Yolo County, CA Ordinances (2026)

Yolo County Code Sec. 8-2.306(m) caps farm stays at six guest rooms or 15 guests, and Sec. 8-2.306(l) and Sec. 8-1.201 cap bed and breakfast inns at ten guest rooms total (six rooms…

For bed and breakfast and farm stay special events, Yolo County Code Sec. 8-2.306(k)(4)-(5) requires a Minor Use Permit if a small project involves 'noise generating activities after…

Yolo County Code Sec. 8-2.306(l)(2)(iii) and (m)(2)(iii) require bed and breakfasts and farm stays to provide adequate on-site parking 'as set forth in Sec. 8-2.306(k)(5) and (6),'…

Unincorporated Yolo County has no general short-term rental permit. Title 8 only authorizes transient lodging as bed and breakfast inns (Sec. 8-2.306(l)) and farm stays (Sec…

Any outdoor festival in unincorporated Yolo County, defined as a musical, dance, or similar outdoor event drawing more than 1,000 people, needs a Board of Supervisors license before…

Yolo County's General Services Department issues permits for special events and facility reservations in county parks under Code Sec. 9-3.215. The Director sets conditions on a…

Holding a parade, procession, or musical demonstration, or any public assemblage or speech, on a public highway, park, or place in unincorporated Yolo County requires a written permit…

Restaurants in Yolo County's commercial zones can set tables in the public right-of-way once they hold an encroachment permit under Sec. 8-2.606(e). The rule fixes a hard…

Drinking or holding an open alcoholic beverage container in unincorporated Yolo County's public parking lots, streets, sidewalks, or within 250 feet of a place that sells alcohol is…

Yolo County bans loitering, standing, or sitting on public highways, sidewalks, or crosswalks in a way that blocks passage, and at the entrances of churches, halls, theaters, or other…

Riding a skateboard, roller skates, or rollerblades on any property where a County-owned, occupied, or maintained building sits is unlawful under Yolo County Code of Ordinances Section…

Yolo County bans smoking on virtually all outdoor property it owns or leases, including parking lots, walkways and building grounds, under Section 6-18.003(b). Only four designated…

Yolo County residents may not put trash carts at the curb before 5 p.m. the day before collection and must pull empty carts back in by 7 a.m. the next morning. Section 6-17.304(a) sets…

Single-family homes in a county-designated Densely Populated Area must subscribe to bi-weekly Organics Collection alongside recyclables, under Section 6-17.301(a). Commercial premises…

Every single-family, multi-family, and commercial property in unincorporated Yolo County must subscribe to weekly trash collection from an authorized county franchisee. Section…

Unincorporated Yolo County's curbside loose-pile yard-trimmings collection is not countywide: it is guaranteed only for single-family homes in the Old Willowbank area of unincorporated…

Unincorporated Yolo County requires trash, recycling and organics carts at the curb only within a set window: no earlier than 5 p.m. the day before collection, and pulled back in by 7…

Yolo County Code Section 6-17.201(hh) defines Recyclable Materials that must go in the recycling cart, listing paper, cardboard, glass, aluminum, steel cans, and plastics numbered 1…

Yolo County Code Sec. 6-7.02 bans placing, depositing, or dumping litter on any public or private property in the unincorporated area, with a narrow carve-out for farms burying their…

Commercial properties in unincorporated Yolo County must arrange their own containers, bins, drop boxes, or compactors with a county franchisee, sized to allow weekly removal of trash…

In unincorporated Yolo County, only your county-franchised hauler may legally collect bulky items like mattresses or old furniture; there is no free curbside bulk-item day. Section…

When the Building Official finds a building substandard under Yolo County's amended Uniform Housing Code, the owner receives a formal notice and order demanding repair, vacation, or…

Yolo County amended the International Property Maintenance Code's weed standard to insert an 18-inch height limit, and its nuisance definition specifically calls out attractive hazards…

