Local Rules Near ONT Airport

Ontario divides every parcel into five noise zones and sets numeric dBA ceilings for each: 65 dBA daytime for single-family and multi-family homes, dropping to 45 dBA and 50 dBA at night, 65/60 dBA for commercial property, and a flat 70 dBA day and night for mixed-use residential and manufacturing/industrial zones under Ontario Municipal Code § 5-29.04.

Ontario limits gas and electric leaf blowers, along with chainsaws and mulching machines, to daytime hours: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Ontario Municipal Code § 5-29.08 makes running one outside those hours a real property maintenance noise violation.

Ontario Municipal Code section 5-29.14 prohibits operating any motor vehicle in a condition that creates excessive, impulsive or intrusive noise, including exhaust noise from engines or motorcycles, and requires compliance with the California Vehicle Code.

Ontario Municipal Code section 5-29.13 requires a Police Chief permit to operate a loudspeaker or sound amplifier on public property, or at outdoor/indoor events over 100 people that are audible at the property line, and bars sound-amplifying equipment from being used between 8:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m.

No Ontario-specific ordinance directly regulates aircraft noise; the City's noise chapter exempts activities preempted by state or federal law (OMC 5-29.06(h)), and aircraft noise is governed by FAA federal preemption and California's 65 dB CNEL airport noise standard (21 CCR 5012).

Ontario does not use a single curfew but enforces lower nighttime exterior noise limits between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. (45 dBA in single-family zones), plus a general loud-and-disturbing-noise prohibition that applies at any hour after a cease-and-desist request.

Ontario Municipal Code section 5-29.09 limits noise-producing construction, remodeling, grading and demolition to 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on weekdays and 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, unless the activity complies with the dB limits in section 5-29.04 or 5-29.05.

Ontario Municipal Code Title 6 (Animals) treats persistent barking as a public nuisance: a dog that barks in a substantially continuous manner, day or night, to the annoyance of the neighborhood may be declared a nuisance and abated, supported by two sworn declarations from separate households.

Total occupancy at an Ontario STR, including the host and all guests, may not exceed two times the number of bedrooms. A single dwelling is limited to two concurrent groups or booking transactions, and un-hosted stays are capped at 90 days per year.

Ontario requires a Short-Term Rental Permit and a business license before any dwelling under 30 days is rented. Only the host's primary residence qualifies, and non-owner-occupied vacation rentals are prohibited.

Ontario bans bulk liquefied petroleum gas storage in every zoning district except the General Industrial District under Fire Code Section 4-4.73, and even there a storage installation needs the Fire Chief's specific approval before it can open. The rule implements Section 6104.2 of the 2025 California Fire Code and is aimed at keeping large LP-gas storage out of the city's populated neighborhoods.

Ontario sits on the valley floor and is not mapped in a CAL FIRE Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone. Chapter 7A ignition-resistant construction and PRC 4291 defensible space do not apply citywide.

Ontario enforces California H and S 13113.7 requiring smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside sleeping areas, and on every floor. 10-year sealed-battery or hardwired units are required on replacement.

All fireworks - including state-approved 'safe and sane' fireworks sold in some neighboring cities - are illegal to use, possess, store, or sell anywhere in the City of Ontario. Possession and discharge are prohibited unless a permit is issued by the California State Fire Marshal and approved by the Ontario Fire Department, which is granted only to state-licensed pyrotechnicians.

Backyard fire pits, fire rings, chimineas, and barbecues are allowed in Ontario but must follow the 2022 California Fire Code. Barbecue/BBQ pits outside of buildings must be at least 15 feet from a structure, recreational fire pits must keep a 25-foot clearance from structures and combustibles, and the fire must be attended with extinguishing equipment available. Portable outdoor fireplaces and gas fire pits are the lower-smoke alternative.

Open burning to dispose of residential waste, leaves, brush, or trash is prohibited in Ontario. The city is in the South Coast Air Quality Management District, whose Rule 444 (Open Burning) expressly prohibits residential burning, and the Ontario Fire Prevention Bureau enforces the 2022 California Fire Code open-burning rules.

