Local Rules Near Downtown Anaheim

Anaheim bans commercial use of sound-amplifying equipment in residential zones outright, except on a moving vehicle between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. to announce a business's presence, and never while parked. In nonresidential zones outside 200 feet of a residential boundary, commercial amplified sound is barred from 9 p.m. to 8 a.m.

In Anaheim residential zones and within 200 feet of one, sound-amplifying equipment cannot be used for noncommercial purposes between 8:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. the following day. The same equipment can never be unreasonably loud, raucous, or disturbing to a neighborhood at any hour.

Anaheim treats incessant barking as a civil citation offense, not just a nuisance complaint. Under AMC Chapter 8.10, a dog that barks, bays, cries or howls for 30 minutes straight or 60 cumulative minutes in any 24-hour period is a "barking dog," and owners face escalating fines starting at $250 per citation, enforced by Orange County Animal Care Services or Anaheim's Community Preservation Division.

California AB 1346 banned the sale of new gas-powered leaf blowers and lawn mowers effective January 2024. Existing gas equipment may be used during Anaheim's permitted noise hours. Electric alternatives are encouraged.

Anaheim does not permit extended whole-home stays as a workaround to the short-term rental ban; rentals shorter than the state-defined long-term threshold remain regulated under AMC Chapter 4.05 even when bookings span several weeks.

Anaheim revokes short-term rental permits on a strike system: Section 4.05.140.030 lets the Planning Director suspend or revoke a permit after just two major violations, such as an unlawful nighttime party, at the same property within twelve months, or after ten minor violations in that same window, no warning required first.

Anaheim only recognizes 'home share' status among a narrow band of Pre-Moratorium Short-Term Rentals, and Section 4.05.030.O requires the property to be the owner's primary residence as of June 1, 2019, reverified every year at renewal. The owner must be a natural person, not a corporation, LLC or LLP.

Every occupied Anaheim short-term rental must have the owner, the owner's agent, or a designated local contact person reachable by phone around the clock. Section 4.05.100.0105(a) requires that person to physically show up at the property within 45 minutes of a call from an enforcement officer or the Anaheim Police Department.

Booking platforms that list Anaheim short-term rentals share legal exposure with the host. Section 4.05.120 bars a platform from advertising any rental the city hasn't permitted, forces removal within ten days of a city notice, and Section 4.05.130.0103 makes the platform itself liable for a civil citation of up to $2,000 for repeat violations.

Anaheim has not accepted a new short-term rental application since its September 15, 2015 moratorium, and Section 4.05.040.030 bars STRs as an allowable use in every residential zone and virtually every other zoning district. Only owners with a valid Pre-Moratorium Short-Term Rental permit, or specific pre-moratorium conditional-use rentals in the C-G Commercial Zone, may still renew and operate.

Anaheim short-term rentals are under mandatory 'quiet time' from 10 p.m. to 9 a.m., when outdoor sound equipment is banned outright and outdoor parties, pool or spa use, and drunk or disorderly conduct count as major violations under Section 4.05.100.0117 and .0118, not just as noise complaints. Any other nighttime disturbance is a minor violation instead.

Anaheim short-term rentals under AMC Chapter 4.05 must comply with occupancy limits based on the number of bedrooms and fire safety capacity. The 3-night minimum stay helps prevent party-type rentals.

Anaheim STR operators must provide adequate parking for guests and comply with residential parking regulations. Guest parking should not overflow into the neighborhood. Operators must include parking details in house rules.

Every short-term rental stay in Anaheim carries a 15% transient occupancy tax on the nightly rent, collected under the same Chapter 2.12 rules that apply to hotels. Operating an STR also requires an Anaheim business license under Chapter 3.04, and every permit application or renewal carries whatever fee the City Council sets by resolution.

Anaheim follows California Health and Safety Code 13113.7 and the California Fire Code requiring smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside sleeping areas, and on each floor of dwellings.

Anaheim requires a permit from Anaheim Fire & Rescue before lighting any recreational fire, bonfire, or open burn in the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone. The rule targets fire pits and similar outdoor burning in the city's designated wildfire risk area east of SR-55 and south of SR-91.

Anaheim bans possessing, selling or discharging any fireworks, including safe and sane fireworks, unless allowed by Municipal Code Chapter 6.40. Safe and sane fireworks may only be discharged on July 4th between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m., and dangerous fireworks always require a Fire Chief permit.

Anaheim declares any intentional outdoor burning of material, structure, matter or thing a public nuisance unless the Anaheim Fire Marshal specifically authorizes it. There is no self-permitting exception; every open burn needs sign-off first.

Anaheim designates the Anaheim Hills area as a Special Protection Area (Wildland-Urban Interface). OCFA provides fire protection in these areas. Fire-resistant construction, fuel modification plans, and defensible space are required.

Anaheim's Fire Code requires new landscaping to be planted to reduce non-fire-resistant vegetation near structures and requires that vegetation be maintained as it matures, following Anaheim Fire & Rescue's Brush Clearance and Vegetative Growth Guideline referenced in the code itself.

Anaheim marks no-parking zones with red paint on the curb, one-hour and twenty-minute limits with green paint, and disabled parking with blue paint. Sec. 14.32.370 gives the City Traffic Engineer authority to place red curb markings anywhere stopping would be a hazard, and treats a legible curb marking exactly like a posted sign for enforcement purposes.

Anaheim's City Traffic Engineer designates every loading zone, and no vehicle can occupy one longer than the loading and unloading time set elsewhere in the parking code. Under AMC 14.32.040, a loading zone tops out at one hundred feet, though the Traffic Engineer can stretch it to one hundred forty feet with a documented need.

Every public residential street in Anaheim is eligible for a residential parking permit district under AMC 14.32.450, but a specific block only becomes permit-only after seventy-five percent of eligible residents petition and vote for it under the City's Residential Permit Parking Guidelines. Once established, only vehicles displaying a valid decal may park there.

Anaheim bans parking a truck tractor, unattached trailer, heavy commercial vehicle of ten thousand pounds or more, or bus on any public street in a residential district. AMC 14.32.205 carves out exceptions for a disabled vehicle, active loading and unloading, or a vehicle actively servicing a property on the same block, and the Traffic Engineer posts signs marking the restriction.

