Marin County, CA Ordinances (2026)

Marin County requires short-term rental owners to notify occupants of neighboring properties before obtaining or renewing a business license. The 2024 ordinance also limits new…

Marin County splits short-term rentals into 'hosted' units, the primary residence of the owner or a designated host, and 'unhosted' units with no resident overseeing them. Under Code…

Every short-term rental in unincorporated Marin County must provide off-street parking that meets the county's general zoning standards. Section 5.41.060(4) ties STR parking directly…

Marin County holds short-term rental owners responsible for keeping their guests within the county's general noise law. Section 5.41.060(5) ties every STR directly to Section…

Anyone renting out a room, cottage or whole house to guests for less than 30 days in unincorporated Marin County must collect a 10 percent transient occupancy tax on the rent and remit…

Operating or even advertising a short-term rental in unincorporated Marin County without a valid license is illegal under Code Section 5.41.050(A). Licenses run two years, one per…

Marin County will not renew a short-term rental license once code enforcement has verified more than three substantial violations of the chapter or the license terms during a single…

Marin County has no general ordinance banning recreational vehicles, trailers, or boats from parking on streets in unincorporated areas; the 72-hour street-parking limit and any signed…

Marin County runs two permit-based preferential parking programs on unincorporated roads: the Muir Woods Road Preferential Parking Corridor and the Bolinas Residential Parking Program…

Marin County requires off-street loading spaces for new commercial buildings in the unincorporated area under County Code section 24.04.370. The number and size of spaces scale with…

Unincorporated Marin County bans storing operable or inoperable vehicles in a residential front yard unless they sit on an improved parking area or driveway. The rule sits inside the…

In unincorporated Marin County, it is unlawful to park a vehicle on any street or highway for more than 72 consecutive hours; signed roads carry additional posted restrictions enforced…

Marin County has no county-wide overnight parking ban; on County roads designated by Board of Supervisors resolution and posted with signs, no vehicle may park between 11:00 p.m. and…

On County roads designated by Board of Supervisors resolution and posted with signs, oversized commercial vehicles (commercial-plated vehicles or combinations exceeding 22 feet) cannot…

Fire Code § 503.4.2 lets the Fire Chief order curbs painted red or signed 'no parking' on private access ways when parked vehicles would block fire apparatus. Once marked, parking…

Marin County Code Section 19.04.033(2) creates an expedited, ministerial permit process for electric vehicle charging stations countywide, implementing California Government Code…

Retaining walls in unincorporated Marin County may reach 6 feet above grade when the exposed face points inward, or 4 feet when facing outward (8 feet if 25+ feet from all property…

Marin County does not categorically prohibit fence materials, but fences taller than 4 feet in front yards or street-side setbacks must be at least 50% open above the 4-foot mark…

Fences up to 6 feet tall in unincorporated Marin County generally do not require a building permit if they comply with zoning. Fences exceeding 6 feet, or in coastal/design-review…

In unincorporated Marin County, solid fences and screening walls cannot exceed 6 feet above grade. Within front yards or side yards abutting a street, the limit drops to 4 feet (or up…

Marin County Fire Code (Ord. 3775) § 325.5 requires every parcel to be kept free of weeds, dead trees, and other hazardous vegetation that constitute a fire hazard. The Fire Marshal…

Marin County Code § 7.04.050 exempts homeowners from the county's dump-permit law when they pile up their own garden, tree, shrub and lawn trimmings on their own property to make…

Unincorporated Marin's Development Code lists rainwater cisterns and collectors, alongside solar collectors and storage sheds, as an allowed residential accessory use. A free-standing…

Marin County Development Code Chapters 22.27 (Native Tree Protection and Preservation) and 22.62 (Tree Removal Permits) require a Tree Removal Permit before removing Protected or…

In unincorporated Marin County served by Marin Municipal Water District (Marin Water), Ordinance 459 prohibits using district water to irrigate new ornamental lawn in…

Marin County requires a landscaping plan for every discretionary development permit and directs it to favor native species. Section 22.26.040(G) states landscaping 'should be designed…

Landlords of qualifying multifamily rentals in unincorporated Marin County must register every dwelling unit each year by January 1 under Chapter 5.100's just-cause eviction rules…

Marin County requires landlords in unincorporated areas to give tenants a notice of tenant rights whenever they serve a rent increase, on top of the state notice required by Civil Code…

