Local Rules Near Cal Poly Pomona

A Pomona dog that barks, whines, howls or cries "in a continuous or untimely fashion" is a declared public nuisance under City Code Sec. 6-6. The city only issues a written abatement notice after receiving complaints in writing from at least two separate households, and ignoring that notice is a misdemeanor.

Leaf blowers in Pomona fall under the general construction/maintenance noise exemption. Permitted 7 AM-8 PM weekdays and Saturdays; prohibited Sundays and federal holidays. CA AB 1346 phases out gas-powered equipment statewide.

A hosting platform can be held directly liable in Pomona: Sec. 30-592(f) orders any person, hosting platform, or STR operator convicted or found liable for violating the STR division to reimburse the city's full investigative and enforcement costs, repay unpaid transient occupancy tax, and remit any illegally obtained rental revenue to the city.

No one may advertise, list, or operate a short-term rental in Pomona without a city-issued STR permit under Sec. 30-591(a). Only the property's fee owner can hold that permit and run the STR: owners cannot delegate operation to a property manager, and tenants are barred from holding a permit or subletting as an STR.

Every Pomona short-term rental must collect the city's 10 percent transient occupancy tax on top of the standard business license tax, and both must stay current to renew the annual STR permit. City Code Sec. 30-591(q)-(r) makes TOT and business license tax mandatory conditions of STR operation; Sec. 50-82 fixes the 10 percent rate.

Pomona allows only hosted short-term rentals: Sec. 30-591(c) states plainly that only hosted stays are permitted and un-hosted stays are prohibited. A hosted stay means the host remains on-site and resides in a habitable part of the dwelling throughout the guest's stay, except during daytime or work hours, as defined in Sec. 30-590.

Every Pomona short-term rental must be occupied by a qualifying Host as defined in Sec. 30-590, and Sec. 30-591(e) requires that host to have lived there at least 60 days before applying for the permit. The host must also sign a notarized affidavit confirming the STR is their primary residence, under Sec. 30-591(h).

Three violations against a Pomona STR operator within 12 months trigger revocation, suspension, or added conditions on the permit under Sec. 30-592(d). Once revoked, the property cannot be re-registered as an STR for 24 months, regardless of who applies to operate it, and the operator gets only a 14-day window to respond before the director decides.

Pomona STR ordinance limits occupancy and prohibits events or assemblies unrelated to lodging. Pool-only rentals and commercial functions are explicitly banned.

STR guests may only use designated legal on-site parking spaces. The number of vehicles cannot exceed the number of designated parking spaces at the property.

Pomona enforces vegetation clearance under CA PRC Section 4291. Properties in fire hazard severity zones must maintain 100 ft of defensible space. Zone 1 (0-30 ft) lean/clean/green, Zone 2 (30-100 ft) reduce and remove.

Pomona bans discharging any fireworks, including safe-and-sane items, anywhere in the city. Firing a rocket, firecracker, squib or similar device is a misdemeanor under City Code Sec. 34-112, and selling fireworks carries the same penalty under Sec. 34-113.

Every work/live unit created under Pomona's Downtown specific plan conversion rules must have hardwired smoke detectors with battery backup, mounted on the ceiling in the residential area, in each sleeping room, and in each separate work room, under City Code Sec. 74-134(l). The unit also needs a rated fire extinguisher and, above the third floor or in basements, an automatic sprinkler system.

New construction or building expansion inside Pomona's Very High Fire Hazard Safety Zone must meet Chapter 7A of the California Building Code, effective since July 1, 2008. The city adopted CAL FIRE's Very High Fire Hazard Safety Zone Maps by reference as Exhibit A to Ordinance No. 4104, kept on file with the building and safety division and the city clerk.

Pomona City Code Secs. 58-201 and 58-202 let the city traffic engineer designate loading zones and passenger loading zones, marked by yellow and white curb paint. Yellow zones cap freight loading at 20 minutes and passenger loading at three minutes; white passenger zones cap stops at three minutes.

Pomona City Code Sec. 18-222(25) declares it a public nuisance to park or store any commercial vehicle over 25 feet long, eight feet tall or 80 inches wide, along with construction equipment, dump trucks and tractors, on a street or property in a residential zone unless the Code or state law permits it.

Pomona City Code Sec. 58-5 makes it unlawful for anyone except the city traffic engineer, or someone the engineer authorizes, to paint any street or curb surface. The only carve-out is painting house numbers on a curb once the property owner has complied with the Code's related numbering rules. Unauthorized curb painting is a code violation.

Pomona City Code Sec. 58-239 lets residential blocks petition for a preferential parking district administered by the public works department. A 75% resident petition triggers a traffic engineer study, permits limit non-permit vehicles to posted restrictions, and misuse can void a permit on five days' notice.

Pomona City Code Sec. 58-301 defines RVs, campers, trailers and boats as "large vehicles," and Sec. 58-302 bars parking any of them on a public street, alley or right-of-way for more than four consecutive hours, with narrow permit and pickup/delivery exceptions.

