Tulare County, CA Ordinances (2026)

In unincorporated Tulare County, all fireworks are banned in the foothill/mountain State Responsibility Area. Only safe-and-sane fireworks are allowed on the valley floor (Local…

Outdoor burning of waste, rubbish, and trash is prohibited in unincorporated Tulare County. Residential yard-waste burning is generally not allowed under San Joaquin Valley air rules…

Backyard recreational fires in unincorporated Tulare County follow the adopted 2022 California Fire Code: a wood or charcoal fire for cooking or warmth, kept small, at least 25 feet…

Tulare County has formally designated Moderate, High and Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones across the unincorporated Local Responsibility Area, matching the map CAL FIRE transmitted…

Tulare County has no dedicated data center ordinance. In unincorporated areas a data center is an industrial use, sited in the M-1 or M-2 manufacturing zone under Zoning Ordinance No…

Tulare County has no standalone noise ordinance. Its General Plan Noise Element bars new industrial noise sources from exceeding 60 dB Ldn/CNEL at the boundary of a residential zone…

Unincorporated Tulare County's Social Host Ordinance (Ordinance Code 5-01-1215(b)) prohibits sound from amplified sound devices from exceeding 65 decibels at the property boundary…

Unincorporated Tulare County does not regulate aircraft noise. The County General Plan Noise Element states that aircraft operations are preempted by federal and state regulation and…

Unincorporated Tulare County does not have an ordinance setting specific permitted construction hours. Construction noise is governed by the general 65 dB boundary limit (Ordinance…

Unincorporated Tulare County prohibits animal noise as a public nuisance. Ordinance Code Section 4-07-3300 bars owners from permitting an animal to disturb a neighborhood by barking…

Engine, motorcycle, and dirt bike noise are 'excessive noise sources' capped at 65 dB at the property boundary under Ordinance Code 5-01-1215(b). Off-road vehicle use near homes is…

Unincorporated Tulare County has no single bright-line nighttime curfew. Instead, the Social Host Ordinance (Ordinance Code Section 5-01-1215(b)) caps amplified and excessive noise at…

Under Tulare County Ordinance Code Section 4-07-4005, the maximum number of adult dogs allowed on any lot without a kennel permit is four. Keeping five to twenty-five adult dogs…

In unincorporated Tulare County, a dog cannot leave its owner's property unless it is on a leash or lead no longer than eight feet. Ordinance Code § 4-07-5000 bans off-property roaming…

Tulare County requires every beehive kept away from the owner's own residence to carry a posted ID sign, and sets minimum setbacks of 200 feet from occupied homes or businesses, a…

Every dog in unincorporated Tulare County must carry an implanted microchip under Ordinance Code § 4-07-3220, and owners must register the chip number with Animal Services and the…

Dogs in unincorporated Tulare County must be spayed or neutered by six months old under Ordinance Code § 4-07-3225, with exceptions for police dogs, dogs with a veterinarian's letter…

Tulare County bans hunting, killing, wounding, frightening, capturing, injuring or otherwise molesting any bird or animal inside a County Park or Recreation Area under Ordinance Code §…

Tulare County's animal control code (Chapter 4-7) treats fowl and common farm animals as livestock and domestic animals rather than banning them. The main duty is containment: under…

Tulare County's animal code does not ban or single out any dog breed. Instead, Section 4-07-6000 regulates dogs by behavior, classifying animals as "Potentially Dangerous" or "Vicious"…

Signage for home occupations in unincorporated Tulare County is tightly limited by the County Zoning Ordinance (No. 352). A home occupation must not change the residential character of…

Home occupations in unincorporated Tulare County are regulated by the County Zoning Ordinance (Ordinance No. 352, codified in the Tulare County Ordinance Code). A home occupation must…

Tulare County does not publish a dedicated garage-sale-sign ordinance. Temporary garage-sale and directional signs in unincorporated areas are limited by the County Zoning Ordinance…

Political signs on private property in unincorporated Tulare County are governed by the County Zoning Ordinance (Ordinance No. 352) and California law. Posting campaign signs on County…

Unincorporated Tulare County controls light trespass through General Plan policies and nuisance enforcement rather than a numeric light-trespass ordinance. Policy LU-7.18 requires park…

Unincorporated Tulare County does not have a standalone dark-sky ordinance, but its General Plan 2030 sets outdoor-lighting policy. Policy LU-7.19 requires lighting in residential…

