Delano, CA

Delano's Right-to-Farm provisions (DC §20.10.270) protect commercial agricultural operations from nuisance claims by neighbors after three years of continuous operation, recognizing…

Kern County has no breed-specific ordinance: state law (Cal. Food & Agric. Code §31683) preempts breed bans. Dogs are regulated by conduct under Kern County Code §7.08.270, which…

Unincorporated Kern County does not mandate spaying or neutering of pets. Owners of unaltered dogs instead pay higher license fees ($60 per year versus $15 for altered dogs), and…

Unincorporated Kern County sets no fixed cap on pets per household. The practical line is commercial activity: more than one litter a year, or boarding, training or selling animals for…

Kern County requires dogs to be leashed and controlled, or confined, on public property and other people's land under KCC § 7.08.150; off-leash is allowed only on the owner's secured…

Exotic animal ownership in unincorporated Kern County is controlled by California state law. Fish and Game Code section 2118 makes it unlawful to import, transport, or possess…

Kern County doesn't license a grooming shop that only bathes, clips, or plucks animals. But Section 7.08.015(Y) flips the moment a groomer boards pets overnight: a grooming shop that…

Kern County makes it a misdemeanor to trap, hunt, shoot or molest any bird or wild fowl, or rob bird nests, within the North Edwards Bird Sanctuary, a mapped tract surrounding the…

Kern County doesn't force every pet owner to microchip a dog or cat that has never seen the shelter. But once an animal passes through the county's impound system, microchipping…

Kern County Code Chapter 7.08 requires every dog over four months old to be licensed, tagged, and vaccinated, but the same chapter never imposes a license, tag, or fee on cats. Section…

Kern County's zoning ordinance treats veterinary clinics differently by district. A household-pet clinic with no outside kennels is permitted by right in the C-1 and C-2 commercial…

Kern County requires every beekeeper to register colonies annually with the Agricultural Commissioner and keep hives clear of neighbors. Apiaries must sit at least 20 feet from a state…

California law makes it illegal to knowingly feed big game mammals, deer, elk, pronghorn antelope, black bear, and Nelson bighorn sheep, anywhere in the state. The California…

Off-street parking for commercial and residential uses is set by Delano Development Code Table 13.A. Single-family dwellings require 2 spaces per unit in an enclosed garage…

Delano Development Code §20.13.20.12 prohibits parking any vehicle on an unpaved portion of a front yard setback area in a residentially zoned district. It also prohibits parking on a…

Recreational vehicle spaces are not permitted within Delano multifamily developments unless a dedicated RV parking facility is approved as part of the project (DC §20.13.30.4). RV…

Delano Development Code §20.10.350.1 prohibits long-term storage of motor vehicles, trailers, boats, airplanes, loose rubbish, garbage, junk, or building materials in any front or…

On-street parking in Delano is regulated under Title 10 (Vehicles and Traffic), Chapter 10.16 (Parking). The code restricts parking at specific high-traffic locations including…

Kern County declares abandoned, wrecked, dismantled, or inoperative (WDI) vehicles a public nuisance: a vehicle left 72 or more consecutive hours on a county road, or on private…

California law requires Kern County to approve applications to install electric vehicle charging stations administratively through a nondiscretionary building permit, limits county…

Kern County's zoning ordinance requires commercial, industrial, and larger residential developments in unincorporated areas to provide on-site loading and unloading space in addition…

Kern County can create preferential parking zones on unincorporated streets under Vehicle Code Section 22507, but the county code currently names only one: a short stretch of North…

Kern County's director of roads, not a separate curb-paint code, decides where street curbs get painted or signed for no-parking, loading, bus, taxi and angle-parking zones under…

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…

Delano is within the Kern County Subbasin under California's Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). The City and the Kern Groundwater Authority adopted a Groundwater…

Delano Development Code §20.10.360.2 requires every new land-division parcel to plant at least one tree per parcel frontage prior to final building inspection, chosen from the City's…

