Kings County, CA Ordinances (2026)

Anyone handling, serving or preparing food in a Kings County restaurant, bakery or similar establishment for more than 15 working days must hold a county health officer-issued food…

Kings County requires licensed tattoo shops to dispose of used needles and other sharps waste in rigid, puncture-resistant, leak-resistant containers under Sec. 15-113(18); the code…

Temporary holiday decorations and displays in unincorporated Kings County are exempt from sign permits but can't go up more than 30 days before the holiday or stay up more than 10 days…

Political signs for candidates, measures, and elections are exempt from Kings County sign permits and unlimited in quantity, but they can't go on public property, utility poles, or…

Kings County bans flashing, video, and animated signs countywide, but allows electronic changeable-copy message center signs as long as each message holds for at least four seconds…

Window signs in Kings County's commercial districts face no numeric limit and don't count toward a business's aggregate sign area, but each one is capped at 15% of the window it's on.

Along Interstate 5 interchanges, illuminated highway-traveler-service signs that exceed the county's standard maximum copy area need a Conditional Use Permit, must be…

Kings County bans all commercial cannabis activity, cultivation, processing, sale, distribution, and delivery, in every unincorporated zone, with no local licensing or siting pathway…

Anyone breeding, selling, or advertising dogs or cats for sale or adoption in unincorporated Kings County, including retail sellers, must hold a breeder permit and list its number in…

Housing ten or more altered dogs or cats in unincorporated Kings County makes the premises a kennel requiring a multiple animal permit, with a separate kennel permit for ten or more…

Kings County has no breed-specific dog ban. Any dog defined as vicious or potentially dangerous under state Food and Agriculture Code section 31601 is an infraction and a public…

Kings County allows livestock keeping incidental to a residence in RR, R-1, and RM districts, but any structure housing livestock must sit 40 feet from the residence, with stables set…

Veterinary offices, hospitals and clinics in Kings County's commercial districts must sit at least 500 feet from any residential district and operate entirely inside a soundproofed…

Kings County doesn't issue a dedicated wildlife-rescue permit: instead it requires anyone who keeps a wild animal to provide secure confinement, bans releasing wild animals into the…

Kings County requires every dog and cat over four months to be spayed or neutered, with the only owner alternative being an annual unaltered dog license limited to competition…

Kings County bars keeping a wild animal unless the owner provides confinement adequate to protect public peace, health, and safety, and separately bans importing or releasing any wild…

Kings County does not individually license cats the way it licenses dogs, but cats are still barred from running at large on others' property and must be vaccinated and microchipped.

Dogs in unincorporated Kings County must be on a leash held continuously by a capable handler whenever off the owner's own property, in any public street, park, or open place.

Kings County requires the property owner to live in either the main house or the junior accessory dwelling unit itself: a rule that applies to JADUs, not standard ADUs, under…

Kings County lets homeowners place a storage shed anywhere in a required rear yard, easement included, if it's 120 square feet or smaller with side walls no taller than 6 feet, per…

Converting a garage or outbuilding into accessory living quarters is allowed by right in RR, R-1, and RM districts, but Kings County's Development Code bars a kitchen in the space and…

Kings County requires seven Building Official findings before issuing an ADU or JADU permit in the RR, R-1, or RM districts, covering unit type, floor area, quantity, setbacks…

Safe and sane fireworks may be discharged only from July 1 to July 4 (or 5) each year in unincorporated Kings County, while all 'dangerous fireworks' are banned outright countywide.

County fire code makes it unlawful to leave any permitted burn unattended and requires the fire to be fully extinguished with dirt or water before anyone in charge leaves it.

Any construction, fill or alteration inside a FEMA-mapped special flood hazard area in unincorporated Kings County must fully comply with the county's Flood Damage Prevention chapter…

Kings County has no standalone erosion-control ordinance; instead the Public Works Director must review and recommend an erosion and sedimentation control method before any new…

New commercial development in Armona, Home Garden, Kettleman City and Stratford must build onsite stormwater detention into its site plan, using features like catch basins, rain…

New and substantially improved buildings in Kings County's mapped flood hazard areas must have their lowest floor built at or above the base flood elevation shown on the FEMA map: no…

Homes and other structures in Kings County's unincorporated residential zones are capped at 30 feet under Development Code Table 5-2. Builders can reach 50 feet only after securing a…

Kings County's Development Code sets minimum yard setbacks by residential district: 50 feet in front for Rural Residential zones (or 80 feet from the road centerline), dropping to 25…

Kings County makes it an infraction to keep an animal whose continuous barking, whining, or other noise unreasonably disturbs a neighbor's peace, comfort, or quiet, unless it's housed…

Kings County bars new residential development inside the 70 CNEL or greater noise contour of the Hanford Airport or any military airfield, airport, or helipad in the county.

