Cupertino, CA

Grading, construction and demolition may exceed normal noise limits only during daytime hours, and are barred outright within 750 feet of a residential area on weekends, holidays and…

Cupertino caps noise at the receiving property line: 50 dBA at night and 60 dBA by day on residential land, and 55/65 dBA on nonresidential land. The Noise Control Officer enforces the…

Cupertino's nighttime quiet hours run from 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. weekdays and 6 p.m. to 9 a.m. weekends, when the property-line noise cap drops to 50 dBA residential and 55 dBA…

It is a violation to own or operate a registered vehicle with a faulty, modified or missing exhaust or muffler that produces excessive noise, under Municipal Code § 10.48.056, which…

It is unlawful and a nuisance for anyone to keep an animal, including fowl, that habitually disturbs the peace by sound or cry under Municipal Code § 10.48.061, enforced by the Noise…

Cupertino Municipal Code § 10.48.040 caps noise at 50 dBA nighttime and 60 dBA daytime from residential property, and 55/65 dBA from nonresidential property. Section 10.48.052 lets…

Cupertino Municipal Code § 10.48.051 limits motorized landscape equipment, including leaf blowers, to set weekday and weekend hours, and since November 5, 2022 allows only a Certified…

In unincorporated Santa Clara County, helicopters can't exceed 80 dBA daytime noise over residential or commercial areas, or violate nighttime limits, without a variance; military and…

Cupertino short-term rental hosts must pay a registration fee set by City Council resolution before receiving a permit, and hosting platforms handling bookings must collect and remit…

Cupertino requires every short-term rental to have a 'Local Contact,' either the host or someone the host designates, who must be reachable throughout the rental and respond to…

No one may advertise or operate a short-term rental in Cupertino without first registering it with the City and obtaining a City business license under Municipal Code Chapter 5.08…

Cupertino only allows short-term rental activity as a home occupation inside a host's primary residence. Municipal Code § 5.08.030 states short-term rental activity is not permitted if…

Cupertino caps un-hosted short-term rental stays, where the host is not present, at sixty nights per calendar year under Municipal Code § 5.08.030. Hosted stays, where the host remains…

Cupertino caps how many overnight guests a short-term rental can host based on unit size. A studio or single-room rental is limited to two guests, while a one-bedroom or larger unit…

Cupertino requires every short-term rental to keep the zoning district's minimum parking spaces on-site and to set one of those spaces aside specifically for rental guests. Hosts must…

Cupertino short-term rentals must observe quiet hours from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. and cannot be used for commercial events, weddings, corporate functions or parties likely to violate noise…

Cupertino bars a short-term rental from registering, and revokes an active registration, once two Municipal Code violations accumulate on the property within twelve months. A host with…

Cupertino requires short-term rental hosting platforms to collect and remit transient occupancy tax, prompt hosts to post the City's registration number, and cut off bookings for…

California requires hosting platforms to warn hosts to check their lease and insurance before listing (Business and Professions Code 22592), and AB 537 requires short-term lodging…

Cupertino Municipal Code Sec. 9.08.010 bars any owner, agent or lessee from letting weeds stand on a building, lot or premises, or on the abutting half of any adjoining street or…

Cupertino requires new and remodeled buildings to send roof runoff to rain barrels, cisterns, or a similar rainwater collection system, or to landscaped areas, instead of letting it…

No one may remove a protected tree in Cupertino without a tree removal permit from the Department of Community Development under Municipal Code § 14.18.110. Applications scale with…

Cupertino declares any tree or landscape overhanging the right-of-way with the lowest limb under eight and one half feet a public nuisance, and requires owners to remove the…

Under Cupertino's Landscape Ordinance, at least 80% of the plants in non-turf areas of a covered landscape project must be native or low water-use, unless the applicant instead…

Cupertino bans wasting potable water on landscaping and outdoor uses, including runoff onto sidewalks or non-irrigated areas, and requires a shut-off nozzle on any hose used outdoors…

Artificial turf is allowed in unincorporated Santa Clara County, and California Civil Code 4735 bars HOAs from prohibiting synthetic grass. Large new landscapes may need a Sustainable…

For urban agriculture uses in unincorporated Santa Clara County, compost bins and refuse containers must sit at least five feet from any property line and be managed to keep out…

Cupertino bars parking any vehicle or trailer on a public street or alley for more than 72 consecutive hours under Municipal Code Section 11.24.130, with citation or towing authorized…

Cupertino's Traffic Engineer assigns curb colors under Municipal Code Sec. 11.24.040: red bans stopping entirely, yellow and white mark loading zones, green limits parking to twelve…

Cupertino's Traffic Engineer marks loading zones under Sections 11.24.080 through 11.24.100, with yellow curbs for commercial materials and white curbs stenciled 'PASSENGER LOADING…

