Moving to Whittier, CA?

The City of Whittier sets nighttime quiet hours through its noise-control chapter. "Nighttime" runs from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. on weekdays and 9 p.m. to 9 a.m. on weekends and legal holidays. Many noise prohibitions are triggered during these nighttime hours, and late-night disturbances audible to neighbors are prima facie violations.

The City of Whittier limits building erection, demolition, grading, blasting, heavy equipment, and jackhammer use to weekdays 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. No such construction is allowed on Sundays. Owner-resident additions or remodeling are excluded, and the city manager may waive the limits.

In the City of Whittier, keeping any animal or bird that makes frequent or long-continued noise plainly audible to occupants of adjacent or neighboring homes (or audible 50 feet from a nonresidential building) is presumed to disturb the peace and is prima facie evidence of a noise violation under the city's noise-control chapter.

The City of Whittier does not ban leaf blowers outright, but it prohibits operating leaf blowers and other small power equipment outdoors in residential areas during nighttime hours when the noise crosses a residential property line. There is no decibel limit and no gas-blower ban in the city code; the restriction is time-based.

The City of Whittier restricts amplified sound through its noise chapter. Radios, stereos, audio systems, and instruments may not be played so loudly as to disturb neighbors at any time, and during nighttime hours such sound that is plainly audible inside a neighboring home, or 50 feet from a nonresidential building, is prima facie evidence of a violation.

The City of Whittier prohibits loud or annoying vehicle noise - screeching tires, racing or accelerating engines, backfiring, and loud exhaust - not reasonably necessary to operation. Beyond the city ordinance, California Vehicle Code sections 27150 and 27151 govern mufflers and modified exhaust statewide, and Whittier's code defers to state law on preempted vehicle matters.

The City of Whittier's noise-control chapter contains NO numeric decibel (dBA) limits. Instead, Whittier uses a narrative, audibility-based standard: noise is judged by whether it is excessive, unreasonable, or plainly audible to neighbors. Officers assess violations with their normal hearing rather than a sound meter.

The City of Whittier does not regulate aircraft noise - it cannot. Aircraft operations and noise are preempted by the federal government (FAA), and Whittier's own noise chapter expressly exempts activities preempted by state or federal law. Aircraft noise complaints are handled through federal channels and the operating airport, not by city ordinance.

In the City of Whittier, outdoor music and amplified sound are limited by the noise chapter and may not disturb neighbors. Permitted outdoor gatherings, public dances, shows, and entertainment events held under a city permit are exempt, and special events under 48 hours are exempt from the separate noise-waiver requirement.

The City of Whittier regulates industrial and commercial noise through the same narrative noise chapter as residential noise - there is no separate industrial decibel table. Engine repair and testing that creates a disturbance is barred during nighttime hours, and commercial or industrial operators were given a limited time-to-comply window when the ordinance took effect.

Whittier regulates short-term rentals under Municipal Code Chapter 5.68, adopted unanimously July 8, 2025. Operators need both a City business license and a separate STR permit before renting a unit under 31 days. The ordinance bans STRs in Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones; only lower-risk properties may apply.

STR registration runs through the business-license process: the STR permit application is filed alongside a semi-annual or annual City business license, with conditions modeled on the home-occupation form. Separately, every transient-lodging operator must register for the Transient Occupancy Tax under Municipal Code Chapter 3.20, which requires a registration certificate.

Whittier's STR parking rule comes from its Good Neighbor Policy: guest parking must be on the property, not on lawns, and not in any manner blocking sidewalks or alleys. The policy must be posted inside the STR, and operators are responsible for guest conduct including blocked driveways.

Whittier levies a 10% Transient Occupancy Tax on rent for lodging occupied 30 days or less under Municipal Code Chapter 3.20. STR operators must collect this 10% TOT on each booking and remit it to the City, plus obtain a business license and STR permit. The rate has been in effect since October 1, 1995.

Whittier ties STR occupancy to bedroom count: a studio is capped at two guests, and a unit with bedrooms is limited to two guests per bedroom plus two additional guests. STRs may not be used for weddings, receptions, parties, or other commercial functions regardless of headcount, and operators are responsible for guest conduct.