Kings County bans mounting a speaker on a vehicle to address the public on a county highway or public place without a Board of Supervisors permit first.

Mobile food preparation units in unincorporated Kings County can't sit in landscaping or fire lanes and are capped at 360 square feet of site area under the county's open-air barbeque…

Kings County requires Site Plan Review before any open-air barbeque facility or mobile food preparation unit can operate, plus a valid Kings County Food Vending Permit for the life of…

Operating any food business in unincorporated Kings County, including food vending vehicles and vessels, without a health department food vending permit is unlawful under the county…

Kings County makes it unlawful for anyone to enter, loiter or remain in a county park after posted closing hours, regardless of age: a separate, general-population rule from the…

Kings County makes it a crime for anyone under 21 to possess or drink alcohol in any public place in the unincorporated county, cars, highways, boats and buildings included, though the…

Public marijuana use is banned throughout unincorporated Kings County: smoking or consuming cannabis in any venue open to the public, or on county property, remains prohibited even…

In unincorporated Kings County, a sheriff's deputy who responds to a loud or unruly party issues a warning, and the host becomes personally liable for the cost of every additional…

When a Kings County building permit holder requests an inspection, the building official has 48 hours, excluding weekends and holidays, to inspect, or the work is deemed approved by…

Kings County's Sustainable Development Practices article makes most green-building measures voluntary, but Sec. 1507 requires any green roof, new construction or retrofit, to be…

Kings County enforces the 2013 California Plumbing Code countywide, so any plumbing installation, alteration or repair in the unincorporated area needs a permit reviewed against that…

Kings County's Fire Code amendments require sprinkler coverage in attached garages, exempt unattached garages and carports, and add spare-sprinkler and drain-valve rules to the…

Kings County adopts the 2013 California Electrical Code, minus appendices, as its electrical code for the unincorporated area, with newer triennial editions taking over automatically…

Kings County requires a separate building, electrical, plumbing, and mechanical permit before any construction, alteration, or repair begins on a building or structure in the…

Kings County requires a license from the treasurer-tax collector before any door-to-door peddler or solicitor sells merchandise in the unincorporated county, with strict time and…

Kings County lets private-use solar panels sit anywhere on farmland, but elsewhere caps roof- and ground-mounted systems to the setback, coverage, and height limits of the base zoning…

Kings County runs a streamlined, checklist-based review for small residential rooftop solar systems up to 10 kW AC, requiring just one combined building-and-fire inspection under Sec…

Kings County doesn't require a Temporary Use Permit for garage or yard sales in residential zoning districts, as long as they stay within four per year and three days each.

Kings County sorts home businesses into three tiers: Minor needs no permit, Rural and Urban require Site Plan Review, and one run from an accessory structure needs Planning Commission…

Large family day care homes (9-14 kids) need Site Plan Review, a resident operator, and must follow set hours and setbacks under the county Development Code.

Minor home occupations in Kings County must ship or deliver products and services off-site -- customers cannot come to the residence to pick up goods or receive services on site.

Rural home occupations in Kings County can post up to 50 square feet of aggregate signage, 30 square feet per sign; Minor and Urban home occupations get only a 2-square-foot name plate.

Kings County recommends limiting unincorporated-area landscape watering to 6 p.m.-10 a.m. in April and October, with each zone capped at 12 minutes (8 minutes November-March): a…

County code bans accumulating dry grass, weeds, brush and other flammable waste on any unincorporated property, and lets the fire chief order it removed or clean it at the owner's…

New development in unincorporated Kings County must incorporate Low-Impact Development principles, including predominant use of native and drought-tolerant plants across 75 percent of…

Kings County caps on-site community composting at 100 cubic yards and 750 square feet of feedstock and compost at any one time, letting residents compost instead of subscribing to full…

Outdoor and off-site advertising structures in unincorporated Kings County must aim their lighting away from neighboring properties, and can't use red, green, or amber illumination…

New exterior lighting on homes, businesses, and industrial sites in unincorporated Kings County must be hooded, shielded, and aimed downward and away from neighboring property and…

In unincorporated Kings County, a fence, wall, or gate taller than seven feet counts as a structure, so it needs a county building permit before construction begins.