Pomona City Code Sec. 58-234 bans parking on dirt, grass, gravel or any other pervious surface on private property: vehicles must sit on asphaltic concrete, concrete, or another nonpervious surface the building official accepts. Parking in someone else's driveway without consent is also barred, and guest spaces cap out at 72 hours.

Pomona City Code Sec. 58-302(b) bars parking any "large vehicle," RVs, campers, trailers, boats, buses and trucks over 19 feet long, on any public street, alley or right-of-way between 8:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., with tow-away authority backed by Vehicle Code § 22651(n).

Pomona enforces general street parking rules under Chapter 58. Vehicles may not remain parked in one location for more than 72 hours per California Vehicle Code. Large vehicles face a 4-hour limit.

Pomona runs an expedited, streamlined permitting process for electric vehicle charging stations under City Code Chapter 75, adopted to comply with Government Code section 65850.7. The director of development services reviews every application against a published checklist, and only a finding of specific adverse health-or-safety impact can trigger a discretionary use permit.

Pomona City Code prohibits the open storage of junk, abandoned, or inoperable vehicles on private and public property. Vehicles left on public streets for extended periods are subject to citation and towing.

Pomona bans several fence and wall materials outright under Zoning and Development Code Sec. 620.E.3.c.1.ii, including chain link, barbed wire, razor wire, concertina wire and electric fencing, plus scrap materials like old tires, garage doors and sheet metal. Only masonry, sealed wood, wrought iron, vinyl and similar standard building materials are allowed for permanent fences and walls.

No retaining wall in Pomona may exceed 10 feet in height under Zoning and Development Code Sec. 620.G, and any wall taller than 8 feet must be landscaped per the Code's planting and fence standards. Stacked retaining walls on the same lot need at least 3 feet of horizontal spacing between them.

Pomona caps side and rear yard fences at 6 feet under Zoning and Development Code Sec. 620.E.3.b's Fence Type VI standard, with a 10-foot Type VII allowance for industrial screening walls. Front yard fence height instead depends on the frontage module assigned to the lot under Sec. 490.B.3.b, ranging from no fence allowed up to 8 feet, each set back at least 3 feet from the street lot line.

Every new fence, wall, or required buffer/screen built in Pomona needs a Planning Division permit before construction, processed as a Ministerial Permit under Zoning and Development Code Sec. 620.E.2.d. The only carve-out: replacing an existing legal fence with matching material along less than half its total length doesn't require a new fence and wall permit.

Pomona follows CA Civil Code Section 841 (Good Neighbor Fence Act) requiring shared cost for boundary fences. Spite fences exceeding 10 ft are a private nuisance under CA Civil Code Section 841.4.

Pomona does not have breed-specific legislation. CA Food & Agricultural Code Section 31683 generally preempts local breed bans. Dangerous dog laws focus on individual animal behavior, not breed.

Pomona requires any cat over six months old that is allowed outdoors to be spayed or neutered, under City Code Sec. 6-49(2). The rule sits in the same section that caps most households at four cats and applies to owners, harborers and custodians of cats city-wide.

Pomona does not ban retail pet sales; instead City Code §§ 6-111 to 6-113 define and regulate pet shops directly, requiring humane care standards and a posted 24-hour contact notice. The shelter manager can inspect any pet shop's premises at any reasonable time under Sec. 6-112.

Pomona requires every cat over four months old, or kept in the city more than 30 days, to be licensed within 30 days under City Code Sec. 6-42. Households keeping more than four cats over eight weeks old must also register with the shelter manager and pay a per-cat fee under Sec. 6-49(1).

Pomona requires every dog off its owner's property to be on a chain or leash no longer than six feet and under the control of a competent person, under City Code Sec. 6-46. The rule covers public streets, alleys and other public places as well as any private property other than the dog owner's own.

Pomona caps household pets at three adult dogs or four adult cats, and no more than five animals total, under City Code Sec. 6-41. Puppies and kittens under eight weeks old do not count toward the cap, and the limit applies to any premises within the city.

A small pet-grooming shop is "Personal Services - General" in Pomona, permitted by right subject to standards wherever that use is allowed, so long as any on-site boarding stays under four animals. Once a groomer keeps, boards, or trains four or more cats or dogs, the Zoning and Development Code reclassifies the business as a Kennel, which needs a conditional use permit and must meet the Code's sanitation, screening and odor standards.

Pomona's Zoning and Development Code sets numeric limits for backyard chickens, rabbits, pigs, goats, and sheep under its Domestic Animal, Small standards, plus separate rules for larger livestock. Small animals need at least 6,000 square feet of lot area, sized coops or pens, and capped headcounts, while large animals require a third-acre lot and 650-square-foot enclosures per animal.