Ontario Municipal Code Sec. 4-6.408 bars anyone but the City from painting a street or curb surface. The only carve-out is house-numbering: a resident may paint curb address numbers if they have complied with a separate City resolution or ordinance authorizing that specific program.

Ontario has no blanket overnight parking ban on ordinary passenger vehicles, but standard cars are still subject to the 72-hour limit (OMC Sec. 4-6.1011) and posted street-sweeping and time-restriction signs. Oversized vehicles and RVs may not be left on the street overnight without a 48-hour oversize-vehicle permit.

Ontario's City Council can turn a residential street into a permit parking zone under Municipal Code Section 4-6.1305 once it finds nonresident vehicles are crowding out residents. Once signs go up, only vehicles displaying a valid zone-specific permit may park during the posted hours; the License Official issues up to three resident permits per dwelling unit.

Ontario bars parking or storing vehicles, trailers and boats on a lawn, landscaped area or any other unpaved surface in a residential lot's front or street-side yard, and holds the property owner liable right alongside whoever actually parked there.

Ontario marks curb space yellow for freight and white for passengers under a City Traffic Engineer program that caps loading zones at half a block's curb length. Stopping is free only for actual loading or unloading of passengers (3 minutes) or materials (20 minutes), enforced 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. except Sundays and holidays.

Ontario regulates electric vehicle charging stations through a dedicated Building Code chapter rather than a parking ordinance: installations must meet Article 625 of the California Electrical Code and go through an expedited, nondiscretionary Building Department permit process. Routine maintenance and like-kind replacement of an existing station need no new permit.

Ontario Municipal Code Sec. 5-12.01 declares an abandoned, wrecked, dismantled, or inoperative vehicle on private or public property, other than a highway, a public nuisance under Cal. Veh. Code Sec. 22660, and Chapter 12 lets the Code Enforcement Manager give a 10-day notice, hold a hearing, and abate it at the owner's cost.

On-street parking in Ontario is governed by Title 4, Chapter 6 of the Ontario Municipal Code together with the California Vehicle Code. Drivers must obey all posted signs and curb markings, observe a citywide 72-hour limit, and follow posted street-sweeping no-parking hours.

Since July 1, 2023, Ontario requires a displayed permit to park an oversized vehicle (including most RVs, boats, and trailers) on any public street. Permits are limited to 48 hours, no more than two per calendar month, are not issued consecutively, and the vehicle must be parked in front of the owner's own residence.

Ontario Municipal Code Sec. 4-13.04 prohibits parking or storing commercial vehicles over 10,000 lb GVWR (11,500 lb for pickups), and any motor truck, truck tractor, or trailer regardless of weight, on lots in residential zoning districts. Limited loading/unloading and on-site work exceptions apply for short durations.

Where grade differs between properties or a property and the public right-of-way, Ontario allows a wall or fence combined with a retaining wall above the normal height limit, but a retaining wall adjacent to the public right-of-way is capped at 3 feet, with a free wall up to 6 feet and an overall height of 9 feet; deeper cuts must be tiered.

Ontario lets neighbors build a wall or fence on a common interior side or rear property line for division or security. On corner lots and in front yards the area between a fence and the sidewalk or curb must be fully landscaped and maintained, and nothing may be placed in the public right-of-way without an encroachment permit.

Ontario prohibits razor wire on any wall or fence citywide, and bans barbed wire and electrified fences in residential, commercial, and residential mixed-use districts. Residential fences must be ornamental steel/iron, wood, PVC, or decorative masonry; chain link in front and street-side yards is allowed only where it is the predominant existing material.

In Ontario residential zones, walls and fences within a front yard may not exceed 3 feet, while interior side, rear, street-side, and subdivision-perimeter walls or fences may not exceed 6 feet. Anything in a required front or street-side setback that affects safe sight lines is capped at 3 feet.

Every wall, fence, and gate in Ontario is subject to Planning Director design review regardless of whether a building permit is needed. A building permit is separately required for fences and walls over 3 feet high and for retaining walls over 2 feet, and a right-of-way encroachment permit is required for anything in the public right-of-way.