Kings County caps solid residential fences at 7 feet if set back 10 feet from the front property line, but limits any fence, wall or hedge to 3 feet within the Traffic Safety…

In Kings County's R-1 and RM districts, a solid fence over 50% closed needs a 10-foot front setback, while an open fence, built at least half see-through, can run straight up to the…

Kings County lets residents pile leaves, wood and other green waste on their property without violating the county's litter ordinance, so long as the accumulation doesn't create a…

Kings County requires single-family households to separate food scraps and yard waste into the green container under SB 1383, with violations of § 13-12 charged as a misdemeanor.

Unincorporated Kings County requires every home and business to subscribe to three-container collection, blue for recyclables, green for organics, gray for trash, and to keep…

Leaving garbage cans or similar containers visibly stored in a residential front yard on non-collection days is a public nuisance in unincorporated Kings County.

Licensed haulers must give unincorporated Kings County customers a regular collection schedule and at least 30 days' notice before changing route days, per § 13-37(a)(3).

Dumping solid waste anywhere in unincorporated Kings County outside an approved three-container collection service is unlawful under § 13-11(b)(2), charged as an infraction with fines…

Licensed haulers serving unincorporated Kings County must keep a regular collection schedule and give the county and every customer at least 30 days' notice before changing pickup days.

Kings County shields lawfully run commercial farms from nuisance lawsuits triggered by nearby development, protecting normal agricultural noise, odor, dust, and equipment operations…

Kings County's Right to Farm ordinance shields lawful, established agricultural operations in the county's Agricultural districts from nuisance lawsuits filed by newcomers who move in…

Kings County requires at least one off-street loading berth for buildings of 10,000 square feet or more that receive deliveries, with an additional berth for every 20,000 square feet…

Kings County's Development Code encourages preferential parking for electric and alternative fuel vehicles, requiring identifying signage on designated spaces, and lets existing…

Kings County requires any parking space dedicated to a recreational vehicle or trailer to measure at least 10 feet wide by 36 feet long, and bars using required parking areas to store…

Kings County requires every parking area, aisle and access drive, including residential driveways, to have a durable, dustless surface, graded to drain water and approved by the Public…

Kings County declares abandoned, wrecked, dismantled or inoperative vehicles on private or public property (not highways) a public nuisance and can order them removed after a…

Kings County assigns fixed meanings to curb paint colors on unincorporated roads: red bars all stopping, yellow and white cap loading time, and green limits parking to ten minutes.

Kings County grants housing projects up to a 35% density bonus for setting aside very low-, lower-, or moderate-income units, implementing Government Code § 65915 through Development…

Kings County flags designated historic sites and county landmarks with a Cultural Resources Overlay Zone, requiring any removal, destruction, or alteration proposal to go before the…

Kings County recommends, but does not require, that new urban development plant and maintain shade trees along streets and in parking areas to cut radiant heat, under the county's…

Kings County allows sidewalk seating and dining in the public right-of-way within Mixed Use (MU-D) Districts during regular business hours, subject to an encroachment agreement and…

Kings County's parks director assigns county park buildings and recreation areas on a reservation basis and requires a written application, a fee and a background review before issuing…

Every private single-family swimming pool built in unincorporated Kings County after January 1, 1998 must be fenced, enclosed, or fitted with a safety feature under state pool-safety…

Any parcel in unincorporated Kings County, vacant or built on, can't accumulate junk, debris, trash or salvage materials visible from public or private land for more than 72 hours…

Kings County declares abandoned, boarded-up, or structurally unsafe buildings a public nuisance and can abate them at the owner's expense, with treble costs on a repeat violation…

Kings County has no dedicated data center ordinance. In unincorporated areas a data center is an industrial use, sited in the IL Light Industrial or IH Heavy Industrial district under…

Kings County's 2035 General Plan Noise Element caps stationary (non-transportation) noise at a home at 55 dBA daytime and 50 dBA at night (Leq), with maximum levels of 75 and 70 dBA. A…

Junk and secondhand dealers in unincorporated Kings County must be licensed by the sheriff, submit to fingerprinting, and keep detailed daily transaction records for two years.

Tattoo shops in unincorporated Kings County are licensed and inspected by the county health department, with detailed sterilization, sanitation and age rules set out in Sec. 15-113.

Kings County enforces habitability minimums through the Uniform Housing Code and the Uniform Code for the Abatement of Dangerous Buildings, adopted as part of its building code for the…

Kings County bars anyone under 18 in the unincorporated county from being out on streets, in parks or at entertainment venues between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m., with narrow exceptions for…

Anyone excavating, building or placing an obstruction in, on or under a Kings County road right-of-way needs an encroachment permit from the public works director and must pay an…

Unincorporated Kings County imposes a 10% Transient Occupancy Tax on the rent for stays of 30 days or less (Code Sec. 22-38). Operators collect the tax from guests, register with the…