Marin County Code Chapter 5.100 bars landlords from ending a residential tenancy in unincorporated Marin without a defined cause, once the property holds at least three dwelling units…

Dumping garbage, rubbish or refuse on any public or private road, right-of-way or property without the owner's consent, or on county park land, is a misdemeanor in unincorporated Marin…

Marin County Code § 7.00.060 requires every residential generator in unincorporated Marin to sort waste into three streams: garbage, recyclable materials and organic materials, each in…

Marin County Code § 7.00.110 bars anyone from collecting, hauling or handling garbage, recyclables or organic waste in the unincorporated county without a franchise agreement with the…

Marin County Code § 7.00.060(C) requires every residential generator to sort food waste and other organics into the organics cart, recyclables into the recycling cart, and garbage into…

Marin County Code § 7.00.100 requires every property owner and occupant to store garbage, recycling and organics in tight-fitting metal or approved plastic containers that keep out…

Marin County Code § 7.00.060 requires every residential household in the unincorporated area to subscribe to the county's organic waste collection service and sort food scraps and yard…

Marin County Code § 7.00.010 defines "bulky waste" as oversized items such as mattresses, appliances, furniture, tires and tree limbs that normal collection cannot handle. Outside of a…

Marin County Code § 7.00.060 requires every residential generator in the unincorporated county to subscribe to the county's organic waste collection service and to size garbage…

Marin County limits medicinal cannabis delivery-only retailers to five specific zoning districts and keeps them 600 feet from every school, day care center, youth center, and…

Marin County caps licensed medicinal cannabis retail at four delivery-only licenses countywide and confines them to five zoning districts: C1, CP, AP, OP and IP. Marin County Code §…

Anyone going door to door in unincorporated Marin County to sell goods or take orders must get a solicitor's permit from the county clerk before knocking on a single door, per Marin…

Storing an abandoned, wrecked, dismantled or inoperative vehicle on private or public property in unincorporated Marin County is a declared public nuisance under Marin County Code §…

Fire Code § 903.2.3 requires an automatic sprinkler system throughout every one- and two-family dwelling in unincorporated Marin regardless of square footage, and in every mobile or…

Marin County Code § 19.14.020(3) requires State Fire Marshal-compliant carbon monoxide alarms in every existing dwelling unit that has a fuel-fired appliance, a fireplace, or an…

Marin County Code Section 19.04.010 adopts the 2025 California Plumbing Code, built on the 2024 Uniform Plumbing Code, as the standard for every plumbing permit issued in the…

Marin County Code Section 19.04.110 adopts local green building measures on top of the 2025 California Green Building Standards Code and 2025 California Energy Code, requiring covered…

Marin County Code § 19.14.020 adds a countywide step to the final inspection of any building permit issued after July 1, 2023: proof that the project meets a checklist of state…

Marin County Code Section 19.04.010 adopts the 2025 California Electrical Code, which incorporates the 2023 National Electrical Code, as the standard governing all electrical permits…

Marin County child day-care centers in unincorporated areas must clear a Use Permit and meet building-safety standards written specifically for children on site. Marin County Code of…

In the Tamalpais Community Plan Area of unincorporated Marin, Development Code Section 22.30.060 caps the maximum adjusted Floor Area Ratio at 30 percent of lot area for new homes on…

Marin County requires a written encroachment permit from the Department of Public Works before anyone installs a pier, catwalk, dock, float, or gangway on county land bordering…

Marin County Code of Ordinances § 23.18.060 bans discharging anything but stormwater into a county storm drain or an area of special biological significance, and every construction and…

Any new construction or substantial improvement in Marin County's mapped special flood hazard areas must have its lowest floor elevated to or above the base flood elevation, per Marin…

Marin County caps construction-equipment idling at five minutes on projects that trigger environmental review. Section 22.20.040(C)(6) of the Development Code tells contractors to shut…

Marin County requires an approved erosion and sediment control plan for any project with a grading permit, or any building permit the County finds could cause significant erosion…

New construction and substantial improvements within Marin County's mapped special flood hazard areas must have the lowest floor built at or above the base flood elevation, certified…

Marin County's coastal areas are regulated by the Local Coastal Program (LCP) Implementation Plan, codified in Title 20 of the Marin County Code. Development within the Coastal Zone…