Delano regulates hazardous materials under DC §20.10.110, requiring businesses storing more than 55 gallons of liquid, 300 pounds of solid, or 200 cubic feet of compressed gas of any…

Removing a western Joshua tree anywhere in Kern County requires authorization from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife under the Western Joshua Tree Conservation Act. The…

No Kern County-specific ordinance restricts residential rainwater harvesting in unincorporated areas. Under the California Rainwater Capture Act of 2012, property owners may capture…

No Kern County ordinance prohibits artificial turf in unincorporated areas, and state law bars the county from prohibiting living drought-tolerant landscaping on residential property…

SB 1383 requires every California resident and business to separate food scraps and yard waste from trash, with universal collection or on-site composting.

AB-1572 prohibits using potable water to irrigate non-functional turf at commercial, institutional, and HOA-common areas, accelerating native and low-water landscape conversions…

Delano Development Code §20.10.30.1.e allows detached accessory structures in interior side and rear yards, with a maximum height of 15 feet and never higher than the main structure.

Kern County Zoning Ordinance Chapter 19.90 allows one accessory dwelling unit per legal lot, capped at 1,200 square feet, subject to minimum lot size and zoning district setbacks.

Kern County's Chapter 19.90 ADU rules let homeowners convert an existing garage into an ADU subject to size and standards, but other garage conversions to living space still require a…

Kern County has no tiny-home-specific ordinance: a tiny house built on a permanent foundation can be permitted as an accessory dwelling unit under Zoning Ordinance Chapter 19.90…

Delano Development Code §20.10.90.2 uses walls, not a decibel figure, to manage noise where business districts meet homes. Under §20.10.90.2.c, screening between commercial or…

Delano regulates noise through the Development Code's noise hazard provisions (DMC §20.10.180), which apply standards drawn from the General Plan Noise Element to any property within…

Delano's grading ordinance (DMC §20.10.100) authorizes the City to impose limits on the periods during which grading and earthmoving operations may occur, and construction noise is…

Section 7.08.380 of the Kern County Code makes it unlawful to keep or harbor any animal whose howling, yelping, barking, or other noise disturbs or annoys a neighborhood. Each day of…

Kern County does not impose local aircraft-overflight noise restrictions; aircraft noise is federally preempted by the FAA. The county participates in a FAR Part 150 Noise…

No Kern County-specific ordinance directly restricts leaf blower use, hours, or decibel levels in unincorporated areas; the county's general noise rules and California's statewide…

Section 8.36.020 of the Kern County Code prohibits operating any public address system or sound equipment when the sound emanates beyond the confines of a permanent building to a…

Delano Development Code §20.10.90.1 limits residential front-yard and street-side-yard fences to 40 inches tall. Interior side and rear yard fences may be up to 6 feet, measured from…

Delano Development Code §20.10.90.1.c prohibits barbed wire on any front, side, or rear property line in a residential district, and no sharp wire or sharp points may project above the…

In unincorporated Kern County, boundary-fence disputes between neighbors are governed by California's Good Neighbor Fence Act (Civil Code Section 841), which presumes adjoining…

Per the California Building Code as adopted in Kern County Title 17, fences not over 7 feet high are exempt from building permits. Fences exceeding 7 feet, masonry retaining walls, and…

In unincorporated Kern County, a retaining wall needs a building permit if it is over 4 feet tall measured from the bottom of the footing to the top of the wall, or if it supports a…

Unincorporated Kern County levies a 6% Transient Occupancy Tax under Code Chapter 4.16, authorized by California Revenue and Taxation Code Section 7280. Operators must register with…

Kern County's Transient Occupancy Tax Chapter 4.16 does not set per-bedroom guest caps, overnight occupancy limits, or daytime gathering limits for short-term rentals in the…

Kern County does not require a stand-alone short-term rental permit, but every operator of a hotel, vacation rental, or short-term lodging in the unincorporated area must register with…

