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

Redding regulates fence and wall heights in the Zoning Code at Chapter 18.40 (Development and Site Regulations), with the walls-and-fences section at 18.40.180. Residential-district fences are generally limited to six feet in side and rear yards and lower in front yards, with corner-lot sight-triangle restrictions also applied. The California Building Code separately exempts fences seven feet or shorter from a state building permit when not within 10 feet of a public right-of-way, but the City zoning limit still controls.

Redding does not require a building permit for fences seven feet or shorter located at least 10 feet from a public right-of-way, per California Building Code §105.2 as adopted by the City. However, the local zoning rule in RMC §18.40.180 still controls placement, height, sight triangles, and materials - and any fence over 7 feet, or any retaining wall over 4 feet, requires a building permit issued through Development Services.

Redding's Zoning Code §18.40.180 governs allowed fence materials in residential and other districts, while RMC §18.51.040(D) outright prohibits fences and walls in the floodway or flood-fringe (except arterial street walls with openings to pass floodwaters). Specific bans on barbed wire, electric fences, or razor wire in residential districts are set in §18.40.180 and the adopted California Fire Code (CFC) - confirm specific material lists with the City Permit Center before installing.

Redding requires every outdoor residential pool to be enclosed by a permanent barrier at least 60 inches (5 feet) tall, with a maximum 2-inch bottom clearance, openings that cannot pass a 4-inch sphere, and self-closing/self-latching gates that swing away from the pool with latch hardware at least 60 inches above ground. The rules come from California Health & Safety Code §115921-115929 (the Swimming Pool Safety Act), California Building Code Appendix AX, and local provisions at RMC §18.40.160 / §18.43.02(C), as compiled in the City's published Residential Swimming Pools and Spas Homeowners Guide.

Redding's Zoning Code (RMC §18.40.180) regulates fence height, location, and materials, but private boundary-fence disputes are governed by California Civil Code §841 - the Good Neighbor Fence Act of 2013. Section 841 presumes adjoining landowners share equally the responsibility and cost of a partition fence and requires 30 days' written notice with cost estimate, scope, and timeline before building or repairing. Disputes are heard in Shasta County Superior Court, not at City Hall.

Redding requires a building permit to install any in-ground swimming pool, per the California Building Code as adopted by the City. Aboveground pre-fabricated pools no greater than 5,000 gallons and less than 24 inches deep are exempt from the building permit, but any pool of any size needs separate electrical and plumbing permits for pumps, heaters, and gas lines. Permits are issued through the Development Services Permit Center at 777 Cypress Avenue.

Redding pool owners must comply with two stacked requirements. First, an outdoor pool barrier per RMC and CBC Appendix AX: 60 inches tall, 4-inch sphere max opening, 2-inch bottom gap (4 inches if mounted on aboveground pool wall), self-closing/self-latching gate opening away from the pool. Second, the California Swimming Pool Safety Act (H&S Code §115922-115923) requires at least two of seven listed drowning-prevention safety features at new construction or remodel.

Redding pool owners must comply with a stack of safety rules: (1) California Electrical Code §680.9 - overhead conductors must clear the pool by 22.5 feet (10 feet for phone/cable); (2) the federal Virginia Graeme Baker Pool & Spa Safety Act (15 U.S.C. §8003) anti-entrapment drain covers; (3) Title 24 Part 6 energy rules for pool heaters; (4) indirect-type pool water discharge to a dry well or subsoil irrigation (no neighbor encroachment); and (5) a GFCI 125V outlet between 6 and 20 feet from the pool wall.

Redding Municipal Code Section 18.43.140 implements California Government Code §§66310-66339 (formerly §65852.2). ADUs are ministerial in any single-family or multifamily zone, with state-default 800 sq ft detached size and 500 sq ft JADUs.

Redding allows garage-to-ADU conversion under RMC §18.43.140 and Cal. Gov. Code §§66310-66339. No replacement parking may be required, and existing setbacks are grandfathered for the conversion footprint regardless of today's 4-foot minimums.

Redding Municipal Code Section 18.43.020 regulates residential accessory structures. One-story sheds up to 120 sq ft are permit-exempt, and lots are limited to two detached structures totaling no more than 1,500 sq ft without a Site Development Permit.

Open burning of vegetation, yard waste, or rubbish inside Redding city limits is generally prohibited under Redding Municipal Code Chapter 9.36 and the California Fire Code adopted through Title 16. Any burning in unincorporated Shasta County requires a CAL FIRE Shasta-Trinity Unit burn permit, must be on a declared burn day by Shasta County Air Quality Management District, and is suspended during fire-season closures and Red Flag Warnings.

Redding adopts the California Fire Code through Title 16 of the Redding Municipal Code. Under California Fire Code Section 307.4.2, recreational fires are limited to 3 feet in diameter and 2 feet in height, with a 25-foot setback from any structure or combustible material. Recreational burning is also subject to Shasta County Air Quality Management District daily burn-day status and CAL FIRE Shasta-Trinity Unit declared fire-season restrictions.

Trimming a tree on private property in Redding generally does not require a City permit so long as the work does not effectively kill the tree or breach the City's tree-management rules (RMC Chapter 18.45). Street trees in the public right-of-way are governed by RMC Title 13, Chapter 13.40 (Trees and Shrubs), administered by Public Works. Redding Electric Utility (REU) prunes for line clearance per Public Utilities Commission and CPUC General Order 95 standards. California common-law self-help allows trimming a neighbor's overhanging branches up to the property line.

Tree removal in the City of Redding is regulated by Chapter 18.45 (Tree Management) of the Redding Municipal Code, originally adopted in 1990 and updated in 2006, with a 2023 Tree Management Ordinance Update Committee process. No tree exceeding 6 inches diameter at breast height (DBH) on any developed or undeveloped/vacant parcel within the city may be destroyed, killed, or removed without a tree-removal permit, subject to limited exemptions (RMC §18.45.040) and discretionary-permit provisions (RMC §18.45.070).

The Redding Water Utility currently operates at Stage 1 - Year-Round Conservation, which is voluntary, with an odd/even outdoor watering schedule and prohibitions on hosing hardscapes or irrigating within 48 hours of rainfall. Higher-stage mandatory restrictions are codified in the Water Shortage Contingency Plan (RMC Chapter 14.09) referenced through RMC Chapter 14.08 (Water). California Water Code §365 et seq. and statewide State Water Resources Control Board emergency drought regulations layer additional restrictions during declared drought.