Ontario allows poultry, fowl, and livestock only as residential animal keeping in the AR-2, RE-2, and AG zones (household pets aside), at a density of one poultry/fowl animal per 6,000 square feet of lot area. Crowing roosters, peacocks, and guinea fowl that disturb the neighborhood are unlawful, and unneutered male goats are prohibited.

Ontario Municipal Code Section 6-1.216 sets the redemption and disposal process for impounded cats. An owner can reclaim a cat by paying a redemption fee plus food and care costs set by City Council resolution, but an unclaimed cat can be offered for adoption after ten days' mailed notice, or three days if no owner is known, and a suffering animal may be humanely destroyed the same day with veterinary or humane officer approval.

Ontario permits the keeping of four or fewer household pets by right in every residential and mixed-use zone (and the AG and MHP zones) in conjunction with a dwelling. Beyond that, the maximum keeping density is one household pet for each 6,000 square feet of net lot area.

Ontario's only mandatory spay-neuter rule targets pet pot-bellied pigs, not dogs or cats generally. Section 6-1.230 bans breeding pot-bellied pigs kept as pets and requires every one to be spayed or neutered, with veterinary certification of that status, plus health and vaccination records, before the city will license the animal. Males two or older must also have their tusks removed.

Ontario requires every dog off its owner's own property to be held on a leash no longer than six feet, controlled by a competent person, whenever it is on a public street, sidewalk, alley, or any private property other than the owner's own. A dog running loose in violation is impounded by the Enforcing Officer and held until reclaimed, adopted, or disposed of.

Ontario does not impose any breed-specific dog ban. California state law (Food and Agricultural Code Section 31683) prohibits any local dog-control program from being breed-specific, except that under Health and Safety Code Section 122331 a city may adopt breed-specific spay/neuter or breeding rules only.

Ontario allows artificial turf at homes subject to drainage and zoning rules. Civil Code 4735 (AB 349) blocks HOA bans, and AB 1572 makes synthetic turf a compliant replacement for commercial non-functional turf.

California's Rainwater Capture Act (AB 1750) lets Ontario residents collect roof rainwater for outdoor use without a permit for simple barrels. Large cisterns and indoor use require plumbing permits.

Ontario Municipal Code Section 6-3.501 lets residents compost yard trimmings and vegetable scraps at home, provided the pile sits in the rear or side yard, out of street view, capped at five feet in every dimension, at least five feet from the property line, and kept free of odor, rodents, insects, and runoff onto neighboring land.

Removing or relocating any City parkway tree in Ontario requires prior authorization from the Public Works Agency under Municipal Code Sec. 10-2.06. Removal is limited to five listed grounds: a visual hazard, a safety hazard, disease or decay beyond correction, an unauthorized original planting, or clearing space for a solar collector installation.

Ontario Municipal Code Chapter 6-9 (Weeds and Refuse Abatement) declares it unlawful and a public nuisance for any property to allow weeds, rubbish, refuse, or dirt to exist on it (Sec. 6-9.02). The City defines weeds to include brush that becomes a fire menace when dry, and abates non-compliant lots at the owner's expense, with unpaid costs becoming a special assessment on the property tax bill.

Ontario Municipal Code Sec. 7-3.13 makes the abutting property owner responsible for watering, trimming, and maintaining parkway vegetation, including trimming trees to a minimum clearance of eight (8) feet from grade. Planting or removing any parkway tree requires a City permit and must conform to the Master Plan of Parkway Trees; major pruning and tree surgery are handled by the City.

Ontario is in the Voluntary Conservation Stage of its Water Conservation Plan (Ontario Municipal Code Chapter 8A, sections 6-8.20 through 6-8.35). The City's WaterWise program asks residents to avoid watering lawns between 6:00 AM and 6:00 PM, prevent irrigation runoff, and stop hose-washing of paved surfaces; mandatory restrictions take effect only if the City Council declares a Stage 1 through Stage 6 shortage.

Ontario permits Cottage Food Operations as a home occupation but requires them to be conducted consistent with California state-law operating requirements and limited to products on the California Department of Public Health Approved Cottage Foods list.

Ontario follows California law classifying small and large family daycare homes as residential uses. State statutes preempt most local zoning, but fire clearance and basic home-occupation registration still apply.