Unincorporated Tulare County adopted its own Water Efficient Landscaping ordinance (Part VII, Chapter 31) in lieu of the State model, requiring a landscape documentation package for…

Unincorporated Tulare County residents may compost yard trimmings and food scraps on their own property instead of subscribing to organic waste pickup, but a community composting…

Part IV, Chapter 11 of the Tulare County Ordinance Code declares weeds, grass, rank growths, and combustible rubbish that create a fire hazard on private property in the unincorporated…

Unincorporated Tulare County has no general tree-trimming permit for private trees, but fire-safety clearance applies: Part IV, Chapter 11 covers fire-hazard vegetation, and California…

Unincorporated Tulare County has no special county ordinance creating extra rules for parking RVs, boats, or trailers on residential streets. They are treated like any other vehicle…

Tulare County runs an expedited, streamlined permit process for electric vehicle charging stations under Chapter 32, required by state law. Applications are reviewed only for health…

Unincorporated Tulare County declares abandoned, wrecked, dismantled, or inoperative vehicles on private or public property a public nuisance under County Code Chapter 4-9, enacted…

Unincorporated Tulare County restricts parking of heavy commercial vehicles only on roads posted with signs. County Code 3-03-1015 makes it unlawful to stop, park, or leave standing a…

In unincorporated Tulare County, on-street parking is governed by County Ordinance Code Chapter 3 (Standing, Stopping and Parking) layered on the California Vehicle Code. The County…

Curb colors in unincorporated Tulare County are set by County Code 3-03-1126: red = no stopping/standing/parking; yellow = freight or passenger loading; white = passenger loading or…

Unincorporated Tulare County does not have a general overnight (e.g., 2 a.m.-5 a.m.) on-street parking ban. The main limit is the 72-hour street-storage rule in County Code 3-03-1000…

Tulare County adopts the 2022 California Electrical Code for all unincorporated territory under Ordinance Code § 7-15-1485. A permit is required for electrical work on buildings…

Tulare County adopts the 2022 California Plumbing Code, based on the 2021 Uniform Plumbing Code, for all unincorporated territory under Ordinance Code § 7-15-1565. Well-location rules…

Tulare County requires a building permit for construction, alteration, or repair in the unincorporated area under the 2022 California Building Standards Code, adopted whole by…

Unincorporated Tulare County builds under the 2022 California Green Building Standards Code, Title 24 Part 11, adopted wholesale by county ordinance for every covered project. The…

Tulare County requires a grading permit before excavation, fill, or dredging on unincorporated land, under Ordinance Code § 7-15-1360, adopted specifically to control erosion and stop…

Tulare County bans dumping refuse, animal waste or any non-storm-water pollutant into its storm drain system (MS4) in the unincorporated area. The Storm Water Quality and Regulation…

Unincorporated Tulare County requires a Building Permit before any construction or development begins in a special flood hazard area shown on the county's Flood Insurance Rate Maps…

New construction and substantial improvements in unincorporated Tulare County flood zones must have the lowest floor elevated to the minimum set by the California Building Code and…

Tulare County caps diesel-fueled commercial vehicle idling at 5.0 minutes at any location under Ordinance Code § 3-04-1020, mirroring the state's Title 13 CCR § 2485 rule. It applies…

Tulare County bans commercial cannabis activity across the unincorporated area except for licensed operators who meet strict siting rules. Only one Type 10 retail license, one…

New construction in unincorporated Tulare County must meet the rodent-proofing standards of Appendix F of the California Building Code, adopted into the county's own building…

Since April 1, 2014, throwing used needles and other home-generated sharps in the trash or recycling has been illegal in Tulare County, and every sharps retailer must run a free…

Anyone buying, selling, or collecting junk for profit in unincorporated Tulare County, fixed-location or itinerant, must hold a County license under Ordinance Code Chapter 6-19…

Tulare County requires anyone operating an adult-oriented bookstore, cabaret, theater, motel or novelty shop in the unincorporated area to hold a license from the license collector…

Tulare County Ordinance Code section 6-20-3010 sets strict on-street and off-street parking conditions for mobile food vendors in the unincorporated county: at least 100 feet from any…

Every mobile food truck or cart operating in unincorporated Tulare County must hold a County mobile food vendor license under Ordinance Code Chapter 6-20, separate from the state…

