San Luis Obispo County, CA Ordinances (2026)

Minors under 18 can't be out in public countywide from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. on weeknights, and 12:01 a.m. to 5 a.m. on weekends.

San Luis Obispo County parks close under a countywide curfew from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. under Code Sec. 11.04.030(g), except county golf facilities, which run 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., and…

San Luis Obispo County bans camping or overnight vehicle sleeping in any county park except in designated, assigned sites under Chapter 11.04.

County Code § 7.20.030 bans sitting, lying, or sleeping on sidewalks and other public ways in the Avila Beach and Cayucos areas, with only narrow exceptions.

San Luis Obispo County Animal Services administers a soft household limit of three dogs and three cats per residence; owners wishing to keep more must apply annually for a Multiple…

Keeping chickens, poultry, horses, and other livestock in unincorporated SLO County is regulated by the Land Use Ordinance (Title 22, inland) and Coastal Zone Land Use Ordinance (Title…

No San Luis Obispo County-specific ordinance directly imposes breed-based bans or ownership restrictions; California state default applies. Under CA Food & Agricultural Code § 31683…

Every dog and cat over four months old in unincorporated San Luis Obispo County must carry an identifying microchip under County Code Section 9.03.001, with narrow health and age-based…

San Luis Obispo County bans owning or keeping any wild-by-nature animal that could endanger people or property, naming wolf and coyote hybrids, big cats, bears, primates, venomous…

Dogs in unincorporated San Luis Obispo County must be leashed or heeling under direct control on any public roadway, walkway or park, per County Code Section 9.03.005. Off-property…

San Luis Obispo County Code Sec. 22.30.100(B) sets a 6,000 square foot minimum site in Office, Commercial, Industrial and Public Facilities categories, or one acre elsewhere, for…

San Luis Obispo County outright bans owning or keeping a coyote as a wild, dangerous animal under Code Sec. 9.02.009, bars feeding wildlife in county parks without the director's…

San Luis Obispo County caps most properties at three cats, bans letting an unaltered cat roam at large under Code Sec. 9.03.004, and requires rabies vaccination for any cat allowed…

In every San Luis Obispo County park except Lake Nacimiento, Code Sec. 11.04.060(f) bars anyone from molesting, hunting, disturbing, trapping, poisoning, or killing any bird or its…

San Luis Obispo County regulates apiaries under Code Chapter 5.04. Bees kept away from where the owner lives must carry an identification sign, hives must sit at least 200 feet from…

San Luis Obispo County requires dogs and cats leaving the county shelter to be spayed or neutered before adoption, with a refundable deposit if a vet certifies the animal is too sick…

San Luis Obispo County does not ban retail pet sales outright: Code Sec. 9.06.001 requires any pet shop, kennel, stable, or breeding operation to hold a commercial animal operation…

San Luis Obispo County Code Sec. 9.02.002 bars anyone from placing food, water, or shelter to attract an animal in any public park, plaza, woodland, other public place, or on another…

Under San Luis Obispo County Code Section 9.04.080, a dog, cat or household pet is declared a public nuisance when three or more persons living in separate dwelling units in the…

In unincorporated San Luis Obispo County, exterior noise at any noise-sensitive land use must not exceed 50 dBA equivalent (Leq) or 70 dBA maximum during the day (7 a.m.-10 p.m.) and…

Amplified music in unincorporated San Luis Obispo County is regulated under County Code Section 23.06.044, which reduces the applicable exterior noise limit by 5 dB when the noise…

San Luis Obispo County Code Section 23.06.042(d) exempts construction noise from the exterior noise standards provided the activity occurs only between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. on weekdays…

Aircraft noise in flight is preempted by federal law and is expressly exempted from San Luis Obispo County's noise standards by Section 23.06.042. Land-use compatibility around the SLO…

In unincorporated inland San Luis Obispo County, noise reaching a home, school, church, hospital or similar sensitive use may not exceed a 50 dB hourly average by day or 45 dB at…

In the Coastal Zone, no residence may host more than four individual tenancies per calendar month, and a new vacation rental cannot be located within 200 linear feet of an existing one…

Every short-term rental in unincorporated San Luis Obispo County must obtain a Zoning Clearance, a County Business License, and a Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) certificate before…

San Luis Obispo County bars vacation-rental guests in the Adelaida/Willow Creek Area from parking on the street at any time. Sec. 22.30.510(b)(ix) requires all parking tied to the…