An Ontario home occupation must be clearly incidental and subordinate to the residential use, conducted only by the occupants of the dwelling, confined to one room occupying no more than 10 percent of the dwelling's gross floor area, and may not change the home's outward appearance or generate above-normal traffic. A long list of uses (auto repair, salons, animal businesses, machining, etc.) is prohibited.

Ontario prohibits any change in the outward appearance of the premises and bars advertising that identifies the home occupation by its street address, effectively prohibiting on-site business signage at a home-based business.

A City of Ontario Building Department permit, plan check, and engineered drawings are required to build a residential swimming pool, and site plans must show all property lines, structures, slopes, walls, gates, fences, and barriers controlling access to the pool.

The City of Ontario Building Department requires every outdoor swimming pool, spa, or hot tub to be surrounded by a barrier at least 60 inches high with no more than a 2-inch gap at the bottom, self-closing and self-latching gates, and no climbable design features, in line with the California Swimming Pool Safety Act.

Ontario allows converting an existing garage or accessory structure into an ADU under Section 5.03.010, waiving replacement parking for the converted or demolished garage, requiring a 3-foot landscape planter where the garage door is removed, and allowing the existing structure's location and setbacks to be retained.

Ontario permits accessory dwelling units ministerially under Section 5.03.010 of the Development Code, limiting detached and attached ADUs to 850 square feet for a studio/one-bedroom and 1,000 square feet for two or more bedrooms, with 4-foot rear and side setbacks, a 16-foot detached height limit, and one parking space per unit.

Ontario Development Code Section 5.03.011 governs detached accessory residential structures such as storage sheds, capping permitted-by-right area at 650 square feet (up to 1,100 for required garage parking) and 16 feet in height, requiring 5-foot rear and 10-foot interior side setbacks, prohibiting kitchens, and barring placement in front yards or shipping containers as storage.

Ontario bans dumping refuse, wash water, pet waste, pool chemicals and dozens of other pollutants into any street, gutter or storm drain that feeds the City's stormwater system. The City Engineer enforces the ban with administrative complaints, civil penalties up to $25,000 per day and misdemeanor prosecution.

Ontario requires a development permit before any construction or development begins in an area of special flood hazard, flood-related erosion hazard, or mudslide hazard, mapped on the FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map adopted for the city. The Development Director serves as Floodplain Administrator, and violations are a misdemeanor.

In Ontario's special flood hazard areas, new construction and substantial improvements must have the lowest habitable floor built at least one foot above the base flood elevation. A development permit from the Floodplain Administrator is required before any building or grading begins there.

Ontario residents 21 and older may grow up to 6 cannabis plants indoors per residence under Proposition 64, but outdoor cultivation is banned by OMC Chapter 9 ordinance.

Ontario prohibits every commercial cannabis business, including dispensaries, delivery services and cultivation operations, in all zoning districts citywide. The city has not opted in to any state cannabis licensing category, so no location in Ontario is zoned for a storefront or delivery-only dispensary.

Ontario's Building Department must run a nondiscretionary review for small rooftop solar applications, deem a complete application ready within its process, and issue the permit within three business days. Review is limited to health and safety compliance, and only one inspection is required.

California Civil Code 714 (Solar Rights Act) bars Ontario HOAs from banning rooftop solar, and aesthetic rules cannot add over 1,000 dollars in cost or cut output by more than 10 percent.

Ontario's Chapter 8 solar ordinance defines which rooftop systems qualify as a permitted "small residential rooftop solar energy system": no larger than 10 kW AC or 30 kW thermal, installed on a single or duplex dwelling, and within the City's legal building height. Routine maintenance and like-kind replacement need no new permit.

Ontario caps garage and yard sale signage at one double-faced sign per property, six square feet per side, and the sign may go up only on the actual sale days. The Police Department enforces the chapter alongside the four-weekends-a-year sale limit.

Ontario's Code Enforcement Director treats abandoned, partially destroyed, or substantially deteriorated buildings as a public nuisance under Municipal Code Chapter 22. Owners get a Notice of Violation and an abatement deadline; unresolved hazards can be summarily abated, with costs recovered by lien or special assessment against the property.