Pomona classifies a veterinary clinic as "Veterinary Care," a General Commercial use the Zoning and Development Code permits by right, subject to standards, in the CX1 through CX5 commercial modules and the IX1, I1, I2 and I3 industrial modules. It is not permitted in R1, RX1, P1, OS1 or OS2. The classification covers only boarding that is incidental to medical or surgical treatment; larger-scale boarding falls under the separate Kennel use instead.

Pomona allows backyard beekeeping under the Zoning and Development Code's Urban Agricultural Uses standards. Residents may keep up to 2 hives per lot, each set back at least 5 feet from every property line, oriented away from neighbors, and equipped with a dedicated water source. Hives outside setback yards, defensive colonies, or abandoned hives become code violations enforced as a public nuisance.

Pomona does not have a specific wildlife feeding ordinance. Nuisance conditions from wildlife attractants may be enforced under general nuisance provisions of the municipal code. Inland Valley Humane Society handles wildlife complaints.

Exotic pet ownership in Pomona is governed by California Department of Fish and Wildlife regulations (Title 14, Section 671) and Pomona City Code Chapter 6. Most exotic animals including ferrets, hedgehogs, monkeys, and large reptiles are prohibited statewide.

Pomona is served by multiple water providers following MWELO requirements. New landscapes over 500 sq ft must meet Maximum Applied Water Allowance calculations. CA Gov Code Section 65595 prohibits banning drought-tolerant landscaping.

Pomona's solid waste code lets residents manage organic waste on site or through a community composting operation instead of curbside collection, but caps what counts as "community composting" at 100 cubic yards and 750 square feet at any one time, and requires operators to report capacity data to the city on request.

Pomona code enforcement designates overgrown, dead, or hazardous weeds and vegetation a public nuisance under City Code Sec. 18-222(9)-(10), with no fixed height trigger. The rule targets vegetation that can harbor rats, block sightlines, promote blight, or create a fire hazard, and separately makes owners abutting a sidewalk, parkway, or alley responsible for weeds and refuse there.

Pomona's Zoning and Development Code requires every landscape permit to emphasize drought-tolerant and native plant species. Front and street-facing yards must use native water-conserving plants under Sec. 1300.I, and landscape plans earn up to 40 of 140 required points for covering 75 percent of the planted area with native or water-conserving species under Sec. 1300.O.

Pomona requires a Major Oak Tree Permit before anyone relocates or removes an Oak tree over 8 inches in diameter on public or private property outside historic districts. The Planning Commission decides Major permits at a public hearing; unpermitted removal is a misdemeanor.

Rainwater harvesting is legal and encouraged in California. No Pomona-specific restrictions exist. CA law allows residential rainwater collection without a permit for non-potable uses.

Pomona regulates tree trimming under its Tree Preservation Program and Street Tree Policy Manual. Trees in historic districts require a Certificate of Appropriateness before trimming. Street trees follow ISA pruning standards.

Artificial turf is permitted in Pomona as a water-saving alternative. CA law prohibits cities from requiring natural grass. MWELO encourages low-water landscaping options including synthetic turf.

Pomona caps how many customers can visit a home-based business under Sec. 550.C.6.d and Sec. 550.C.8.d of the Zoning and Development Code. A home occupation allows only 1 customer on-site at a time and no non-resident employees, while the broader Home-Based Business category allows up to 4 customers at a time, 20 per day, and 3 non-resident employees, all between 7AM and 7PM.

Pomona permits a home occupation as an accessory use in every dwelling unit, but Sec. 550.C.6 confines it to General Office activity only, requires a resident of the home to run it, and requires a non-transferable Ministerial Permit under Sec. 550.A.2. The business must be confined to one room, with its entrance inside the dwelling unit.

Small family daycare homes (up to 8 children) are allowed by right in residential zones under CA Health & Safety Code Section 1597.45. Large family daycare (9-14 children) requires a use permit.

Swimming pool construction in Pomona requires a building permit from Building and Safety. Plans must comply with 2022 California Building Codes. Inspections are required at multiple stages of construction.

Per CA Swimming Pool Safety Act (H&S Code 115920-115929), pools require 60-inch barriers with self-closing/self-latching gates. At least one additional safety feature required: pool cover, alarm, or self-closing doors.

Pomona bars short-term rental use of accessory dwelling units outright. City Code Sec. 30-591(d) says no ADU, junior ADU, or dwelling created under Government Code Sections 65852.2 or 65852.22 may ever be used for short-term rental, even though the primary house on the same lot can qualify for an STR permit.

Pomona requires owner-occupancy for junior accessory dwelling units. A natural person holding legal or equitable title must live on the property, in the primary home or the JADU, as a permanent residence, unless a government agency, land trust, or housing organization owns the whole property.

Pomona charges no impact fee on an ADU of 749 square feet or smaller. Larger ADUs pay a fee prorated to the primary dwelling's floor area, and utility connection fees follow a separate three-tier rule depending on how the unit was created.