Chapter 11.24 of Cupertino's Municipal Code governs on-street parking citywide: no stopping within 50 feet of intersections or driveway approaches where signed, no parking in parkways…

Under Chapter 11.27, Cupertino designates preferential parking zones by street segment and posted hours, such as Ann Arbor Avenue daily 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., where only permit-holding…

Cupertino bars commercial vehicles rated 10,000 pounds gross vehicle weight or more, and all truck trailers, from parking or standing on any street in a residential zoning district…

Cupertino declares an abandoned, wrecked, dismantled or inoperative vehicle on public or private property a public nuisance under Municipal Code Section 11.04.019. Owners get a 10-day…

New one- and two-family homes and townhouses with private garages in Cupertino must install a dedicated 40-amp, 208/240-volt EV-charging circuit in conduit for each dwelling unit…

Cupertino caps non-self-propelled vehicles, trailers and boats at two kept outside a garage per residential lot, with only one allowed to occupy a required parking space inside a…

Unincorporated Santa Clara County requires paved, dust-controlled driveways for single-family homes, caps driveway and parking-area coverage at 40 percent of the front yard, and bans…

California doesn't ban private-property towing, but Vehicle Code Section 22658 controls how it happens. A posted sign at least 17 by 22 inches must warn drivers before a tow company…

Cupertino makes it unlawful to burn solid waste anywhere in the city or to burn any waste on a public street, way or alley. Section 6.24.090 sets an outright ban rather than a permit…

Cupertino caps liquefied petroleum gas storage at any single installation in residential or congested commercial areas at a 2,000-gallon water-capacity ceiling. Municipal Code §…

Cupertino Municipal Code § 10.24.020 bans selling or using any fireworks, including state-legal safe-and-sane fireworks, anywhere within city limits. The prohibition covers dangerous…

New buildings in Cupertino's Fire Hazard Severity Zones or Wildland-Urban Interface Fire Area must be built to the 2025 California Wildland-Urban Interface Code. Municipal Code §…

Properties in unincorporated Santa Clara County must maintain 100 feet of defensible space under California Public Resources Code 4291. The county fire marshal inspects, and annual…

Smoke alarm requirements in unincorporated Santa Clara County follow California state law: alarms in every bedroom, outside each sleeping area, and on every level, with carbon monoxide…

In unincorporated Santa Clara County parks, open fires are barred except in a provided camp stove or fireplace, and every campfire needs five feet of cleared ground around it.

Cupertino's park code bars anyone from hunting, harming, trapping or killing any bird within a city park, and bans taking eggs, nests or young. Only deadly poisonous snakes may be…

Cupertino defines a "grooming parlor" as any commercial place where animals are trimmed, bathed, or groomed, and Chapter 8.05 requires the operator to get an annual City Manager permit…

Cupertino doesn't ban dogs by breed; instead it regulates any dog, of any breed, that the City designates "potentially dangerous" or "dangerous" based on documented biting or attacking…

Cupertino doesn't force every owner to sterilize a pet, but anyone adopting a dog or cat from a Santa Clara County humane society, pound, or SPCA shelter must have it spayed or…

Cupertino does not ban owning a wild or exotic animal outright, but its code labels any wild, exotic, or venomous animal a "dangerous animal" and requires a City Manager permit before…

Cupertino requires every dog off its owner's property to be on a leash or behind a fence at least six feet high, and bars any animal from straying onto public streets, common areas, or…

Cupertino caps ownership at three cats over four months old per property, and no more than one of them can be unspayed. Every cat past that age also needs a rabies vaccination and a…

Cupertino allows beekeeping citywide as an accessory use, but Chapter 8.07 sets minimum setbacks of twenty feet from the front property line and eight feet from side or rear lines…

Cupertino's park-conduct code flatly bans feeding any wildlife, not just waterfowl, inside a city park. The rule, part of Municipal Code § 13.04.130, is enforced by parks staff and…

Cupertino's R-1, RC1, R-2, R-3 and R-4 residential zones cap adult household pets at four per dwelling under Table 19.20.020, with no more than two adult dogs or cats among them. The…

Cupertino's zoning code confines veterinary clinics, animal hospitals and boarding kennels to the Light Industrial (ML) district under Table 19.64.020, and Chapter 19.120 expressly…

Cupertino allows unlimited geese, ducks, chickens and rabbits on Residential Hillside (RHS) lots of one acre or more under Table 19.20.020, while smaller RHS lots follow a…

Unincorporated Santa Clara County requires any pet shop, kennel, grooming parlor or animal shelter to hold a County permit before operating; the code doesn't ban retail pet sales…

Cupertino limits detached sheds and accessory buildings in residential and agricultural zones to 30 percent of the usable rear yard, 20 feet in height and one story. Setbacks tighten…

