San Benito County, CA Ordinances (2026)

Unincorporated San Benito County bans camping, sleeping, or sheltering on public property within the San Benito River area, a corridor mapped as FEMA 100-year floodplain.

San Benito County bans tobacco retailers from selling any flavored tobacco product, including menthol and vape flavors, across both the incorporated and unincorporated county.

Unincorporated San Benito County bars parking anywhere it blocks the visibility triangle at an intersection or obstructs a driver's view of a road-driveway crossing, at all times.

No vehicle may sit on a county road or highway in unincorporated San Benito County for 72 or more consecutive hours, or it becomes tow-eligible.

The County Engineer decides where curbs get no-parking markings in unincorporated San Benito County, based on a traffic engineering study, not a fixed color code.

Unincorporated San Benito County requires most off-street parking areas to be paved, but allows an unpaved, dust-free all-weather surface for parking in agricultural districts and the…

In unincorporated San Benito County, storing an abandoned, wrecked, dismantled, or inoperative vehicle on private or public property beyond 30 days is a misdemeanor nuisance the…

Retail, wholesale, manufacturing, hotel, and hospital buildings in unincorporated San Benito County must provide truck loading and unloading space under § 25.07.010(J), with the number…

Unincorporated San Benito County runs an expedited permit process for electric vehicle charging stations under a Building Official-adopted checklist.

New buildings on parcels one acre or larger in unincorporated San Benito County must sit back 30 feet from property lines, and defensible space must meet or exceed state fire clearance…

Grading, excavation, and fill work in unincorporated San Benito County requires a county grading permit, and drainage plans must retain stormwater on-site to pre-development runoff…

In unincorporated San Benito County, new floodplain construction must be certified at least one foot above the 100-year flood elevation, and a licensed civil engineer must submit and…

Anyone grading, excavating, or filling land in unincorporated San Benito County needs a grading permit from the Building Inspection and Planning Department before starting work, with…

Unincorporated San Benito County requires an annual permit and practitioner registration for every tattoo, piercing, and permanent-cosmetics business, issued by the county Department…

Unincorporated San Benito County flatly excludes vehicle repair from the list of businesses that may operate as a home occupation, regardless of scale or hours.

San Benito County bars tobacco retailers from selling single-use electronic cigarettes and vape pens, regardless of flavor, throughout the incorporated and unincorporated county.

Unincorporated San Benito County sorts every business into one of five license-tax classes (A-E), each with its own base tax and per-employee or per-ton multiplier.

In designated mandatory areas of unincorporated San Benito County, the exclusive franchise collector must pick up trash from every property whether or not the owner requested service…

Dumping solid waste, soil, or fill material anywhere in unincorporated San Benito County other than an approved solid waste facility is banned outright and is a misdemeanor.

Multi-family developments of five or more units in unincorporated San Benito County must enclose shared dumpsters in a screened structure at least six feet tall, hidden from public…

Unincorporated San Benito County residents may not set solid waste containers at the curb more than 24 hours before collection and must pull them back within 24 hours after pickup.

Unincorporated San Benito County requires solid waste to be collected and disposed of at least once a week, and the county's Health Officer can order more frequent pickup for heavy…

In unincorporated San Benito County, every property owner must separate recyclables from other solid waste and use a distinct container, with multi-family properties filing a…

Unincorporated San Benito County exempts properly run backyard garden composting from its solid-waste accumulation ban, as long as the compost stays on-site and doesn't become a…

New development in unincorporated San Benito County must maximize the use of drought-tolerant and California native plant species in its required landscaping plan under §…

In unincorporated San Benito County's R-1 and RM residential zones, removing, killing or seriously harming any tree, or grading or filling within its dripline, requires a tree removal…

Unincorporated county land in and near the City of Hollister's borders must be kept free of weeds, grass, and rank growth that create a fire hazard or public-health menace.

