Before You Build in Hesperia, CA: Permit & Rule Checklist (2026)

Hesperia limits front-yard fences to 36 inches when view-obscuring, though non-view-obscuring ornamental metal-and-masonry estate fences may reach six feet. Chain link with slats counts as view-obscuring and is capped at 36 inches on smaller lots.

Hesperia's grading permit does not cover retaining walls: anyone building one in Hesperia, San Bernardino County, needs a separate building permit from the Building Official.

Hesperia requires any pool, spa, or hot tub deeper than 18 inches to be enclosed by a 60-inch barrier meeting California Building Code and ISPSC gate and construction standards.

Hesperia's pool-safety code defines 'swimming pool' to include above-ground and portable pools holding more than 18 inches of water, pulling them into the same barrier and safety requirements as in-ground pools.

Hesperia issues accessory dwelling unit permits ministerially under its Development Code, which sets a four-foot side and rear yard setback, size caps, and height limits implementing state ADU law.

Hesperia limits accessory buildings on residential and agricultural lots to a 1,000-square-foot aggregate footprint, or up to 7.5% of net lot area, except in the A-2 agricultural zone where size is unlimited.

Burning solid waste anywhere in Hesperia is illegal without a special permit from the city council or fire protection agency, and it must meet air-quality rules, per Municipal Code § 8.04.190(A).

A Hesperia property owner convicted of illegally removing a protected native tree or desert plant must hire an expert to design and carry out a replacement program, plus post a bond guaranteeing the new plantings survive at least two years.

Hesperia Water District can cap landscape irrigation to set hours and days once it declares a water shortage stage. Stage 3 limits watering to three days a week between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m., with runoff treated as waste.