A Junior Accessory Dwelling Unit in Cupertino requires that either the main house or the JADU stay owner-occupied, unless the owner is a government agency, land trust, or housing…

Cupertino cannot charge impact fees on an accessory dwelling unit or junior ADU under 750 square feet. Larger ADUs pay impact fees only in proportion to the primary dwelling's square…

Cupertino allows accessory dwelling units on any residential or mixed-use residential lot with an existing dwelling, and ADUs never count toward the lot's maximum density. Under…

Cupertino lets homeowners rent an accessory dwelling unit separately from the main house, but Municipal Code Section 19.112.020 bars any rental term shorter than 30 days for an ADU or…

Unincorporated Santa Clara County lets homeowners rebuild or convert an existing, setback-nonconforming detached garage into an accessory dwelling unit without adding any new setback…

Unincorporated Santa Clara County allows one movable tiny home per lot in place of a standard ADU, but only if it's ANSI 119.5-certified, DMV-registered, incapable of self-propulsion…

Cupertino requires every retaining wall in the city to be engineered and approved by the Director of Public Works before a building permit issues. Walls over three feet trigger…

Cupertino bans barbed wire, razor wire, chicken wire, similar small-gauge mesh, and electrified fencing on any residential, commercial, or industrial property, unless a law or…

Cupertino caps most residential fences at 7 feet in the rear and interior side yards and 3 feet within the front-yard setback, corner triangle, or sidewalk sight triangle. Table…

Cupertino requires Design Review approval for fences on nearly every zoning district except single-family (R1), hillside residential (RHS), duplex (R2), and small R3 properties…

Cost-sharing for a boundary fence between neighbors in unincorporated Santa Clara County is governed by California Civil Code Section 841, the Good Neighbor Fence Act. Adjoining owners…

California law lets Cupertino homeowners run a small-family day care for up to eight children in any residential or agricultural zone as a permitted use, and Table 19.20.020 extends…

Cupertino permits home occupations in residential zones only when the business stays clearly incidental and secondary to residential use and does not change the home's residential…

Cupertino's home occupation table bars direct sale of products off display shelves to the general public and limits sales parties to twice a month. Table 19.120.030 also caps…

A Cupertino home occupation may display only a legally required sign, and Table 19.120.030 caps it at one square foot. The sign cannot go on the roof or inside the property's required…

Government Code section 51035 forbids any California city, county, or city and county from prohibiting a cottage food operation in a residential dwelling. The local agency must pick…

California lets home cooks sell meals from their own kitchen under a microenterprise home kitchen operation (MEHKO) permit, capped at 30 meals a day, 90 a week, and $100,000 in annual…

When a permit is issued for a new pool or spa, or for remodeling an existing one, at a Cupertino single-family home, the pool must have at least two of seven state drowning-prevention…

Cupertino requires a building permit to construct or install a residential swimming pool, with only a narrow exemption for small prefabricated above-ground pools. A pool is exempt only…

Cupertino's density bonus ordinance implements the State Density Bonus Law by granting extra units to housing developments that set aside affordable units. A project with a net…

Cupertino bars anyone under 18 from public places between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. on school nights and between midnight and 6 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Municipal Code Section 10.68.020…

Cupertino parks close to the public between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. unless the City Council sets different hours by resolution, and loitering during closed hours violates Municipal Code §…

Cupertino residents may not set carts out more than 24 hours before pickup and must pull them back within 24 hours afterward, dropping to just 12 hours if the cart sits in a bike lane…

Dumping refuse, garbage or hazardous waste on a Cupertino street, alley, gutter or park is unlawful under Section 6.24.110, and property owners cannot keep waste anywhere on site…

Cupertino requires multi-family properties and businesses generating four or more cubic yards of solid waste weekly to subscribe to non-organic recycling service. Municipal Code…

Every household and business in Cupertino must subscribe to organic waste collection and keep food scraps, yard trimmings and other organics out of the trash. Section 6.24.037.010…

Cupertino bans putting garbage into a bin marked for organic or non-organic recycling, and Section 6.24.035 guarantees covered businesses at least a 32-gallon recycling container…

Cupertino caps how long garbage can sit on a property at one week and requires it be put out for collection at least once a week. Section 6.24.050 sets that baseline frequency, while…

New occupants in Cupertino have ten days to start solid waste collection service on their own, and Section 6.24.040 lets the Director of Public Works step in and order the franchised…

Cupertino requires outdoor trash, recycling, and yard waste receptacles to stay closed so material is not scattered by wind or animals. Section 9.18.215 gives residential yard waste…

Cupertino lets single-family households put uncontained large items too big for a regular bin out for a scheduled pickup, but only on private property next to the City right-of-way…