In County Service Area 31, unincorporated San Benito County caps potable and agricultural water use with Board-set monthly allotments instead of scheduled watering days, enforced…

Trees and shrubs planted near an unincorporated San Benito County road can't be allowed to overhang the right-of-way more than three feet at full growth, unless the Road Department…

Unincorporated San Benito County's Historical and Recreation Park operates from sunrise to sunset daily; extended hours require written approval from the Public Works Administrator for…

Unincorporated San Benito County sets a nighttime curfew for minors of 10 p.m.-5 a.m. Sunday-Thursday and 11 p.m.-5 a.m. Friday-Saturday, plus a daytime school-hours curfew.

Unincorporated San Benito County requires cannabis businesses to sit at least 30 feet from parcel lines, 600 feet from sensitive uses like schools and churches, and cultivation sites…

Marijuana dispensaries are banned outright across unincorporated San Benito County: the use is prohibited in every zoning district and no permit, variance, or entitlement can authorize…

Unincorporated San Benito County requires owners to pay tenant relocation costs when code violations force a rental unit's vacation, treating such violations as a breach of…

Placing anything within an unincorporated San Benito County road right-of-way, surface or buried, requires a permit from the county Road Commissioner, who can only impose conditions…

Unincorporated San Benito County bars loitering, standing, or sitting on a public highway, sidewalk, or crosswalk in any way that blocks the free passage of people or vehicles trying…

Unincorporated San Benito County grants a density bonus of at least 25% for qualifying affordable housing projects of five or more units, per the county's own implementing ordinance.

Unincorporated San Benito County regulates outdoor lighting near Fremont Peak and Pinnacles to protect night-sky visibility, banning upward floodlighting outright and requiring…

Unincorporated San Benito County limits outdoor lighting near Pinnacles National Monument and Fremont Peak State Park through a three-zone dark-sky ordinance capping lumens per acre…

Unincorporated San Benito County requires internally illuminated outdoor advertising signs to use opaque backgrounds with translucent lettering and shut off after business hours or a…

Unincorporated San Benito County does not ban public alcohol consumption countywide: the only local restriction is a specific ban on drinking alcoholic beverages within Veterans'…

Unincorporated San Benito County has no separate party ordinance, but a property repeatedly disturbing the peace with unreasonably loud noise is a declared public nuisance, and the…

Unincorporated San Benito County bars loitering, standing, or sitting at the entrance of a church, hall, theater, park, or public assembly place in a way that blocks the entrance.

In unincorporated San Benito County, audio equipment and live music or sound-amplifying equipment are barred from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. if audible more than 100 to 200 feet away or inside…

Outdoor concerts, dances, and entertainment events in unincorporated San Benito County skip the county's standard noise limits only if a conditional use permit sets its own specific…

Unincorporated San Benito County makes it unlawful to keep a dog that habitually barks, howls, or yelps and disturbs the peace of any person under the county code's dog nuisance…

Unincorporated San Benito County exempts construction, demolition, and maintenance noise from its sound limits only from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., except Sundays and federal holidays.

Unincorporated San Benito County must administratively approve checklist-compliant small residential rooftop solar applications (up to 10kW AC) and needs only one inspection, under its…

Unincorporated San Benito County requires a building permit for small residential rooftop solar systems, processed through an expedited, state-mandated checklist review.

A junior accessory dwelling unit in unincorporated San Benito County requires the property owner to live on-site, and the county records a deed restriction barring the JADU from being…

Unincorporated San Benito County allows tiny homes as a primary dwelling or an ADU in any zone that permits residential dwellings, provided the unit is 150 to 400 gross square feet and…

Sheds and other accessory structures in unincorporated San Benito County face zoning setbacks and size limits: small sheds need only 3-foot side/rear setbacks, and residential-zone…

ADUs under 750 square feet pay zero county impact fees in unincorporated San Benito County; larger units pay a fee scaled to their share of the primary home's floor area.

