Local Rules Near Santa Clara University

Santa Clara restricts leaf blower operation to 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM weekdays and 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM weekends, with gas-powered models phased out under California AB 1346 (SORE regulation) effective 2024.

Santa Clara makes it unlawful under Municipal Code § 6.30.130 to keep a dog that disturbs the peace of the immediate neighborhood with loud barking, howling or baying at frequent or extended periods, day or night. The rule expressly does not cover barking while a dog is protecting or resisting a trespasser, but the owner carries the burden of proving that defense applies.

Santa Clara bars construction work within 300 feet of residentially zoned property outside 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on weekdays and 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Saturdays. No construction work is allowed at all on Sundays or on the eight City-recognized holidays.

Santa Clara City Code § 9.05.060 makes it unlawful to run any outdoor sound system or project amplified music, including a live band, for more than five minutes in any single day without a valid amplified sound permit. The same five-minute cap and permit rule covers non-music amplified sound projected outdoors or from a vehicle.

Santa Clara bans loud and unreasonable noise between 10:00 PM and 7:00 AM under City Code § 9.05.010(c), whether it disturbs anyone within earshot or happens within 250 feet of a building used for sleeping, and the rule reaches private property, not just public streets. Fines escalate from $150 to $900 for repeat violations within a year.

Santa Clara short-term rentals are subject to occupancy caps typically based on bedroom count, plus California building and fire code occupant load limits to protect health and safety.

Santa Clara short-term rental operators must provide off-street parking consistent with residential zoning and ensure guests do not block driveways, fire lanes, or create parking impacts on neighbors.

Santa Clara taxes short-term rental stays at 13.5% of rent under its transient occupancy tax chapter. Any host renting a room, unit or house for 30 consecutive days or less counts as a taxable "hotel" occupancy, and the host must collect and remit the tax to the Director of Finance.

A Santa Clara property loses its shot at short-term rental registration for a full year after trouble: Section 18.60.250 requires the City to deny registration if the property carries an active compliance order, a pending citation, or a denied or revoked short-term rental application from the preceding 12 months. Fraud or misrepresentation in the application can get an existing registration revoked outright.

Santa Clara does not require every short-term rental to be the host's primary residence, but the Zoning Code ties unlimited operation to it: a hosted unit, one where the host lives on-site as a primary residence, can rent year-round, while an unhosted unit is capped at 90 days a year.

Santa Clara requires every short-term rental host to obtain an Administrative Permit for Short-term Rentals and hold a valid City Business License before advertising or renting a unit for 30 days or less. Registration runs on a calendar-year basis, requires a City Council-set fee, and must be renewed annually by December 15 or the permit expires.

Transient Occupancy Tax on a Santa Clara short-term rental is the host's responsibility to collect and remit, not the platform's, unless the City has struck a voluntary collection agreement with that specific hosting platform. Where such an agreement exists, Section 18.60.250 lets the platform collect and remit TOT directly to the City in the host's place.

An unhosted short-term rental in Santa Clara, meaning no host is present in the unit during the stay, is capped at 90 days per calendar year in the aggregate under Zoning Code Section 18.60.250. A separate carve-out lets up to 35 percent of units in a new multi-family building operate as short-term rentals for their first two years without hitting that cap.

When a Santa Clara host lives on site during the stay, the City places no annual cap on how many days the unit can operate as a short-term rental. Section 18.60.250 allows a hosted rental of 30 days or less to run every day of the calendar year, so long as the host is present in the unit.

Santa Clara bans weddings, corporate events, commercial functions, large parties, and any other gathering likely to cause traffic, parking, or noise impacts on a short-term rental property under Zoning Code Section 18.60.250. The prohibition applies to every registered short-term rental regardless of whether the stay is hosted or unhosted.

Santa Clara defines who counts as a host for short-term rental purposes and backs that presence with round-the-clock accountability. An accessory dwelling unit only qualifies as hosted if the primary unit on the lot is owner-occupied, and every host, present or not, must staff a local contact reachable 24/7 who can respond on-site within 60 minutes.

Santa Clara is largely not mapped in a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, but adjacent foothill communities are. Check the CAL FIRE map before building or landscaping near open space.

Santa Clara is mostly on the valley floor and not mapped as a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, but nearby foothills trigger PRC 4291 defensible space for properties bordering wildland.

Santa Clara bans burning solid waste anywhere in the city except fuel burned in a compliant wood burning appliance, and no fire may be kindled on any public street, alley or waterway unless the Fire Department itself is directing it.

Santa Clara bans possession, sale, handling and use of all fireworks, including state-classified Safe and Sane fireworks, allowing only permitted public displays and licensed pyrotechnic productions under the Municipal Fire and Environmental Code.

Santa Clara lets residents run a freestanding outdoor fireplace without a wood-heater certification, but a backyard bonfire or other outdoor fire needs a permit the Fire Marshal issues under the Municipal Fire and Environmental Code.

Santa Clara enforces residential smoke alarm requirements through the 2025 California Residential Code, adopted wholesale by SCCC § 15.17.010, and layers on a local smoke-alarm mandate of its own for homes with battery energy storage systems under § 15.60.210, which amends California Fire Code Section 1207.11.6.

Santa Clara requires EV-ready wiring in new construction under CALGreen, and Silicon Valley Power offers rebates for residential Level 2 charger installations.

Santa Clara has no citywide overnight parking ban but enforces CVC 22651(k) 72-hour limits and residential permit zones near SCU and Levi's Stadium.