Anaheim allows overnight street parking within the 72-hour limit unless restricted by posted signs or permit parking zones. Some neighborhoods have Residential Permit Parking programs to address overflow from Disneyland Resort visitors.

Anaheim allows street parking for up to 72 hours unless otherwise posted. Vehicles must be operable and registered. Residential Permit Parking zones exist near the Disneyland Resort, Angel Stadium, and Honda Center areas.

Anaheim's Zoning Code requires every driveway and vehicle parking area, at houses and businesses alike, to be paved in concrete or asphalt; parking on dirt, gravel or grass does not comply. Single-family homes also need Planning Director and Public Works sign-off on new driveway curb-cut locations, and alley-access lots generally must use the alley instead of a new street cut.

Anaheim bans keeping an abandoned, wrecked, dismantled or inoperative vehicle on private or public property (not highways) for more than ten days. The Police Department enforces it as a public nuisance, with notice, a hearing and cost assessment against the property owner or the last registered owner.

Every electric vehicle charging station in Anaheim needs a Building Official permit before it goes in, and installing or running one without a permit is unlawful. Existing stations are grandfathered unless they undergo a material physical change.

Anaheim caps fences, walls and hedges at 3 feet in any required front yard, and applies that same 3-foot limit to the street side setback of a corner lot. Side and rear yards allow up to 8 feet under Municipal Code Section 18.46.110, but any fence or wall over 7 feet needs a building permit, and tall hedges near a corner right-of-way need a sightline check first.

Anaheim caps front-yard fences at 3 feet, but a single-family lot backing a major arterial with alley access can get a 6-foot sound attenuation fence through Administrative Review approval under Municipal Code Sec. 18.46.110.060.0604.

Anaheim caps crib and retaining wall height under Municipal Code Section 18.46.110.120: six feet where the wall is visible from a public right-of-way, trail or street, steppable to twelve feet total with terracing, and fourteen feet where it is not visible. These zoning standards override the hillside grading chapter's flat ten-foot limit whenever the two conflict.

Anaheim's zoning code bans visible chain link fencing from the public right-of-way, prohibits barbed wire on residential and commercial properties, and limits electric fencing to industrial zones where it cannot be seen from the street. Table 46-B of the Municipal Code sets these material limits zone by zone.

Anaheim pet stores must comply with California AB 485, which prohibits retail sale of dogs, cats, and rabbits unless sourced from public shelters or qualifying nonprofit rescues, eliminating commercial puppy mill pipelines.

Anaheim follows California state guidance and OC Animal Care policy requiring spay or neuter for adopted shelter animals, with intact-animal permits required for breeding dogs and unaltered animals subject to higher license fees.

Animal hoarding in Anaheim is addressed through animal keeping limits in the municipal code and nuisance abatement. Exceeding permitted animal numbers or maintaining unsanitary conditions triggers enforcement by Code Enforcement and OC Animal Care.

Anaheim allows veterinary clinics and animal boarding facilities in commercial and industrial zones only with conditional approval, and Municipal Code Sec. 18.38.270 layers on mandatory odor, sound, sanitation and waste-handling standards before the city issues a building permit.

California Fish and Wildlife issues wildlife rehabilitator permits required to possess injured native wildlife in Anaheim, and unpermitted residents must transport injured animals promptly to a licensed rehabber.

Anaheim does not license cats or restrict them from running at large, but feeding feral or stray cats on public property requires registering as a cat caregiver with the Community Preservation Manager, and feeding on private property cannot create a nuisance.

Anaheim has banned killing native insectivorous birds since 1891, decades before state and federal wildlife law caught up. AMC Section 8.12.010 makes it unlawful for anyone within city limits to kill, maim, wound or destroy any swallow, mockingbird, blackbird, or other insectivorous bird. The ordinance carries no permit exception and predates the city's current animal-control code by more than a century.

Anaheim does not write its own pet-grooming rules: AMC Chapter 8.24 adopts Orange County's animal-facility ordinances by reference, including the provisions covering grooming parlors, kennels and pet shops. A violation of the adopted County grooming-parlor standards is a misdemeanor in Anaheim, enforced the same way it would be enforced in the County's own unincorporated territory.

Anaheim defers to Orange County and California Department of Fish and Wildlife for exotic pet regulations. Keeping wild, exotic, or dangerous animals requires a county license under OCCO 4-1-94. State permits may also be required.

Keeping honey bee hives anywhere in Anaheim's corporate limits is unlawful under Municipal Code Chapter 6.28. The only path around the ban is a Conditional Use Permit on land zoned Transition (T), Single-Family Hillside Residential (RH-1), or the Anaheim Canyon Specific Plan No. 2015-01 zone.

Anaheim does not impose breed-specific restrictions. California state law (Food & Agriculture Code 31683) prohibits breed-specific bans. Dangerous and vicious dogs are regulated based on behavior under state law and AMC Chapter 8.08.

Anaheim requires dogs in its public parks to stay on a leash, chain or other restraint no longer than six feet, with narrow carve-outs for the City's designated Dog Parks and for horses on certain trail-linked Special Use Parks. AMC Section 13.08.020 bans letting any animal run loose in a park, and a leash violation there can be charged as a criminal infraction.

Anaheim discourages feeding wildlife in public areas under general nuisance and park regulations. AMC Chapter 13.08 governs conduct in parks. Feeding coyotes or other wildlife that creates a public safety hazard may result in citation.

Anaheim caps backyard poultry and rabbits at one animal per 1,800 square feet of lot area and bans roosters and peacocks in residential zones. Horses, cattle, sheep, goats and swine each carry their own minimum-acreage and per-animal spacing rules under the animal keeping ordinance.

In Anaheim's Scenic Corridor (SC) Overlay Zone along Santa Ana Canyon, destroying a Specimen Tree, an oak with a trunk 25 inches or more in circumference, or a pepper or sycamore 50 inches or more around, without a permit is unlawful. Owners must file an application and arborist report with the Planning and Building Department, plus a Council-set fee, before removal.