Marin County Code § 6.70.030(5)(b) limits loud noise-generating construction equipment, including backhoes, generators, and jackhammers, to running only between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m…

Marin County Code § 6.70.030(1) makes it unlawful to sound a car horn or other vehicle signaling device except as a danger warning, to make it produce an unreasonably loud or harsh…

In unincorporated Marin County, County Code Section 13.24.020 requires every bicycle, electric bicycle, and motorized bicycle rider to follow every California Vehicle Code rule for…

Marin County Code Chapter 15.58, the Electric Bicycle Safety Pilot Program, bars anyone under sixteen from operating a Class 2 electric bicycle and requires every Class 2 rider to wear…

Marin County bars using county-maintained roads and right-of-ways for commercial motion-picture or television filming unless the public works director first issues a permit under…

Marin County still requires the Chapter 5.36 commercial filming permit for student or educational productions, but Section 5.36.030 lets the board of supervisors waive all or part of…

Marin County requires a permit from the responsible department director before commercial motion-picture or television filming on county property, aside from filming solely inside the…

County Code § 6.10.010 bans drinking alcoholic beverages in specific public areas of unincorporated Bolinas: Wharf Road, Brighton Avenue, Park Avenue where it borders the County Park…

Marin County Open Space District Code section 02.02.110 bars urinating or defecating within fifty feet of any entrance to district lands, within one hundred feet of any water source…

Marin County Code § 6.72.020(e) bars sleeping or "protractedly lounging" on benches, sidewalks, curbs, planters, walls, or lawns on or next to public property when doing so blocks…

Unincorporated Marin County bans smoking in unenclosed public places under Marin County Code § 7.70.050: parks, outdoor dining, recreation areas, service lines, and public events…

Marin County limits skateboarding to one designated venue: the McInnis Park skatepark, reserved for skateboards, in-line skates and non-motorized scooters only. Riders must wear a…

Marin County Code § 6.75.050 makes it a civil violation to knowingly host a loud or unruly gathering in the unincorporated area where alcohol, controlled substances or marijuana reach…

Marin County's Development Code doesn't set a flat maximum lot-coverage percentage by zoning district; instead, Section 22.52.020(A) requires discretionary Site Plan Review any time…

Unincorporated Marin sets minimum yard setbacks by zoning district in Development Code Table 2-5. In the RA district a structure must sit back 25 feet from the front line, 6 feet on…

Marin's Development Code caps most residential structures at 30 feet and detached accessory buildings at 16 feet under Table 2-5 in Section 22.10.040, covering the RA, RR, RE, R1, R2…

Marin County bans all overnight camping on Bolinas Beach to stop the trespassing, litter, fire hazard and sanitation problems that unregulated beach camping caused. Marin County Code…

Any grooming business operating in unincorporated Marin County is a "commercial animal establishment" under the county code and cannot open without a permit from the county's animal…

Marin County bans keeping any wild or undomesticated animal anywhere in the unincorporated county under Section 8.04.182, a list defined in Section 8.04.183 that runs from big cats and…

Marin County bans dogs from running at large in parks, schools, commercial districts, game refuges and public watershed land under Section 8.04.160, and Section 8.04.175 separately…

When a biological assessment finds a high chance of nesting birds on a construction site, Section 22.20.040(G) of Marin's Development Code requires work that could disturb them, tree…

In unincorporated Marin County, the Development Code (Title 22, Chapter 22.32) permits the keeping of up to 12 fowl and/or 12 rabbits or similar small animals as 'Livestock Operations…

Marin County requires every cat to be vaccinated against rabies, whether owned by a household or a colony caretaker, under Section 8.04.040(b) of the county code. Unlike dogs, cats…

Marin County has no breed-specific ban. California Food and Agricultural Code § 31683 preempts local breed-based bans, although mandatory spay/neuter ordinances by breed are permitted…

Marin County does not zone or cap backyard hives; the Development Code simply lists beekeeping as an allowed agricultural production use. The county's real regulatory bite lands in the…

Marin County Code § 8.04.185 establishes a limitation on the number of dogs per household. Under the Title 22 Development Code, keeping six or more household pets four months or older…

It is unlawful to intentionally feed coyotes, mountain lions, foxes, bobcats, raccoons, skunks, opossums, turkeys or any other non-captive wild animal anywhere in unincorporated Marin…