Santa Clara can close specific streets to commercial vehicles entirely: Section 10.05.780 of the City Code lets the City Manager designate a street off-limits, and once signs go up, driving a commercial vehicle contrary to those signs is unlawful. Trucks over three tons are separately confined to designated truck routes under Section 10.05.770, with exceptions for local pickups, deliveries and construction access.

Only the City Council can authorize painting a Santa Clara street or curb surface: Section 10.05.250 of the City Code makes any unauthorized curb paint job unlawful, with a narrow carve-out for licensed curb-numbering. The color that appears on an authorized curb, red, yellow, white, green or blue, carries its own legally defined parking meaning under Section 10.05.680.

Santa Clara treats an abandoned, wrecked, dismantled or inoperative vehicle sitting on private or public property (not a highway) for more than three days as a public nuisance under Chapter 10.10 of the City Code. The City Manager can enter the property, order removal, and, after a ten-day notice and hearing process, tow the vehicle at the owner's expense; refusing to remove it is a misdemeanor.

Santa Clara paints loading zones yellow and passenger loading zones white on the curb, per Section 10.05.670 of the City Code. A yellow zone allows loading or unloading of passengers for up to three minutes or materials for up to twenty minutes, only between 7:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. on non-holiday weekdays and Saturdays, under Section 10.05.680.

Santa Clara's zoning code bars required parking from front and side-corner setbacks and requires any parking that is allowed there to sit on a continuously paved or all-weather surface. In the R1-6L, R1-8L and R2 zones, no more than 65 percent of the required front setback may be paved at all.

Santa Clara creates residential permit parking districts by City Council resolution under Municipal Code Section 10.40.020, using criteria the City Manager sets in written guidelines. Once a street inside the district is posted with signs, parking is barred during the posted days and hours unless the vehicle displays a valid permit, and the City issues five distinct permit types covering residents, nonresident owners, guests, employees and special uses.

Santa Clara homeowners may park one recreational vehicle, boat, or trailer in a residential front setback, but only on the owner's own property, on a paved or approved driveway, stored perpendicular to the curb, clear of the sidewalk, and at least three feet from side and rear property lines under City Code Section 18.38.100.

Santa Clara limits continuous street parking to 72 hours under CVC 22651(k), posts time zones near downtown, and operates residential permit districts near SCU and Levi's Stadium.

Santa Clara follows California Civil Code 841 (Good Neighbor Fence Act) presuming equal shared responsibility between adjoining owners for boundary fence construction and maintenance.

Santa Clara's Title 18 Zoning Code bans barbed wire, razor wire, and electrified fencing on every parcel in the city under § 18.34.060(D), along with grease coatings and broken glass or other sharp materials worked into a fence or wall. The only exception is an approved monitored perimeter security fence system under § 18.34.060(E), and even that option is limited to Light and Heavy Industrial zoned property.

Santa Clara limits retaining walls to three feet in height under Title 18 Zoning Code § 18.34.040(B), with a six-foot fence and one foot of lattice allowed on top. Where the grade differential between properties exceeds four feet, a taller wall is permitted only with Community Development Director approval. Most new fences and walls also need Architectural Review under § 18.34.020 unless built to the code's residential exemption standards.

Santa Clara caps fences, walls and hedges at 3 feet in the required front setback and in the street-side setback along a corner lot, and at 6 feet everywhere else on the parcel, with up to one additional foot of open lattice on top. Corner lots also carry a 3-foot cap inside the visibility triangle.

Santa Clara requires Architectural Review under Chapter 18.120 for any new fence, wall, hedge or screen unless it qualifies for the residential exemption. Fences on R1-6L, R1-8L or R2 zoned lots skip that review only if they meet the height and measurement standards of Section 18.34.030; every other zone, and any noncompliant residential fence, must go through review first.

Santa Clara does not restrict dog ownership by breed due to California Food and Agricultural Code Section 31683 preemption, but may declare specific dogs dangerous based on individual behavior.

Santa Clara prohibits exotic and wild animals as pets under California Fish and Game Code Section 2116-2126 and City Code Chapter 6.10; violations carry fines up to 1,000 dollars.

Santa Clara does not ban retail pet sales outright, but it heavily conditions them: dogs and cats can't be sold under eight weeks old, sellers must give buyers written health and licensing disclosures, and sales are restricted to permitted pet shops, kennels and animal shelters or private residences.

Santa Clara's General Code caps backyard fowl and livestock at six animals per property under § 6.15.070(a), covering chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, rabbits, goats, sheep, hogs and bovine or equine animals in any combination. Keeping any such animal within fifty feet of a neighbor's dwelling needs a housing-coordinator permit under § 6.15.020, and no rooster over four months old may be kept outside a commercially zoned operation under § 6.15.025.

Santa Clara's General Code requires every dog owner to keep the dog under physical restraint on a leash no longer than six feet, or confined behind a fence of reasonable height, under Municipal Code § 6.30.010. Guide dogs, service dogs in training, trial and exhibition dogs, and dogs assisting security or law enforcement are exempt, and posted off-leash areas carry their own separate conditions under § 6.30.120.

Santa Clara does not require microchips for pets generally, but a dog formally classified as "dangerous" after a City hearing must have a microchip implant for identification as one of a strict set of confinement and control conditions. Failure to comply can lead to seizure of the dog.