In the Adelaida/Willow Creek Area, San Luis Obispo County requires every residential vacation rental to name a local contact person reachable around the clock. Sec. 22.30.510(b)(xi)…

San Luis Obispo County's Homestay ordinance, which caps home-based room rentals at two guest bedrooms, only reaches short stays. Sec. 22.30.270 states its standards do not apply to…

Vacation rentals in San Luis Obispo County's Adelaida/Willow Creek Area answer to a specific noise trigger, not just the county's general noise ordinance. Sec. 22.30.510(b)(x) bars…

San Luis Obispo County runs a three-strikes rule for vacation rentals in the Adelaida/Willow Creek Area. Sec. 22.30.510(b)(xvi) makes three verified violations of the section's…

San Luis Obispo County's Land Use Ordinance specifies fence and screening materials by location. Required screening must generally be solid wood or masonry, or open wire/chain link…

Typical residential fences in unincorporated San Luis Obispo County do not require a planning or building permit. However, fences that must be constructed per the Uniform/California…

In unincorporated San Luis Obispo County, required fencing and screening must be at least 6 feet tall. Fences generally cannot exceed 6 feet 6 inches in height, except that fences up…

San Luis Obispo County requires a building permit for any retaining wall over 4 feet high, or shorter walls that carry a surcharge, hold back liquid, or sit near a property line.

Effective June 19, 2025, an amended SLO County fireworks ordinance (Title 6, Chapter 6.32) bans all unpermitted fireworks, including 'safe and sane' devices, throughout the…

SLO County Code § 16.04.040 sharply limits open outdoor burning in unincorporated areas, banning it between 9 a.m. and 5 a.m. the following day, within 30 ft of structures or flammable…

SLO County contains extensive High and Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones, especially in coastal canyons, the Santa Lucia range, and inland chaparral. New construction must comply…

Properties in SLO County State Responsibility Areas and High/Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones must maintain 100 feet of defensible space under California PRC 4291. Real-estate…

Backyard burning in unincorporated SLO County is allowed only for occupants of one- and two-family dwellings outside Urban or Village Reserve Lines, on a declared Permissive Burn Day…

County building officials cannot condition a rooftop solar permit on HOA approval, overriding any association solar restriction.

Title 22 § 22.30.230.H limits home occupation signage to a single non-illuminated identification sign with a maximum area of two square feet; a commercial vehicle parked on or adjacent…

Section 22.30.230 of the Inland Land Use Ordinance permits home occupations as accessory to a residence so long as the activity does not change the residential character of the…

San Luis Obispo County Code Sec. 22.30.170(A) needs no permit for a home day care with six or fewer children, but seven to 12 children require a Zoning Clearance or Minor Use Permit. A…

Unincorporated San Luis Obispo County permits an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) on any lot with an existing single-family dwelling under Title 22 Section 22.30.470, with a maximum size…

Unincorporated San Luis Obispo County exempts one-story detached residential accessory structures used as tool and storage sheds or playhouses from building permits when the floor area…

Unincorporated San Luis Obispo County allows conversion of an existing garage or other accessory structure into an accessory dwelling unit under Title 22 Section 22.30.470(G), with a…

San Luis Obispo County adopted California Residential Code Appendix BB so a tiny house can be permitted as a single dwelling unit. Section 19.03.020(2) amends Appendix BB Section…

San Luis Obispo County lets homeowners rent an accessory dwelling separately from the main house, but only as a long-term tenancy. County Code Sec. 22.30.470.C.4 bars renting all or…

Title 22 Chapter 22.56 (Tree Preservation) and Chapter 22.58 (Oak Woodland Ordinance) regulate tree removal in unincorporated San Luis Obispo County, requiring permits for Heritage…

San Luis Obispo County has adopted California's Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (MWELO) by reference in County Code Chapter 19.95, requiring water-efficient design and…

San Luis Obispo County abates fire-hazardous weeds and rubbish under County Code Title 16 (Fire Prevention) and California Health and Safety Code Sec. 14875 et seq., authorizing the…

San Luis Obispo County normally requires an abandoned septic tank to be pumped out and completely filled with earth or gravel. Section 19.07.027(a) carves out one exception: the tank…

San Luis Obispo County exempts land kept in native vegetation from its formal landscaping standards. Under Section 22.16.020.B, setback and undeveloped areas on Agriculture and Rural…