A vacant lot next to an improved sidewalk or parkway must carry live, healthy grass, landscaping, or screening under Ontario Municipal Code Sec. 5-22.02(x). The City can serve a Notice of Violation, hold a hearing, and install or irrigate landscaping itself, billing the owner through a lien or special assessment.

Ontario does not receive snow, but property owners must maintain sidewalks free of debris, obstructions, and trip hazards under California Streets and Highways Code 5610 and OMC Chapter 7.

Ontario follows California AB 1482 (Civil Code 1946.2), requiring landlords to provide just cause to terminate tenancy after 12 months of occupancy, with relocation assistance for no-fault evictions.

Ontario has no local rent-control ordinance, but most rentals fall under California AB 1482 capping annual rent increases at 5 percent plus CPI (max 10 percent) and requiring just cause after 12 months.

Ontario residential customers get four free bulky item pickups a year under Section 6-3.309, scheduled by appointment at least a week ahead as part of the regular monthly service fee. Each pickup is capped at five individual items two people can carry. Extra pickups, or hauls over five items, are billed at the special service rate in Section 6-3.401(a).

Ontario requires every residential property owner or occupant to subscribe to the city's integrated waste collection service and place non-organic waste, recycling, green waste, and other organics for pickup at least once a week. Carts must go out by 6 a.m. on collection day, not before the evening before, and be pulled back in by the evening after collection.

Ontario requires every single-family household to subscribe to organic waste collection and separate food waste and green waste from trash and recyclables, under Article 8 of the Solid Waste chapter implementing state law SB 1383. Non-compliance draws escalating administrative fines from $50 up to $500 per violation, with civil penalties enforceable starting January 1, 2024.

Ontario requires the City's Integrated Waste Collector to pick up non-organic waste, recycling, green waste and other organic material from every residential unit at least once a week. Section 6-3.307 lets the City set how many carts a household needs and which types, and Section 6-3.301 makes the property owner or occupant responsible for arranging removal in accordance with the chapter.

Commercial properties in Ontario must use City-approved bins, roll-offs or carts for non-organic waste, recycling, green waste and organics, sized and scheduled by the Administrator under Section 6-3.311. Section 6-3.313 requires every container to sit in a location the City approves and the Integrated Waste Collector can easily reach, with any placement dispute decided in writing by the Administrator, whose decision is final.

Ontario businesses generating four or more cubic yards of solid waste a week, and multifamily buildings of five units or more, must recycle under Section 6-3.604. Covered customers arrange recycling service through the City's Collector or a permitted Non-Waste Dealer and either source-separate recyclables or use mixed-waste processing that hits comparable diversion. Businesses with no viable recyclables can apply to the Administrator for an exemption.

Ontario Municipal Code Section 6-3.308 tells residents exactly when and where to put out trash, recycling and green waste carts: by 6 a.m. on collection day, no earlier than the evening before, and removed by the evening after. Carts go along a usable alley if one exists, otherwise at the curb or three feet clear of mailboxes and obstructions. Objects that block collection can be tagged and, after a second notice, impounded.

Ontario Municipal Code Section 6-3.206 bans dumping, placing or burying solid waste, condemned substances or any deleterious or offensive material on any lot, land, street, alley, water or waterway in the city. The only exception covers land used as a properly permitted landfill, transfer station, materials-recovery facility or organic waste-processing facility. Code Enforcement and the Integrated Waste Department investigate complaints, and violators face the general Title 1 penalty schedule set out at Section 1-2.01.

Ontario residents and businesses must separate recyclables and organics per California AB 341, AB 1826, and SB 1383, using blue recycling and green organics carts provided by Burrtec.

No drone may land or take off within five miles of any airport in Ontario without air traffic control authorization. The rule reaches every airport in the city, not just Ontario International, and layers on top of separate FAA airspace restrictions.

Drones cannot fly over an active parade, motorcade, or City event without the City Manager's written authorization, and a separate 500-foot buffer keeps drones away from any special event in the city unless the City Manager approves it in writing.

Recreational drone flyers in Ontario need no city permit, but must keep the drone within visual line of sight, land only in daylight unless FAA night-flight rules are met, stay 25 feet from bystanders, and register with the FAA if the drone weighs over 0.55 pounds.

