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

Murrieta lets a homeowner build a retaining wall up to six feet tall inside a required yard setback under Section 16.18.140(D)(4)(b), as long as its finished face turns back into the same lot. Walls under four feet are exempt from setbacks entirely, while anything over six feet, or facing outward, has to meet the full structure setback.

Table 3-3 in Murrieta's Development Code, Section 16.22.030, caps fence and wall height at six feet in rear and side yards, three feet in front yards, and just 24 inches at street and driveway corners for sight visibility, with see-through materials allowed to add two feet and a ten-foot cap where full setbacks are maintained.

Under the California Swimming Pool Safety Act (H&S sections 115920 through 115929), all new and remodeled pools in Murrieta must have at least two of seven specified drowning-prevention safety features. A compliant isolation fence at least 60 inches tall with a self-closing, self-latching gate is the most common choice.

Permanent above-ground pools in Murrieta require building and electrical permits, barrier compliance under the California Swimming Pool Safety Act, and adherence to setbacks. Temporary inflatable or soft-sided pools with water depths of 18 inches or more are still subject to the state pool barrier law.

Murrieta allows one ADU and one JADU on any single-family lot, and two detached ADUs on multi-family parcels, reviewed ministerially within 60 days with no discretionary hearing, under Section 16.44.160.

Murrieta lets homeowners skip a building permit for a portable storage shed under 120 square feet, but Section 16.44.150 still caps detached accessory structures at 1,000 square feet and sets exact setbacks by shed size in Table 16.44.150-1.

Murrieta bans open burning citywide under a local amendment to the California Fire Code. There is no permit path to burn yard waste, debris, or other material outdoors within city limits; violations are enforced as Fire Code offenses.

Murrieta allows outdoor fireplaces, fire pits, and fire rings at residential properties under Fire Code amendments that set fuel-type rules and clearance distances, while barring wood burning entirely in high and very high fire hazard severity zones.

Murrieta exempts pruning or trimming that does not endanger a protected tree's life from its tree removal permit rules, but any pruning of a protected tree must still follow International Society of Arboriculture guidelines under Sections 16.42.030(H) and 16.42.060.

Murrieta requires a director-approved tree removal permit before any protected tree can be cut down, removed, or destroyed, and the application must include an arborist's tree report and a replacement plan under Municipal Code Section 16.42.070.

Murrieta declares wasteful landscape irrigation a public nuisance under Development Code Section 16.28.100. Overspray, low-head drainage or runoff that sends irrigation water onto sidewalks, streets, parking lots or a neighbor's property is unlawful, and the city coordinates with local water purveyors to enforce it through tiered rates and penalties.