In unincorporated Santa Clara County, dumpsters and roll-off bins serving nonresidential or multi-unit properties need the Director's approval, and every container, including…

Cupertino bars motor vehicles from driving in a designated bicycle lane except to park, enter or leave the roadway, or prepare for a turn. Motorized bicycles may use the lane but only…

In unincorporated Santa Clara County parks, Class 1 and Class 2 electric bicycles may only ride trails and roads specifically signed for e-bike use: plain bike-trail signage isn't…

A low-speed vehicle in California may not be driven on any roadway with a speed limit above 35 miles per hour. Vehicle Code section 21260 permits it to cross a faster road only where…

Cupertino levies a 12 percent transient occupancy tax on rent charged for hotel, motel and similar lodging stays of 30 consecutive days or less. Hotel operators collect the tax from…

Santa Clara County's Living Wage Policy requires county service contractors to pay minimum living wages and provide health benefits. The policy covers contractors providing services to…

Cupertino Municipal Code Chapter 9.22, Property Maintenance, expressly covers vacant land as well as occupied premises. Section 9.22.020 and Table 9.22.020 bar owners of any real…

Cupertino bars any owner, agent, or person controlling real property from maintaining a building used for human occupancy in a substandard or hazardous condition under state Health and…

Snow is extremely rare in Santa Clara County's valley floor and Santa Clara County has no snow clearing ordinance; mountain properties should clear for safety.

Cupertino adopts the 2025 California Plumbing Code, based on the 2024 Uniform Plumbing Code, by reference as its local plumbing code. No appendix chapters from that code have been…

Cupertino requires automatic fire sprinklers in all new one- and two-family dwellings and townhouses, and in existing ones when an addition pushes the fire or building area past 3,600…

Any owner who intends to construct, enlarge, alter, repair, move or demolish a building, or to install regulated electrical, gas, mechanical or plumbing systems, must first apply to…

Permitted construction in Cupertino must stay accessible for inspection until the Building Official approves it. Required stages run from footing and foundation through framing to a…

Cupertino has adopted the 2025 California Electrical Code, based on the 2023 National Electrical Code, by reference. Electrical work may only be performed by a licensed electrical…

Cupertino requires developers to prove compliance with its local CALGreen thresholds through third-party LEED or GreenPoint Rated certification, or city review for smaller projects…

Santa Clara County elevators are regulated by Cal/OSHA under Labor Code 7300 to 7324. Every conveyance needs annual inspection and a current permit. HOA and condo elevators follow…

Santa Clara County pre-1978 home renovation follows EPA RRP rules and CA Health and Safety Code 17920.10. Contractors disturbing more than 6 sq ft interior or 20 sq ft exterior painted…

On unincorporated county lots bordering Los Altos that carry the -n1 combining designator, homes are capped at a 0.35 floor-area ratio on smaller lots and a 27-foot maximum height, to…

Anyone going door-to-door in Cupertino to sell goods or take orders needs a City Manager-issued identification permit before getting a business license. Applicants submit…

Cupertino bars door-to-door solicitors from residential areas between 6 p.m. and 9 a.m., and separately bars them from any home posted with a clearly visible 'No Soliciting Allowed'…

Cupertino requires an encroachment permit from the City Engineer before anyone builds, plants, or places anything in a public right-of-way, including sidewalks and parkways…

Trees, hedges, and shrubs that block sightlines or block sidewalk and street passage in unincorporated Santa Clara County are a declared public nuisance owners must remove.

California Streets and Highways Code 5610 makes abutting property owners responsible for sidewalk repair in unincorporated Santa Clara County, with county-issued repair notices.

Cupertino Municipal Code Section 5.50.030 makes it unlawful for any Tobacco Retailer to sell a tobacco product with a characterizing flavor or aroma other than tobacco itself, naming…

Federal Tobacco 21 (Public Law 116-94) and California Business and Professions Code section 22963 bar Santa Clara County retailers from selling cigarettes, cigars, vapes, or any…

Cars, trucks, motorcycles and towed equipment cannot idle in one spot off a public right-of-way for more than three minutes in any hour under Municipal Code § 10.48.055, unless the…

Cupertino bans discharging anything other than stormwater into its storm drain system, watercourses, or San Francisco Bay under Chapter 9.18. The Director of Public Works administers…

In Cupertino's wildland urban interface areas designated under Chapter 16.74, the Landscape Ordinance requires plants to be selected, arranged and maintained for defensible space under…

Cupertino requires an Interim Erosion and Sediment Control Plan for grading and land-disturbing work, covering sediment retention, runoff diversion and revegetation measures, secured…

A development permit is required before any construction, grading, or placement of manufactured homes within Cupertino's mapped areas of special flood hazard. Municipal Code §…