Existing garages and other accessory structures in unincorporated San Benito County can be converted into an ADU under the standard ADU rules, and lost garage parking doesn't have to…

Detached and attached ADUs in unincorporated San Benito County need only a ministerial building permit, no discretionary planning approval, and the county must issue it within 60 days…

Unincorporated San Benito County caps garage and yard sales at three per calendar year at the same address. Sales within that limit are exempt from the temporary use permit otherwise…

Unincorporated San Benito County bans new billboards outright and prohibits converting existing legal billboards to animated or digital displays; only electronic time-and-temperature…

Unincorporated San Benito County lets political signs skip the sign permit, provided they go up no earlier than 90 days before an election and come down within 10 days after: all other…

In unincorporated San Benito County the garage sale itself is permit-exempt (up to three per address per year), but any sign advertising it still needs a temporary sign permit, a…

Temporary holiday lighting displays on residential and commercial property in unincorporated San Benito County are exempt from the county's outdoor lighting development review…

In unincorporated San Benito County, retaining walls over four feet in height must be engineered and permitted under the grading ordinance, while shorter excavation for a retaining…

Fences built to unincorporated San Benito County's standard height and material rules skip discretionary development review, but the Planning Division still requires a nondiscretionary…

San Benito County has no special county ordinance on shared boundary fences, so California's Good Neighbor Fence Act (Civil Code Section 841) controls. Adjoining owners are presumed…

In unincorporated San Benito County, maximum lot coverage is capped at 40% in the Rural Residential and Single-Family Residential zones and 60% in the Residential Multiple zone, per…

Unincorporated San Benito County caps residential building height at 35 feet in the Rural Residential and Residential Multiple zones, but only 30 feet in the Single-Family Residential…

Unincorporated San Benito County sets minimum front, side, and rear yard setbacks by residential zone in Table 25.03-E: for example, a 20-foot front setback and 10%-of-width side…

In unincorporated San Benito County, the Fire Code's Appendix Q requires new and remodeled single-family dwellings conditioned under its standard fire provisions to be fully protected…

Unincorporated San Benito County requires a Building Official permit for plumbing work and enforces the 2022 California Plumbing Code, based on the 2021 Uniform Plumbing Code, under…

Unincorporated San Benito County requires a complete building permit application before any construction, alteration, or system work begins on a building.

Unincorporated San Benito County requires a Building Official permit for any electrical installation and enforces the 2022 California Electrical Code, based on the 2020 National…

Home occupations in unincorporated San Benito County are capped at one client or customer on site at a time, with visits normally limited to three per day and ten per week.

A home business in unincorporated San Benito County may display one non-illuminated, single-faced sign no larger than three square feet showing the operator's name and/or street…

Unincorporated San Benito County expressly allows cottage food operations and treats them as home occupations with added requirements. They must comply with the County Code's…

Unincorporated San Benito County allows small and large family child day care homes by right in its residential and agricultural zones and exempts them from county planning review…

Unincorporated San Benito County allows home occupations in every residential and agricultural zone (AR, AP, R, RT, RR, R-1, and RM) with no permit required, as long as the business is…

Unincorporated San Benito County gives extra protection to 'trees of special protection', heritage trees 36 inches or more in trunk diameter and Board-designated landmark trees…

New multi-family developments in unincorporated San Benito County must plant one tree for every 20 feet of landscaped parkway strip between the right-of-way and the building, set 4 to…

Unincorporated San Benito County designates 'trees of special protection', including any 36-inch-or-greater heritage tree, that need a removal permit and written findings in R-1 and RM…

Unincorporated San Benito County exempts veterinary hospitals from the use-permit process that otherwise applies to kennels and pet shops, while still holding them to the county's…

In unincorporated San Benito County, dogs must be restrained by a leash, chain, strap, or cord no longer than eight feet, or kept on the owner's own premises, under the county's…

Unincorporated San Benito County allows up to 12 small farm animals, chickens, ducks, geese, rabbits, goats, sheep and similar, in any combination on a parcel, plus a separate…

Unincorporated San Benito County allows up to five adult dogs and nine adult cats without a permit; a hobby kennel permit raises the dog limit to eight.

Unincorporated San Benito County requires cats allowed to roam public streets or run at large to carry a current rabies vaccination, renewed at least every three years under the county…

Unincorporated San Benito County exempts air conditioning and refrigeration equipment tied to a lawful commercial or industrial use from the county's general noise-level standards…

In unincorporated San Benito County, repetitive bass sounds count as "plainly audible" under the noise code, so audio equipment producing bass that carries past 100 feet triggers the…

The county's only generator-specific noise rule covers backup generators at wireless telecom facilities in unincorporated San Benito County, limiting testing and maintenance runs to…

Unincorporated San Benito County bans selling, possessing, or igniting any fireworks except state-defined 'safe and sane' fireworks; violations are a public nuisance and a misdemeanor.