California's SB 1383 sets the legal floor behind every composting bin and green cart in Anaheim: Health and Safety Code Section 39730.6 locks in a 50 percent cut in statewide organic-waste disposal by 2020 and 75 percent by 2025, and CalRecycle's companion procurement rules under Public Resources Code Section 42652.5 back the mandate with civil penalties the City itself can face for missing its compost-use target.

Anaheim permits artificial turf in residential landscaping under city landscape requirements. Turf must meet quality standards and be maintained in good condition. Artificial turf may help comply with water efficiency requirements.

California's Rainwater Capture Act of 2012 lets Anaheim property owners install rain barrels and cisterns to collect rooftop runoff without a state water-right permit. Water Code Sections 10570 through 10574 declare rainwater capture a tool for drought resilience and stormwater control, define a qualifying rain barrel system, and confirm the law does not touch existing water rights, licensing rules, or building-code authority.

Anaheim requires pruning of required and specimen trees to comply with ISA standards per AMC 18.46.090 and Chapter 13.12. Street tree maintenance is coordinated by the city. Topping of trees is prohibited.

Anaheim's Weed Abatement Program is coordinated by the Life Safety Section of Anaheim Fire & Rescue. Overgrown weeds and vegetation creating fire hazards or blight conditions must be abated by property owners.

Anaheim permanently bans specific water-wasting practices under Municipal Code Section 10.18.130, including hosing down pavement, letting irrigation runoff leave a property, and watering landscapes during or within 48 hours after a quarter-inch rain. The Public Utilities Department enforces the ban as a misdemeanor with civil fines, and customers must fix any leak within 72 hours of discovering it.

Anaheim's front-setback landscaping standard requires live plant material, including drought-tolerant species, or artificial turf as primary ground cover, with at least 60% live plant coverage at maturity under Municipal Code Sec. 18.46.100.050.

Small family daycare (up to 8 children) is permitted in residential zones under California Health and Safety Code 1597.44. Large family daycare (9-14 children) may require a conditional use permit. State licensing required for all.

Anaheim confines home-based businesses to members of the resident family, bars any outdoor storage or exterior sign of commercial use, and requires registration with the Planning Department plus a City business tax certificate before operation. The zoning code, not a separate home-business chapter, governs the standards.

Anaheim caps client and delivery traffic to a home-based business at six vehicles and eight people per day; crossing either number is conclusively treated as a significant increase in traffic that violates the zoning code's home occupation standard.

Anaheim requires pool barriers per AMC 6.56 and California Building Code. Minimum 60-inch barriers with self-closing, self-latching gates. All metal within 5 feet of pool water must be bonded to pool shell reinforcement.

Anaheim requires building permits for all swimming pools, spas, and hot tubs. Applications must include two sets of plans with plot plans, cross sections, and engineered construction details.

Anaheim exempts accessory dwelling units under 750 square feet from park, water and other agency impact fees under Municipal Code Section 17.08.240. Larger ADUs pay fees prorated to the primary home's square footage, not the flat per-unit rate charged to new houses.

Anaheim caps garden sheds, storage sheds, garages and other accessory structures in single-family zones at one story or 16 feet, whichever is less, under Section 18.04.070.030. Sheds built entirely outside required setback areas that match the main house's design can exceed that limit, and structures encroaching into setbacks face further height limits under the Table 4-J encroachment standards.

Anaheim allows one accessory dwelling unit and one junior accessory dwelling unit by right on any single-family lot, on top of the primary home, under Section 18.38.015. A detached unit can reach 1,200 square feet, an attached unit up to 850 square feet for a studio or one bedroom, with 4-foot side and rear setbacks.

Anaheim lets homeowners convert an existing garage into livable space as an Accessory Dwelling Unit without meeting lot coverage, setback, height or building separation rules. If the garage door faces a public street, the door itself must stay in place even if it no longer opens.

Anaheim bans illicit connections and prohibited discharges into its storm drain system citywide under AMC Chapter 10.09, the local National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System ordinance. New development and significant redevelopment must get a City-approved water quality management plan before breaking ground, and violations can be enforced as a misdemeanor, an infraction, or a public nuisance the City Attorney can sue to abate.

In Anaheim's mapped special flood hazard areas, new construction and substantially improved structures must raise the lowest floor, including any basement, at least one foot above the base flood elevation. A registered engineer or surveyor must certify the elevation before final inspection.

Anaheim's Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, mapped by CAL FIRE under Municipal Code Section 16.40.020, and its Wildland-Urban Interface Fire Area east of SR-55 and south of SR-91 carry a mandatory vegetation-management standard: new landscaping must reduce non-fire-resistant plants near structures under Fire Code Section 307.7, enforced by Anaheim Fire & Rescue.

Anaheim requires every cut or fill slope to be protected with an approved erosion control device, planting, jute mesh or straw matting immediately after grading is completed, under Municipal Code Section 17.04.180.020. The rule applies to all excavations and fills citywide, permit or not, and hillside lots carry an added rye-grass planting requirement under Section 17.06.141.

Anaheim requires a development permit before any construction, grading, fill, or mobile home placement in a mapped area of special flood hazard. New structures must have the lowest floor elevated at least one foot above the base flood elevation, and violations are charged as a civil misdemeanor.

California Health and Safety Code 11362.2 lets Anaheim adults twenty-one or older cultivate up to six cannabis plants per residence indoors, but Anaheim follows the state-allowed local ban on any outdoor personal cultivation.

Even though Anaheim bans local cannabis businesses, California Bureau of Cannabis Control regulations and the Bureau v. Santa Cruz County rulings permit licensed retailers from other cities to deliver to Anaheim adult residents at private addresses.

Anaheim Municipal Code Title 18 prohibits all commercial cannabis activity citywide including retail, cultivation, manufacturing, distribution, testing, and microbusinesses, exercising the local opt-out preserved by Proposition 64 and California Business and Professions Code 26200.

California requires a 600-foot buffer between any cannabis retailer and schools, daycares, and youth centers, but because Anaheim bans all commercial cannabis activity citywide, the buffer rule has no licensed retailer to apply to.

Anaheim prohibits outdoor cannabis cultivation under AMC 4.100.035. Indoor cultivation of up to six plants is permitted under California Proposition 64 for adults 21+. Plants must not be visible from any public place.