New and substantially improved residential structures in Cupertino's AE, AH, and A1-30 flood zones must have their lowest floor, including basement and equipment floors, elevated at…

The California Coastal Act, Public Resources Code sections 30000 through 30900, requires Coastal Development Permits for nearly all work in the coastal zone and gives the Coastal…

Vehicular deliveries or pickups to commercial establishments via a private road or alley next to residential land are barred from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. weekdays and 6 p.m. to 9 a.m. on…

Unincorporated Santa Clara County caps air-conditioning and air-handling equipment noise at 50 dBA on a neighbor's property line and 45 dBA at a neighboring patio or window, absent a…

In unincorporated Santa Clara County, a motor vehicle burglar alarm that doesn't shut off within 15 minutes of activation is a noise-code violation.

Drinking or possessing an open container of intoxicating liquor on any public street, park or parking lot in Cupertino is unlawful under Municipal Code § 10.49.010, an infraction…

Cupertino bans smoking in enclosed places of employment and public places, and extends the ban outdoors to recreational areas, dining areas, service areas and public events. Municipal…

Cupertino bans skateboarding and roller skating only on public property the City Council has designated and posted as a 'No Skateboarding or Roller Skating Area.' Municipal Code…

Cupertino Municipal Code Chapter 10.05 defines a loud party, gathering, or event as one causing a Chapter 10.48 noise disturbance, then makes any adult or minor social host, anyone who…

Cupertino Municipal Code § 10.30.020 makes it unlawful to urinate or defecate anywhere in public, in any place exposed to public view, or on the ground, a premises, lot or public…

Cupertino Municipal Code § 10.56.020 lets an owner, lessee, or person in charge of a shopping center or other private property open to the public order someone to leave for good cause…

The county can designate no-solicitation zones where soliciting money, work, or business from vehicle occupants on the roadway is a misdemeanor.

Cupertino taxes every business operating in the city under Municipal Code Chapter 5.04 unless a specific section sets its own rate. Businesses not separately classified pay a $75 base…

Cupertino controls what gets planted in the parkway strip through a City-adopted Master Street Tree List, and only the Tree/Right of Way Supervisor may plant, trim, or remove a public…

Cupertino Municipal Code Chapter 14.18 protects eleven specific tree species once they reach mature specimen size, plus all heritage trees, in every zoning district. Removing a Coast…

Only a property owner, or anyone if the tree sits on public or quasi-public land, may apply to have a tree designated heritage under Cupertino Municipal Code § 14.18.070. The Planning…

Cupertino caps single-family homes in the R1-5 and R1-6/7.5/8/10/20 zoning districts at 45% lot coverage under Municipal Code Section 19.28.070(A), with an extra 5% allowed for…

Cupertino's R-1 single-family zones require a minimum 20-foot front yard setback, a 20-foot rear yard setback reducible to 10 feet with a Minor Residential Permit, and side yards that…

Cupertino caps single-family homes at 28 feet and two stories under Municipal Code Section 19.28.070(J), with zoning districts carrying the 'i' suffix limited to one story and 18 feet…

Cupertino Municipal Code Section 5.51.030 requires anyone, including students, to obtain a City permit before using public property, a public facility, or a residence for commercial…

Cupertino still requires students to obtain a filming permit under Section 5.51.030, but exempts charitable and student films from permit fees if the production carries no profit and…

Cupertino Municipal Code Section 5.51.060 confines Film Production activity to the hours of 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., the city's way of controlling noise, lighting, and disruption from…

Cupertino Municipal Code Section 5.51.060 requires any film production that would affect movement in the public right-of-way to submit a traffic control and handling plan for city…

Cupertino property owners may not let dead, decayed, or diseased trees, weeds, or other vegetation build up in a yard visible from a street or sidewalk if it is likely to cause a fire…

Unincorporated Santa Clara County requires every inspected food facility to post the Director's inspection placard within five feet of the front door, clearly visible to the public and…

Under California Health and Safety Code §113948, every food handler in Santa Clara County must obtain an ANSI-accredited food handler card within 30 days of hire. Cards are valid for…

Sharps manufacturers selling products in Santa Clara County must fund and run a County-approved take-back program, so residents get free mail-back kits and drop-off sites for used…

Cupertino prohibits every commercial marijuana activity and all outdoor marijuana cultivation, commercial or personal, in every zoning district citywide. Municipal Code Section…

Health and Safety Code section 11362.2 grants every adult 21 or older the statewide right to cultivate up to six cannabis plants indoors, and bars local governments from completely…

Cupertino bars flying drones or powered model airplanes in any city park unless the department of parks and recreation has designated an area for the activity. The rule sits among the…

Unincorporated Santa Clara County bans operating any drone, commercial UAS included, in a way that interferes with firefighting, law enforcement, or emergency response; only…