Pomona's Zoning and Development Code allows sheds without a permit in every use module, but caps them at 12 feet in height and 120 square feet in size. Sheds must sit in a rear yard, set back at least 5 feet from the side or rear lot line, and are limited to 1 shed per 2,000 square feet of lot area.

Pomona lets homeowners convert an existing garage into an Accessory Dwelling Unit under Sec. 830.A.4.a.1 of the Zoning and Development Code with only a building permit, no discretionary hearing. A garage converted this way keeps the required parking spaces from having to be replaced, and a structure rebuilt in the same footprint needs no additional yard setback.

Pomona regulates ADUs and JADUs under Sec. 830.A of the Zoning and Development Code, approving compliant units ministerially within 60 days without a hearing. Detached ADUs on lots under 7,200 square feet cap at 850 to 1,000 square feet depending on bedroom count, height tops out at 16 feet for most detached units, and no off-street parking is required for any ADU.

Pomona's Low Impact Development Ordinance, City Code Article VII of Chapter 74, requires larger development and redevelopment projects to retain the full stormwater quality design volume on site through infiltration, bioretention or rainwater harvest and use. Projects one acre or larger that add over 10,000 square feet of impervious surface, plus smaller commercial and industrial categories, must get city engineer approval and record a maintenance covenant before occupancy.

Pomona controls erosion and sediment at grading and excavation sites by adopting Appendix J of the 2025 California Building Code as its grading ordinance, enforced by the building official on every grading or excavation permit issued in the city. Subdividers face a second layer: the Planning Commission can also condition a tentative tract or parcel map on a dedicated grading and erosion/sediment control plan before acting on the map.

Pomona is an inland city approximately 30 miles from the coast. Coastal development regulations and the California Coastal Commission do not apply.

Pomona does not ban cannabis outright: commercial cannabis businesses may open only inside the city's four Commercial Cannabis Permit Program Overlay sub-areas (SA1-SA4) mapped onto the Zoning and Development Code, and only after a merit-scored city permit under Code Chapter 68. SA1 and SA2 allow retail only; SA3 and SA4 allow cultivation, distribution, manufacturing and testing. Everywhere else, commercial cannabis activity is prohibited.

Pomona bars a commercial cannabis permit for any site within 1,000 feet of a K-12 school, day care center, or youth and recreation center, measured to the property line in lawful existence when the application was filed. The buffer applies on top of the zoning overlay location rules and is not waivable by variance under Code Chapter 68.

Pomona requires an indoor personal cultivation permit before growing any cannabis at home, caps plants at six per residence, bans outdoor growing entirely, and limits grow lighting to 1,200 watts under City Code Sec. 34-901 and Sec. 34-902.

Pomona must issue small residential rooftop solar permits within three business days once an application meets its standard checklist, under City Code Sec. 74-300's expedited, nondiscretionary review process adopted to comply with the state Solar Rights Act. Review is limited to health and safety compliance, only one inspection is allowed, and the city must schedule that inspection within two business days of the request.

Pomona requires a building permit for every small residential rooftop solar energy system under City Code Sec. 74-296, covering panels up to 10 kilowatts AC or 30 kilowatts thermal on a single-family or duplex home. Systems installed before the ordinance took effect need no new permit unless materially modified, and routine maintenance or like-kind replacement never requires one.

CA Civil Code Section 714 (Solar Rights Act) prohibits HOAs from effectively banning solar installations. HOAs may set reasonable aesthetic requirements but cannot increase costs by more than $1,000 or reduce efficiency by more than 10%.

Pomona allows political signs on private property in any zoning district only during the election window, from the close of candidate nomination or ballot measure qualification until election day. City Code Sec. 42-2 requires removal by the Monday after the election.

Pomona bans advertising displays on property next to a freeway if the display is designed to be seen primarily by freeway travelers. City Code Sec. 42-3 exempts only displays specifically allowed by the comprehensive zoning ordinance.

Pomona limits a garage sale to two signs, and both come down the moment the sale ends. City Code Section 30-754 caps each unlighted sign at six square feet, bans posting them on telephone poles, streetlights, traffic signs or sidewalks, and lets the code/zoning manager treat any noncompliant sign as a nuisance subject to immediate abatement.

Pomona limits window signs to 50% coverage of any window panel under Zoning and Development Code Sec. 630.F.2.g, whether the signs are temporary, permanent, or a mix of both. Window signs are restricted to ground-floor windows, capped at 2 per lot (or per 30 feet of building frontage, whichever is greater), and combined with a business's total building sign area allowance.

Pomona bans digital billboards twice over: Sec. 630.C.8 prohibits any electronic sign that displays video or multimedia content or text citywide, and Sec. 630.C.12 separately bans all off-site billboards under Proposition L, a 1993 voter initiative that can't be overridden without another citywide vote. No digital or static off-site advertising sign can be built, relocated or structurally altered anywhere in the city.