Santa Clara Municipal Code § 6.10.100 requires that any dog or cat impounded twice or more from the same owner during the animal's lifetime be spayed or neutered at the owner's expense before it can be redeemed. Owners keep the right to choose their own veterinarian, though the impounding agency can control transportation to that vet, and owners can request a hearing under § 6.10.060 to contest the order.

Santa Clara's General Code requires every cat over four months old to be licensed under Municipal Code § 6.30.040, with narrow exceptions for nonresidents keeping a cat in the city under thirty days a year and cats visiting for a show or event of ten days or less. Licensing requires proof of a current anti-rabies vaccination under § 6.30.030, and license fees are set by City Council resolution under § 6.30.050.

Santa Clara caps most households at three adult dogs and cats combined, over four months old, at any one street address, under Municipal Code § 6.30.020. Only one unspayed female dog or cat is allowed per address, and no more than one litter per calendar year may be raised there, though licensed veterinarians, pet shops, kennels, shelters and permitted menageries are exempt.

Santa Clara's General Code caps backyard beekeeping at two hives per lot without written City Manager consent for more, under § 6.28.030. Hives must sit at least ten feet from a side property line and twenty feet from a neighboring dwelling or public road, must be registered with the Santa Clara County Agriculture Commission, and moving an apiary into the city requires five days' written notice to the City Manager under § 6.28.010.

Santa Clara requires a Minor Use Permit for veterinary facilities in the C-C commercial zone and a Conditional Use Permit in C-R, and bars them outright from the C-N neighborhood commercial zone, under Title 18's commercial use table.

Santa Clara encourages California native landscaping through MWELO compliance and Valley Water rebates. Native plants are allowed as lawn replacements citywide.

Santa Clara allows rainwater harvesting under the CA Rainwater Capture Act. Rain barrels under 5,000 gallons typically need no permit, but larger cisterns and pumps do.

Santa Clara requires a City permit before removing any protected tree, including heritage trees, listed native species twelve inches or wider, and any private tree with a thirty-eight-inch or wider trunk, under City Code Section 12.35.080. Violations can draw a civil penalty of up to $5,000 per tree plus the tree's assessed monetary value.

Artificial turf is permitted on residential lots in Santa Clara subject to setbacks, permeability, and product standards. Civil Code 4735 limits HOA bans on synthetic lawns.

Santa Clara Water and Sewer Utilities enforces year-round outdoor watering rules under Valley Water guidance. AB 1572 also phases out potable water on non-functional turf.

Santa Clara protects designated heritage and street trees. Routine trimming on private trees is allowed, but major work on protected trees requires a permit from the city.

Santa Clara lets residents compost their own organic waste on their own property without a City refuse-collector contract or permit. The allowance sits inside the refuse code's franchise-collection exceptions, alongside self-hauling and other alternatives to using the City's exclusive collector.

Santa Clara bars property owners from letting weeds grow on their lots, sidewalks or the abutting half of any street or alley, and the Fire Department can declare uncut weeds a public nuisance, abate them by City crews, and assess the cost as a lien against the property.

Santa Clara must treat small and large family daycare homes as permitted residential uses under California Health and Safety Code 1597.40, which preempts local zoning restrictions on licensed family daycares.

Home-based businesses in Santa Clara can host clients, but only two at a time and only between 9:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. Title 18 Section 18.60.120's Table 4-1 sets both caps as part of the standards a home occupation must meet to keep its Zoning Clearance.

A home occupation in Santa Clara gets no dedicated business sign at all: Table 4-1 under Zoning Code Section 18.60.120 states no signs are allowed except whatever a dwelling unit could display anyway under Chapter 18.42 (Sign Standards). That leaves only exempt residential signage, since the residential sign table sets no permit category for home-business advertising.

Running a business from a Santa Clara home requires a Zoning Clearance under Title 18 Section 18.60.120, and the use has to stay inside the dwelling itself, capped at 25 percent of the floor area, with the operator living on site and no employee who doesn't also live there.

Santa Clara pool owners must comply with anti-entrapment drain covers under the federal VGB Act, approved safety features, proper electrical bonding, and chemical storage rules to prevent drownings and injuries.

Santa Clara treats above-ground pools deeper than 18 inches as regulated swimming pools, requiring permits, barrier compliance under California H&S Code 115921, and setback conformity.

Santa Clara permits ADUs and JADUs under California Gov Code 65852.2. Ministerial approval applies to compliant designs with no owner-occupancy requirement and no discretionary review.

Santa Clara caps detached sheds and other residential accessory structures at 16 feet tall and 600 square feet under Title 18 Zoning Code Chapter 18.32. Sheds over 120 square feet or 16 feet tall need an Architectural Review Check, and all sheds must clear a 3-foot side and 5-foot rear setback.

Santa Clara's Title 18 Zoning Code bars short-term rentals of accessory dwelling units. Under Section 18.60.020, every ADU and JADU created through the City's ministerial approval process must be leased for stretches longer than 30 days, closing off Airbnb-style bookings on the second unit even where the primary house is not similarly restricted.

Turning an existing garage into living space in Santa Clara counts as a converted ADU under Title 18 Zoning Code Section 18.60.020(J), which waives rear, side and street-side setbacks for the conversion, caps any expansion at 150 square feet for entry access, and drops the unit off the standard ADU size cap entirely.

Santa Clara requires the property owner to live on site before a junior accessory dwelling unit can be permitted. Title 18 Zoning Code Section 18.60.020 ties JADU approval to owner-occupancy of the single-family home, with a narrow carve-out for government agencies, land trusts, and housing organizations that hold title.