Yolo County collects a transient occupancy tax of 8% of the rent charged on any stay of 30 consecutive days or less in a hotel, motel, or similar lodging within the unincorporated…

Yolo County Code Section 4-4.07 bars parking in a designated electric vehicle charging stall unless the parked vehicle is an electric vehicle actively charging its battery, and Section…

Yolo County makes it a misdemeanor to abandon, park, store, or leave an abandoned, wrecked, dismantled, or inoperative vehicle on private or public property, not including highways…

Yolo County Code section 8-2.1314 bars commercial vehicles from parking in any residential zone in unincorporated Yolo County except for the immediate loading or unloading of goods or…

Yolo County Code section 8-2.1314 prohibits parking recreational vehicles (RVs, trailers, boats, ATVs) in any required front, side, or rear yard adjacent to a public street on…

Any unincorporated Yolo County building of 5,000 square feet or more used for manufacturing, storage, retail, or similar receipt-and-distribution uses must provide at least one…

Vehicles parked on any highway or county road in unincorporated Yolo County for more than 72 consecutive hours may be removed under California Vehicle Code section 22651(k), enforced…

Yolo County has no county-wide ordinance prohibiting overnight on-street parking in unincorporated areas. The CVC section 22651(k) 72-hour limit, the Title 5 abandoned-vehicle…

Yolo County adopted the 2019 California Building Code as its Title 7, Chapter 1 permit system for the unincorporated area. A permit is required for construction work unless it falls…

Yolo County requires a plumbing permit for work in the unincorporated area under the 2019 California Plumbing Code, adopted in Sec. 7-1.02(e) and amended in Sec. 7-1.08 to replace the…

A stand-alone child care center for more than fourteen children isn't a by-right use anywhere in unincorporated Yolo County. Sec. 8-2.506(h) requires a Site Plan Review in the RR-5…

Unincorporated Yolo County construction is governed by the 2019 California Green Building Code, adopted word-for-word under Sec. 7-1.13 with zero local amendments. Every…

Yolo County charges a re-inspection fee any time a building inspector shows up and the work isn't ready or corrections from a prior visit are still outstanding. The Chief Building…

Every new manufactured home or mobile home installed in unincorporated Yolo County must have a licensed-designed fire sprinkler system under Sec. 7-2.04(d), with an exception carved…

Yolo County requires an electrical permit for wiring work in the unincorporated area by adopting the 2019 California Electrical Code under Sec. 7-1.02(c), administered through the same…

Yolo County splits its cannabis business tax into two rate classes for unincorporated-area operators: cultivation and all other cannabis businesses. Both run 1% to 15% of gross…

Yolo County exempts domestic cats from its leash and at-large law under § 6-1.401, so a free-roaming cat is not itself a code violation. Owners remain on the hook, though: § 6-1.420…

In unincorporated Yolo County, a dog off its owner's own property must be restrained by a leash no longer than eight feet under Yolo County Code § 6-1.401.1. Four narrow exemptions…

In Yolo County's agricultural zones, keeping or sheltering a wild animal is not a use you can start on your own. Table 8-2.304(c) of the Zoning Code requires a Minor Use Permit from…

Keeping bees in unincorporated Yolo County is a by-right use in every zone, but Sec. 8-2.506(k) tightens the rules once a hive sits in the R-L, R-M, or R-H residential districts: no…

Yolo County Title 6 does not set a numeric household limit on dogs or cats, but anyone operating a kennel must obtain an annual kennel license under § 6-1.701, and the kennel use…

Opening an animal hospital or veterinary medical facility on agricultural land in Yolo County takes a Minor Use Permit in most zones, a Site Plan Review in the A-I zone, and is barred…

Yolo County does not ban or restrict any specific dog breed. California Food & Agricultural Code § 31683 preempts local breed-specific dog regulations, allowing only individualized…