Anaheim must administratively approve small residential rooftop solar systems under a streamlined checklist process, not the standard discretionary review. The Building Official, working with the Fire Chief and Public Utilities, publishes the checklist online and can issue permits on a complete application without a hearing.

Anaheim requires a building permit before installing, altering, or replacing any solar energy system, issued through Municipal Code Chapter 15.04's nondiscretionary review. Small residential rooftop systems qualify for a streamlined checklist process with a single consolidated inspection, while systems flagged for a specific health-or-safety impact can be routed to a conditional use permit before the Planning Commission.

Anaheim limits freeway-facing signs to one per parcel, caps freestanding height at thirty feet, and requires a conditional use permit before anything goes up under Sec. 18.44.100. Signs within 300 feet of housing top out at twenty-five feet. Off-site freeway billboards are banned outright under Chapter 4.08, regardless of zone, unless they fall inside the Transit, Stadium or Arena Special Sign Districts.

Anaheim's Zoning Code outlaws billboards outright, and the ban is written to be technology-neutral: any off-premises advertising sign, electronic or static, that touts something not sold or conducted on the site where the sign stands is illegal citywide.

Anaheim gives residents 45 calendar days after a holiday to take down holiday decorations, including string lights, inflatables, projecting light devices and ground-mounted displays, under Section 18.04.030.1104. The rule applies citywide in single-family residential zones as part of the code's temporary-use standards.

Anaheim caps window signage at 20% of a window's transparent area under Municipal Code Sec. 18.44.110.070. Permanent and temporary signs inside commercial or industrial windows may not obscure more than a fifth of the glass, and no sign may be mounted outside any window at all.

Anaheim allows temporary political campaign signs up to 35 sq ft without a building permit under AMC 4.04. Signs must be removed within 30 days after the election. Signs in the public right-of-way are prohibited.

Garage sale signs in Anaheim must stay on the sale property itself, cannot go up more than one hour before the sale starts, and are capped at one 3-square-foot sign in the front yard (two on a corner lot). No sign can be posted in the public right-of-way or on a pole, sign, or vehicle.

Anaheim treats an abandoned, wrecked, dismantled, or inoperative vehicle left on private or public property, outside a highway, as a public nuisance under Municipal Code Chapter 6.80. The Council found such vehicles promote blight, invite plundering, create fire hazards, and endanger children; owners get a 10-day notice to abate before a hearing and forced removal.

Anaheim caps how bright any lighted sign, including freeway billboards, may shine: no more than 250 foot-lamberts of illumination under Sec. 18.44.150, with indirect lighting held to 800 milliamps and neon to 300 milliamps. Lit signs can't throw light into residential structures, and lamp shields must block glare from spilling off-site. A separate electrical permit is required before any sign is energized.

Anaheim caps how much light a multi-family or mixed-use project can throw onto neighboring property: outdoor service, loading and storage-area lighting cannot spill more than 0.5 footcandles onto the street or adjacent parcels under Section 18.39.060.0606. Fixtures must also be fully shielded to point light downward and capped at 3,000 Kelvin.

Anaheim landlords must give covered tenants written notice of California's AB 1482 rent cap and just-cause eviction protections under Civil Code Section 1946.2, since Anaheim has no local rent control beyond the state statute.

Anaheim landlords using no-fault grounds under California AB 1482 must owner-move-in, substantially remodel, withdraw the unit, or comply with a government order, and must pay relocation assistance equal to one month of rent.

California Civil Code Section 1950.5 caps Anaheim residential security deposits and governs itemization, return timelines, and tenant remedies; Anaheim has no local rule that varies the statewide maximum or refund process.

California Government Code Section 12955 prohibits Anaheim landlords from refusing to rent to tenants because of their lawful source of income, including Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers, Social Security, and other public assistance.

The Anaheim Housing Authority administers Housing Choice Vouchers, and California Government Code Section 12955 forbids Anaheim landlords from refusing applicants because they pay rent with a Section 8 voucher.

Rental housing in Anaheim must meet California Civil Code 1941.1 habitability standards covering weatherproofing, plumbing, heating, electrical, and sanitation, plus local AMC Title 15 building-code requirements. Tenants may withhold rent or repair-and-deduct under Civil Code 1942 if landlords fail to fix material defects after written notice and a reasonable time.

Anaheim relies on California AB 1482's statewide relocation requirement: tenants displaced by no-fault evictions receive relocation assistance equal to one month of rent or a waiver of the final month, with no additional local supplement.

Anaheim has no local tenant anti-harassment ordinance, so renters rely on California civil code prohibitions against retaliation, illegal lockouts, utility shutoffs, and forcible entry as the primary defense against landlord harassment.

Anaheim follows California's Tenant Protection Act (AB 1482) for just cause eviction protections. After 12 months of tenancy, landlords must have a valid reason to evict. No local just cause ordinance exists, though a ballot initiative has been submitted.

Anaheim has no local rent control ordinance. California AB 1482 caps annual rent increases at 5% plus CPI or 10%, whichever is lower, for most properties built before 2010. A local ballot initiative has been submitted.

Anaheim does not require a standalone rental property registration program. Landlords must obtain a business license. Short-term rentals have a separate registration under AMC Chapter 4.05. AB 1482 notice requirements apply.

Anaheim requires every single-family household to subscribe to the city franchisee's Three-Container System and place food scraps and other organic material only in the Organic Materials Container under Municipal Code Section 10.10.090. Weekly separate collection of solid waste, recyclables, and organics is mandatory citywide, implementing the state's SB 1383 organic-waste diversion mandate.

Anaheim requires yard trimmings to go in the green Organic Materials Container, but only if they are cut down to size: Municipal Code Section 10.10.060.050 caps grass clippings, leaves, shrubs, brush and tree trimmings at no more than 36 inches long, and gardeners who haul away clippings themselves are exempt from the city's franchise hauling rules.

Anaheim treats commercial dumpsters and roll-off boxes as regulated equipment, not free-standing street furniture. Chapter 10.11 bars anyone but the City, or a licensed contractor cleaning up their own job site, from placing a Bin or Drop-Off Box on public or private property, and the Director of Public Works can order an unauthorized one removed within 24 hours.