Santa Clara participates in the NFIP; properties in FEMA AE/AH zones near Guadalupe and San Tomas creeks need elevation certificates and flood insurance for federally-backed mortgages.

Santa Clara adopts CCR Title 24, Part 2, Appendix G for flood-resistant construction in flood hazard areas and lets detached garages sit below the base flood elevation only if they are one story, no larger than 600 square feet, anchored against flotation, and built with flood damage-resistant materials below the BFE.

Santa Clara Municipal Code § 13.20.050 requires every construction site owner and operator to run erosion, sediment, and nonstormwater controls through every phase of work, from grading to landscaping, until the site is fully stabilized, then remove temporary controls. Sites disturbing one acre or more must also file a state Notice of Intent and maintain a site-specific stormwater pollution prevention plan.

Santa Clara requires every construction site owner and operator to run erosion, sediment and runoff controls through all phases of building, from clearing to final landscaping, and to file a City-approved erosion and sediment control plan before work proceeds under City Code Chapter 13.20.

Santa Clara adults 21+ may cultivate up to 6 cannabis plants per residence under California Proposition 64. Outdoor cultivation is prohibited - plants must be grown indoors in a locked, secure area.

California Civil Code 714 (Solar Rights Act) prohibits Santa Clara HOAs from unreasonably restricting solar installations; only modest cost/performance-based conditions allowed.

Santa Clara runs a checklist-based expedited review for small residential rooftop solar systems up to 10 kW AC, letting applicants self-verify structural and electrical readiness and get through in one consolidated inspection.

Political signs are protected speech in Santa Clara on private property with owner consent. Local size and duration limits are relaxed for political content under California Elections Code and First Amendment case law.

Freeway- and expressway-oriented signs in Santa Clara must sit on the same parcel as the business they advertise, stay under 30 feet tall and 200 square feet, and sit within 500 feet of a freeway right-of-way under Title 18 Zoning Code Section 18.42.120(F). Every one needs a Conditional Use Permit, and external illumination is flatly prohibited.

Santa Clara caps window signs at 25 percent of each individual window on any building frontage and confines them to the ground and second floors under Zoning Code Section 18.42.120(L). The bottom 24 inches of every ground-floor window must stay clear for police and security sightlines, and illuminated or neon-outlined window signs are prohibited outright.

Santa Clara does not require a Sign Permit for holiday displays and decorations, and they are not counted toward the number, type, or area of signs otherwise allowed on a parcel. The only conditions in the Zoning Code are that a display cannot create a traffic hazard or sit inside a visibility clearance area, and temporary holiday lighting is separately exempt from the outdoor-lighting standards.

Santa Clara requires a Conditional Use Permit before anyone erects or maintains any electronic digital display message sign, including digital billboards, under City Code Section 18.42.140. New digital displays are capped at 800 square feet of sign face, 60 feet in length, 25 feet in height, and must sit at least 1,500 feet from any other electronic display sign.

Snow is essentially nonexistent in Santa Clara. Property owners are responsible for keeping sidewalks adjacent to their property clear of debris, vegetation overgrowth, and trip hazards year-round.

Santa Clara prohibits property blight including accumulated junk, overgrown vegetation, graffiti, broken windows, and inoperable vehicles. Code enforcement can issue citations and abate nuisances at owner cost.

Santa Clara property owners must keep weeds from growing on vacant lots and the abutting half of any adjoining street or alley, under City Code § 8.15.020. If left unabated after City Council declares them a nuisance, the Fire Department removes them and bills the cost as a lien on the property.

Santa Clara's Zoning Code regulates outdoor lighting under Section 18.40.080 to preserve dark skies and keep glare off neighboring lots. Anyone pulling a building, electrical, or discretionary permit for new development must show the Review Authority the lighting design complies. Search lights, roof-mounted fixtures except for security, and moving or flashing lights are banned outright, and freestanding fixtures are height-capped by zone.

Santa Clara's Zoning Code bars light fixtures from directly illuminating anything outside the project site. Section 18.40.080(E) requires every outdoor fixture to be shielded and aimed downward or at a structure so glare and trespass stay off adjoining properties and rights-of-way, and it sets a hard 0.1 foot-candle ceiling at the property line for sports-field and outdoor-activity lighting.

Electronic billboards and other digital display signs in Santa Clara cannot exceed 5,000 nits during daylight hours or 500 nits from dusk to dawn, measured at the sign face, under Title 18 Zoning Code Section 18.42.140. Every such sign needs an automatic dimmer that steps illumination down at sunset and back up at sunrise, plus a Conditional Use Permit.

Santa Clara has no local rent control; state AB 1482 (Tenant Protection Act) caps annual rent increases at 5 percent plus CPI up to 10 percent on qualifying units.

Santa Clara does not require a general rental registration program. Landlords must comply with state habitability standards and obtain a business license for rental operations in some cases.

Santa Clara does not have a local just cause eviction ordinance, but state AB 1482 (Civil Code 1946.2) applies to most rentals over 15 years old and requires just cause for eviction after 12 months of tenancy.

Santa Clara enforces minimum property maintenance and habitability standards through the 2024 International Property Maintenance Code, adopted wholesale by SCCC § 15.18.010, effective November 4, 2025 under Ordinance No. 2081. Any Municipal Code reference to the former 'Housing Code' now means the Property Maintenance Code under § 15.18.020.

Santa Clara mandates recycling and organics separation under California SB 1383. Residents must sort recyclables, organics (food scraps and yard waste), and landfill trash into color-coded carts.