Whittier STR guests must comply with the City noise ordinance and observe quiet time from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m., under the Good Neighbor Policy that is a condition of permit approval. Operators are responsible for guests' excessive noise, must keep a 24-hour contact available, and may not host parties. Repeated complaints can lead to revocation.

Whittier requires STR hosts to prove residency and proximity to the rental property, using documentation such as voter registration or utility bills showing the owner resides at or near the address. The City also bars ADUs and Junior ADUs from STR use. Combined with the fire-hazard-zone ban, these rules steer permits toward owner-connected, lower-risk homes rather than absentee investor properties.

Whittier's publicly available STR materials do not specify a liability-insurance dollar amount for operators. The August 8, 2023 staff report and July 8, 2025 ordinance coverage focus on permits, the 10% TOT, residency proof, occupancy, parking, noise, and fire-zone bans, with no separate insurance mandate listed. Operators should confirm any insurance requirement directly with the City.

Whittier does not require the host to be on site during a stay, but it does require a designated contact available 24 hours a day, and the owner must prove residency and proximity. Operators remain responsible for all guest conduct. This is lighter than LA County's hosted/unhosted distinction, which applies only in unincorporated areas.

Whittier sets a two-night minimum per booking and limits each stay to 30 consecutive days or less (anything longer is not a short-term rental). The City's available materials do not establish an annual cap on the number of nights a property may be rented. This differs from unincorporated Los Angeles County, which proposed a 90-night-per-year cap on un-hosted stays.

All fireworks are illegal in the City of Whittier - including State Fire Marshal 'safe and sane' fireworks. Whittier Municipal Code Chapter 15.28 prohibits possessing, storing, selling, or using any fireworks citywide. The City Council raised the administrative fine to $5,000 per occurrence in 2022, citing the high fire severity zone near the Puente Hills.

Whittier adopts the Los Angeles County Fire Code (Title 32) by reference under Municipal Code Section 15.15.010, which incorporates California Fire Code recreational-fire rules. Backyard fire pits should be a contained appliance kept at least 25 feet from structures, constantly attended, and never used to burn trash. Whittier contracts fire protection to LA County Fire.

Smoke and carbon monoxide alarm requirements in Whittier come primarily from California state law - Health & Safety Code Sections 13113.7 (smoke alarms) and 17926 (CO alarms) - applied through the building code and the Los Angeles County Fire Code that Whittier adopts at Municipal Code Section 15.15.010. Landlords must install and maintain working alarms in rental units.

Open burning of trash, leaves, brush, or debris is effectively banned in Whittier. South Coast AQMD Rule 444 prohibits residential open burning anywhere in the South Coast Air Basin, and the LA County Fire Code adopted at Municipal Code Section 15.15.010 bars open burning that creates a hazard. Only contained recreational and cooking fires are allowed.

Unlike flat LA cities, the Whittier Hills / Puente Hills are a designated Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, so the 100-foot defensible-space requirement of California Government Code Section 51182 and Public Resources Code Section 4291 DOES apply to hillside properties. The LA County Fire Department inspects and can require clearance up to 200 feet, with abatement fines.

Backyard recreational fires in Whittier follow the Los Angeles County Fire Code adopted at Municipal Code Section 15.15.010, which incorporates California Fire Code rules: keep fires at least 25 feet from structures, use a contained appliance, attend them constantly, and never burn trash or yard waste. Hillside homes in the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone face added caution.

Unlike flat Los Angeles cities, the Whittier Hills along the Puente Hills ARE mapped in a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone on CAL FIRE's updated 2025 maps. Hillside parcels are subject to the 100-foot defensible-space rule (Gov Code 51182 / PRC 4291), AB 38 wildfire disclosure, and Chapter 7A wildfire-resistant building standards. Flat parts of the city are lower-risk.

Propane storage in Whittier follows California Fire Code Chapter 61 (LP-Gas) provisions applied through the Los Angeles County Fire Code adopted at Municipal Code Section 15.15.010. A standard 20-lb BBQ tank is allowed at homes without a permit; larger installations trigger permits, quantity limits, and setbacks enforced by the LA County Fire Department.