Single-family homes, duplexes, triplexes and small apartment buildings of four units or fewer in Anaheim get one Discarded Materials pickup a week for solid waste, recyclables and organics under Municipal Code Section 10.10.080. Larger complexes and businesses that generate more volume can be bumped up to as many as six collections a week using city-supplied Bulk Containers.

Dumping solid waste, medical waste or household hazardous waste on someone else's property, on a public street, or anywhere it can rot into a nuisance is a misdemeanor in Anaheim under Municipal Code Section 10.10.170. Anyone who transports or disposes of qualified hazardous waste in violation of the chapter faces the same misdemeanor exposure under Section 10.10.200.030.

Anaheim requires every single-family and multi-family generator to subscribe to the Franchisee's Three-Container System, sorting Recyclable Materials, Organic Materials and Solid Waste into separate containers, with contamination and mixing barred as unlawful.

Anaheim requires residential recycling through the three-cart system per California SB 1383 and AB 341. Organic waste diversion is mandatory. The blue cart accepts standard recyclables including paper, plastic, glass, and metal.

Anaheim residents must set out Solid Waste, Recyclable Materials and Organics carts at the curb, parkway or alley only between 4:00 p.m. the day before collection and 7:00 a.m. on collection day, and pull them back in by midnight.

Anaheim tells residents exactly when carts can hit the curb: Municipal Code Section 10.10.070 allows Discarded Materials to be set out starting at 4:00 p.m. the day before collection and requires empty containers back off the curb by midnight on collection day. Multi-family and commercial projects of five units or more must also build a City-approved trash and recycling enclosure before a building permit is issued.

Anaheim bans flying a drone or model aircraft inside the controlled airspace of any airport without the airport control tower's prior express authorization. The same section caps altitude at 400 feet and confines flights to daylight hours.

Anaheim requires anyone flying a Civil UAS for commercial purposes in the city to first obtain a City business license for that commercial flight operation. Flying commercially without one is a misdemeanor under the general nuisance-drone chapter.

Anaheim caps hobbyist drone flights at 400 feet above ground, daylight hours only, and within the operator's unaided visual line of sight. Flying over moving vehicles, within 100 feet of bystanders, or while impaired is a misdemeanor under Municipal Code Chapter 6.43.

Anaheim bans flying a drone within 1,000 feet of Angel Stadium, the Honda Center, the Anaheim Convention Center, Disneyland or California Adventure, or any venue where more than 1,000 people are expected. The same 1,000-foot buffer applies to fireworks shows and active wildfire operations.

Anaheim regulates sidewalk vendors under the framework created by California Senate Bill 946, the Safe Sidewalk Vending Act. All sidewalk vendors, whether stationary or roaming, must obtain a City of Anaheim sidewalk vending permit and a County of Orange health permit before selling food or merchandise on public sidewalks.

Anaheim regulates street and sidewalk vending locations under AMC Chapter 4.52. The city may designate restricted vending zones near the Anaheim Resort, Angel Stadium, and Honda Center areas. SB 946 limits overly restrictive local regulations.

Anyone operating a mobile food preparation unit in Anaheim must first apply for and receive a food vending permit from the Orange County Health Care Agency, acting as the city's Health Department. The application must list three service stops with exact addresses and times, and the permit is non-transferable.

Anyone peddling goods door-to-door or soliciting sales, opinions or endorsements in Anaheim needs a license under Municipal Code Section 3.32.060 before starting. Independent peddlers pay $50 a year and independent solicitors pay $100 a year, dropping to $10 if their employer holds a $250 principal's license.

Anaheim regulates door-to-door soliciting under AMC Chapter 4.52. No-solicitation signs must be respected. Solicitors who ignore posted no-solicitation signs may be cited for trespassing.

Anaheim closes every public park from 10:30 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. Remaining, staying, or loitering inside a park during those hours is unlawful under the Municipal Code's park-conduct chapter, and the City Attorney can charge violators with either an infraction or, at their discretion, a misdemeanor.

Anaheim bars anyone under 17 from public places, vacant lots or business establishments between 10:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. Police may stop and question a minor to check age and activity. Several exceptions cover work, school events, emergencies and parental accompaniment.

Anaheim sets minimum yard setbacks by single-family zone under Section 18.04.100 and Table 4-I, ranging from a 10-foot front yard in RS-4 to a 30-foot front yard in RS-1. Side and rear setbacks also vary by zone, and garage doors face their own 20 to 25-foot setback from the street regardless of the underlying zone.

Anaheim caps single-family home height by zone: 35 feet/2-1/2 stories in RS-2, 30 feet/2 stories in RS-3, and just 25 feet/2 stories in the hillside RH-1, RH-2 and RH-3 zones. Accessory structures like garages and sheds top out at 16 feet or one story.

Anaheim caps lot coverage in single-family zones at 40 percent in RH-3, RS-1, RS-2 and RS-3, and 50 percent in RS-4, under Section 18.04.090 and Table 4-H. RH-1 and RH-2 hillside lots carry no numeric cap, but accessory structures still count toward whatever coverage limit applies.

In Anaheim's Santa Ana Canyon Scenic Corridor (SC) Overlay Zone, a City permit is required before destroying a 'Specimen Tree,' defined as any oak 25 inches or more in trunk circumference, or any pepper or sycamore 50 inches or more in circumference, measured four feet above grade.

Anaheim requires the adjacent property owner to landscape and maintain the parkway strip between sidewalk and curb under Municipal Code Sec. 18.46.150, limiting materials to lawn, artificial turf, ground cover, low shrubs, and approved trees.

The Anaheim City Council can designate any tree on public property as a 'landmark tree' based on its age, size, species or historical value, and once designated, a landmark tree cannot be removed without Council approval and specific findings under Chapter 11.12 of the Municipal Code.

Anaheim residents may hold a garage sale only on the first full weekend of March, June, September and December, and only between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. Selling outside that quarterly window or those hours violates Municipal Code Chapter 6.26 and can draw an infraction citation from Community Preservation.