Santa Clara phased in mandatory organic waste recycling for commercial businesses under City Code Section 8.25.276, starting with 8+ cubic yards weekly in 2016 and dropping to a 4-cubic-yard threshold for nonindustrial businesses by January 2019, with subscription required unless the City Manager grants a storage-space exception.

Santa Clara bars refuse collection before 7:00 a.m. or after 6:00 p.m. at residential properties under City Code Section 8.25.110, requires collections to run as quietly as possible, and sets equipment standards, covered containers and uniform-painted trucks, so crews don't spill or scatter waste along the route.

Santa Clara makes it unlawful to dispose of refuse on City-controlled disposal land outside the terms of Chapter 8.25 under City Code Section 8.25.330, and any Chapter 8.25 violation defaults to the citywide penalty scheme: up to $1,000 and six months in jail for a misdemeanor.

Santa Clara requires refuse, recycling and organics containers to be kept in an enclosure or the side/rear yard, with tight-fitting lids at all times, and bars setting carts out on the curb before 5:00 p.m. the day before collection; carts must come back off the right-of-way the same collection day.

Santa Clara requires weekly refuse pickup for every residential, commercial, industrial and institutional property under City Code Section 8.25.120, and only the City Manager can approve a different frequency in writing, keeping collection mandatory even for property owners who would rather skip a week.

Every household in Santa Clara must subscribe to residential recycling service, and commercial properties generating 4 or more cubic yards of refuse weekly must subscribe to commercial recycling, under City Code Section 8.25.275, with limited exceptions the City Manager can grant for insufficient container storage space.

New solid waste enclosures built in Santa Clara must meet exact design specs under City Code Section 8.25.100(c): drainage to the sanitary sewer or a 25-foot storm drain setback, a 120-degree swinging gate with a 12-foot clear opening, and a reinforced concrete pad rated for at least 40,000 pounds.

Santa Clara's clean-up campaign lets residents set bulky items at the curb only during a scheduled collection week under City Code Section 8.25.300, with strict placement and hazardous-material limits, and treats items placed in front of a neighbor's home instead of your own as illegal dumping.

Santa Clara bans mixing green waste into garbage or recycling containers under City Code Section 8.25.290, lets the City Manager require single-family and multifamily homes to subscribe to clean green collection, and prohibits putting anything but plant material in a container designated for clean green.

Santa Clara's Unmanned Aircraft Systems ordinance bars drone takeoffs and landings within a one-mile radius of any Major Event citywide for two hours before or after it happens, and within two miles of Levi's Stadium for three hours around any stadium event. City Code Chapter 8.60 defines a Major Event broadly and lets the Chief of Police issue an operating permit.

Santa Clara bans drone takeoffs and landings in every city park under Municipal Code § 8.60.030(a)(3), part of the Unmanned Aircraft Systems chapter the City Council adopted in November 2025. The rule applies regardless of any nearby event, and violators can be charged with a misdemeanor and have their equipment confiscated by police.

Santa Clara lets hobbyists fly drones but bans flying below 200 feet above ground level over school grounds during school hours, over emergency services and energy facilities, and over private property in a way that harasses someone or invades their privacy. City Code § 8.60.030(b) works alongside, not instead of, FAA airspace rules.

Santa Clara food trucks need SCCDEH mobile food facility permit, city business license, and compliance with SB 946 sidewalk vending protections. Temperature logs required.

Santa Clara restricts mobile vending locations through zoning and Levi's Stadium event zones; SB 946 limits time/place restrictions to objectively health/safety-based reasons.

Sidewalk vendors selling food or merchandise near Levi's Stadium must hold a police-issued sidewalk vending permit at all times, not just on event days, under SCCC § 5.05.420. On event days, vending is barred entirely on the enumerated stadium-area streets and trails during street or trail closure hours, and every vendor's setup is capped at a 10-by-10-foot footprint.

Door-to-door solicitors and peddlers in Santa Clara must register with the city and carry a valid solicitor identification card. Hours are limited, and residents can opt out with No Solicitation signs.

Santa Clara residents can prohibit solicitors by posting No Solicitation or No Trespassing signs at their front entrance. Solicitors who knock after seeing such signs are subject to citation.

Santa Clara's public parks open daily at 6:00 a.m. and close one-half hour after sunset under City Code Section 12.05.060, extending to 10:00 p.m. at lighted facilities. The Director of Parks and Recreation can post shorter hours or close a park at any time, and anyone present after closing, other than City staff on business, faces an infraction fine.

Santa Clara caps structure coverage at 40% of lot area in the R1-6L and R1-8L single-family zones and 45% in the R2 two-family zone, rising to 60% in R3 and 80% in R4 multi-family zones, per Title 18's Table 2-3.

Santa Clara's Table 2-3 sets a 20-foot front setback in R1-6L and R1-8L, stepping down to 10 feet in R3 through R6, with a 5-foot interior side setback in R1-6L and 6-to-9 feet in R1-8L, plus separate second-story and rear-yard minimums.

Santa Clara caps residential building height at 25 feet in the R1-6L and R1-8L single-family zones, and limits structures within 20 feet of any R1-6L, R1-8L or R2 zone boundary to 32 feet even in higher-density R3 through R6 zones.

In Santa Clara, you cannot plant a tree in the park strip (the parkway between the sidewalk and the street) yourself; the City controls all street tree planting under SCCC § 12.35.050. You may plant shrubs and ground cover in the strip without a permit if you maintain them, but trees are off-limits to residents there.

