San Jose is an inland city located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay and is not within the California Coastal Commission's jurisdiction. The Coastal Act's coastal development permit requirements do not apply to San Jose. However, development near waterways, wetlands, and the bayfront is subject to local environmental review, CEQA compliance, and permits from agencies such as the US Army Corps of Engineers and the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) for projects within 100 feet of the bay shoreline.
While no local coastal development ordinance applies, projects near the southern San Francisco Bay shoreline or along Coyote Creek, Guadalupe River, and other waterways may require permits from BCDC, the Regional Water Quality Control Board, and USFWS. The City's General Plan includes policies for bayfront development that require environmental review and habitat protection.
No local coastal development penalties apply. Projects within BCDC jurisdiction that proceed without permits face state-level enforcement including fines and restoration orders.
San Jose, CA
San Jose Municipal Code Title 7 (Animal Care and Control) requires dogs in public places, city parks, and trails to be on a leash no longer than six feet, re...
San Jose, CA
San Jose imposes no general restriction on year-round lawn ornaments, statuary, or religious displays on private residential property. The sign code (SJMC Ch...
San Jose, CA
San Jose has no city ordinance specifically regulating residential inflatable holiday displays. Size, height, and motor noise are not restricted by the munic...
San Jose, CA
San Jose has no ordinance limiting the duration, brightness, or hours of residential holiday lighting. The general nuisance provisions in SJMC Title 6 and th...
San Jose, CA
A built-in outdoor kitchen in San Jose typically requires multiple permits: a building permit for any structural roof or counter exceeding the patio cover ex...
San Jose, CA
San Jose does not have a dedicated ordinance for backyard smokers, pellet grills, or wood-fired ovens. Use is governed by the multifamily balcony restriction...
See how San Jose's coastal development rules stack up against other locations.
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