Anaheim HOAs follow California Davis-Stirling Common Interest Development Act, which requires open meetings, four-day notice for regular meetings, and strict executive session limits.

Anaheim HOAs must maintain written architectural guidelines and decide owner applications in good faith, consistent with Civil Code 4765 under the Davis-Stirling Act.

Anaheim HOAs enforce CC and Rs through notice, hearings, and fines under Civil Code 5850 through 5865. Enforcement must be uniform, not selective, and members have hearing rights.

Before suing, Anaheim HOA members and associations must offer Internal Dispute Resolution and most disputes require Alternative Dispute Resolution under Civil Code 5900 and following.

Anaheim HOAs collect regular and special assessments under Davis-Stirling. Regular dues increases over 20 percent per year and special assessments over 5 percent of budget need member vote.

Anaheim completed its mandatory unreinforced masonry (URM) retrofit program under California Government Code 8875 and Anaheim Municipal Code Chapter 15.52. Owners of URM buildings had to retrofit, demolish, or post visible warning placards. Most of the historic URM stock in Anaheim's Colony Historic District has been retrofitted.

California Health and Safety Code 19200 through 19205 and the California Plumbing Code require seismic gas shutoff valves when a building is newly constructed or undergoes a substantial addition or alteration over 10,000 dollars. Anaheim enforces these standards through the Planning and Building Department at permit issuance.

Anyone shooting commercial motion pictures or television photography on public or private property in Anaheim must get a film permit from the Director of Public Works under Municipal Code Section 4.03.030. Applications are due at least ten business days ahead, and permittees cover the City's actual police, fire and traffic control costs.

Anaheim adopts the California Building and Residential Codes by reference and then narrows the state permit-exemption list with its own amendments. Most construction, alteration, or repair work needs a Building Official permit; only specific small accessory structures and prefab pools are carved out.

Anaheim requires every short-term rental to install carbon monoxide devices meeting state fire code standards in its common stairways and hallways before a permit issues or renews. Section 4.05.100.0103(d) puts the owner on the hook for testing and maintaining those devices for as long as the permit stays active.

Anaheim requires an automatic fire sprinkler system in every new building over 5,000 square feet or more than two stories, and in existing buildings that add 33% or more floor area, add over 2,000 square feet, or add a story above the second floor.

Anaheim adopts the 2025 California Plumbing Code, based on the 2024 Uniform Plumbing Code, as the Anaheim Plumbing Code under Municipal Code Section 15.03.010, covering every plumbing, gas-delivery, and private sewage-disposal installation in the city. Permits lapse if work doesn't start within 12 months or stalls for 180 days.

Anaheim adopts the 2025 California Electrical Code, based on the 2023 National Electrical Code, as the Anaheim Electrical Code under Municipal Code Section 15.03.010, governing every wiring installation, alteration, repair, and fixture citywide. A permit issued for the work expires if it isn't started within 12 months or is abandoned for 180 days.

Anaheim enforces the 2025 California Green Building Standards Code, CALGreen, as the "Anaheim Green Building Standards Code" under Municipal Code Section 15.03.010, applying its mandatory provisions to all buildings and structures in the city. Section 15.03.100 folds in the same Chapter 1 permit and appeal rules that govern every other adopted trade code.

Any renovation that disturbs paint in an Anaheim home built before 1978 must be performed by a Lead-Safe Certified firm under the federal RRP Rule and must meet California Title 17 lead-abatement standards when the work is abatement rather than routine renovation.

Anaheim requires a police-issued permit before any parade of twenty or more people, animals, or vehicles can use city streets. Applicants must apply to the Chief of Police at least seven days ahead and pay a nonrefundable $25 processing fee, though spontaneous parades reacting to current events can apply as little as twenty-four hours in advance.

Anaheim's local answer to a street-fair ordinance is the Festival Permit, but it only reaches huge events: gatherings expected to draw 35,000-plus people to two or more of the Arena, Convention Center or Stadium Districts. Holding one there without a permit is a declared public nuisance.

Filming inside Anaheim's Arena, Convention Center or Stadium Festival Districts during a qualifying festival doesn't escape the City's separate film permit: Section 18.38.135 folds commercial filming review into the festival permit, but the underlying film permit itself still runs through Chapter 4.03, issued by the Director of Public Works.

Anaheim requires a permit from the Parks, Recreation and the Arts Department to use any scheduled recreational facility in a city park or joint-use school site. Under AMC 13.08.045, anyone without a permit must give up the facility the moment a permit holder arrives, and refusing to do so is a separate offense.

Anaheim lets restaurants add outdoor dining or seating as an accessory use wherever restaurants are allowed, but Municipal Code Section 18.38.220 caps furnishings, bars encroachment into the right-of-way, and requires a 36-inch enclosure separating diners from public areas.

Anaheim residents can close a street for a block party without a full right-of-way construction permit, but the closure must first be approved by the City's Traffic and Transportation Manager; closing a street without that sign-off is treated the same as any other unauthorized right-of-way obstruction.

Excavating, building or placing any structure in an Anaheim street, alley, sidewalk or utility easement requires a right-of-way construction permit from Public Works, with fees, a plan-review deposit, and security to cover damage; unpermitted first offenses are infractions, and repeat offenses within a year are misdemeanors.

When a property owner's tree causes an adjacent City-owned sidewalk to crack, lift or sink, Anaheim's code puts the repair cost, and if necessary the tree's removal, on that property owner; if the owner ignores the City's notice, Public Works can do the repair and bill the owner directly.

Anyone wanting to encroach on an Anaheim public street or utility easement needs a written permit from the Public Works Director, terminable on no more than 90 days notice unless the City Council approves a longer term, plus a Council-set application fee.

Anaheim requires delivery trucks serving convenience stores and commercial centers next to residential zones to shut off their engines outside the authorized 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. delivery window. The rule isn't a standalone noise ordinance: it's a zoning condition of approval under Anaheim Municipal Code Sec. 18.38.110.170, tied to the use classification rather than a citywide delivery-hour cap.

Bars, nightclubs, and other venues holding an Anaheim entertainment permit cannot play or reproduce music, or allow dancing, between 2:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. any day. The permit also obligates the operator to keep enough security on site to stop patrons from disturbing the neighborhood with noise while entering or leaving.