Nine native and specimen tree species are protected across Santa Clara once their trunk reaches twelve inches in diameter, measured fifty-four inches above grade, on private property. SCCC § 12.35.080(b) names California buckeye, big leaf maple, deodar and blue Atlas cedar, camphor tree, western sycamore, five native oak species, coast redwood, and California bay laurel, and none may be removed without a City permit.

Santa Clara Municipal Code Chapter 12.35 designates "heritage trees" as trees significant for their age, historic commemoration, or memory of a person or event, and bans removing one in any zoning district without a City permit. Unlike other protected trees, which the Community Development Department reviews, heritage tree removal applications go straight to the City Council for final review under SCCC § 12.35.090(c)(3)(A).

Santa Clara residents can hold garage and yard sales without a permit only twice a year, and each sale is capped at two consecutive days. City Zoning Code Section 18.122.040(C) exempts sales within that limit from the Temporary Use Permit process; go beyond it and the City treats the activity as a regulated temporary use.

Santa Clara HOAs must offer Internal Dispute Resolution (Civil Code 5910) and Alternative Dispute Resolution (Civil Code 5925) before most lawsuits between an association and a member can proceed.

Santa Clara HOAs follow Davis-Stirling assessment rules (Civil Code 5600+), including annual budget disclosures, limits on assessment increases without member approval, and lien procedures for delinquencies.

HOA boards in Santa Clara must follow the Davis-Stirling Common Interest Development Act, California Civil Code 4000 and following, which governs meeting notice, open sessions, minutes, and executive session limits.

Santa Clara HOA architectural committees must follow California Civil Code 4765 fair procedures and honor state protections like Civil Code 714 (solar) and 4735 (low-water landscaping) when reviewing modifications.

Santa Clara HOAs enforce CC&Rs under Civil Code 5850 through 5865, requiring adopted enforcement policies, notice and hearing before fines, and limits on selective or arbitrary enforcement.

Santa Clara requires a City-issued permit before anyone, including students, films on public or private property, a facility, or a residence within city limits. SCCC § 12.60.030(a) puts the City Manager's office in charge of issuing permits, and § 12.60.050(b) requires applicants to disclose the filming location, dates, crew size, equipment, and any use of animals or pyrotechnics.

Filming that would impair traffic flow in Santa Clara requires the production company to hire Santa Clara Police Department personnel for traffic control and to post advance warning signs meeting Caltrans' Manual of Traffic Controls. SCCC § 12.60.080(f) lets the City restrict traffic to one twelve-foot lane or stop it intermittently, and § 12.60.080(h) requires 24-hour notice to everyone within 200 feet of the location.

Student filmmakers in Santa Clara must obtain the same City permit as any other production, even though SCCC § 12.60.030(b)(5) lets the City Manager waive the fee on a case-by-case basis. Section 12.60.020(f) defines "student filming" as production made by a student at a public or private school to satisfy a course requirement, with no profit, including posting to social media.

Santa Clara adopted the 2025 California Green Building Standards Code (CCR Title 24, Part 11) by reference on November 4, 2025, and layered on its own mandatory EV-charging infrastructure rules for every new home, from Level 2 ready garages to multifamily buildouts.

Santa Clara requires an automatic residential fire sprinkler system in every new one- and two-family dwelling and accessory dwelling unit under SCCC § 15.17.030, replacing the state Residential Code's baseline. Existing homes must add sprinklers when additions push total floor area past 3,600 square feet, add more than 1,200 square feet, or when a new basement is added or expanded by more than half.

Santa Clara enforces building permits through the 2025 California Building Code, adopted wholesale by SCCC § 15.15.010, effective November 4, 2025 under Ordinance No. 2081. Any work covered by the Building Code, from new construction to additions and structural alterations, falls under the adopted code's own permit provisions plus the City's local amendments layered on top.

Santa Clara enforces electrical permits through the 2025 California Electrical Code, adopted wholesale by SCCC § 15.20.010, effective November 4, 2025 under Ordinance No. 2081. The chapter carries no separate local amendments, so the adopted code's own permit and inspection thresholds control electrical work citywide.

Santa Clara enforces plumbing permits through the 2025 California Plumbing Code, adopted wholesale by SCCC § 15.35.010, effective November 4, 2025 under Ordinance No. 2081. The chapter cross-references the Water and Sewer Department and sewer chapters, tying plumbing permits to the City's water-connection reporting duties.

Santa Clara's Title 18 Zoning Code sets site standards for licensed Child Day Care Centers on top of state Department of Social Services rules: outdoor play areas set back at least five feet from property lines, a six-foot fence separating play space from neighboring yards, and 75 square feet of outdoor activity space per ambulatory child.

Santa Clara requires a park use permit for any assembly of more than 50 people that lasts, or is expected to last, longer than 30 minutes in a City park. Applications go to the Director of Parks and Recreation at least ten business days before the event.

Running a festival, fair, carnival or flea market in Santa Clara requires a Temporary Use Permit under Zoning Code § 18.122.050(B), filed with the Community Development Department at least 30 days ahead. Special events are capped at six consecutive days within a 30-day span, or six two-day weekends within a year, unless the Director approves an annual plan.

Santa Clara requires only a Zoning Clearance for permanent outdoor dining with 24 or fewer seats, but a Minor Use Permit for 25 or more seats, and bars all outdoor dining within 100 feet of a residential property line without a Minor Use Permit.