Cupertino's Landscape Ordinance bans installing any invasive plant species or noxious weed as part of a new or rehabilitated landscape project, and requires existing invasive plants on…

Cupertino's Landscape Ordinance caps new turf at 25% of the landscape area or 1,250 square feet, whichever is smaller, bans turf on slopes steeper than 25%, and requires turf areas to…

Cupertino's Landscape Ordinance requires new irrigation systems to allow for current and future recycled water use, treats recycled-water landscapes as special landscape areas with a…

Property owners in unincorporated Santa Clara County must fix outdoor water leaks from broken pipes, sprinklers, or irrigation within seven days of County notification, or face…

Cupertino must issue a building permit within five business days for a complete electronic application for a small rooftop solar system, using a nondiscretionary checklist review under…

Santa Clara County issues expedited residential solar permits within 3 business days under AB 2188 and AB 1414. Title 24 mandates solar on new homes. PG and E interconnection runs…

Santa Clara County HOAs cannot ban solar under Civil Code 714 and 4753. Aesthetic rules adding over 1000 dollars or losing 10 percent efficiency are void. Complete applications deem…

Cupertino requires anyone operating a massage establishment to hold a separate City Manager license for each location, on top of a standard business license. Chapter 9.06 exempts…

Cupertino requires a Tobacco Retailer Permit from the Santa Clara County Department of Environmental Health before any store may sell tobacco products, but Municipal Code Section…

Cupertino bars adult bookstores, adult theaters, adult cabarets, public dancehalls and massage parlors within 1,000 feet of each other, of any hotel or motel, or of residential, public…

Tow operators in unincorporated Santa Clara County cannot solicit business at accident scenes or park tow vehicles within 1,000 feet of one.

Secondhand and junk dealers operating in unincorporated Santa Clara County must hold a county license, pay a $30 fee, and produce business records and acquired property for inspection…

Body art practitioners and facilities anywhere in Santa Clara County, including San Jose and other cities, need Public Health Department permits and registration under the county's…

In unincorporated Santa Clara County, home auto repair is limited to vehicles registered to a resident, capped at two disabled vehicles per lot, and restricted to daytime hours on lots…

Cupertino requires a permit from the City Manager for any exclusive, pre-advertised use of a city park or building, filed 14 to 60 days ahead under Municipal Code § 13.04.040 and §…

Cupertino Municipal Code Chapter 10.44 requires a permit from the Director of Community Development before anyone may hold a parade or athletic event that obstructs a City street…

Street fairs on unincorporated Santa Clara County roads run under the county's special event permit process, and the Director can require food and beverage vendors to hold Public…

Unincorporated Santa Clara County requires a special event permit from the Director of Roads and Airports before any block party closes or restricts use of a county road, filed at…

Cupertino requires every sidewalk food vendor to register annually in the city's Mobile Vendor Registry before operating, and bans vending in city parks' natural areas, in streets or…

Cupertino requires every sidewalk food or goods vendor to register annually in the City's Mobile Vendor Registry before operating, under Municipal Code Section 5.48.030. Vendors must…

Mobile food facilities and mobile food preparation units in Santa Clara County must obtain an annual environmental health permit from the Director before operating, renewable each year.

Cupertino allows only two garage or patio sales per person or household at the same address in any twelve-month period, and no single sale may run longer than two consecutive two-day…

Cupertino caps garage and patio sale signage at one on-site sign and three off-site signs, each no larger than 8 square feet and 6 feet tall, displayed only for the length of the sale…

Cupertino exempts holiday and seasonal lighting from its outdoor lighting shielding, curfew and intensity rules, but only between October 15 and January 15 each year. Outside that…

Cupertino allows window signs only in commercial zones and caps the combined area of permanent and temporary window signs at 25 percent of each storefront bay's window surface. A sign…

Cupertino allows only one electronic readerboard sign per commercial center, and only for centers with at least 20 tenants and 50,000 square feet of floor area. The sign needs Planning…

Cupertino bans freestanding freeway-oriented signs entirely in commercial, industrial and office zones. Wall signs facing a freeway are capped at two per multi-tenant building and need…

Cupertino sets no numeric limit on how many political signs a property can display, requires no permit, but caps each sign at 4 square feet on no more than two sides and requires…

Cupertino requires homeowners associations formed for multiple-family (R-3) developments to submit their CC&Rs and Articles of Incorporation for City Attorney review before…

Santa Clara County HOAs must offer free Internal Dispute Resolution under Civil Code 5900 and Alternative Dispute Resolution under 5925 before filing enforcement lawsuits. ADR…

Santa Clara County HOA architectural review runs under Civil Code 4765. Owners submit written applications and receive written decisions, and associations must apply fair and…