Commercial drone operators in Ontario must hold a City drone operating permit and a business license before flying, on top of complying with FAA Part 107. Operators must file a flight plan report with the City before any commercial mission begins.

Under California SB 946, Ontario cannot ban sidewalk vendors citywide but regulates time, place, and manner through OMC Chapter 5, with no vending in parks during events or within 15 feet of curb cuts for ADA access.

Anyone going door-to-door in Ontario selling goods or taking orders for future delivery must first obtain a solicitor's permit from the License Official under § 3-1.702; soliciting without one is a misdemeanor, and applicants must submit fingerprints, a $10 fee, and pass a Police Department background check.

Ontario Municipal Code Sec. 5-7.02 makes it unlawful for anyone under 18 to remain on a public street, park, or other public place between 10:00 p.m. and sunrise unless accompanied by a parent, on a parent-directed errand, returning from a supervised event, exercising First Amendment rights, or otherwise exempt.

Ontario closes every City-owned park from 9:00 p.m. until sunrise, and entering or staying inside during closure is a misdemeanor under Municipal Code Sec. 10-1.29. The City Council can set an earlier closure by resolution to curb problems at a specific park, and the earlier hours must be posted on-site before they are enforced.

Ontario regulates every parkway tree planted along its streets under Municipal Code Sec. 10-2.07. Trees must go in at roughly 60-foot intervals or one per lot frontage, stay at least 25 feet from any curb return, and use planting stock at least one inch in caliper, all administered by the Public Facilities Manager under the City's Official Parkway Tree List.

Ontario Municipal Code Sec. 5-15.03 limits garage and yard sales to no more than four weekends a year, on Council-designated Friday-through-Sunday weekends, and restricts sale hours to 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Ontario HOA assessments follow Civil Code 5600 through 5740. Regular dues and special assessments are capped, must be disclosed in writing, and must follow strict collection and lien procedures.

Ontario HOA disputes must first go through Internal Dispute Resolution under Civil Code 5900 and then Alternative Dispute Resolution under Civil Code 5950 before any civil lawsuit on covenants.

Ontario HOAs enforce CC&Rs through notices, hearings, fines, and ultimately court action under Davis-Stirling. Due process requirements at Civil Code 5855 protect owners before fines can be imposed.

Ontario HOAs running an architectural review committee must follow Civil Code 4765 requirements for written procedures, prompt decisions, appeal rights, and protection of solar installations under Civil Code 714.

Anyone filming or videotaping a scene for public viewing in Ontario, from a single shot to a full production, owes a flat $200 business license tax under § 3-1.217 and must first obtain a City Film Permit and pay the Citywide Fee Schedule's Film Permit Fee before shooting begins.

Ontario requires NFPA 13D fire sprinkler systems installed throughout every one- and two-family dwelling, Group R-3, Group R-4 Condition 1 facility, and townhouse built under the current code, per Fire Code Section 4-4.62. The city adds its own twist on the state standard: a passive purge system to protect Ontario's drinking water supply.

Ontario adopts the 2025 California Green Building Standards Code (Title 24, Part 11) by reference under Municipal Code Section 8-12.01, applying the state's green building requirements to construction citywide. A copy of the code is kept on file at the City Clerk's office for public review.

Ontario enforces the 2025 California Electrical Code (Title 24, Part 3) by reference under Municipal Code Section 8-4.01, making it the governing standard for wiring, panel, and circuit work permitted citywide. A copy is on file at the City Clerk's office, and permit fees are set separately by City Council resolution.

Ontario requires a building permit for any construction covered by the 2025 California Building Code, adopted by reference under Municipal Code Section 8-1.02. Local amendments set structural design criteria at 110 mph wind, Exposure C, Seismic Zone D, and route disputed permit decisions to a five-member Building Appeals Board recommended by the City Manager.

Ontario adopts the 2025 California Plumbing Code (Title 24, Part 5) by reference under Municipal Code Section 8-7.01, governing every water, sewer, and gas piping installation permitted in the city. A copy is kept at the City Clerk's office, and permit fees are set separately by City Council resolution.