Yolo County classifies pet grooming as a "Service Use" under Sec. 8-2.603(c), and Table 8-2.604 allows it by right, subject only to zoning clearance, in the Local Commercial, General…

Yolo County Zoning Code § 8-2.506 lets all residential zones keep up to four small domestic animals (dogs, cats, rabbits, certain parrots) without a kennel permit; larger numbers and…

Yolo County shields established agricultural operations on agricultural land from nuisance lawsuits once they have run for more than three years without complaint, under Sec. 10-6.102…

Yolo County Code Sec. 10-6.102 shields agricultural operations on Agricultural Preserve (A-P), Agricultural Exclusive (A-E), and Agricultural General (A-1) land from nuisance lawsuits…

Any construction or development inside a Yolo County special flood hazard area needs a Development Permit before work begins, under Sec. 8-4.403. New and substantially improved homes…

In special flood hazard areas, Yolo County's flood damage prevention ordinance requires new and substantially improved residential structures in AE, AH, and A1-30 zones to elevate the…

Yolo County caps engine idling at ten minutes for vehicles and equipment working in-channel under the Cache Creek Area Plan In-Channel Ordinance. The limit targets sand and gravel…

A dock in Yolo County only counts as a 'Permitted Dock' under Sec. 9-6.02(F) if it has received a County Use Permit or similar entitlement for mooring vessels. Sec. 9-6.11(B) then…

Yolo County's Stormwater Ordinance, Sec. 10-9.201, bans any illicit discharge, anything but stormwater, into the County storm drain system, natural surface waters, or watercourses. The…

Yolo County Code Sec. 10-9.303(a) requires anyone doing construction work under a building permit to implement Best Management Practices that prevent pollutants like soil, construction…

Under Yolo County Code Sec. 6-8.1104(d), customers in a Level 3 Drought Response must repair any leak within 48 hours of County notification unless other arrangements are made with the…

Once the Board of Supervisors declares a Level 3 Drought Response, Yolo County Code Sec. 6-8.1104(b) bars installing any new turf or hydroseed and limits new or expanded landscaping to…

Yolo County's Water Efficient Landscaping Ordinance requires new or rehabilitated decorative water features on covered landscape projects to run on recycled water whenever it is…

Yolo County Code Sec. 6-20.03 bans placing an encampment on County property, adopted after the Board found in Sec. 6-20.01 that tent encampments create sanitation hazards including…

Yolo County Code Sec. 6-3.02 makes it unlawful to open, operate, or maintain a food facility, a term that under Sec. 6-3.01(c) covers any operation that stores, prepares, packages…

Yolo County Code Sec. 6-15.03(a) requires a Tobacco Retailer's Permit before selling any tobacco product, a term Sec. 6-15.02(o) expressly defines to include electronic smoking devices…

Massage therapy is an allowed use in every unincorporated Yolo County zoning district, but the paperwork depends on staff size. A single independent contractor or sole provider…

Yolo County bans adult entertainment uses in every zoning district except General Commercial (C-G) and Highway Services Commercial (C-H), and even there a parcel must clear strict…

In unincorporated Yolo County, fences, walls, and hedges in Residential (R) zones cap out at seven feet, but the front yard cuts that back sharply near the street. Corner lots carry an…

New homes in Yolo County's A-N and A-X agricultural zones face specific numeric setbacks. Sec. 8-2.402(d)(3)(iii) sets a 20-foot minimum front yard, or 50 feet from the road centerline…

Yolo County's water-efficient landscaping ordinance, Sec. 8-3.108(a)(5), bans planting invasive species on any covered new or rehabilitated landscape project. The list is the…

Yolo County does not print its own pool-fence dimensions: Sec. 8-2.1011(f) of the zoning code sends every private pool to the fencing and barrier rules adopted with the building code…

Yolo County has no separate swimming-pool permit process: a residential pool falls under the 2019 California Residential Code, which the county adopted by reference including Appendix…