Kern County has no STR-specific noise ordinance, but Ordinance Code Chapter 8.36 prohibits loud and raucous noise and restricts amplified sound in unincorporated areas. Construction…

No Kern County ordinance imposes parking requirements specifically on short-term rentals. The standard residential off-street parking minimums of Zoning Ordinance Chapter 19.82 apply…

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…

Only State Fire Marshal-approved 'Safe and Sane' fireworks may be sold or used in unincorporated Kern County, and they are entirely prohibited within the Wildland-Urban Interface Fire…

Small recreational backyard fires for cooking or warmth are allowed under California Fire Code § 307 as adopted by Kern County, but any burning of vegetation, debris, or trash requires…

Kern County requires 30 feet of clearance of all non-ornamental combustibles around every structure and a total 100 feet of fuel reduction, enforced annually by the Kern County Fire…

Open burning of vegetation in unincorporated Kern County requires a burn permit from the Kern County Fire Department, may only occur on declared 'permissive burn days' during the…

Kern County adopted its own Wildland-Urban Interface Code (Ordinance Code Chapter 17.34), tying local hazardous fire areas to the state Fire Hazard Severity Zones, and in 2025 released…

The Kern County Fire Code requires a construction permit to install or modify LP-gas containers of 125 gallons water capacity or more (other than at a single-family residence) and caps…

Kern County Zoning Ordinance § 19.94.040 limits home occupations to 25% of the gross area of one floor of the residence (or equivalent accessory building space), restricts work to…

Kern County prohibits all home occupation signs in unincorporated areas. Under § 19.94.040(9), 'No sign shall be permitted, other than the clearly posted address of the home.' The…

Kern County Chapter 19.96 sets development standards and a Planning Director permit process for large family day-care homes serving up to 14 children, though California law now treats…

Kern County residents can sell approved low-risk homemade foods as cottage food operations. Class A operations register with Kern County Public Health for direct sales; Class B…

Home occupations in unincorporated Kern County must be run by appointment only and solely by residents of the home. Freight deliveries beyond normal residential frequency are…

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…

Unincorporated Kern County enforces the California Residential Code Appendix V and the state Swimming Pool Safety Act, which require pool enclosures at least 60 inches tall, with…

A building permit from the Kern County Building Inspection Division is required before constructing any swimming pool, spa or hot tub in unincorporated Kern County. The County adopts…

Garage sales in Delano require a permit issued by the Finance Director. Delano Municipal Code §6.22.030 sets the fee at $5 for the first and second permit and $10 for the third and…

Solar permits in Delano are processed under California's Solar Rights Act (Cal. Civ. Code §714) and AB 2188's expedited permitting requirements (Cal. Gov't Code §65850.5). The Building…

Kern County's building inspection division must review and issue permits for small residential rooftop solar systems within one business day for walk-in applications and one to three…

California Civil Code section 714 makes any HOA covenant, deed restriction, or governing document provision that effectively prohibits or restricts a solar energy system void and…

Delano Development Code §20.10.350.2 prohibits use of any vacant or undeveloped residential parcel, or any residential parcel where no main building exists, for storage of motor…

Kern County Code Section 8.44.050 requires every property owner to keep their land free of public nuisance conditions and to abate any nuisance promptly. A public official first orders…

Delano Development Code §20.10.270.4 requires the Community Development Director to include a Right-to-Farm notice on any proposed land division that lies partly or wholly within or…

The California Land Conservation Act of 1965 (Williamson Act), Government Code 51200-51297.4, allows landowners to enter contracts with counties restricting land to agricultural use…

Delano Development Code §20.10.140.1.a limits outdoor lighting from nonresidential uses to one-half (0.5) foot-candles of illumination at any property line, and prohibits blinking…

Kern County's Dark Skies Ordinance, Zoning Chapter 19.81, requires any outdoor fixture of 100 watts or more, or emitting 1,600 lumens or more, to be fully shielded downward…