Anaheim does not operate a citywide proactive rental inspection program. Rental properties are inspected on a complaint-driven basis by Code Enforcement under AMC Title 15 (Building Code) and state habitability law. Landlords must still comply with California Civil Code 1941.1 and the Tenant Protection Act (AB 1482) on rent caps and just-cause eviction.

Tenants in Anaheim can file habitability complaints with Code Enforcement at (714) 765-5158 or online through the Anaheim Anytime portal. Retaliatory eviction within 180 days of a complaint is barred by California Civil Code 1942.5. Orange County Fair Housing Council and Legal Aid of Orange County provide free tenant advocacy services.

Anaheim does not publish its own list of prohibited plants but enforces California Food and Agriculture Code 7270 noxious weed abatement and Public Resources Code 4291 defensible-space rules. The California Invasive Plant Council (Cal-IPC) maintains the authoritative list of regulated invasives, including pampas grass, arundo, and French broom.

Front-yard native and drought-tolerant gardens are expressly protected in Anaheim by California Civil Code 4735, which prevents HOAs or the city from banning low-water landscaping or requiring turf. AMC Title 18 still requires front-yard areas to be maintained and free of weeds, but expressly allows xeriscape, edible gardens, and native plantings.

California is a two-party (all-party) consent state under Penal Code 632. In Anaheim, it is a crime to record any confidential communication without the consent of every participant. This applies to in-person conversations, phone calls, and audio-enabled security cameras. Violations carry fines up to 2,500 dollars and up to one year in jail, plus civil damages.

Anaheim allows residential security cameras on private property, but installation must respect neighbor privacy under California Civil Code 1708.8 and Penal Code 647(j). Cameras may not be aimed into areas where neighbors have a reasonable expectation of privacy, such as bedrooms, bathrooms, or enclosed backyards. Audio recording triggers additional California two-party consent rules.

California SB 793 upheld by Proposition 31 bans the sale of all flavored tobacco products in Anaheim including menthol cigarettes, flavored cigars, flavored vape cartridges, and flavored chew, with limited exemptions for premium cigars, loose-leaf tobacco, and shisha.

California Business and Professions Code 22963 makes it illegal for any Anaheim retailer to sell or furnish tobacco, vape, or nicotine products to anyone under twenty-one, with a narrow exemption for active-duty military personnel eighteen or older.

California SB 54 requires producers to eliminate expanded polystyrene foodware unless a sixty-five percent recycling rate is met, effectively banning foam clamshells and cups at Anaheim restaurants and food trucks beginning in 2025.

California AB 1884 prohibits Anaheim full-service restaurants from automatically providing single-use plastic straws and requires them to be furnished only when a customer specifically requests one.

California AB 1276 requires Anaheim restaurants and food delivery platforms to provide single-use utensils, condiments, stirrers, and napkins only when the customer specifically requests them, ending automatic inclusion in takeout and delivery orders.

Anaheim follows California's statewide minimum wage of $16.50/hour (2026), indexed to inflation. The city has no general local minimum wage, but Resort-area employers must pay the higher Measure L living wage.

Anaheim workers receive at least 5 days (40 hours) of paid sick leave annually under California's Healthy Workplaces, Healthy Families Act. The city has no separate local paid leave ordinance.

California SB 54 (TRUST Act) limits state and local law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. Anaheim Police comply statewide; the city has not adopted a separate sanctuary ordinance.

California Labor Code 2814 prohibits cities from mandating E-Verify use by private employers. Anaheim cannot require E-Verify; only federal contractors and certain federal agencies must use the system locally.

Anaheim bans camping in any public area, including streets, parks, sidewalks and parking lots, without written permission from the Police Chief, the Community Services Director, or a City Council resolution. Unauthorized camping is a public nuisance, and personal property stored in public areas is subject to impoundment under a separate notice-and-hold process.

Anaheim bars sitting, lying, sleeping or storing personal property in the public right-of-way within ten feet of driveways, doorways, fire hydrants, ATMs, charging stations and sidewalk ramps, and within 200 feet of any school or day care. First violations can be charged as an infraction or misdemeanor at the City Attorney's discretion.

Shared dockless scooters and e-bikes operating in Anaheim must hold a city operating agreement, obey speed limits in the Resort district, and follow California Vehicle Code rules requiring helmets for minors and adult use of bike lanes where available.

Anaheim's bicycle network includes Class I trails along the Santa Ana River, Class II striped lanes on major boulevards, and Class IV separated lanes near ARTIC and the Resort, with cyclists subject to California Vehicle Code rules and AMC Title 5 traffic.

Anaheim regulates every electric bicycle as a "motorized wheeled conveyance" under Municipal Code Chapter 14.72. Riders face a 20 mph street and bike-lane cap, a 10 mph limit on paved trails, and a 5 mph limit on sidewalks. Anyone under 18 must wear a helmet, e-bikes cannot enter city parks, and unsafe operation is an infraction citywide.

Anaheim's City Charter flatly bans red-light cameras and any other automated traffic enforcement system. Voters wrote the ban directly into Charter Section 1213 in 2010, and any council ordinance that tries to authorize one is null and void from the start.

Anaheim's Zoning Code has no data-center use class. Because the Industrial (I) zone's Table 10-A doesn't list them and unlisted uses are prohibited, the Planning & Building Director must classify a data center under an existing use before it can be built.

Anaheim caps sound from any premises at 60 dBA on the A-scale, measured at any point on the property line for noise radiated over extended periods. A data center's cooling equipment and backup generators must meet this single limit day and night.

Anaheim's Public Utilities Department treats Recycled Water as the default supply for nonpotable needs whenever it is available and cost-effective, under Anaheim Municipal Code Sections 10.16.110 and 10.16.120. Recycled Water use and distribution must follow the Department's Rates, Rules and Regulations plus Titles 17 and 22 of the California Code of Regulations, keeping every reclaimed-water hookup tied to state health and reuse standards.