Santa Clara County HOA dues follow Civil Code 5600 to 5740. Regular dues cannot rise over 20 percent yearly, special assessments over 5 percent need a member vote, and delinquencies…

Santa Clara County HOAs enforce CC and Rs under Civil Code 5850 to 5895. Fines require 10 day written notice and a board hearing, and cannot become a lien unless tied to assessments…

California's Davis-Stirling Act gives every HOA member the right to inspect and copy association records under Civil Code § 5205. Boards must produce current-year records within 10…

California voids any HOA governing-document clause that effectively bans or unreasonably restricts a clothesline or drying rack in an owner's exclusive-use backyard. Civil Code Section…

Civil Code section 4735 voids any HOA rule that bans low-water plants, turf replacement, or artificial turf, and bars fines for cutting back watering during a declared drought…

Civil Code § 4745 voids any HOA covenant or governing-document rule that prohibits or unreasonably restricts installing an EV charging station in an owner's unit or designated parking…

Civil Code § 4705 bars every California homeowners association from limiting a member's display of the United States flag on their own lot or within their exclusive-use common area…

California law caps homeowners association fines at $100 per violation or the amount listed in the association's published penalty schedule, whichever is less. Civil Code section 5850…

A California homeowners association cannot foreclose on a member’s home over unpaid dues until the delinquent assessments alone reach $1,800, or until the assessments secured by the…

Civil Code § 4741 bars every California homeowners association from adopting or enforcing a rule that prohibits, or unreasonably restricts, renting out a separate interest, and sets a…

Cupertino requires nearly all outdoor light fixtures to be fully shielded and pointed downward, bans floodlights outright, caps color temperature at 3,000 Kelvin, and forces most…

Cupertino caps light spilling onto a neighboring lot at 0.1 foot-candle measured at the shared property line, bars glare visible above three feet at the public right-of-way, and…

Cupertino maintains two agricultural zoning districts, Agricultural (A) and Agricultural-Residential (A-1), under Chapter 19.24 specifically to preserve farming and forestry uses, with…

California Civil Code §3482.5 protects established agricultural operations from nuisance suits after three years of consistent activity. SCC layers this with the Williamson Act and…

Two Cupertino rules bind cooling and generator noise. Zoning Section 19.72.050 caps industrial sound at 65 dB day and 55 dB night at the property line, dropping to 60 dB day next to…

Cupertino has no data-center ordinance and no "data center" use in Table 19.64.020. A server facility fits the ML light industrial district as a manufacturing, research, or…

California Civil Code §1950.5, amended by AB-12 effective July 2024, caps residential security deposits at one month's rent statewide. Santa Clara County adds no local cap, so the…

Santa Clara County landlords must follow California AB 1482 just cause eviction rules, requiring specified reasons and relocation assistance for no-fault terminations.

Rental units in unincorporated Santa Clara County must meet the 2024 International Property Maintenance Code, adopted as the county's Housing Code and enforced by the Development…

Unincorporated Santa Clara County applies California's AB-1482 no-fault grounds: owner move-in, substantial remodel, demolition, government order, and Ellis Act withdrawal. Each path…

Santa Clara County has not adopted a countywide tenant anti-harassment ordinance for unincorporated areas. Tenants rely on California Civil Code §1940.2 against forcible exclusion plus…

Unincorporated Santa Clara County follows California AB 1482 statewide rent cap (5 percent plus CPI, max 10 percent) with no local rent control ordinance.

Santa Clara County has no countywide rent stabilization, so pass-through charges in unincorporated areas follow state law. AB-1482 caps annual rent increases at 5% plus CPI, capped at…

California Government Code §12955, expanded by SB-329 in 2020, prohibits housing discrimination based on lawful source of income, including Section 8 vouchers. Santa Clara County…

Santa Clara County has no countywide relocation ordinance for unincorporated areas. State law controls: AB-1482 requires one month of rent for no-fault terminations and the Ellis Act…

California evictions run through the unlawful detainer process. Under Code of Civil Procedure § 1161, nonpayment requires a 3-day notice to pay rent or quit (excluding weekends and…

California Civil Code § 1954 limits when a landlord may enter a rented home. Except in emergencies, abandonment, or with tenant consent, the landlord must give reasonable written…

California sets no fixed dollar or percentage cap on rent late fees, but a late fee in a residential lease is treated as liquidated damages. Under Civil Code § 1671, such a fee is…

To end a California month-to-month tenancy, a tenant gives 30 days' written notice. A landlord gives 30 days if the tenant has lived there under a year, or 60 days if a year or more…

California requires written notice before raising a month-to-month tenant's rent. Under Civ. Code § 827, increases of 10% or less in 12 months need 30 days' notice; increases above 10%…

California adverse possession requires five years of continuous, open, hostile possession AND payment of all property taxes during that period under Code of Civil Procedure § 325. A…

