30 local rules on file · Pop. 11,345 · El Dorado County
Showing ordinances that apply to Diamond Springs, CA
Diamond Springs is an unincorporated community with a population of approximately 11,345 in El Dorado County, California. Because Diamond Springs is not an incorporated city, it does not have its own municipal government or city code. Instead, El Dorado County ordinances apply directly to residential and commercial properties here. The rules below are the county-level regulations that govern your area. Nearby incorporated cities in El Dorado County may have different rules.
Backyard chickens and livestock are broadly allowed in most residential zones in unincorporated El Dorado County under Title 130 (Zoning). The R1A (One-Acre Residential) and R3A (Three-Acre Residential) zones expressly allow low-intensity commercial agricultural pursuits, including the raising and grazing of domestic farm animals. The exact number and species permitted depend on the zoning designation and parcel size. The County has no countywide chicken cap for unincorporated residential lots. Title 6 nuisance and animal-control rules and Title 8 health rules still apply. The incorporated City of Placerville and certain HOA areas (El Dorado Hills, Cameron Park) impose stricter limits.
El Dorado County Code Title 6 (Animals) requires that dogs be confined to the owner's property or maintained on a leash whenever off the owner's property. A dog 'at large' off its owner's premises and not under restraint is subject to impound and citation. El Dorado County Animal Services patrols and responds to loose-dog complaints, including on Tahoe-area trails where unleashed dogs are an ongoing problem. State authority is California Food & Agricultural Code Section 30951 et seq. Cities of Placerville and South Lake Tahoe and Eldorado National Forest land have their own leash rules.
El Dorado County does not impose a comprehensive countywide quiet-hours ordinance on residential properties in unincorporated areas. The county's only codified 10:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. quiet-hour rule applies to vacation home rentals; general disturbance complaints are handled by the Sheriff under California Penal Code section 415.
El Dorado County Ordinance Code section 6.12.060 makes it unlawful for any dog or other animal to disturb the peace by habitual or persistent noise. Complaints are investigated by El Dorado County Animal Services and the Sheriff's Office, with a documented complaint process described in the county's Barking Dog brochure.
El Dorado County's only specific amplified-music restriction is in its Vacation Home Rental (VHR) ordinance, which prohibits unreasonable noise (including amplified sound) and outdoor spa/hot-tub operation between 10:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. For private residences, no county-wide decibel-based amplified-music ordinance exists; deputies enforce California Penal Code section 415.
El Dorado County has no countywide ordinance setting construction start or stop times for unincorporated properties. The Code Enforcement Division's official guidance is to ask the contractor to delay loud work until after 7:00 a.m. on weekdays (8:00 a.m. on weekends); the Sheriff may respond if the noise rises to disturbing the peace.
Aircraft noise around the Placerville, Georgetown, and Cameron Park airports is regulated through the El Dorado County Airport Land Use Compatibility Plans (ALUCPs), adopted by the EDCTC Airport Land Use Commission on June 28, 2012. The ALUCPs use CNEL noise contours (55-60, 60-65, 65-70 dB) to restrict noise-sensitive land uses in airport influence areas.
Recreational fire pits for cooking and warming on your own property in unincorporated El Dorado County generally do not require a CAL FIRE campfire permit, but they must comply with California Fire Code Section 307 setbacks (25 ft from structures and combustibles for open recreational fires, or 15 ft for portable outdoor fireplaces), the El Dorado County AQMD burn-day rules if burning solid fuels, and El Dorado County Chapter 8.09 defensible-space requirements. Propane and natural-gas fire pits are exempt from the AQMD burn-day rule.
El Dorado County requires 100 feet of defensible space around every habitable structure under Chapter 8.09 of the County Code (Ordinance 5186, adopted July 16, 2024), aligned with California Public Resources Code Section 4291 and 14 CCR Section 1299. Defensible space is split into Zone 1 (0-30 feet, 'lean and green') and Zone 2 (30-100 feet, reduced fuel). Additional clearance up to 300 feet may be required where steep terrain, weather, structure age, road access, or vegetation warrants. Inspections are performed by CAL FIRE, the local fire protection district, or El Dorado County Office of Wildfire Preparedness and Resilience.
Most of unincorporated El Dorado County sits within a CAL FIRE State Responsibility Area, and large portions are mapped as High or Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones (FHSZ). The County adopted updated FHSZ maps consistent with CAL FIRE's statewide remap. Properties in High and Very High FHSZ are subject to: 100-foot defensible space under Chapter 8.09 of the County Code, Chapter 7A fire-resistant construction standards (California Building Code), AB 38 defensible space inspections at sale, and additional access, water supply, and fuel modification requirements under the County's Fire Safe Regulations and Title 130 Zoning. Recent fires include the King, Caldor, and Mosquito fires.
All fireworks - including California State Fire Marshal-classified 'Safe and Sane' devices - are illegal to possess, sell, use, or discharge anywhere in unincorporated El Dorado County. The prohibition is set by El Dorado County Code Chapter 8.08 (Fire Prevention) and is reinforced by California Health & Safety Code Section 12541, which leaves the regulation of fireworks to local ordinance.
Outdoor burning of vegetative debris in unincorporated El Dorado County requires (1) a free CAL FIRE residential burn permit obtained at burnpermit.fire.ca.gov, (2) verification with the El Dorado County Air Quality Management District (AQMD) that it is a 'permissible burn day' (call 530-621-5897 or 866-621-5897), and (3) compliance with strict pile-size, clearance, and attendance rules. Piles larger than 4 ft x 4 ft require an additional AQMD permit. Burn barrels are illegal countywide.