Santa Clara requires a written Police Department permit before anyone may hold or conduct a parade, march or procession, other than a funeral procession, on a public street, park or place, under City Code Section 12.15.010. The Police Department weighs traffic-safety factors like route, lighting, sidewalk widths and emergency access before approving or denying the application.

Portable patio heaters used for sidewalk cafes, holiday markets, and outdoor seating in Santa Clara's commercial and mixed-use zones can sit inside the required setback without a variance, but only as part of an approved outdoor dining area. Title 18's Table 2-10 lists outdoor heaters, movable tables, chairs, and retail displays as encroachments allowed in the setback in commercial zones, while Table 2-13 requires the same equipment in mixed-use zones to meet Section 18.60.140's outdoor dining standards.

Anyone who wants to cut, open or excavate a Santa Clara street, curb, gutter, driveway, sidewalk or other public right-of-way, or install pipes, conduits or utility structures there, needs an encroachment permit from the City Engineer under Section 12.25.030. Applicants must show a valid business license, cover engineering, inspection and pavement fees, and may need a performance bond.

Owners of lots fronting an improved Santa Clara street must keep the abutting sidewalk safe and free of conditions that endanger people or interfere with public use, under City Code Section 12.30.180. If an owner ignores the superintendent of streets' repair notice, the City repairs the walk itself and places a lien on the property for the cost.

Santa Clara bars placing merchandise displays, piled boxes or other obstructions on any sidewalk so as to impede foot traffic, and bars defacing sidewalks with drawings or lettering, under City Code Section 12.30.010. Goods actively being delivered or removed are exempt as long as they clear the sidewalk within twenty-four hours.

Santa Clara's fixed-source noise chapter, SCCC 9.10, exempts a generator's noise from its decibel limits only while the generator is performing emergency work under § 9.10.070(a). Run a generator for any other reason and it counts as a regular fixed noise source that must stay within the zoning district's Schedule A limit or face code enforcement.

Santa Clara does not run a separate invasive-plant ordinance, but its tree protection code carves out eight species it labels "unsuitable species for single-family lots." SCCC § 12.35.090(c)(4)(F) lists Eucalyptus globulus, Liquidambar styraciflua, Pinus species, Ailanthus altissima, Liriodendron tulipifera, Ulmus pumila, Ceratonia siliqua, and palm trees as automatic grounds for the City to approve a protected-tree removal permit.

Santa Clara makes it unlawful to loiter, stand or sit on a public street, sidewalk or crosswalk in a way that blocks or hinders the passage of people or vehicles, or to annoy or molest passersby, and separately bars blocking the entrance to a church, hall, theater or similar public assembly place.

Santa Clara Code Chapter 12.50 makes it unlawful to camp or lodge, including sleeping in a parked vehicle, on any public street, publicly owned property, public park, parking lot, vacant lot, drainage culvert, or other place readily open to the public. SCCC § 12.50.010(a) bans the conduct citywide except in a licensed public campground, and the City enforces it as a criminal, civil, or administrative matter.

Santa Clara treats bicyclists as drivers under Section 10.05.110 of the City Code: riders get every right and carry every duty of a motor vehicle operator on the roadway, from stopping at signs to yielding lane space. The same title bars cyclists from freeways under Section 10.05.370, and Section 12.05.070 keeps bicycles and motorcycles off sidewalks and out of public parks citywide.

No shared e-scooter or shared bike company can put a fleet on Santa Clara streets without a City permit: Chapter 10.35 of the City Code caps the citywide fleet at 3,000 devices and fines operators $100 to $500 per improperly parked device that blocks a sidewalk or accessibility feature. The City Manager can suspend or revoke a permit for repeated violations or for failing to retrieve impounded devices.

Santa Clara names "Data Centers" as a defined land use in its Zoning Code. They are allowed in the office and industrial zones - by right or Minor Use Permit in Light Industrial, and by Conditional Use Permit in office/R&D zones - under the use-specific standards of Section 18.60.090.

Santa Clara's own noise ordinance, City Code Section 9.10.040, caps exterior noise at the receiving property by zone: 55 dBA day and 50 dBA night at single-family homes, 70 dBA in Light Industrial, and 75 dBA in Heavy Industrial. Data-center cooling and generators must comply.

Santa Clara Municipal Code Chapter 13.15 bars potable water for landscape irrigation once recycled water reaches a site and meets applicable standards, and requires recycled water for other nonpotable uses when it's available, standards-compliant, and economically feasible. The Water and Sewer Utilities Director enforces the rule under the City's rules and regulations for water service and use.

Santa Clara's Downtown Form-Based Code, Chapter 18.26 of the Zoning Code, caps new buildings in the ten-block Downtown Zone at 2 to 7 stories (28 to 98 feet) without a height bonus, measured from the sidewalk to the top of the parapet, cornice, eave or roof ridge. A future bonus program could allow up to 9 stories (124 feet) for projects providing listed Community Benefits.

Santa Clara grants density bonuses of up to 50% under Zoning Code Chapter 18.64 to housing developments that set aside affordable units, but only projects of five or more dwelling units qualify. The bonus scales with the share of low-, very low-, senior, or moderate-income units provided.

Santa Clara's General Code declares it a public nuisance, and unlawful, for any property owner to let real property become infested with rodents, animal pests, bugs, beetles or insects to the point of endangering nearby dwellings, under Municipal Code § 6.20.020. The Building Official and Health Officer can order the condition abated, and unpaid abatement costs become a lien against the property.