Ontario's building security code requires every exterior swinging door on a residential building or attached garage, including the garage-to-house door, to carry a single-cylinder deadbolt meeting exact projection, embedment and hardware specs before the City will sign off on occupancy.

Ontario runs a Systematic Health and Safety Inspection Program under Municipal Code Chapter 17: designated properties get routine inspections on a schedule set by City Council resolution, plus complaint-based and follow-up inspections. Owners pay a service fee, and the City Manager holds right of entry to check for hazardous or unsafe conditions.

Ontario requires a City license before anyone stages an outdoor or indoor festival expected to draw 5,000 or more people, and food vendors at that event must hold a valid Health Department permit. Licensing runs through the City Clerk and City Council under Chapter 16.

Booking an Ontario park building or facility for exclusive use requires a written permit under Municipal Code Sec. 10-1.08. Applications go to the Community Services Director at least 10 working days, but no more than 6 weeks, before the event. The Director must approve or deny within 10 working days and must state grounds and appeal rights for any denial under Sec. 10-1.09.

Anyone building a curb, driveway, retaining wall, sign, fence, or sprinkler line in an Ontario public right-of-way must first get an encroachment permit from the City Engineer, pay the set fee and deposit, and restore the right-of-way to original condition afterward.

Ontario Municipal Code Sec. 4-6.904 makes it unlawful to intentionally obstruct pedestrian or vehicular traffic in any public place, at any time, citywide. 'Public place' sweeps in sidewalks, alleys, driveways, parking lots, plazas and building entrances, and 'obstruct' covers blocking passage or forcing evasive action.

Ontario exempts vehicle and building alarms from its general noise standards only if the alarm shuts itself off within 45 minutes of activation. Under Ontario Municipal Code § 5-29.06(c), an alarm or bell that runs longer than 45 minutes in an hour loses its exemption and becomes an enforceable noise violation.

Ontario Municipal Code Chapter 34 bans selling, displaying, or possessing with intent to sell any flavored tobacco product or flavor enhancer, including menthol, mint, fruit, and candy-flavored vape liquids. A retailer caught holding four or more flavored units is presumed to intend a sale. Violations are a daily misdemeanor with civil penalties up to $1,000 per day and can trigger business license revocation.

Ontario bans camping and storing personal property on public property, streets, sidewalks, parks, and any parked vehicle under Municipal Code Chapter 23. Narrow exceptions cover consensual camping on private residential property, City-approved campgrounds, and permitted special events; each day of violation is a separate offense.

Ontario Municipal Code Sec. 4-6.903 bars sitting or lying on a public sidewalk, curb, gutter, parkway, street or public parking lot, or on a blanket, chair or stool placed there, anywhere in the City between 7:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m., adopted in 2010 to keep public rights-of-way accessible.

Ontario expressly lists "Data Processing, Hosting and Related Services" as a land use. It is permitted by right in all five industrial zones - BP, IP, IL, IG, and IH - and allowed only ancillary to a permitted use in the OL and OH office zones.

Ontario caps exterior noise by receiving zone under Municipal Code Sec. 5-29.04: 65 dBA daytime and 45 dBA overnight at single-family homes, and 70 dBA at any hour on industrial land. A data center's cooling and generators must meet the nearest receiver's limit.

Ontario requires a signed use agreement and City approval before any property can receive recycled water, restricting it to State Water Board approved uses like irrigation and toilet flushing. Purple-coded pipes, backflow protection, and cross-connection testing are mandatory under Municipal Code Chapter 8C.

Ontario requires food service workers to hold a valid competency certificate under County Ordinance No. 1964, adopted by reference into City law at Municipal Code Sec. 6-11.01. The San Bernardino County Department of Environmental Health Services runs the training, testing, certification and fee collection, and its rules apply directly inside city limits.

Ontario, California code enforcement treats overgrown vegetation that is likely to harbor rats, vermin and other vectors as a public nuisance on any premises. The Code Enforcement Director can order abatement, and owners who ignore a Notice of Violation face an infraction charge and City cleanup billed back to the property.