Every residential pool or spa in unincorporated San Luis Obispo County requires a construction permit through Planning & Building, with a complete submittal package including plot…

Residential pools and non-self-contained spas in unincorporated San Luis Obispo County must be enclosed by a permanent, non-removable barrier at least 60 inches tall before they can be…

Coastal development in unincorporated SLO County is governed by Title 23 (Coastal Zone Land Use Ordinance) and the certified Local Coastal Program. Most development between the sea and…

San Luis Obispo County requires a planning department permit before anyone builds a dock, marina or similar floating structure in county waters. Section 19.20.126 sets the application…

San Luis Obispo County applies a Flood Hazard (FH) combining designation to parcels facing 100-year flood or coastal high-hazard inundation risk, mapped on the county's Land Use…

Section 8.68.080 of the County Code bans any non-stormwater discharge into San Luis Obispo County's storm drain system, with narrow exceptions for permitted NPDES discharges…

Cut and fill slopes on graded sites in San Luis Obispo County must be protected with approved BMPs, and no grading or structure inspection proceeds until those controls are in place.

San Luis Obispo County requires subdivision applicants to identify Special Flood Hazard Areas and Base Flood Elevations on any project of 50 lots or 5 acres or more, whichever is…

Filming or photographing on San Luis Obispo County property for motion pictures, TV, or still photography requires a film permit from the issuing agency before any activity begins. The…

Student filmmakers still need a county film permit to shoot on county property, but Sec. 2.11.053(b) waives the permit fee for anyone who submits a school-letterhead letter confirming…

San Luis Obispo County requires every outdoor night-lighting fixture installed since 1994 to be shielded from above so the light source itself is not visible off-site, protecting…

County code bars outdoor lighting from being aimed at neighboring dwellings or public streets and separately prohibits glare intense enough to bother neighboring properties, giving…

San Luis Obispo County does not regulate billboard lighting because it bans the structures themselves. Land Use Ordinance Sec. 22.20.040(C)(6) prohibits any permanent billboard…

Single-family homes in unincorporated San Luis Obispo County must subscribe to weekly three-container collection: separate bins for organic waste (including food scraps), recyclables…

San Luis Obispo County Code Section 8.12.230 sets collection windows for franchised trash and recyclables haulers. Each permittee must run a regular collection schedule fixed in its…

Section 8.98.020 of the County Code requires every household and multi-family building served by a franchised hauler in San Luis Obispo County to separate recyclables from garbage…

Section 8.12.920 of the County Code makes it illegal to dump solid waste or recyclables on any public right-of-way, streambank or private property anywhere in San Luis Obispo County…

San Luis Obispo County requires every single-family home on franchised trash service to separate recyclables from garbage and use the franchisee's curbside recycling bin. The County…

San Luis Obispo County requires garbage carts kept above ground and set within ten feet of the street or alley for pickup, never in the front setback or on public property.

County code requires weekly garbage removal for homes and twice-weekly pickup for restaurants and food businesses.

Single-family households in unincorporated San Luis Obispo County must subscribe to weekly three-container collection separating organic materials, including yard trimmings, from…

San Luis Obispo County caps solid waste storage areas at 100 feet from the building served and bars bins over 100 gallons within 25 feet of windows or doors.

Unincorporated San Luis Obispo County requires a 25-foot front setback for most residential lots, a side setback of 10 percent of lot width (minimum 3 feet), and a 10-foot rear setback…

Unincorporated San Luis Obispo County caps building height by land use category, from 25 feet in Open Space to 45 feet Downtown, with single-family homes capped at 35 feet and…

Air conditioning and refrigeration equipment in unincorporated San Luis Obispo County is held to a stricter exterior noise cap than general sources: 55 dB for units installed before…

San Luis Obispo County requires a Temporary Commercial Outdoor Entertainment License, issued by the tax collector, for any outdoor concert, festival, circus, carnival or similar event…

Restaurants in unincorporated San Luis Obispo County can't set tables on the public sidewalk without a conditional encroachment permit. Section 13.10.046 requires Public Works, acting…

Using a San Luis Obispo County park for a fee-based activity, public demonstration, or reserved facility requires an advance permit under Code Sec. 11.04.040, and the parks director…

