-2, A-2-R and A-3 zones with a conditional use permit, tight acreage, distance and fencing…

In unincorporated Imperial County, the aggregate water capacity of any single liquefied-petroleum-gas storage installation is capped at 2,000 gallons under the county's Fire Code…

New residential and nonresidential development in unincorporated Imperial County must provide electric-vehicle-ready parking: a dedicated circuit for single-family homes and a…

Imperial County requires vehicles parked on county roads to sit parallel and within 18 inches of the curb, or the road's edge where there is no curb.

Imperial County exempts single-family driveways from its parking-area paving standards, but still sets minimum widths: 14 feet for residential driveways and 20 feet for commercial or…

Imperial County bans parking any unattended commercial vehicle, or any vehicle over 6,000 pounds gross weight, on a long list of named county roads across the valley.

Imperial County treats an abandoned, wrecked, dismantled or inoperative vehicle left on private or public property for more than 72 hours as a public nuisance and an infraction…

Imperial County bars parking or leaving any vehicle standing on a county road, public street, or highway for 72 or more consecutive hours, with towing authorized once that limit passes.

In Imperial County's residential zones, RVs, trailers and other vehicles can only be stored on a lot if they're kept in the rear yard, out of view from the street.

New and substantially improved homes in Imperial County's mapped flood zones must have their lowest floor elevated at least two feet above the base flood elevation: a two-foot…

Imperial County bans discharging non-stormwater or pollutant-laden runoff into the county's stormwater conveyance system under its NPDES-driven Stormwater Control Ordinance, with…

Imperial County requires a development permit before any construction in a FEMA-mapped special flood hazard area, including land around the Salton Sea at or below 220 feet elevation.

Imperial County requires a county-engineer grading permit for excavation or earthwork in the unincorporated area, but exempts routine agricultural land leveling.

Private use of Imperial County right-of-way requires an encroachment permit through the public works director, with fees starting at an $85 base rate.

Imperial County bans placing, building or excavating any structure or thing in a public street, road or sidewalk right-of-way without a road commissioner permit.

Imperial County's California Green Building Standards Code chapter requires 65 percent of construction and demolition waste to be recycled or salvaged on every covered project.

Imperial County's Building Official inspects every permitted building, plumbing, mechanical and electrical job before signing off, and a certificate of occupancy only issues once the…

Imperial County requires a permit from the Building Official before constructing, altering, moving or demolishing any building or structure in the unincorporated area.

Imperial County requires a separate electrical permit for each building before any regulated electrical system is installed, altered or replaced, under its adopted 2022 electrical code.

Imperial County runs plumbing work under its adopted 2022 California Plumbing Code, exempting only minor leak repairs and stoppage clearing from a permit.

Imperial County requires tattoo and body art operators, fixed facilities, mobile units, practitioners, and event organizers, to hold an annual environmental health permit, each with…

Imperial County expressly bars car repair and small-engine repair from qualifying as a home occupation, alongside appliance repair, cabinet shops, and veterinary clinics: those uses…

Imperial County allows adult bookstores and adult movie theaters only in the C-2 medium commercial zone, and only with a conditional use permit: no zone in the unincorporated county…

Imperial County charges an 8% transient occupancy tax on rent for hotel, motel, RV park and campground stays of 30 consecutive days or less in the unincorporated county.

Imperial County does not require a special use permit for a garage or yard sale in the R-1 zone as long as the sale meets the code's listed conditions.

Imperial County makes it unlawful to knowingly allow a septic or onsite wastewater system to leak. Failing systems are a declared public nuisance, and the owner must repair, replace…

Imperial County requires a permit from the Public Works director before reserving a county park facility for an organized activity, gathering or event, issued only if it meets health…

Parades, walk-a-thons and bicycle races on Imperial County roads run through the same encroachment permit as any other right-of-way use, though nonprofits can get the fee waived.

In the county's C1-MU and C2-MU mixed-use zones, a new or altered outdoor dining area can't open until Imperial County's planning department grants design review approval under the…

Imperial County bans letting trash, garbage, or refuse accumulate on private property, including vacant lots, if it could support disease-carrying vermin, punishable as a misdemeanor…

Imperial County has adopted the 1997 Uniform Code for the Abatement of Dangerous Buildings, letting the Building Official declare unsafe or substandard structures a nuisance and order…

Imperial County shields lawful, established agricultural operations from nuisance lawsuits under its right-to-farm chapter, so long as the operation wasn't already a nuisance when it…

Imperial County requires an annual environmental health permit for every public pool, spa, wading pool, or spray ground, backed by mandatory inspection access and civil or criminal…

Imperial County must review complete small residential rooftop solar permit applications by the next business day and approve them within three business days under its Rooftop Solar…

Imperial County requires every habitable structure in the unincorporated area, rented or owned, to have a working heating and cooling system that holds 68-75°F.

Imperial County requires audible burglar alarms on buildings and vehicles to shut off automatically within 20 minutes of activation, and lets deputies disconnect one that won't stop.

Camping, dwelling or sheltering in a vehicle, shanty or open area anywhere in unincorporated Imperial County without the landowner's written permission is unlawful under the county…

Imperial County's zoning code names data centers directly: allowed by right in the M-1, M-2, and M-3 industrial zones, while an open-air "data center yard" needs a conditional use…

Imperial County's building code makes every property owner responsible for preventing and exterminating insect and rodent infestations on their own building, not just the tenant.

Imperial County requires every food facility to post its letter grade card or inspection score card where patrons can clearly see it, and makes removing or hiding the card a separate…

Imperial County requires every mobile food facility, trucks, trailers, carts, and support units, to hold an annual environmental health permit, with separate non-prorated fees for…

Imperial County makes it a misdemeanor for a minor to loiter in public or trespass on private property between midnight and sunrise in summer, and 10 p.m. and sunrise on school nights.