Whittier prohibits all-night street parking. Where signs are posted, no vehicle may stop, stand, or park on a street longer than 30 minutes between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. Vehicles weighing 6,000 pounds or more are banned during those hours citywide regardless of signage. Emergency, government, utility, and physician vehicles are exempt.

Whittier's zoning code bars storing or parking any boat or trailer in a required front or side yard on residential lots, and vehicles may only sit in a permitted driveway or parking facility. Recreational vehicles are expressly exempt from the city's one-commercial-vehicle-per-lot residential limit, but the all-night and 72-hour street rules still apply.

Whittier enforces posted time limits on city streets-commonly 20-minute and 2-hour zones marked by signs or curb paint-with the Parking and Transportation Commission setting limits by resolution. Green curb means a 20-minute limit between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. Violations are infractions enforced by the Whittier Police Department.

Whittier may abate any abandoned, wrecked, dismantled, or inoperative vehicle on public or private property as a public nuisance, following a 10-day notice and hearing process under California Vehicle Code Section 22660 et seq. On streets, police may remove a vehicle left standing 72 or more consecutive hours.

Whittier bars parking any commercial vehicle of 10,000 pounds gross rating or more, or any truck tractor, on any street. Unattached trailers and special equipment may not be left on streets. On residential property, commercial vehicles over 14,000 pounds unladen and tow trucks/trailers are prohibited, with a one-vehicle limit for those 14,000 pounds or less.

Whittier targets heavy and oversized vehicles through weight thresholds. Any vehicle of 6,000 pounds or more is barred from streets and alleys 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. Commercial vehicles of 10,000 pounds or more and truck tractors may not park on any street, and unattached trailers may not be left on streets.

In Whittier, vehicles on a residential lot may only sit in a permitted driveway or parking facility, not on lawn or required yard areas. Operable vehicles in good repair may be parked on the driveway within the front-yard setback. No one may park in a private driveway without the owner's consent, and blocking a driveway/sidewalk is prohibited.

Whittier marks loading zones with yellow curb paint (materials) and passenger loading zones with white curb paint. Loading of materials may not exceed 20 minutes and is limited to commercial vehicles; passenger loading is limited to 3 minutes. No more than half of any block's curb may be reserved for loading.

Under California Vehicle Code Section 22511, Whittier designates certain stalls in city-owned off-street parking facilities exclusively for parking and charging connected EVs. A vehicle parked in a posted charging stall that is not connected for charging may be removed and towed. New development must also provide EV-ready parking under the building code.

Whittier's curb colors are set by ordinance: red means no stopping at any time; yellow is a commercial loading zone (7 a.m.-6 p.m., 20 minutes); white is for passenger loading or mail (3 minutes); and green means a 20-minute parking limit between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. Only the city traffic engineer may apply official curb markings.

Whittier's Zoning Code sets fence height and placement, but cost-sharing for a shared boundary fence is governed by California Civil Code Section 841, the statewide Good Neighbor Fence Act. Adjoining owners are presumed equally responsible for a dividing fence, with 30 days' written notice required before incurring costs.

The City of Whittier's own Zoning Code limits residential fences and walls, not Los Angeles County. Interior side and rear yard fences may reach about six feet, while front-yard fences must be non-view-obscuring and much lower, with permitted height scaling by lot width under the City's pre-approved palette.

The City of Whittier requires a building permit for a fence or block wall 18 inches or more in height, and for retaining walls of any height. This city threshold is far stricter than the California Building Code, which only requires a permit for fences over 7 feet.

The City of Whittier requires a building permit for a retaining wall of any height, the strictest of its fence-related triggers. In the city's hillside areas, the Zoning Code further limits the vertical height of cuts or fills retained by walls to 20 feet from toe to top.

Whittier's Zoning Code and Residential Walls & Fences program set design rules in addition to height. Front-yard fences must be non-view-obscuring and consistent with the City's pre-approved palette, corner lots must keep sight-visibility areas clear, and certain multi-family zones require a six-foot wall along interior lot lines.