San Luis Obispo County exempts parades from its land use permit process. Under Land Use Ordinance Section 22.30.610(A)(3), parades and other temporary events held within a public…

San Luis Obispo County's superintendent of streets and repairs regulates activity on unincorporated sidewalks, and the director of public works can remove anything blocking a street…

San Luis Obispo County requires a written encroachment permit before anyone digs, builds, or places anything in a county road right-of-way. The county engineer issues these permits…

San Luis Obispo County requires a building permit before anyone constructs, enlarges, alters, repairs, moves, or demolishes a building, or installs, alters, or replaces an electrical…

Unincorporated San Luis Obispo County sets no maximum floor area for a first single-family or urban dwelling on a residential lot; only a second, additional primary dwelling on the…

San Luis Obispo County's local amendment to the California Fire Code requires automatic fire sprinklers throughout all new construction, including mobile homes and commercial coaches…

San Luis Obispo County requires the building official to examine a site before issuing a permit, and to sign off on a final inspection before the structure may be used. Section…

San Luis Obispo County adopts the California Electrical Code and folds its permitting into the same rules as the building code. Section 19.06.010 makes Chapter 1 of the California…

San Luis Obispo County adopts the California Plumbing Code and, like the electrical code, folds its permitting into the building code's Chapter 1 rules. Section 19.07.010 substitutes…

San Luis Obispo County Code Sec. 22.30.170(B) requires a Conditional Use Permit for any child care center with 13 or more children. Sites must have paved access with on-street parking…

San Luis Obispo County Code Chapter 19.08 layers green-building requirements on top of the state's CALGreen code. New homes over 2,500 square feet and non-residential projects over…

San Luis Obispo County enforces a fifty-dollar civil penalty for blocking a bicycle path under Vehicle Code Section 21211, folded into the county's own civil penalty schedule at Code…

Tattoo parlors, permanent-cosmetics studios and body-piercing shops in unincorporated San Luis Obispo County must hold a body art establishment license under Code Chapter 6.80. The tax…

San Luis Obispo County Code Sec. 22.30.050(C) bars adult businesses within 500 feet of any residential land and within 1,000 feet of another adult business, school, library, church or…

Anyone operating a massage establishment or working as a massage technician in unincorporated San Luis Obispo County must first obtain a county license under Sec. 6.75.010. The license…

San Luis Obispo County requires anyone acting as a tobacco retailer in the unincorporated area to hold a valid county tobacco retailer's license for each fixed location before selling…

San Luis Obispo County treats political signs as a noncommercial message under its content-neutral Sign Ordinance. Sec. 22.20.030.C lets any noncommercial message substitute for a…

San Luis Obispo County flatly prohibits billboards and any animated or electronic message sign countywide. Section 22.20.040.C.6 bans permanent freestanding or attached sign structures…

San Luis Obispo County allows temporary paper or cloth window signs without a land use permit, but caps their total coverage at 25 percent of the window area. Section 22.20.040.B.14…

San Luis Obispo County allows an extra on-site freeway identification sign, up to 125 square feet and 50 feet tall, for commercial and office sites next to Highway 101 or its frontage…

In the towns of Avila and Cayucos, San Luis Obispo County bans loitering that annoys pedestrians or blocks free passage on public sidewalks and ways, and separately bans loitering or…

Section 8.22.030 of the County Code bans smoking of tobacco, cannabis and e-cigarettes across the unincorporated county's public places: county property, parks and other recreational…

San Luis Obispo County Code Sec. 11.04.030(f) makes it unlawful for anyone over age ten to urinate or defecate into park waters, in public view within a park, or in any public place…

San Luis Obispo County bans drinking any alcoholic beverage, including wine or beer, on any street, sidewalk, alley or highway in the town of Avila Beach. County-wide, separately…

San Luis Obispo County bans smoking or vaping marijuana anywhere the public gathers, from sidewalks and parks to bars and bus stops.

San Luis Obispo County bans loud, amplified noise from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. and puts hosts on notice: a repeat violation makes the property owner liable for a year.