Pomona is in the Inland Valley of Southern California and does not receive snow. No snow removal ordinance exists. Sidewalk maintenance is required for general cleanliness and safety.

Pomona treats an unsecured vacant lot as a public nuisance under City Code Sec. 18-222(4), requiring owners to seal off openings into any vacant or abandoned building and to fence the lot to keep out trespassers. Sec. 18-222(22) separately bars parking or storing vehicles, boats, trailers, RVs, or construction equipment on vacant private property unless another code provision allows it.

Pomona code enforcement treats inoperative vehicles and other blighted conditions as public nuisances under City Code Sec. 18-222(16), using authority the state grants cities in Vehicle Code Sec. 22660 to adopt local abatement ordinances. Owners get a written notice of abatement, a compliance deadline, and a ten-day window to appeal before the city removes the nuisance and bills the cost as a lien.

Pomona caps how much outdoor light can spill onto neighboring land: Sec. 640.A.3.b limits illumination at any street right-of-way line to an average of 2.5 footcandles with no more than a 4:1 uniformity ratio, and separately bars fixtures from being oriented onto adjacent properties, streets or sidewalks. The rule applies to lighting added or altered under the July 1, 2024 Zoning and Development Code.

Pomona's Zoning and Development Code requires nearly all outdoor light fixtures to be full cutoff and shielded, banning searchlights, skyward beams, and dished cobra-head fixtures. Parking lot lights top out at 30 feet, pedestrian pole lights at 15 feet, and any project adding parking or pedestrian lighting must submit a photometric plan proving compliance before permits issue.

Pomona adopted Ordinance No. 4359 (effective Jan 1, 2026) capping rent increases at 5% per year with one increase per 12-month period. Stricter than AB 1482 when CPI exceeds 0%. Single-family homes exempt under Costa-Hawkins.

Mobile home park owners in Pomona must serve homeowners written notice of intent to raise rent at least 60 calendar days before the increase takes effect, under Sec. 30-558. An owner may propose only one rent increase per space per calendar year, and any notice missing the city's required notice of tenant's rights form is invalid.

Pomona enforces rental housing conditions through a state income-tax lever: a rental building that violates health, safety or building codes and is not brought into compliance within six months of notice is declared substandard under City Code Sec. 74-253, and the building official can move to strip the owner's state tax deductions for interest, taxes, depreciation or amortization on that property.

Pomona Ordinance No. 4359 requires just cause for eviction: at-fault (nonpayment, breach, nuisance) or no-fault (owner move-in, withdrawal). No-fault evictions require relocation assistance. Disabled/terminally ill tenants of 10+ years have extra protection.

Pomona eliminated its rent registry program in the 2025 ordinance update. Landlords are no longer required to submit rent roll data or register units. Unlawful detainer filings must still be submitted to the city within 10 days.

Pomona requires every business to source-separate or otherwise divert its commercial solid waste under City Code Section 62-785, the city's mandatory commercial recycling ordinance adopted under Public Resources Code Section 42649. Businesses that fail to comply face the same escalating fines and administrative citations that apply to all Pomona Code violations.

Pomona's code caps what qualifies as collectible "green waste" at branches under four inches thick, four feet long and 40 pounds, and excludes palm fronds, succulents and stumps entirely. Residents can put it out uncontainerized, piled or bagged at the curb, for the city's separate green waste collection service.

Every Pomona household and business must subscribe to the city's organic waste collection service and sort food and yard waste into the correct color-coded bin under City Code Secs. 62-653 and 62-786. Skipping the required containers or service tier draws inspection and escalating fines under the city's SB 1383 enforcement program.

Commercial and multifamily bins in Pomona must stay off city streets except during active dumping, and even then for no more than 24 hours next to the curb. Every outdoor bin must be kept lid-closed, and downtown-district dumpsters need a locking enclosure or self-closing lid under City Code Division 5, Containers.

Pomona requires every solid waste container to stay lid-closed between pickups and bars storing bins on city streets under City Code Sections 62-812 and 62-813. Downtown specific plan properties must also keep bins in a locked enclosure, and containers left curbside during dumping operations may sit for no more than 24 hours.

Dumping refuse on another person's property, a public street, alley or vacant lot in Pomona violates City Code Sections 62-590 and 62-592, and a vehicle used to dump more than a cubic yard of waste can be seized and impounded for 30 days under Chapter 34's nuisance vehicle ordinance.

Pomona bars trash, recycling and green waste pickups from commercial, industrial, institutional and multifamily sites between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. near residential zones, and requires every commercial bin to sit clear of rights-of-way. A hauler must pull its bins within a week after a customer cancels service.

Every single-family home in Pomona must subscribe to the city's three-container organic waste and recycling collection service under City Code Section 62-653, sorting green organics, blue recyclables and black trash into the correct bin. Skipping the service or contaminating a container triggers enforcement under Section 62-795, with fines escalating from $50 to $500 per violation.