Whittier's City Zoning Code bans chain-link, corrugated metal, and fiberglass fencing, plus tennis windscreens, in front, street-side, and interior side yards. Barbed wire, razor wire, and concertina wire are separately restricted under Zoning Code Section 18.64.070.

Whittier directs front-yard and street-side fences to its City pre-approved design palette administered by Community Development. Palette-compliant fences earn over-the-counter approval, while non-conforming materials and designs are referred to the Planning Commission.

The City of Whittier adopts Los Angeles County Code Title 10 as its Animal Control Ordinance (Whittier Municipal Code Ch. 6.04). A dog must be on a substantial leash no longer than six feet, handled by a person able to control it, while on public property or the common areas of private property.

Whittier adopts LA County Code Title 10 as its Animal Control Ordinance (Whittier MC Ch. 6.04). Title 10 caps roosters by lot size (only 2 below half an acre, with a 50-foot coop setback) and sets animal-care standards, while where poultry may be kept in the city is governed by Whittier's zoning code, not the animal ordinance.

Whittier adopts LA County Code Title 10 (Whittier MC Ch. 6.04). Keeping a "wild animal", defined broadly as a nondomestic, exotic or dangerous animal, requires a wild animal license from the Department of Animal Care and Control, plus enclosure standards. California separately restricts many exotic species statewide.

Neither the City of Whittier nor the LA County Code it adopts (Whittier MC Ch. 6.04) bans any dog breed. LA County Code Chapter 10.37 regulates "potentially dangerous" and "vicious" dogs by individual behavior, not by breed, consistent with California law that prohibits breed-specific bans.

The City of Whittier flatly prohibits beekeeping. Whittier Municipal Code Section 8.20.010 states: "No person shall keep, own or control bees in hives or otherwise in the city." This city ban is stricter than LA County's apiary rules and prevails over them inside the incorporated city.

Whittier adopts LA County Code Title 10 (Whittier MC Ch. 6.04). Title 10 makes it a misdemeanor to let livestock run at large and sets care and enclosure standards, but whether livestock such as horses, cattle, goats or sheep may be kept on a given lot is decided by Whittier's zoning code, not the animal ordinance.

Whittier adopts LA County Code Title 10 but amends the residential limits in Whittier MC 6.04.050: up to 3 licensed dogs and up to 5 cats (kept primarily indoors) per residence without an animal facility license. The city's zoning code adds its own combined dog-and-cat caps.

Whittier adopts LA County Code Title 10 and, in Whittier MC 6.04.050, allows up to 5 cats per residence kept primarily indoors. Cat licensing is not required within Whittier city limits per the city's Animal Control information, though the county offers a voluntary program.

Whittier adopts LA County Code Title 10 (Whittier MC Ch. 6.04). LA County Code Chapter 10.84 makes it unlawful to feed nondomesticated rodents or mammalian predators (with narrow exceptions) and prohibits feeding peafowl on public property, both enforceable in the city.

Whittier has no separate hoarding ordinance, but the adopted LA County Code Title 10 (Whittier MC Ch. 6.04) addresses hoarding through enforceable per-residence pet limits (3 dogs, 5 cats), animal-facility licensing for larger numbers, and care, sanitation and nuisance standards whose violation is a misdemeanor.

The City of Whittier does not set a numeric grass or weed height in inches. Instead, Whittier Municipal Code Chapter 8.24 (Weed Abatement) makes it unlawful to let weeds, rubbish, or other material accumulate on a lot so that they create a fire hazard, harbor rats or vermin, or produce injurious pollen. Such a condition is declared a public nuisance.

Under Whittier Municipal Code Section 12.40.040, no person may cut, trim, prune, plant, remove, or injure any tree on a street, park, alley, or public place without a permit from the City's director (Parks, Recreation and Community Services). Permits are issued per the City's Parkway Tree Manual and are valid for no more than 30 days.

Removing a public/parkway tree in Whittier requires a permit under WMC 12.40.040. For a hazardous private tree overhanging the public right-of-way, Section 12.40.100 lets the director order removal only after 10-day written notice; a dead tree verified by the City arborist may be removed with no notice. The City posts 30-day notice before removing a healthy parkway tree.