California Penal Code sections 25400 and 25610 require firearms transported by vehicle in Santa Clara County to be unloaded, with handguns inside a locked container or trunk. Long guns…

California Penal Code section 25400 prohibits carrying a concealed firearm without a CCW. The Santa Clara County Sheriff issues permits to county residents under shall-issue rules…

California Penal Code section 26350 bans open carry of unloaded handguns in incorporated areas, and section 26400 bans openly carried unloaded long guns. All fifteen Santa Clara County…

California preempts most local firearm regulation under Government Code 53071 and Penal Code 25605, reserving licensing, registration, and manufacture authority to the state. However…

Santa Clara County has no predictive-scheduling ordinance. California AB-1228 governs fast-food workers via the statewide Fast Food Council. Outside fast food, no local or state…

California sets a statewide minimum wage floor under Labor Code 1182.12, $16.90 per hour for all employers as of January 2026. Local governments are not preempted and may set higher…

California's Healthy Workplaces, Healthy Families Act under Labor Code 245-249 mandates paid sick leave for nearly all employees statewide. SB 616 (2023) raised the minimum to 40 hours…

California AB-1884 (Public Resources Code section 42270) and AB-1276 make Santa Clara County a straws-on-request jurisdiction. Restaurants countywide cannot auto-distribute single-use…

California AB-1276 (Health and Safety Code §42270 et seq.) prohibits full-service and takeout food facilities from providing single-use utensils, straws, or condiment packets unless…

California prohibits grocery stores and large retailers from providing single-use plastic carryout bags under Public Resources Code 42280-42288, enacted by SB 270 (2014) and ratified…

California restricts expanded polystyrene food containers statewide through SB 54 (2022) packaging requirements under Public Resources Code 42040-42081. The law mandates that…

California AB-1236 (Labor Code §2814) prohibits Santa Clara County and any city from requiring private employers to use E-Verify. Federal mandates apply only to federal contractors…

Unincorporated Santa Clara County requires Board of Supervisors approval before any county department acquires or uses automated license plate readers, with a public Surveillance Use…

California is an all-party consent state. All parties to a confidential conversation must consent to audio recording under Penal Code §632. Video recording in public is legal…

Historic and architecturally significant properties in unincorporated Santa Clara County can be designated county 'landmarks' if they are 50 years or older, retain historic integrity…

Unincorporated Santa Clara County's Community Preservation ordinance defines "property blight", abandoned buildings, dead vegetation, illegal outdoor storage, junk vehicles, graffiti…

California's Gambling Control Act bars any city or county from issuing a gambling license to a cardroom unless a local ordinance authorizes it first: one adopted by voters after…

California Penal Code § 326.5 lets only tax-exempt nonprofits, mobilehome park associations, senior groups, and school-affiliated charities run bingo, and only under a local city or…

California law exempts private home card games from gambling regulation entirely. Penal Code § 337j(e)(2)(D) excludes any card game played in a private home or residence from the…

California has no legal sports betting, in stores or online. Penal Code section 337a criminalizes bookmaking, pool-selling, and placing or accepting any bet on the result of a sporting…

Sobriety checkpoints are lawful in California and stopping at one is a statutory obligation, not a courtesy. Vehicle Code § 2814.2(a) requires a driver to stop and submit to a sobriety…

California is one of the few states that answers this by statute rather than by case law alone. Penal Code § 148(g) says that photographing or making an audio or video recording of a…

California has no general stop-and-identify statute. The old Penal Code § 647(e), which required a person lawfully detained to give "credible and reliable" identification, was held…

California has no statute that requires you to consent to a search of your car, and none that requires an officer to warn you that you may refuse. What the Legislature and the voters…

California works from a closed list: Vehicle Code section 24003 says no vehicle may carry any lamp or illuminating device not required or permitted by the code, so an accessory light…

California measures dash cam placement in square inches. Vehicle Code section 26708(b)(13) lets a video event recorder occupy a seven-inch square in the lower corner of the windshield…

Lane splitting is lawful in California. Vehicle Code section 21658.1, added by AB 51 in 2016, defines it as driving a motorcycle with two wheels in contact with the ground between rows…

California does not let you put a cover over your license plate. Vehicle Code section 5201(c) allows exactly two things: a full car cover on a lawfully parked vehicle, and a license…

No section of the California Vehicle Code makes it an offense for a private motorist to own, carry or use a radar detector. The prohibition in Vehicle Code section 28150 reaches only…

California permits metal studded tires only between November 1 and April 30, and only where the studs are tungsten carbide or another suitable material and the metal touching the road…

California never publishes a "legal VLT" for front side windows because it does not permit aftermarket darkening there at all. Vehicle Code section 26708(d) allows only clear…