San Luis Obispo County allows only non-storefront cannabis dispensaries, and only in the Agriculture, Commercial Service (within an Urban Reserve Line), Industrial, Residential Rural…

Cannabis dispensaries in unincorporated San Luis Obispo County must clear a 600-foot buffer from schools, parks and treatment facilities. Sec. 22.40.090(D)(1)(a) bars a dispensary from…

San Luis Obispo County Code Sec. 22.30.040(B) bars commercial vehicles longer than 20 feet from being stored in residential areas, limiting stays to the time needed for pickup or…

San Luis Obispo County Code Sec. 22.30.040(E) allows one outdoor RV, trailer, boat or plane per site in Residential, Office, Commercial, Recreation and Industrial categories, and up to…

San Luis Obispo County requires an expedited, nondiscretionary administrative permit for electric vehicle charging stations instead of discretionary review.

San Luis Obispo County bans parking a vehicle or trailer in any county park or facility from one hour after sunset to one hour before sunrise if occupants use it to camp, live, or…

Section 8.24.010 of the County Code declares that abandoned, wrecked, dismantled or inoperative vehicles left on public or private property are a public nuisance in San Luis Obispo…

San Luis Obispo County protects archeological and historic sites through the Historic Site (H) combining designation in Section 22.14.080, which requires a discretionary Minor Use…

San Luis Obispo County implements California's density bonus law through Section 22.12.020, letting a qualifying housing project of five or more units add density, parking concessions…

San Luis Obispo County lets a residential lot swap its full 25-foot front setback for a 15-foot setback when the parkway strip between curb and sidewalk carries at least one street…

San Luis Obispo County's landscape ordinance requires new dual-distribution recycled water, or greywater, irrigation systems once state law, a local ordinance, or Board-approved local…

Section 8.69.040 of the County Code requires every hose, faucet, pipe and other indoor plumbing fixture in San Luis Obispo County to be regularly inspected and maintained, with any…

San Luis Obispo County collects a 9% transient occupancy tax on every hotel stay of 30 consecutive days or less in the unincorporated area. Operators add the tax to rent, hold it in…

San Luis Obispo County has declared it county policy under Code Chapter 5.16 to enhance and encourage agricultural operations and processing countywide, and to notify residents near…

Under County Code Section 5.16.030, an agricultural operation run for commercial purposes and consistent with accepted local farming customs cannot become a public or private nuisance…

San Luis Obispo County treats a garage sale as a narrow carve-out from its home-occupation retail ban. County Code Sec. 22.30.230.G.1 allows garage sales, or sales of handcrafted items…

San Luis Obispo County caps mobilehome space rent under County Code § 25.06.010. Park owners can raise rent once a year, capped at 60 percent of the Los Angeles-area Consumer Price…

When a San Luis Obispo County mobilehome park owner seeks a rent increase beyond the standard cost-of-living cap, County Code § 25.07.010(c) requires personal or mailed notice to every…

County Code Section 19.80.020(7) tells landlords exactly when a rental unit crosses the line into a public nuisance: inadequate maintenance, decay, faulty wiring or plumbing, or bad…

San Luis Obispo County caps card rooms at ten countywide and four tables per room under Code Chapter 6.36. The sheriff reviews every license application, the board of supervisors…

San Luis Obispo County charges a separate business license fee for each distinct type of business a person operates in the unincorporated area. Under Code Section 6.00.040, a single…

San Luis Obispo County has no data-center-specific ordinance. A data center is treated as an industrial use in the Industrial land use category, needing a discretionary Minor Use…

San Luis Obispo County's General Plan Noise Element, Table 3-2, caps stationary-source noise at a home's property line at 50 dB hourly Leq daytime and 45 dB nighttime, with 70/65 dB…

Door-to-door solicitors and canvassers in unincorporated San Luis Obispo County must get a license and identification card before working, backed by a sheriff's background check.

San Luis Obispo County requires every mobile food facility to hold a valid environmental health permit and pass an annual certification inspection.

Vendor vehicles get only 30 minutes per spot, must then relocate 300 feet, and stalls, carts, or booths are barred from sidewalks outside a permitted farmers market or street closure.

San Luis Obispo County bans launching, flying, or landing any model airplane, rocket, or similar device, including recreational drones, in county parks unless the area is specifically…

San Luis Obispo County declares any building meeting the Dangerous Building Code's eleven-part test in IPMC Section 108.1.5 a public nuisance outright, then orders it repaired…

San Luis Obispo County runs a mandatory expedited, nondiscretionary review for small residential rooftop solar systems under 10 kW, with standard checklists and one inspection.

San Luis Obispo County runs a mandatory administrative, nondiscretionary fast-track review for small residential rooftop solar systems, using standard checklists instead of…