Whittier Municipal Code Chapter 8.24 (Weed Abatement), adopted by Ordinance 2388 in 1986, is the City's weed ordinance. It makes it a public nuisance to allow weeds, rubbish, or material that creates a fire hazard, harbors vermin, or produces injurious pollen. The public works director gives notice; if not cleared in 10 days the City abates and liens the cost.

Whittier homes are served by the City's own water division or by Suburban Water Systems. Under WMC 13.24.010 the public works director may restrict watering hours in an emergency. Suburban, serving much of the area, limits irrigation to three days weekly by even/odd address and bans watering from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. or within 48 hours of rain.

Whittier's municipal code does not prohibit residential rainwater harvesting, and California's Rainwater Capture Act (2012) lets residents collect rainwater from rooftops without a water-rights permit. The City and its water partners promote conservation rebates - including rain barrels and smart irrigation - through SoCal Water$mart. No City rain-barrel permit requirement is published for simple rooftop barrels.

Under California SB 1383, Whittier requires residents and businesses to separate organic waste (food scraps and yard/green waste) into organics collection. The City offers free food-scrap pails at City Hall and provides citywide organics service through its hauler, Athens Services. A de minimis waiver may apply to generators producing under half a cubic yard of organics weekly.

Whittier does not mandate native plants, but its Single-Family Residential Design Guidelines state that drought-tolerant and native plants should be a priority. New and rehabilitated landscapes must also meet California's Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (MWELO), which favors low-water and climate-appropriate plants. Turf-to-native conversions are supported by SoCal Water$mart rebates.

Whittier's municipal code does not contain a stand-alone artificial-turf ordinance, and the City does not prohibit synthetic turf on residential property. Synthetic turf is recognized in California as a water-saving substitute for natural grass. California's AB 1572 separately bans potable-water irrigation of non-functional turf at non-residential and HOA-common areas on a phased timeline starting January 1, 2027.

Whittier Municipal Code 18.10.020 bars a home-based business from using any sign not otherwise permitted in the residential zone where it is located. Because Whittier's residential zones do not allow commercial advertising signs, a home occupation effectively may not post a business sign that makes the non-residential use visible from the street.

A business run from a Whittier home needs both a City business license and Planning Department approval that the home occupation meets the accessory-use conditions in WMC 18.10.020. The City directs home-based applicants to its Planning Division and Finance/business-license process.

Whittier Municipal Code 18.10.020 allows a 'home based business' as an accessory use in residential (R) zones if no non-resident is regularly employed, the business uses no more than one room and the lesser of 25% of floor area or 200 square feet, no equipment emits dust, fumes, noise or odor affecting neighbors, and no prohibited signs are used.

Whittier expressly permits a 'cottage food operation' as defined in California Health & Safety Code 113758(a), but WMC 18.10.020 requires a City permit filed with the zoning administrator. The operation must conform to residential setbacks, signage and noise rules (Ch. 8.32), allow no outdoor sales, and not let customers queue outside.

California Health & Safety Code 1597.45 (as amended by SB 234) makes both small and large family daycare homes a residential use by right in any residential zone and bars local business licenses or fees for them. Whittier's older WMC 18.10.020 large-family-daycare conditions are largely superseded by this State preemption.

A swimming pool in the City of Whittier requires a building permit. The City's Building & Safety guidance directs applicants to first submit four copies of the site/plot plan and two copies of the engineer-stamped pool plans to the Planning Division for location and equipment approval, then obtain the permit at the Building & Safety counter.

Whittier adopts the 2021 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code (WMC Ch. 15.12), so a residential pool must be enclosed by a barrier at least 48 inches high. California's Swimming Pool Safety Act (HSC 115922-115928) layers on a 60-inch enclosure standard and a requirement to choose at least two of seven drowning-prevention features at construction.

Beyond the barrier, Whittier's adopted 2021 ISPSC (WMC Ch. 15.12) and California's Swimming Pool Safety Act require anti-entrapment drain covers and drowning-prevention features. For new residential pools, HSC 115922 mandates at least two of seven approved safety features verified at the City building inspection.