New buildings anywhere in unincorporated San Benito County need at least a Class B roof, but buildings in Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones must use Class A roofing.

In unincorporated San Benito County, the local Fire Code's Appendix Q requires new or remodeled single-family dwellings to install a full household fire warning system meeting NFPA 72…

New buildings and accessory structures on parcels of one acre or more in unincorporated San Benito County must sit at least 30 feet from property lines and road centerlines, or use a…

Unincorporated San Benito County limits communal fire pits at licensed low-impact camping sites to one per parcel, capped at three feet wide and two feet tall, and set back 25 feet…

Burning solid waste is prohibited by state law across unincorporated San Benito County; vegetation can be burned only with a prior written burn permit from CalFire, and exemptions run…

Building a dedicated takeoff-and-landing facility for commercial drone shipping or delivery in unincorporated San Benito County requires a conditional use permit, allowed only in the…

Flying a drone recreationally in unincorporated San Benito County needs no county zoning permit, but non-commercial pilots must still follow FAA rules under 14 C.F.R. parts 101 and 107.

Unincorporated San Benito County's zoning code excludes noncommercial cultural and holiday decorations on residential property from the definition of a sign, so seasonal yard displays…

Mobile food vendors and trucks that stop anywhere in unincorporated San Benito County for more than four hours need a temporary use permit, which can cover up to four locations at once.

In unincorporated San Benito County, a food truck that parks in a fixed spot or stays at one location over four hours needs a temporary use permit from the Planning Director covering…

Unincorporated San Benito County lets roaming food trucks operate on any property under county jurisdiction, or entirely on public roadways, without a permit, provided they move on…

San Benito County has no data-center ordinance. A data center is treated as a light industrial facility, allowed in the Business Park (BP), Light Industrial (M-1), or Heavy Industrial…

San Benito County Code Section 19.39.030 caps noise at the receiving property line: 45 dBA day and 35 dBA night for rural and residential land, 65/55 for commercial, and 70/60 for…

In County Service Area 31, unincorporated San Benito County requires water customers to fix leaks, breaks, or plumbing malfunctions within three days of county notice, or face a…

Fairs, carnivals, and similar street events in unincorporated San Benito County need a temporary event permit applied for at least 45 days ahead, and the county limits events to three…

For a permitted parade or public gathering in unincorporated San Benito County, the Public Works Director can barricade and temporarily close county roads, parking areas, and sidewalks…

Groups wanting to use Veterans Memorial Park shelters or the Bertha Briggs Building in unincorporated San Benito County must register with Public Works and pay a use fee plus a…

Unincorporated San Benito County requires a Parade Administrator permit for any parade or public gathering, though gatherings of 5,000 or fewer people (Level 1 or 2) are exempt from…

Anyone participating in a San Benito County microenterprise home kitchen operation must obtain a food handler certification within ten days of starting.

Unincorporated San Benito County requires solid waste to be stored so it doesn't harbor or breed rodents and insects, using rodent-proof, fly-tight containers.

Unincorporated San Benito County treats an overgrown, junk-strewn, or debris-covered vacant lot as a public nuisance, letting the county order the owner to clean it up or face civil…

Unincorporated San Benito County treats any building or property that endangers human life or public health and safety as a public nuisance subject to county abatement action.

San Benito County's Agricultural Community Disclosure ordinance tells property owners in unincorporated San Benito County to expect agricultural operations near ag-zoned land and…

In unincorporated San Benito County a building permit from the Building & Code Enforcement Division is required to construct a private swimming pool. The County Code defines a private…

Unincorporated San Benito County requires swimming pools, spas, and similar water features to be fenced in compliance with the adopted Building Code, and Article V of the building code…

Operators of short-term rentals in unincorporated San Benito County must register with the county Tax Administrator within 30 days of starting business and post a transient occupancy…

Short-term rental hosts in unincorporated San Benito County must collect a 12% transient occupancy tax on all rent charged to guests staying 30 consecutive days or less.