Garage sale signs in Delano are limited under DMC §6.22.070 to a maximum of 4 square feet in area. Signs may not be displayed at times other than the permitted sale dates and may not…

In unincorporated Kern County, a window sign counts as exempt from Chapter 19.84's sign permit only if it stays under a hard cap: painted glass signs, poster paper signs, and placards…

Temporary political, religious and civic campaign signs in unincorporated Kern County can stay up no more than 90 days and must come down within 15 days after the campaign ends. In…

Delano Development Code §20.10.290.3 requires outdoor trash receptacles for multifamily and nonresidential uses to be sized for the trash generated and screened on at least three sides…

Dumping discarded materials on a public right-of-way, vacant lot or waterway in unincorporated Kern County is a misdemeanor under Section 8.28.080, carrying a $1,000 administrative…

Inside a Kern County universal collection area, the property owner must subscribe to, pay for and use the franchise hauler's regularly scheduled trash service, whether or not the…

Every property owner in unincorporated Kern County, residential or commercial, must keep discarded-materials containers on site and participate in the county's franchise hauler's one…

Unincorporated Kern County requires every property owner to keep enough discarded-material containers on site, sized to the waste actually generated there, and the franchise hauler…

Every owner of a single-family, multi-family or commercial property in unincorporated Kern County must keep discarded-material containers on site and either subscribe to the franchise…

Kern County's SB 1383 rules require commercial edible food generators, grocery stores, food service providers and similar tier one and tier two businesses, to recover the maximum…

Every owner of single-family, multi-family or commercial property in unincorporated Kern County must keep discarded-materials containers on-site and arrange collection through a…

Unincorporated Kern County requires a development permit before any construction, grading, or land alteration in a mapped special flood hazard area. The Public Works Director, acting…

In unincorporated Kern County, new construction and substantial improvements in a special flood hazard area must have the lowest floor, including any basement, elevated at least one…

A private boat dock's permit requirement in unincorporated Kern County turns on the parcel's zoning district. Zoning Ordinance Section 19.42.020 lists 'Boat dock, private' as a use…

Unincorporated Kern County bans dumping anything but rain into the county's storm drains. Kern County Code § 14.26.250 makes it unlawful to introduce sanitary wastewater, litter…

Unincorporated Kern County requires a grading permit before any excavation or fill under Section 17.28.040 of the Grading Code, and Section 17.28.140 then makes erosion control…

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…

Kern County bans selling or drinking alcohol, or carrying an opened alcoholic beverage container, at Lamont Park, Virginia Avenue Park, Heritage Park, Lost Hills Park, and Rexland…

Kern County outright bans smoking, along with open fires, camping and firearms, throughout the Kern River Riparian Preserve Park, a mapped stretch of riverside land the county operates…

Anyone riding a skateboard at a county-owned or operated skateboard park in Kern County must wear a helmet, elbow pads, and knee pads. Skating without all three pieces of gear is a…

Kern County bans smoking, ingesting, or otherwise using cannabis products anywhere in a county park or other public place, including park parking areas. Adults 21 and older face a fine…

Kern County treats gatherings at vacant, for-sale homes occupied without the owner's consent as 'nuisance parties' under Ordinance Code Section 9.36.020 when they produce disorderly…

Kern County follows the statewide residential fire sprinkler mandate for new one- and two-family dwellings but carves out its own exemption for additions and alterations to existing…

Installing, energizing or altering electrical equipment or wiring anywhere in unincorporated Kern County requires a permit from the building official under Section 17.24.090, with…

Every permitted building project in unincorporated Kern County must post an inspection record card on site before work starts, under Section 17.08.100 (and its Residential Code twin…

Unincorporated Kern County builds under the 2025 California Green Building Standards Code, known locally as the Kern County Green Building Code. Section 17.10.020 adopts that portion…