Every sidewalk vendor in Pomona needs a city vending permit displayed on the cart before selling so much as a bag of chips downtown. Article X of the City Code confines stationary carts to commercial and industrial blocks between 7:00 a.m. and midnight, requires a 20-foot gap between stands, and reserves residential sidewalks for roaming vendors who keep moving and complete each sale in seven minutes or less.

Mobile food operations in Pomona require an LA County Department of Public Health permit, city business license, and must pass inspection. Letter Grade and certification sticker must be displayed.

Pomona regulates sidewalk vending under Chapter 30, Article X. Stationary vendors may operate 7 AM-12 AM only. Vendors are prohibited in parks, the 8-block downtown area, and near the Fairplex. No open-flame propane grills allowed.

Anyone who goes door-to-door in Pomona selling goods or services must first obtain a solicitor's license from the business license division, good for one calendar quarter only. Sec. 30-631 requires the license before engaging in the business of solicitor, and Sec. 30-633 lets police run a criminal background check and require fingerprinting before approval.

Pomona residents can post No Soliciting signs. Solicitors who ignore posted signs may be cited. The Pomona Police Department handles complaints at 909-622-1241.

Minors under 18 may not be in a public place or business establishment in Pomona from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. Sunday through Thursday, or from 11:59 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights, under City Code Sec. 34-261 and Sec. 34-262.

Pomona's public parks are open only during daylight hours and close to the public from sunset to sunrise, with an infraction for anyone remaining without a permit for an extended-use event under City Code Sec. 38-72.

Every building and structure in Pomona must sit on or behind minimum primary street, side street, side, rear and alley setbacks measured perpendicular from each lot line, with the exact distance set by the lot's Form Module. Limited architectural, roof and unenclosed-structure encroachments are allowed under Sec. 370.C.5.

Pomona bars any building or structure from exceeding the maximum height in feet or stories set by its zoning district's Form Module. Height in feet runs from average grade to the roof mid-point, deck or topmost point depending on roof pitch, and any increase beyond 10% requires a variance.

Pomona's Zoning and Development Code caps how much of every lot can be covered by buildings and by impervious surfaces like pavement and patios. The exact maximum percentage is fixed lot-by-lot in the applicable Form Module (Sec. 320-350) rather than one citywide number, and only an ADA exception or a variance can exceed it.

Pomona's parks division keeps an approved list of ground covers and plantings for the planting strip between the curb and property line, and City Code Sec. 46-464(e) requires prior approval from the director of community services or public works before using anything else, paving it, or letting vines grow on a street tree.

Pomona protects every Oak tree over eight inches in trunk diameter under Zoning and Development Code Sec. 1300.S. Trimming needs a Minor Oak Tree Permit reviewed by the Planning Manager and City Arborist; relocating or removing a protected Oak needs a Major Oak Tree Permit that goes to a noticed Planning Commission public hearing.

Pomona protects mature oak trees over 8 inches in diameter citywide, plus specimen (heritage) oaks named in City Council Resolutions No. 62-65 and No. 73-68. Removing, relocating, trimming or cutting a protected oak without a Major or Minor Oak Tree Permit is a misdemeanor under the Zoning and Development Code.

Pomona calls a garage sale an occasional sale, and the City Code hands the calendar to the city council: it adopts a resolution setting which weekends residents may hold one. Whatever weekends get designated, sales can only run from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and rain on the first scheduled weekend pushes the sale to the following Saturday and Sunday automatically.

Converting a Pomona commercial or industrial building into work/live units runs through a defined permit-and-inspection sequence under City Code Sec. 74-133: a work/live unit permit, a separate building permit for construction, a business license, and a final building-official inspection before a certificate of occupancy issues. No occupancy is allowed until every step is signed off.

Pomona requires all plumbing installation, alteration and repair work to follow the California Plumbing Code, 2025 Edition, based on the 2024 Uniform Plumbing Code, adopted under City Code Sec. 74-31 alongside the Building, Residential, Mechanical and Electrical Codes. The building and safety division issues permits, and fees are set separately by city council resolution under Government Code Sections 66016 and 66020; state regulations control whenever they conflict with the local amendments.

Pomona requires a building permit for erecting, enlarging, altering, repairing, moving, converting or demolishing a building or structure, administered under the 2025 California Building Code and California Administrative Code adopted by City Code Sec. 74-31. Permit fees are set separately by city council resolution under Government Code Sections 66016 and 66020, not fixed in the ordinance itself.

Electrical work in Pomona is permitted under the California Electrical Code, 2025 Edition, based on the 2023 National Electrical Code, adopted by City Code Sec. 74-31 alongside the city's other construction codes. Permits and fees follow the same administrative process and city council fee resolution as building, plumbing and mechanical work, not a separate electrical ordinance.