Santa Clara taxes hotel and short-term lodging stays at 13.5% of the rent charged, effective January 1, 2025, under Chapter 3.25 of the City Code. "Hotel" is defined broadly to cover motels, apartment houses, dormitories, mobile homes and house trailers rented for lodging, so short-term rental stays under 30 days fall under the same tax as traditional hotels.

Santa Clara protects buildings, sites and districts through its Historic Resource Inventory (HRI) rather than a separate cultural monument list. Title 18 Zoning Code Chapter 18.130 sets three designation criteria, requires Council approval on a Historical and Landmarks Commission recommendation, and locks in a Significant Properties Alteration Permit before any major change.

Santa Clara requires a Police Chief-issued massage establishment permit before anyone opens or operates a massage business, on top of a business license and each therapist's state CAMTC certificate. Operating without a valid permit lets the City order the business to shut down immediately.

Santa Clara requires secondhand dealers, businesses that buy, sell, trade or take in secondhand goods for consignment or auction, to hold a Chief of Police permit before operating, under City Code § 5.30.030. Applicants file a CPA-reviewed financial statement, submit fingerprints for a California Department of Justice background check, and pay a DOJ investigation fee plus a City processing fee before the Chief approves the permit.

Santa Clara requires anyone running a pawnbroker business to hold a permit from the Chief of Police before opening, under City Code § 5.30.030. Applicants submit fingerprints for a California Department of Justice background check and a CPA-reviewed financial statement, then pay a DOJ investigation fee plus a City processing fee. The Chief of Police can deny, suspend or revoke a permit for fraud or a property-crime conviction.

Santa Clara zones tattoo and body piercing shops as a "Restricted Personal Service" under City Code Section 18.60.170, requiring a Minor Use Permit and a 500-foot buffer from other restricted personal services, schools, hotels, childcare centers and residential-zoned parcels citywide.

Santa Clara confines adult-oriented businesses to the C-R commercial zone, and only with a Conditional Use Permit, then layers on strict spacing rules under Zoning Code Section 18.62.020. No adult bookstore, theater, cabaret, hotel/motel, or similar use can locate within 500 feet of a residential or mixed-use zone, another adult business, a restricted personal-services use, or a school or day-care facility.

Santa Clara flatly bans vehicle repair as a home occupation. Title 18 Section 18.60.120 lists vehicle storage, cleaning, dismantling, installation, manufacture, repair, and service among the uses that can never qualify for a home-business Zoning Clearance, no matter how small the operation or how it's advertised.

Santa Clara makes it unlawful to smoke cannabis anywhere tobacco smoking is already banned under City Code Chapter 8.35 or State law. That sweeps in enclosed public places, workplaces, parks, open-air dining areas and the 30-foot buffer around them, so a lit joint on a park bench or restaurant patio is treated the same as a cigarette.

Santa Clara bans smoking in open-air dining areas, public parks, service areas and any public place hosting a public event, plus within a 30-foot "reasonable distance" of those areas. City Code Chapter 8.35 covers patios, sidewalk cafes, playgrounds and farmers markets, with narrow carve-outs for people just passing through.

Santa Clara bans soliciting money, employment or business from vehicle occupants in any public street, sidewalk, driveway or right-of-way, and bans the same solicitation aimed at people getting into or out of vehicles in a posted commercial parking lot, under SCCC §§ 5.05.210 and 5.05.220. The ordinance targets curbside and median panhandling and solicitation, not sales from a fixed storefront.

Santa Clara City Code § 9.05.020 lets police bill whoever hosts, controls, or sponsors a loud or unruly gathering once a second response is needed within 72 hours of a warning: a special response fee of at least $500. Fines then escalate with repeat calls to the same address within a year, and hosts, residents, sponsors and even a minor host's parents are jointly and severally liable.

Santa Clara bans skateboards, roller skates, scooters and coasters from roadways and sidewalks in any zoning district zoned for business, under Section 10.05.890 of the City Code. The rule targets commercial corridors specifically, so the same activity in a residential neighborhood or on a bike path isn't reached by this section.

Santa Clara City Code § 9.05.040 bans drinking intoxicating liquor on any public right-of-way, street, sidewalk, park strip, alley, or other public property, and on any private parking lot open to the public. Possessing an open container in a City-owned park or public place is a separate infraction, unless the spot is licensed by the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.

Santa Clara bars pedestrians from crossing any roadway in a business district except at a marked crosswalk, under Section 10.05.430 of the City Code. Even outside business districts, once a crosswalk is marked at an intersection, pedestrians cannot stand in or cross the roadway within 200 feet of it except in the crosswalk itself, unless it's an emergency or they're entering or exiting a parked car.

Santa Clara makes it unlawful to urinate or defecate anywhere on a street or in a public place except at a lavatory facility, under City Code § 9.05.010(a). A first offense is an infraction fine up to $150, climbing to $300, $600 and $900 for repeat violations within a year, enforced by the Police Department.

Every person doing business in Santa Clara pays an annual business tax based on employee count: $45 per employee since July 1, 2023, capped at $350,000 a year, under SCCC § 3.40.360. Businesses without a fixed location that send workers into the city for six or more days a year are taxed on a separate percentage schedule tied to how many days they operate in town.

Card rooms are banned in Santa Clara. City Code Chapter 5.70 (Card Rooms) exists in name only: a reviser's note explains the prohibition was reaffirmed by an advisory referendum on November 3, 1992, when voters directed the City Council to repeal a pending ordinance that would have permitted card rooms. No licensing chapter follows.