Kern County's Plumbing Code covers new construction and any alteration, repair or reconstruction of plumbing systems in the unincorporated county under Section 17.20.020, adopting the…

Kern County's Division of Countywide Communications, through its Film Commission, holds sole authority to issue location film permits for any production company or individual recording…

Kern County treats a commercial film, TV, video or still-photo shoot that closes a public street the same as any other special event: Chapter 12.12 defines "event" to include such…

Kern County bars riding a horse or other animal, and operating any motor vehicle, on a designated pedestrian/bicycle path inside county-owned or county-operated parks and recreation…

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…

Kern County closes its public parks to public use and occupancy between 10:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m., with named exceptions for mountain recreation areas, designated campgrounds, and…

Unemancipated minors cannot loiter, wander or roam by vehicle on public streets, parks or businesses in unincorporated Kern County between 10:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m., under Ordinance…

Exclusive or business use of a Kern County park, recreation area, or recreational facility requires a written permit, license, lease, or concession agreement from the director of parks…

A block party, celebration or other non-parade gathering that closes a street in unincorporated Kern County counts as an "event" under Chapter 12.12, and organizers need a temporary…

Organizing, holding or joining a parade on any unincorporated Kern County street, sidewalk or public park requires a sheriff-issued permit under Chapter 12.32, filed at least thirty…

Kern County bans smoking or otherwise using cannabis products within 1,000 feet of any school, day care center, or youth center while children are present. The home carve-out only…

Kern County bans every commercial cannabis business, medicinal and recreational alike, in all zone districts of the unincorporated county. Zoning Ordinance Section 19.08.055 blocks any…

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…

In unincorporated Kern County's R-1 Low-Density Residential district, houses are capped at three stories or 35 feet, whichever binds first, and detached accessory buildings top out at…

In Kern County's R-1 low-density residential district, buildings must have a front-yard setback of at least 25 feet, side yards of at least 5 feet (10 feet on the street side of corner…

Street vendors and food peddlers who occupy private property in unincorporated Kern County for eight or more hours a day, on more than fourteen days in a calendar year, are running a…

Mobile food vendors in unincorporated Kern County cannot park a cart, wagon or vehicle in one spot to sell food or drinks for more than 30 minutes in any 24-hour period, or return to…

Every mobile food vehicle selling liquids or edibles in unincorporated Kern County needs a $15-a-year Chapter 5.32 license per cart, wagon or vehicle, on top of the county's general…

Every food facility in unincorporated Kern County must post its inspection grade card where patrons can see it, under Ordinance Code Section 8.58.040. The card shows a letter grade (A…

Kern County does not run a blanket food handler card program; instead, Ordinance Code Sections 8.59.020 and 8.59.030 let the public health director order specific facility staff into…

Kern County Code Section 8.28.110 makes every person in possession or control of a structure or lot responsible for keeping it free of waste accumulations that attract or harbor…

Kern County requires anyone throwing out home-generated needles or other sharps to first seal them in a puncture-proof, rigid container, or a legal sharps container, before disposal…

Digging, excavating, placing material, or building curbs, driveways or other improvements in a public highway right-of-way in unincorporated Kern County requires an encroachment permit…

Blocking a sidewalk with personal property in unincorporated Kern County is allowed for no more than one hour a day, and the code's narrow trade exception only reaches three feet from…

Kern County bans camping on public property for more than three consecutive days in the same spot, plus any semi-permanent structure. Before enforcement officers can clear a site…

Kern County Code Section 8.30.040 bars sitting, lying, sleeping or camping with the intent to camp on public sidewalks in a way that blocks ADA passage, and bans the same conduct…

Kern County requires a secondhand dealer to hold a sheriff-issued business license under Chapter 5.04, using the state Department of Justice application form, and the sheriff cannot…

Any tattoo, piercing, branding or permanent-cosmetics business in unincorporated Kern County needs an environmental health permit from the Director of Public Health Services before…