Sidewalk vendors cannot set up within 200 feet of a site permitted for a special event, including a street fair, for the duration of the event. City Code Sec. 30-677(j)(15) carves out this buffer to keep unlicensed street vending out of permitted festival footprints.

Anyone who wants to hold a picnic, celebration or organized gathering in a Pomona public park or civic plaza must first get a written permit from the parks director under City Code Sec. 38-76. Larger or higher-risk events may also need police coordination before a permit issues.

Any parade, procession or public gathering that closes a Pomona street to normal traffic needs a special event permit from the community development director. City Code Sec. 46-561 requires the permit before the event; running one without it is a misdemeanor under Sec. 46-542.

Pomona requires a valid annual outdoor dining permit before any restaurant can put tables on a public sidewalk under City Code Sec. 46-344. The development services manager reviews site plans, neighbor consent and a 150-foot radius map, and permittees must post a $1,000,000 liability policy and pay application, maintenance-deposit and annual renewal fees.

Placing any structure, pipe, fence or similar object in, under or over a Pomona street requires a written encroachment permit from the public works director/city engineer. City Code Sec. 46-181 makes unpermitted encroachment a misdemeanor.

Pomona City Code Sec. 46-215 bans placing chairs, tables, umbrellas, propane tanks, generators, open-flame cookers, floodlights, speakers, cords, rugs, banners, trashcans or ice chests on any sidewalk, walkway, off-street lot or street without a permit. Code enforcement, public works, building, county health and fire inspectors, and police officers all hold authority to enforce the ban and impound violating items.

When a Pomona rental building is reported as substandard, the building official inspects it and, if health, safety or building violations are confirmed under City Code Sec. 74-253, mails the owner a certified notice giving six months to fix the problems. Owners who miss that deadline face a noncompliance notice, a right to a formal hearing, and referral to the state Franchise Tax Board.

Pomona routes code complaints through the code compliance division's administrative citation program under City Code Article X. An enforcement official investigates, may issue a correction notice first, then an administrative citation with the fine, code section violated, and a 21-day deadline to pay or request a hearing.

Pomona's code enforcement division works from one master list, City Code Sec. 18-222, that designates 43 separate conditions a public nuisance, applicable to residential, commercial, vacant, and every other class of premises in the city. Graffiti left up more than 24 hours and trash cans stored past 24 hours in a front yard are two of the most frequently cited categories on that list.

Pomona's Zoning and Development Code bans planting any species on the California Invasive Plant Inventory under Sec. 620.F.3.a.1, covering every rating tier from watch up to high. The rule applies to all plants and landscaping used to satisfy any planting requirement in the Code, from required street trees to screening hedges.

Pomona outright bans camping, storing personal property, and sleeping in vehicles on any public park, street, sidewalk or other public property under City Code Sec. 46-603 through 46-606. The findings behind the ordinance state that such uses interfere with the public's right to use those areas and create a risk of harm to everyone using them.

Pomona doesn't regulate shared e-scooters and dockless bikes, it bans them outright. City Code Section 30-781 makes it unlawful to place, offer for use, or operate any shared dockless micro-mobility device, meaning any on-demand rental scooter or bike accessed through an app or access code, anywhere in the public right-of-way or on public property until the city council adopts rules allowing it.

Pomona's Zoning and Development Code lets developers trade required automobile parking for dedicated ride-share pickup/drop-off spaces at a 3-to-1 ratio. Nonresidential projects can convert up to 20% of projected parking and residential projects up to 10%, but every substituted space needs visible signage and street-facing wayfinding under Sec. 610.C.3.a.3.ii.

Pomona has no data-center ordinance, but its Zoning Ordinance lists "data processing" as a by-right permitted use in the "M" Special Industrial Zone. Data centers also fit the M-1 light-industrial and C-IND commercial-industrial districts, permitted by right when housed in a fully enclosed building.

Pomona's noise ordinance, City Code Sec. 18-311, caps exterior sound at the receiving property line by zone: single-family homes 60 dB(A) day and 50 dB(A) night; commercial 65/60; industrial 70 dB(A) at any hour. Data-center cooling and generators must meet the limit for whichever property they reach.

Pomona's water code splits reclaimed water into two grades, Class II water bought from the LA County Sanitation District 21 Pomona plant or the Inland Empire Utilities Agency, and impaired city well water. Both are billed at council-set rates, and every reclaimed water customer must also follow the state's own usage rules.

Pomona treats an unrepaired water leak as unlawful waste. Once a customer knows, or should reasonably know, about a break, leak or plumbing malfunction, City Code Sec. 62-354(e) gives them at most seven days after city notice to fix it before the city can discontinue service to willful violators.

Pomona's Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance caps how much of a landscaped area can be covered in living turf grass. Sec. 1300.O bars turf from exceeding 50 percent of the total landscape on any permitted project, while Sec. 1300.F.8.h separately limits turf to 45 percent of required landscaping for commercial and industrial sites and 75 percent for multifamily projects.