Yolo County parks operate on posted hours under Sec. 9-3.204: open space parks are open only during daylight hours, while community parks may stay open until 9:00 p.m. The Director can…

Minors under 18 may not be in a public place or an establishment in unincorporated Yolo County between 10 p.m. (11 p.m. during daylight saving time) and 6 a.m., and parents who…

Covered landscape projects in unincorporated Yolo County must devote at least 25% of the landscape area to native plants, aside from Special Landscape Areas, under the county's Water…

Unincorporated Yolo County does not impose a specific lawn or grass height limit in the County Code. Overgrown vegetation can still be abated as a public nuisance under Title 6, and on…

Yolo County's Water Efficient Landscaping Ordinance requires covered landscape projects to keep irrigation and rainfall on-site, and recommends, but does not mandate, rain gardens…

Yolo County lets single-family homeowners skip mandatory organics pickup by proving they compost yard trimmings and food waste onsite. Section 6-17.301(c)(5) grants a one-year…

Unincorporated Yolo County is subject to a tiered drought-response ordinance at Title 6, Chapter 8 of the Yolo County Code. Under the permanent Level 1 restrictions, potable water…

Yolo County Code Sec. 8-2.1005 requires that trees located within 20 feet of intersected street lines have their main trunks trimmed free of branches to a height of 7.5 feet above the…

Yolo County lets hobbyists fly drones under 55 pounds in county parks as long as they follow 49 U.S.C. 44809, California Civil Code Section 1708.8, and FAA rules. Sec. 9-3.220 defines…

Yolo County bans commercial drone use in its parks outright unless the Director gives written authorization or issues a permit. Sec. 9-3.220 draws a hard line between recreational…

Yolo County allows recreational drone flying in its parks by default under Sec. 9-3.220, but a park can be closed to drones by a posted order at the entrance or nearby access point…

Private use of the sidewalk or public right-of-way in Yolo County's commercial zones requires an encroachment permit before work starts. Under Code Sec. 8-2.606(e), outdoor dining…

In Yolo County's Downtown Mixed Use zone, awnings, balconies, and other building features can project into the sidewalk right-of-way only with an encroachment permit and only if five…

Yolo County bans commercial filming or photography in county parks unless the Director gives written permission first. Sec. 9-3.213 groups filming with other commercial activities, all…

Running a home-based business in unincorporated Yolo County's residential zones is a by-right use only if it stays invisible to neighbors. Sec. 8-2.506(e)(4) forbids any home…

Rural home occupations may display one non-illuminated wall-mounted or freestanding sign of no more than six square feet in area and four feet in height (Yolo Zoning Code Sec…

Yolo County Zoning Code Sec. 8-2.306(ab) governs rural home occupations in agricultural zones (max two non-family employees, may use a detached shop, no external evidence of the…

Unincorporated Yolo County treats small family daycare as a by-right residential use under state law: any home caring for eight or fewer children needs no zoning approval. Cross the…

A permanent second or outdoor kitchen, defined in Yolo County's zoning code as any outdoor space wired or plumbed for a stove, range, oven, sink, or dishwasher, needs a Site Plan…

Yolo County does not impose a single countywide construction-hour curfew. Routine residential and farm construction is governed by the Title 8 property-line decibel limits (80 dBA Leq…

Aircraft noise around Yolo County Airport (KDWA, Davis-Woodland-Winters), University Airport (KEDU), and the Watts-Woodland strip is regulated under California Code of Regulations…

Amplified music in unincorporated Yolo County is controlled mainly through the Zoning Code's general 80/65 dBA property-line limits and through Site Plan Review or Use Permit…

Yolo County Code section 6-1.403 (Title 6, Animal Control) makes it unlawful for an owner to permit any animal except a domestic cat to 'habitually make a loud noise' or otherwise…

Cannabis operations in unincorporated Yolo County face fixed decibel ceilings: 80 dBA at the property line by day, 65 dBA at night, and never more than 60 dBA CNEL at any nearby…