Above-ground pools in Whittier are governed by the same adopted 2021 ISPSC (WMC Ch. 15.12) and State Pool Safety Act. Where the pool wall itself serves as the barrier, any ladder or steps must be removable, lockable, or secured, or the access point must be enclosed by a compliant 48-inch barrier.

Spas and hot tubs in Whittier fall under the same adopted 2021 ISPSC (WMC Ch. 15.12). A spa or hot tub equipped with a listed, lockable safety cover meeting ASTM F1346 is generally exempt from the perimeter barrier requirement; otherwise the 48-inch barrier and gate rules apply.

The City of Whittier permits ADUs in zones that allow residential uses under Municipal Code Section 18.10.020(I), implementing California Gov. Code 66310-66342. Detached new-construction ADUs are limited to 1,200 sq ft (1,500 sq ft on lots 20,000 sq ft+) and 16 ft height; ministerial approval within 60 days.

In the City of Whittier, a one-story detached storage shed of 120 sq ft or less needs no building permit (location reviewed by Planning). Under zoning Section 18.10.030, sheds under 120 sq ft may not exceed 12 ft in height, and detached non-dwelling accessory buildings are allowed in the rear one-third of the lot.

Whittier has no standalone 'tiny home' ordinance. A permanent tiny home on a foundation is treated as an ADU under Municipal Code Sec. 18.10.020(I) (a manufactured home qualifies as an ADU). The city also allows one detached 'accessory living area' under Sec. 18.10.020(H), but it may have NO kitchen and may not be used as a rental or permanent residence.

Whittier allows converting a garage to an ADU or junior ADU under Municipal Code Sec. 18.10.020(I), and per state law, off-street parking spaces lost to a garage conversion do not have to be replaced. Junior ADUs (up to 500 sq ft) must be entirely within the existing single-family residence or attached garage and carry owner-occupancy and deed-restriction requirements.

Whittier treats a carport as a covered parking structure under its zoning code. Carports must satisfy residential building-location and yard rules in Municipal Code Sec. 18.10.030 (no structures in required yards except as allowed; 5 ft minimum between buildings). A carport may also be converted to an ADU under Sec. 18.10.020(I), with no parking replacement required.

Barbecuing is allowed at Whittier homes. Standard 20-lb propane BBQ tanks are permitted without a fire-code permit under the California Fire Code Chapter 61 provisions applied through the LA County Fire Code (Municipal Code Section 15.15.010). Charcoal and LP-gas grills are restricted on multifamily balconies, and grilling near hillside brush carries wildfire risk.

Backyard smokers are allowed in Whittier when used as a contained cooking appliance under the Los Angeles County Fire Code adopted at Municipal Code Section 15.15.010. Charcoal, pellet, and propane smokers are fine; loose open wood fires and burning yard waste are not. Excessive wood smoke can be a nuisance, and hillside fire-hazard caution applies.

Whittier's sign code (Title 18, Chapters 18.68-18.78) has no separate numerical 'political sign' allowance. Instead, a content-neutral substitution clause (Sec. 18.72.050) lets any sign authorized by the code carry noncommercial copy in place of commercial copy, subject to the same time, place and manner rules. California law also independently protects temporary political signs on private property.

Whittier permits temporary yard/garage-sale directional signs in the public right-of-way without a permit, but limits them: no more than 4 signs per sale, only in landscaped parkways (not sidewalks/medians/poles), max 3 ft x 4 ft and 5 ft tall, 500 ft apart, and removed when the sale ends (Sec. 18.73.030).

Whittier Municipal Code Chapter 8.08 specifically regulates vacant lots: they must be kept free of litter, weeds, graffiti and debris, secured against illegal dumping and loitering, and may require a landscape/irrigation plan after demolition. Noncompliance is a public nuisance.

Whittier's own Municipal Code Chapter 8.08 (Property Maintenance), part of Title 8 Health, Safety and Environment, requires lots be kept free of litter, weeds, graffiti, debris and stockpiled material. Conditions that violate the chapter are declared a public nuisance the city may abate.