In unincorporated Tulare County, no card room or gaming club can open without both a State of California gambling license and a separate County gambling establishment license filed…

Anyone traveling door to door in unincorporated Tulare County selling ready-made food, produce, or wares needs a County peddler license under Ordinance Code Chapter 6-25, cannot sell…

Every outdoor residential swimming pool in unincorporated Tulare County must be surrounded by a barrier at least 60 inches tall with no opening larger than a 4-inch sphere, under…

Tulare County makes it unlawful for anyone under 18 to loiter on unincorporated-area streets, parks, businesses, or vacant lots between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. The rule exempts minors…

County parks and recreation areas in unincorporated Tulare County are closed to the public during hours set by Board of Supervisors resolution, and it is unlawful to enter, loiter, or…

In unincorporated Tulare County, every hotel, motel, and short-term residential rental must charge transients a 10% tax on rent. Operators collect it at time of payment and remit it to…

Any outdoor music festival in unincorporated Tulare County drawing more than 500 people needs a County license filed at least 60 days in advance, with detailed security, sanitation…

Tulare County requires a permit before anyone may hold a water carnival, boat regatta, music festival, water show, group sporting event or group outing in a County Park, Recreation…

Tulare County requires a written Board of Supervisors permit before anyone may hold a parade, march or procession, or play a wind or stringed instrument, on a public highway in the…

Tulare County's Social Host Ordinance makes it unlawful to host a party on private property in the unincorporated area if the host knows or should know underage guests are drinking…

Tulare County bans loitering, standing or sitting at the entrance to any church, hall, theater or other place of public assemblage anywhere it obstructs the entrance, under Ordinance…

Tulare County can declare any County Park or Recreation Area an 'Alcohol Free' zone by resolution once alcohol use there has forced staff to call law enforcement, and once declared it…

Unincorporated Tulare County residents get large discarded items like furniture, mattresses and big appliances hauled away by calling their Franchise Hauler for an on-call bulk pickup…

Commercial businesses and multifamily properties of five or more units in unincorporated Tulare County must enroll in the county's three-container collection service under Ordinance…

Unincorporated Tulare County residents put grass clippings, leaves, prunings and other yard trimmings out for Franchise Hauler pickup either in the County's Green Container or, where…

Dumping or accumulating solid waste on any street, road or premises in unincorporated Tulare County is unlawful; the Public Health Officer can order it removed within five days, and…

State-mandated SB 1383 organics recycling is enforced locally in unincorporated Tulare County: every single-family generator must subscribe to the county's organic waste collection…

Every occupied home or business in a designated unincorporated Tulare County service area must subscribe to regularly scheduled collection with the County's Franchise Hauler, a…

Unincorporated Tulare County requires every single-family home to subscribe to the county's three-container collection service and sort recyclables into the Blue Container under…

Only the authorized County Franchise Hauler, or someone with the hauler's written authority and the Solid Waste Director's approval, may collect trash in a designated Tulare County…

Customers on Tulare County-run Water Service Areas must fix plumbing breaks, leaks or malfunctions within 72 hours of discovery under Stage 2 water conservation rules, tightening to 48…

When someone reports a suspected substandard housing nuisance on unincorporated Tulare County property, the Resource Management Agency's enforcement officer can inspect it with the…

Every dedicated public highway in unincorporated Tulare County carries a building line setback under § 7-19-1010: fifty feet from the road's centerline unless a later section in the…

A commercial agricultural operation in unincorporated Tulare County cannot be declared a nuisance over a changed condition in the surrounding area once it has run for more than three…

When a Tulare County enforcement officer finds a rental structure in the unincorporated area to be both substandard and a public nuisance, § 7-15-3570 lets the county order repair…

Tulare County has formally adopted the 2022 California Residential Code, based on the 2021 International Residential Code, for all unincorporated area construction, and that adoption…

Tulare County declares dangerous, substandard and unsafe residential buildings a public nuisance under Article 33 of the Ordinance Code, covering unincorporated territory only. The…

Unincorporated Tulare County sets no STR-specific occupancy cap. The proposed ordinance that would have limited occupants by number of bedrooms was rejected 3-2 on July 9, 2024…

Unincorporated Tulare County has NO short-term rental land-use permit. The Board of Supervisors rejected a proposed STR ordinance 3-2 on July 9, 2024. The only mandatory step is…