Pomona lets residents drop off home-generated sharps waste at city-designated public collection sites free of any gate fee under City Code Section 62-918, while Section 62-906 folds properly contained sharps brought by a patient or family member into the city's regulated medical waste definition tied to state law.

Any Pomona sidewalk vendor who sells food must certify completion of a Los Angeles County food handler course and hold a current L.A. County Health Permit before the city will issue a sidewalk vending permit. Sec. 30-675(d)(5) makes both documents mandatory application items, and both must stay displayed on the cart while vending.

Pomona charges every hotel guest a 10 percent transient occupancy tax on rent under City Code Sec. 50-82, collected by the operator at the time rent is paid. The tax applies to stays of 30 consecutive days or less, and operators must register with the city treasurer for an occupancy tax certificate before renting rooms to transients.

Pomona designates historic landmarks, districts, and points of historical interest by City Council resolution after Historic Preservation Commission review, under Sec. 800 and Sec. 1190.B of the Zoning and Development Code. Once designated, the property carries a (-H) zoning overlay, and any exterior alteration, relocation, or demolition requires a Certificate of Appropriateness from the City.

Anyone operating a massage establishment or working as a massage technician in Pomona must hold a City of Pomona business license under Sec. 30-360. Owners holding 5% or more of a non-CAMTC-certified establishment must also clear a background investigation before the city issues that license, and every technician must carry current CAMTC certification.

Pomona requires an adult-oriented business regulatory permit before operating, issued by the business license division after a Police Department background check and a planning division site review under City Code Sec. 30-236. Applicants must map every other adult-oriented business within 750 feet and every sensitive use or shopping center within 1,250 feet of the proposed site.

Pomona zones a tattoo or body piercing studio as "Personal Services - General," a use the Zoning and Development Code permits by right, subject to standards, across RX1 through CX5 and IX1, with a conditional use permit required in I1 and I2. The same Code expressly bars tattooing from operating as a home-based business, so a studio must lease space in a qualifying commercial zone and carry a City of Pomona business license.

Pomona City Code Article VIII, Secs. 58-671 through 58-675, requires any tow truck operator providing city towing services to hold a nonexclusive franchise granted by the city council, awarded through a competitive request-for-qualifications process run by the department of finance with police background review.

Pomona lets residents fix their own vehicle or boat at home under City Code Sec. 18-222(33), but only if it belongs to someone who actually lives there, visible repairs are cleaned up within a day, and major jobs stay inside an enclosed garage. Repairing vehicles for others, or working on a vehicle outdoors on non-residential property, is a designated public nuisance.

Pomona makes smoking a misdemeanor in every public park. City Code Sec. 38-73 lists 16 specific acts prohibited in parks, and subsection (16) simply bans smoking outright, no exceptions for patios, trails or picnic areas carved out.

Pomona treats relieving yourself outdoors as a code violation, not just bad manners. City Code Section 34-5 makes it unlawful to deposit human waste by urination or defecation in any public place, any place open to the public or exposed to public view, or on the ground, in a building, street or standing water, anywhere other than a proper toilet or portable toilet.

Pomona makes it a misdemeanor to loiter on property posted with "LOITERING PROHIBITED" signs, covering utility sites, parking lots, industrial plants and church or theater entrances under City Code Sec. 34-155, plus a separate rule for posted private parking lots under Sec. 34-156.

Pomona's Social Host Ordinance makes it a misdemeanor for a homeowner, tenant or party organizer to knowingly allow a loud or unruly gathering, with escalating infraction fines of $100, $200 and $500 for repeat violations at the same address within 12 months under City Code Sec. 34-189.

Smoking or ingesting cannabis anywhere the public can view it, including a front yard or patio visible from the street, is barred in Pomona under City Code Sec. 34-903, which also folds cannabis into the city's existing tobacco smoking restrictions.

Drinking alcohol in any public place in Pomona is a misdemeanor under City Code Sec. 34-152, and carrying an open alcohol container into a city building or onto public property is a separate infraction under Sec. 34-153.

Pomona bans aggressive panhandling citywide: approaching, touching, blocking a path, or persisting after being told no all count under Sec. 30-608, and a related web of sections bars begging outright within 25 feet of ATMs, banks, bus stops, and houses of worship. Violating the panhandling article is an infraction under Sec. 30-602.

Pomona City Code Article VII, Secs. 58-601 through 58-612, bans skateboards, roller skates and inline skates on sidewalks, roadways and parking areas of Civic Center Plaza, any commercially zoned area, and city-owned parking lots and garages, and lets private property owners post signs to add their own ban.

Pomona sorts businesses into gross-receipts and employee-count tiers under City Code Sec. 50-411, charging retailers, professionals and landlords based on scale rather than a flat citywide fee. Sec. 50-412 layers a separate itemized schedule onto specialty and entertainment-type businesses, from auctioneers and pawnbrokers to junk dealers and secondhand dealers.