Whittier requires standard wheeled carts supplied by its exclusive franchised hauler, Athens Services: a 64-gallon black trash cart, 96-gallon blue recycling cart, and 96-gallon green organics cart per single-family home. Solid waste storage is regulated under Municipal Code Chapter 8.12.

Whittier regulates weeds two ways: Property Maintenance Chapter 8.08 requires all lots be kept free of weeds at all times, and a dedicated Weed Abatement Chapter 8.24 provides for abating weeds. The code states no specific grass-height number in fetched sources.

The City of Whittier does not require a permit for garage sales, but its zoning code limits them to one sale per three-month period, no longer than two days, conducted only between 9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Signs may be posted on private property only, never in the public right-of-way.

Whittier has no formal IDA 'dark-sky' ordinance. Its multi-family/mixed-use objective design standards (Municipal Code Sec. 18.93.090) require exterior lighting to use top covers that direct light down 'to contribute to dark night skies,' bar fixtures above the roof/facade, and require facade/landscape uplighting to shut off after midnight. Single-family design guidelines (Ch. 18.92) are advisory.

Whittier's objective design standards require that 'all exterior lighting fixtures shall be designed and shielded to avoid direct glare onto adjacent properties' (Municipal Code Sec. 18.93.090) for multi-family and mixed-use projects. The city has no separate numerical foot-candle 'light trespass' limit for single-family homes in a fetched source; chronic glare may also be addressed as a nuisance.

Athens Services provides Whittier single-family and multifamily residents up to four (4) bulky item collections per year, with up to three (3) items per collection, at no extra cost. Collections occur on your pickup day and must be reserved at least two business days in advance.

Athens Services is Whittier's exclusive franchised hauler, collecting trash, recycling and organics together weekly on a set day per address. Carts must be out by 6:00 a.m. and no sooner than 6:00 p.m. the prior day. Service is mandatory under Municipal Code Chapter 8.12.

Whittier provides every residence a 96-gallon blue recycling cart through Athens Services for paper, empty plastic containers, bottles and aluminum cans. Source separation of recyclables is required citywide as part of the city's SB 1383 program; recyclables must be empty of liquid and food.

Whittier Municipal Code Chapter 8.12 sets where and when carts go out: at the curb by 6:00 a.m. on collection day, no earlier than 6:00 p.m. the prior day. For lots without an alley, carts go in the parkway (not the sidewalk or roadway), and must be removed once emptied.

Whittier requires every resident and business to separate organic waste into a 96-gallon green cart, provided by Athens Services, to comply with California SB 1383. As a city over 70,000 population, Whittier is NOT eligible for the rural/low-population exemption, so the full mandate applies.

City of Whittier parks are generally open sunrise to 10:00 p.m. (hours set by council resolution under Municipal Code Sec. 12.44.030). Separately, a nighttime curfew for minors under 18 (Ch. 9.40) bars minors from public places, including parks, from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.; a daytime school-hours curfew (Ch. 9.42) applies 8:00 a.m.-2:30 p.m.

The City of Whittier sets minimum yard setbacks by zone in its own Zoning Code, not Los Angeles County. In the common R-1 single-family zone, the front yard must be at least 20 feet (15 feet for key lots), interior side yards 5 feet each, and the rear yard 5 feet.

The City of Whittier caps building height by zone in its Zoning Code. Single-family R-1 and multiple-family R-3 buildings may not exceed 35 feet, while the larger R-E estate zone is limited to 30 feet. Hillside areas add slope-based grading limits.

The City of Whittier's Zoning Code limits building coverage to 40 percent of lot area in its main single-family residential zones, including the R-1 and R-E estate zones. This city standard, combined with required yards, controls how much of a lot can be built on.

Whittier requires a permit from the City's Parks, Recreation and Community Services director to cut, prune, plant, or remove any tree in a street, park, alley, or public place (WMC 12.40.040). Permits are issued under the City's Parkway Tree Manual and are valid no more than 30 days. The City's policy is to preserve and protect healthy trees.