Any group, school or club planning an activity with twenty or more participants in a Marin County park needs prior written approval from the Department of Parks and Open Space. Section…

Marin County requires anyone holding a circus, carnival, festival, concert, or similar amusement event in the unincorporated area to secure a license under Chapter 5.12 at least…

Portable barbecues and camp stoves are barred everywhere in Marin County parks except spots the Department of Parks and Open Space designates. Section 10.08.010 limits open flame to…

Marin County Code § 19.23.020 defines and registers "architecturally significant" structures and features, a locally designated status that unlocks voluntary alternative building…

Marin County Development Code § 22.32.120 sorts accessory dwelling units into a by-right Category 1 (an 800 sq. ft. cap, 4 ft. side/rear setbacks, 18 ft. height) and a permitted…

A Junior Accessory Dwelling Unit in unincorporated Marin County requires the property to be owner-occupied. Marin County Code of Ordinances § 22.32.125(E) states 'the property shall be…

Marin County Code Section 19.04.060 waives the building permit requirement for small accessory structures, tool sheds, workshops, and horse stalls under three hundred square feet each…

Building a driveway apron, retaining wall, fence, utility line or any other private improvement into a county road right-of-way in unincorporated Marin requires an encroachment permit…

Marin County Code section 24.04.500 bars poles, grates, covers, fire hydrants and other obstructions from being built within a sidewalk in the unincorporated area. Utility boxes and…

Unincorporated Marin County bans the sale of any flavored tobacco product outright, including menthol cigarettes, flavored vape liquid, and flavored cigars. Marin County Code §…

Marin County Code of Ordinances § 23.18.073(D) lets property owners irrigate with recycled water, but any holding pond built for it may not discharge except during a twenty-five-year…

Marin County Code of Ordinances § 23.18.073 requires every property owner in an urbanized unincorporated area to detect and repair leaks in an irrigation system within seventy-two…

Marin County Code Chapter 23.03 shields established commercial farms from nuisance lawsuits over noise, odor, dust, and machinery, and requires the county to disclose that risk to…

Unincorporated Marin County protects farmland through eight A (Agriculture and Conservation) districts, an A2 (Agriculture, Limited) district, and the ARP planned district, each…

Marin County limits window signage to 15 percent of total window area under Table 3-6 of its sign standards, and confines window signs to first-story windows only. Marin County Code of…

Unincorporated Marin County outlaws billboards and driver-distracting digital displays entirely under its Development Code sign standards. Marin County Code of Ordinances §…

Unincorporated Marin County exempts temporary, non-commercial holiday and religious decorations from the Sign Permit, Sign Review, and Master Sign Program requirements that apply to…

Marin County's Development Code requires exterior lighting on any project that goes through Master Plan, Design Review, or Site Plan Review to stay low-wattage, point downward, and be…

Unincorporated Marin County restricts exterior lighting visible from off-site to safety purposes only. Marin County Code of Ordinances § 22.16.030(G) requires low-wattage fixtures that…

Private swimming pools in unincorporated Marin County must comply with the California Building Code pool barrier requirements; Marin's Chapter 19.12 governs decorative pools, ponds…

Construction of a swimming pool in unincorporated Marin County requires a building permit issued by the Community Development Agency Building and Safety Division, which enforces the…

Marin County Development Code § 22.32.100 allows home occupations as an accessory use in every residential zoning district of the unincorporated County, provided the activity is…

Marin County Development Code § 22.32.100(B)(3) prohibits window displays and advertising signs for any home occupation in unincorporated Marin. The only on-site identification allowed…

Unincorporated Marin allows small family day-care homes (six or fewer children) and large family day-care homes (eight to fourteen children) by right in any single-family residence in…

Unincorporated Marin County caps home-based businesses at one client visit at a time. Marin County Code of Ordinances § 22.32.100(C)(7) lists 'any use which generates more than one…

Open burning (debris piles, vegetation) is prohibited in unincorporated Marin County from May 1 to October 31. Outside that window, residents need a LE5 California Inter-Agency Burn…

Residential fire pits and chimineas are generally allowed in unincorporated Marin under the California Fire Code as adopted in Chapter 16.16 MCC, but spark arrestors are required…

Most of unincorporated Marin County is designated Wildland-Urban Interface under the Marin County Fire Code (Title 16). WUI properties must meet Chapter 7A construction standards for…