Kern County's home occupation rules flatly exclude car repair and small engine repair from the list of businesses a resident may run out of a house in unincorporated areas. The same…

Kern County requires two layers of permitting for massage businesses under Ordinance Code Section 8.70.020: every practitioner must hold current CAMTC certification, since the county…

Selling tobacco products anywhere in unincorporated Kern County without a tobacco retailer's permit is a misdemeanor under Ordinance Code Section 8.60.020, with each day of unlicensed…

Kern County requires board of supervisors approval before any adult business opens in the unincorporated county, on top of a 1,500-foot buffer from residential zones, schools, churches…

Anyone running a cardroom in unincorporated Kern County must hold a sheriff's vice-division license under Chapter 5.20, capped countywide at 90 card tables and 45 tables per room, with…

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…

Kern County's Property Maintenance Code requires every dwelling in the unincorporated county to hold habitable rooms, bathrooms and toilet rooms at 68 degrees Fahrenheit, per Section…

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…

Civil Code 1946.2 requires landlords statewide to have just cause to terminate tenancies of qualifying tenants who have lived in a covered unit at least 12 months.

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 limits annual rent increases statewide to 5% plus the local change in the cost of living, capped at 10%, under the Tenant Protection Act of 2019 (AB-1482). It also lets…

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%…

As of July 1, 2024, California landlords may collect no more than one month's rent as a security deposit, regardless of whether the unit is furnished. The deposit, minus any lawful…

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…

Kern County grants density bonuses above the general plan's maximum residential density for qualifying unincorporated projects: up to 20 percent for on-site day care in larger…

Kern County requires an operational permit from the Fire Marshal before anyone may "operate aircraft or drones for filming or theatrical purposes," grouped under the Special…

New or replaced front-yard landscaping on single-family lots inside the Indian Wells Valley Land Use Management Plan area of unincorporated Kern County cannot include any turf at all…

Kern County's Chapter 5.76 bars soliciting business on a public highway, street, railroad, train or vehicle without written permission from the carrier's owner or manager, bans…

Kern County has no dedicated data center ordinance. In unincorporated areas a data center is an industrial use, sited in the M-1, M-2, or M-3 districts under Zoning Ordinance Title 19…

Kern County's Zoning Ordinance caps stationary commercial and industrial noise at 65 dB Ldn measured at the nearest home when a use sits within 500 feet of residential zoning (Section…

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 regulates concealed carry weapons licenses statewide under Penal Code 26150 through 26225. Senate Bill 2 (2023) imposes uniform sensitive-place restrictions and applicant…

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

California broadly prohibits open carry of firearms statewide under Penal Code 25850 (loaded firearms in public) and Penal Code 26350 (open carry of unloaded handguns). The prohibition…

California prohibits carrying loaded firearms in vehicles statewide under Penal Code 25400 and 25850. Unloaded handguns transported in private vehicles must be in a locked container or…

California HOAs may levy regular and special assessments, charge late fees and interest, record liens, and ultimately foreclose on delinquent owners under the Davis-Stirling Act. State…

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 overrides HOA governing documents on several owner protections. The Davis-Stirling Act and related Civil Code sections bar HOAs from prohibiting solar systems, U.S. flag…

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…

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 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 Public Resources Code 42270-42273, enacted by AB 1884 (2018), prohibits full-service restaurants from providing single-use plastic straws unless requested by the customer…

California prohibits sale of tobacco and vapor products to anyone under 21 statewide under Business and Professions Code 22958, enacted by SBX2-7 in 2016. The Tobacco 21 standard…

California bans retail sale of most flavored tobacco products statewide under Health and Safety Code 104559.5, enacted by SB 793 (2020) and upheld by voters via Proposition 31 in…

California provides statewide protections for native oak woodlands and heritage trees through CEQA review, Public Resources Code, and Forest Practice Rules that apply uniformly.

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…