Chapter 18.72 of the Anaheim Municipal Code lets the City Council adopt a specific plan that replaces standard zoning for a defined area, the mechanism behind the Anaheim Resort, Disneyland Resort, Platinum Triangle and Anaheim Canyon districts. Adoption follows the same public-hearing process as a zoning reclassification, and the new standards supersede the base zone once approved.

Anaheim implements California's state density bonus law allowing additional units, height, and incentives for projects providing affordable, senior, or moderate-income housing, codified through AMC Title 18 housing chapters.

Anaheim zones a dedicated Transit Oriented Area (DA-3) inside the Anaheim Canyon Specific Plan, built around the Anaheim Canyon Metrolink Station. It carries an MU-H Mixed-Use High base zone meant to pair commuter housing, including affordable units, with walkable, bike-friendly development next to the rail platform.

Every Anaheim food employee who handles unpackaged food must obtain a California Food Handler Card within thirty days of hire, with renewal every three years under California Health and Safety Code section 113948.

California Civil Code 1954.603 requires Anaheim landlords to give every new tenant a bed bug information notice and prohibits renting any unit known to have an active infestation until professionally treated.

California Medical Waste Management Act prohibits placing used syringes in Anaheim trash, recycling, or sewer, requiring residents to use approved sharps containers and drop off at participating pharmacies, fire stations, or hazardous-waste collection events.

Anaheim splits rodent-control duty between tenant and landlord under Chapter 7.49: an occupant may not let rodents, insects or other pests infest the unit when the rest of the building is pest-free and the owner supplied a rodent-proof structure, while the owner stays on the hook for every duty state and local law already impose.

Measure L (2018) requires Anaheim Resort hospitality employers receiving city subsidies to pay a living wage starting at $15/hour, indexed annually to inflation, now exceeding $20/hour for covered hotel workers.

Anaheim charges a 15% transient occupancy tax on rent paid by any guest staying under 30 consecutive days in a hotel, motel, bed and breakfast, or short-term rental. Operators collect the tax with rent and remit it to the License Collector, who enforces the chapter alongside Code Enforcement.

Anaheim requires a City permit before any company can tow illegally parked vehicles off private property. Chapter 4.75 sets a $500 application fee, mandates warning signs at every entrance, and lets the Chief of Police deny or revoke a permit for cause, with towing without one a misdemeanor.

Anaheim pawnbrokers pay a $300 annual license tax under Sec. 3.32.160.020 and must separately report every item pawned, purchased or taken in trade to the Chief of Police by noon the next day under Sec. 4.64.020. Reported property has to stay on the shelf for 30 days, or up to 90 days if police flag it as possibly stolen.

Anaheim regulates tattoo shops through zoning, not a standalone trade license. Municipal Code § 18.36.040.160 classifies tattoo parlors under the "Personal Services-General" use class, and Table 8-A of § 18.08.030 requires a Conditional Use Permit for that use class in every commercial and office zone in the city.

No one may operate a massage establishment in Anaheim without an operator's permit issued by the Planning Director under Municipal Code Section 18.16.070, following a Police Chief background investigation. Mobile massage is banned citywide, massage in motels is barred outside three named resort specific plans, and operators also owe a $300 annual business tax.

Anaheim secondhand dealers, junk dealers, auto wreckers and recyclers pay a $250 annual license tax under Sec. 3.32.160.010, with each location needing its own recycler license. Chapter 4.64 layers on a police-reporting regime: every dealer must report acquisitions to the Chief of Police by noon the next day and hold reported property for 30 days before reselling it.

Anaheim requires anyone operating a sex-oriented business to first obtain a sex-oriented business permit from the Planning Director in addition to a standard business license. The use must sit outside any redevelopment area, at least 400 feet from a residential zone or use, and 1,000 feet from any school, park, or religious institution, with no more than two such businesses within a 2,500-foot radius.

Anaheim requires every tobacco and e-cigarette retailer to hold a City-issued tobacco retail permit from the Planning Director before selling any product, and bars new retailers within 1,000 feet of a school, park, library or mental health facility, or within 500 feet of an existing tobacco retailer. Retailers must close between midnight and 6 a.m. and cannot use self-service displays.

Anaheim makes it a misdemeanor to urinate, defecate or dispose of human waste in any public place or place open to public view, outside of restrooms and other enclosed facilities. An exception exists for people who cannot control excretory functions due to illness or infirmity, but not for intoxication.

Anaheim makes it a public nuisance to host a party that produces loud and unreasonable noise between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. After a first police warning, a second party at the same address within three months triggers escalating civil fines from $100 up to $1,000.

Anaheim makes it a misdemeanor to loiter, stand or sit so as to block a public street, alley, sidewalk or crosswalk, or to obstruct the entrance to a church, hall, theater or public assembly. Separate rules bar loitering on school grounds overnight and set removal rights for hotels and motels.

Anaheim bans drinking or carrying an open alcohol container on streets, sidewalks, alleys and public parking lots, and on private lots open to the public. The rule also reaches vehicles parked in those lots and any private lot within 200 feet of a dance hall or sex-oriented business. It is a criminal infraction.

Anaheim bars asking, begging or soliciting alms in an aggressive manner anywhere open to the public, including sidewalks, streets, parking lots and building entrances. "Aggressive manner" covers touching, blocking, following after a refusal, or threatening gestures. It is an infraction under state fine rules.

Smoking is unlawful in any public park in Anaheim and in public restrooms in any public or private building under Municipal Code Section 6.30.070. The city also bans smoking within 25 feet of a transit stop and within 100 feet of a school or day care under Section 6.30.105.

Anaheim bans skateboarding, coasting, and non-motorized scootering on any roadway citywide, and separately bans it on sidewalks inside posted business districts. AMC 14.28.040 makes both roadway riding and posted-sidewalk riding an infraction, enforced by the Anaheim Police Department and the Traffic and Transportation Manager, who decide where sidewalk signage goes up.

Anaheim's gross receipts business tax sorts every business into six rate classes under Municipal Code Chapter 3.08: manufacturing/wholesaling, retailing, dwelling/hotel/motel/transient occupancy, recreation/entertainment/amusement, telephone services, and a catch-all miscellaneous class. Each business pays whichever is greater: a flat minimum or a per-thousand-dollar rate tied to gross receipts.