Backyard burning of vegetative debris in unincorporated El Dorado County requires a free CAL FIRE residential burn permit, an AQMD-declared permissible burn day, a maximum 4-foot diameter pile, a 10-foot bare-soil clearance, and an adult attendant. Property owners must also maintain a minimum 100-foot defensible space around all structures under El Dorado County Code Chapter 8.09 (Ordinance 5186) and California Public Resources Code Section 4291, with additional clearance up to 300 feet possible.
El Dorado County's Title 130 Zoning Ordinance regulates off-street parking and recreational-vehicle uses through Chapter 130.35 (Parking and Loading) and the Temporary Housing Option Recreational Vehicle provisions added by Ordinance No. 5136, which allow one temporary RV on lots of one acre or larger under a permit; on-street parking of RVs in the Tahoe Basin is subject to Sections 10.12.180 and 10.12.184 winter restrictions.
In the Lake Tahoe Basin portion of unincorporated El Dorado County (Strawberry east to Tahoma and Meyers), the Board of Supervisors adopted updated winter no-parking restrictions on county-owned public roads, highways, and rights-of-way that are in effect annually from November 1 to May 1. The previous rule prohibited parking only 'when snow removal conditions exist' - which created enforcement ambiguity. The current ordinance, aligned with neighboring Placer County's approach, imposes a flat no-parking rule for the entire winter window so that snow plows can operate without interference. Violations are subject to citation and towing under Title 10 and California Vehicle Code.
El Dorado County does not adopt a separate countywide commercial-vehicle on-street parking ordinance for unincorporated residential areas; under California Vehicle Code Section 22507.5, the County may, by ordinance or resolution after a public hearing, prohibit or restrict on-street parking of commercial vehicles with a manufacturer's gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds or more in residential districts, with exceptions for pickups, deliveries, and bona fide construction at permitted sites.
El Dorado County does not impose a general countywide overnight on-street parking ban, but in the unincorporated Lake Tahoe Basin and at elevations above 3,000 feet, overnight parking on County-owned roads, highways, and rights-of-way is prohibited whenever the Director of Transportation has declared a snow removal condition (Sections 10.12.180 and 10.12.184); state law (CVC Section 22651(k)) allows removal of any vehicle parked on a highway for 72 or more consecutive hours.
El Dorado County Ordinance Code Sections 10.12.180 and 10.12.184 prohibit parking on County-owned roads, highways, and rights-of-way in unincorporated areas above 3,000 feet elevation and in the Lake Tahoe Basin Watershed Area whenever the Director of Transportation declares a snow removal condition; outside that area, California Vehicle Code Section 22651 governs removal of obstructing, hazardous, or long-parked vehicles.
The El Dorado County Sheriff's Office administers a state-funded vehicle abatement program under California Vehicle Code Section 22710 to remove abandoned vehicles that constitute a public nuisance on public or private property; once tagged, a contracted tow company removes and disposes of the vehicle, and California Vehicle Code Section 22651 provides peace-officer authority to remove vehicles in defined circumstances including 72-hour highway abandonment.
El Dorado County Chapter 130.39 (Oak Resources Conservation Ordinance, Ord. 5061) regulates removal of native oak trees below 4,000 ft elevation, requires permits and mitigation fees, and imposes substantial fines for unpermitted removal of Heritage Trees (36+ inches diameter at breast height).
El Dorado County applies California's Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (MWELO) to new and rehabilitated landscape projects requiring permits; day-to-day outdoor watering schedules are set by the local water purveyor (El Dorado Irrigation District for most unincorporated areas).
All weeds, grasses, hazardous vegetation, and combustible materials on improved and designated unimproved parcels in unincorporated El Dorado County are declared a public nuisance under Chapter 8.09 and must be abated by June 1 each year.
Under El Dorado County Code Chapter 8.09 (Vegetation Management and Defensible Space) and California Public Resources Code 4291, owners must maintain a 100-foot defensible space, remove tree branches within 10 feet of a chimney or stovepipe outlet, and keep trees and shrubs overhanging buildings free of dead or dying wood.
El Dorado County Code Chapter 8.09 declares uncontrolled growth and accumulation of weeds, grasses, hazardous vegetation, and combustible materials a public nuisance and requires abatement by every property owner on improved and designated unimproved parcels.
Section 130.40.160 of the El Dorado County Zoning Ordinance (Title 130) permits home occupations in any zone that allows single- or multi-unit residential use, provided the business is owned and operated by residents of the premises, is incidental to and compatible with surrounding residential and agricultural uses, is conducted within permitted structures on the lot, and stays within numeric standards for non-resident employees, with employee thresholds keyed to lot size and exceeded only with an Administrative or Conditional Use Permit.
El Dorado County Title 130 Chapter 130.36 (Signs) regulates on-site identification signage for home occupations through Table 130.36.070.3 (Sign Standards for Home Occupation Signs); home-occupation signs must be non-illuminated, compatible in design with existing residential structures on site, and consistent with the sign development and design standards in the County's sign ordinance, with the underlying Section 130.40.160 expressly requiring sign compatibility with the residential character of the neighborhood.
Operating a home-based business in unincorporated El Dorado County requires (1) compliance with El Dorado County Ordinance Code Section 130.40.160 (Home Occupations) verified by the BL 205 Home-Based Business License Checklist and (2) an annual business license issued by the El Dorado County Treasurer-Tax Collector under Title 5 of the County Code, with cottage food operators additionally registered or permitted by Environmental Management under California Health and Safety Code Section 114365.
These unincorporated areas are also governed by El Dorado County ordinances.