Marin County Fire Code § 16.16.034 restricts where liquefied petroleum gas can be stored, tying the limit to the residential and commercial areas the County itself has established. The…

Marin County requires 100 feet of defensible space around all structures in Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) areas. State law (PRC §4291) and the Marin County Fire Code mandate two…

All fireworks, including those marketed as 'safe and sane', are illegal year-round in Marin County. Possession or use is a misdemeanor with fines of roughly $410 locally, and state law…

Marin County Code § 19.14.020(2) requires State Fire Marshal-approved smoke alarms in any residential dwelling unit being altered or improved by at least $1,000, verified as a…

Marin County treats a dog, cat or other animal that habitually barks, yelps or howls loudly enough to "unreasonably disturb the peace" as a code violation under Section 8.04.179…

Marin County Code § 6.70.030(4) bars yelling, shouting, hooting, whistling, or singing on public roads between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. if it disturbs the quiet, comfort, or repose of anyone…

Marin County Code § 6.70.030(5) limits construction work under building, plumbing, and electrical permits to 7 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, and bars it…

Marin County Code § 6.70.030(3) bans operating any loudspeaker, sound amplifier, or musical instrument that disturbs neighbors or plays louder than needed for voluntary listeners in…

Hotels and campgrounds inside the West Marin Transient Occupancy Tax Area pay an extra 4 percent tax on top of the county's standard 10 percent transient occupancy tax, per County Code…

Marin County has no data center ordinance, and its unincorporated land is overwhelmingly residential, agricultural, and open space with very little industrial zoning. A data center is…

Marin County caps new stationary-source noise at 50 dBA Leq daytime and 45 dBA Leq at night, measured at the property line of the affected home. A data center's cooling and generators…

Marin County Code § 5.34.020 makes it unlawful to hawk or peddle any merchandise, including food, on a street, sidewalk, park, parkway, or other public place in the unincorporated area…

Marin County requires a public works encroachment permit, separate from any peddler's license, before anyone sells, hawks, or peddles goods within the right-of-way of a…

Marin County Code § 7.24.030 makes it unlawful to operate any food establishment, including a mobile food facility, in the unincorporated county without a permit from the county health…

Marin County parks open to the public only during daylight hours under Section 10.01.060, unless the Department of Parks and Open Space permits otherwise. In the Bel Marin Keys area…

In unincorporated Marin County it is unlawful for anyone under 16 to loiter, idle, stroll or play in a public street, square, park or public place between midnight and a half hour…

Marin County Code § 7.08.040 requires every building and premises in the county to be kept positively free from rats by the owner, lessee, occupant or agent. Section 7.08.050 backs…

Every food facility in unincorporated Marin County must post a color-coded compliance placard from Environmental Health Services within five feet of the front door after each routine…

Unincorporated Marin County treats adult entertainment establishments as a discretionary land use in most commercial districts. Table 2-6 of the Development Code, tied to Section…

Tattooing, body piercing, and permanent cosmetics in unincorporated Marin County require annual practitioner registration plus a separate annual health permit for the facility, issued…

Anyone selling tobacco, tobacco paraphernalia or e-cigarettes in unincorporated Marin County must hold a tobacco retailer's license from the Department of Health and Human Services for…

Marin County's Development Code expressly refuses to police private Conditions, Covenants and Restrictions (CC&Rs) in unincorporated neighborhoods. Under Section 22.02.020.F.2, the…

Marin County Open Space District Code section 02.02.080 bars anyone from operating a drone, or any other self-propelled model aircraft, boat or vehicle, on land owned or managed by the…

Rooftop and ground-mounted solar energy systems in unincorporated Marin are exempt from a discretionary land use permit under Development Code Section 22.06.050(H), as long as they…

Every business operating in unincorporated Marin County pays an annual license tax under Chapter 5.54, with the rate set by gross receipts within one of four classes, A through D…

Marin County Code Chapter 22.24 implements state Density Bonus Law countywide, granting extra units, height, and reduced parking to housing developments that reserve a set share of…

Marin's Development Code protects specific native tree species once they reach a set trunk diameter, defined in Section 22.130.030 as 'Protected Tree and Heritage Tree.' Coast live…

Marin County Code Section 6.60.010 makes it unlawful to knowingly let 13 named noxious weeds, including Canada thistle, Russian knapweed, and puncture vine, grow on land you own…