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

No retaining wall in Pomona may exceed 10 feet in height under Zoning and Development Code Sec. 620.G, and any wall taller than 8 feet must be landscaped per the Code's planting and fence standards. Stacked retaining walls on the same lot need at least 3 feet of horizontal spacing between them.

Pomona caps side and rear yard fences at 6 feet under Zoning and Development Code Sec. 620.E.3.b's Fence Type VI standard, with a 10-foot Type VII allowance for industrial screening walls. Front yard fence height instead depends on the frontage module assigned to the lot under Sec. 490.B.3.b, ranging from no fence allowed up to 8 feet, each set back at least 3 feet from the street lot line.

Every new fence, wall, or required buffer/screen built in Pomona needs a Planning Division permit before construction, processed as a Ministerial Permit under Zoning and Development Code Sec. 620.E.2.d. The only carve-out: replacing an existing legal fence with matching material along less than half its total length doesn't require a new fence and wall permit.

Pomona follows CA Civil Code Section 841 (Good Neighbor Fence Act) requiring shared cost for boundary fences. Spite fences exceeding 10 ft are a private nuisance under CA Civil Code Section 841.4.

Swimming pool construction in Pomona requires a building permit from Building and Safety. Plans must comply with 2022 California Building Codes. Inspections are required at multiple stages of construction.

Per CA Swimming Pool Safety Act (H&S Code 115920-115929), pools require 60-inch barriers with self-closing/self-latching gates. At least one additional safety feature required: pool cover, alarm, or self-closing doors.

Pomona lets homeowners convert an existing garage into an Accessory Dwelling Unit under Sec. 830.A.4.a.1 of the Zoning and Development Code with only a building permit, no discretionary hearing. A garage converted this way keeps the required parking spaces from having to be replaced, and a structure rebuilt in the same footprint needs no additional yard setback.

Pomona regulates ADUs and JADUs under Sec. 830.A of the Zoning and Development Code, approving compliant units ministerially within 60 days without a hearing. Detached ADUs on lots under 7,200 square feet cap at 850 to 1,000 square feet depending on bedroom count, height tops out at 16 feet for most detached units, and no off-street parking is required for any ADU.

Pomona's Zoning and Development Code allows sheds without a permit in every use module, but caps them at 12 feet in height and 120 square feet in size. Sheds must sit in a rear yard, set back at least 5 feet from the side or rear lot line, and are limited to 1 shed per 2,000 square feet of lot area.

Pomona is served by multiple water providers following MWELO requirements. New landscapes over 500 sq ft must meet Maximum Applied Water Allowance calculations. CA Gov Code Section 65595 prohibits banning drought-tolerant landscaping.

Pomona requires a Major Oak Tree Permit before anyone relocates or removes an Oak tree over 8 inches in diameter on public or private property outside historic districts. The Planning Commission decides Major permits at a public hearing; unpermitted removal is a misdemeanor.

Pomona regulates tree trimming under its Tree Preservation Program and Street Tree Policy Manual. Trees in historic districts require a Certificate of Appropriateness before trimming. Street trees follow ISA pruning standards.