Every transient occupying a hotel room in Ontario, including short-term and vacation rentals under the code's broad 'hotel' definition, owes an 11.75% Transient Occupancy Tax on rent charged, collected by the operator and remitted to the City's Tax Administrator under Municipal Code § 3-6.03.

Altering or demolishing a designated Historical Resource in Ontario, California without a Certificate of Appropriateness is a misdemeanor and an expressly declared public nuisance under Ontario Municipal Code Sec. 9-1.2680. Violators face a civil penalty equal to half the resource's assessed value for demolition, or half the restoration cost for alteration, on top of criminal prosecution.

Ontario requires any company towing vehicles for the Police Department without owner consent to hold both a City business license and a towing carrier permit issued by City Council resolution. Permits are non-exclusive, tied to a written towing services agreement, and carriers rotate on an on-call list the Chief of Police maintains.

Ontario requires every adult business and adult business performer to register with the City Manager under § 3-1.801 before operating, submitting fingerprints, photographs, criminal history and ownership details, and § 3-1.802 bars anyone convicted of a specified sexual offense within the statutory look-back period from owning, managing or performing at one.

Ontario Municipal Code Sec. 5-6.01 lets the Chief of Police grant secondhand-dealer licenses under California's secondhand dealer law, Bus. & Prof. Code Sec. 21625 et seq. Section 5-6.02 requires applicants to pay the state-set fee for an initial license and a Chief-of-Police-set, Council-approved fee for renewals.

Ontario bans smoking tobacco, using electronic delivery devices, and consuming cannabis in every public park in the city, at all times, day or night. The ban covers restrooms, playgrounds, athletic fields, aquatic areas, and city-owned parking lots at those parks, but excludes city golf courses. Violators face escalating infractions of $50, $100, and $200 for repeat offenses within a year.

Ontario Municipal Code Sec. 4-6.902 bars pedestrians from crossing a roadway anywhere except a marked crosswalk within the Central Traffic District or any business district. The City Traffic Engineer designates those crosswalks under Sec. 4-6.901, marking them at intersections and any other spot found particularly hazardous for pedestrians.

Ontario does not ban skateboarding, roller skating, or roller blading outright. Municipal Code Section 4-6.1903 makes it unlawful only when the activity becomes a nuisance, meaning it threatens injury, blocks or endangers pedestrians and motorists, or generates loud, unreasonable noise on public or private property.

Ontario Municipal Code Sec. 5-11.02 bans drinking alcohol or possessing an open alcoholic beverage container in any city park, city-owned property, or other public place, including streets, sidewalks, and parking lots, unless a City-approved event or Special Event Permit authorizes it.

Ontario Municipal Code Sec. 5-23.06 bans urinating, defecating, or dumping fecal matter on public or private property in view of the public, on any street, sidewalk, alley, or park, unless done in a restroom or facility built for that purpose. The rule was added by Ord. 3311, effective September 18, 2025.

Any gathering of five or more people that turns loud or unruly is a declared public nuisance in Ontario, with fixed noise-distance triggers, mandatory minimum fines starting at $250, and joint liability reaching the property owner, resident, sponsor and every participant.

Ontario Municipal Code Sec. 5-7.04 makes it unlawful for a minor subject to compulsory school attendance to be in a public street, park, or other public place away from home during school hours, with exceptions for employment, medical appointments, home schooling, and school-authorized absences.

Ontario taxes every paid parking occupancy at 100% of the rent charged, but caps the tax an occupant actually owes at $1.75 per vehicle per day, or 12.5% of the monthly rate for monthly parking. Operators collect it and remit it to the Finance Director.

Ontario Municipal Code § 3-1.201 taxes every profession operating in the city under Article 2's per-classification business license scheme: a $50 flat fee plus $0.55 per $1,000 of gross receipts, with separate flat and per-unit rates set for services, contractors, residential rental, transportation and warehousing businesses under the neighboring sections.

Ontario Municipal Code Sec. 5-5.01 makes it unlawful to play, maintain, or operate draw poker or any other card game for money, chips, or tokens anywhere a charge is made for tables, chairs, cards, or admission. The city has never adopted a licensing ordinance for commercial card rooms, so pay-to-play card games are flatly prohibited citywide.