Yolo County does not set a single residential quiet-hours window in its County Code. Instead, the Zoning Code (Title 8) enforces decibel-based noise limits at the property line, with a…

Yolo County Code Title 4 Chapter 2 (Sections 4-2.101 et seq., originally added by Ord. 1261 effective May 17, 2001 and amended by the Board of Supervisors in June 2025) prohibits the…

Yolo County Code Section 7-1.02 adopts the California Fire Code by reference, including Section 307 governing open burning and recreational fires. Under California Fire Code Section…

Open burning in unincorporated Yolo County requires three separate authorizations: (1) a permissive burn day declared by the Yolo-Solano Air Quality Management District (YSAQMD), (2) a…

Any special event facility, small or large, sited in a Fire Hazard Severity Zone in unincorporated Yolo County must submit a public safety and fire evacuation plan with its permit…

ADUs are a ministerial, permitted use on residentially zoned lots, with a 1,200 sq ft cap on detached units and 4-foot side/rear setbacks for new construction; state ADU Law preempts…

Sheds and storage buildings 120 sq ft or smaller without water, sewer, or electrical service need no building permit and may sit in side and rear yard setback areas; larger sheds need…

Yolo County allows garage conversion to an ADU or JADU as a ministerial, permitted use; no replacement parking is required, no setback is imposed on the converted footprint, and a JADU…

Yolo County designates historic landmarks and historic districts under Sec. 8-11.102 using six alternative criteria covering cultural, architectural, geological and historical…

Yolo County's zoning code kills digital billboards two ways. Section 8-2.1203(b) bans animated signs, including electronic message display signs, in every zoning district countywide…

Temporary political signs are allowed by right in unincorporated Yolo County without Site Plan Review under Sec. 8-2.1205(f), as long as they go up no more than 90 days before an…

In Yolo County's Downtown Mixed Use (DMX) zone, centered on Esparto's Yolo and Woodland Avenues, Sec. 8-2.1208(f)(6) caps window signage at 20 percent of a storefront's total window…

Storefront cannabis retail in unincorporated Yolo County is confined to Commercial (C-G, C-H) and Industrial (I-L, I-H) zones and needs a Major Use Permit. It is barred outright in…

New or relocating Yolo County cannabis operations must sit at least 1,000 feet from public parks and from public or licensed private schools, day cares, places of worship, and drug or…

Agricultural tourism and special event venues in the Clarksburg Agricultural District overlay zone can't point exterior lights at the neighbors. Sec. 8-2.401(d)(4) requires all…

Yolo County's zoning code has no freestanding dark-sky chapter, but Sec. 8-2.1311(d) sets the general shielding rule: on-site lighting for any development with off-street parking must…

Yolo County bans the sale of any flavored tobacco product at licensed retailers in the unincorporated area. Section 6-15.11(e)(1) makes it a violation for a licensee or its agents to…

Yolo County allows card rooms in the unincorporated area only under a Sheriff-Coroner license approved by the Board of Supervisors, capped at one license per 20,000 residents and…

Yolo County requires new subdivisions to preserve suitable existing trees in the public way and plant street trees where the Planning Commission calls for them under Sec. 8-1.806(e)…

Yolo County has no dedicated data center ordinance, but its zoning code lists 'data storage and computer operations' as a use. In the unincorporated county, it needs Site Plan Review…

Small accessory solar systems up to 10 kW AC (or 30 kW thermal) in unincorporated Yolo County need only a Building Permit and Zoning Clearance under Sec. 8-2.1104, no discretionary…

Small rooftop or ground-mounted solar systems up to 10 kW alternating current, or 30 kW thermal, are approved in every zone of unincorporated Yolo County through a ministerial Building…

Yolo County must grant a density bonus under Sec. 8-12.103 to any housing development of five or more units that reserves 10% of units for low-income households, 5% for very-low-income…