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

Per SMC 19.46.030, fences in front and street-side setbacks are limited to 3.5 feet; rear and interior side yards generally allow up to 7 feet (8 feet with the top foot at least 40% open). Corner-lot sight triangles cap fences at 30 inches.

Sonoma Municipal Code Ch. 19.46 regulates fence materials, including special wall and fencing guidelines (SMC 19.46.070) and material restrictions (SMC 19.46.080). Solid wood, masonry and concrete fences over 7 feet require a building permit; all fences over 10 feet do regardless of material.

California's Good Neighbor Fence Act (Civ. Code §841) presumes adjoining owners share equally in the reasonable cost of a boundary fence and requires 30 days' written notice before incurring shared costs. Local fence height and material rules in SMC Ch. 19.46 still apply.

Per SMC 19.46.040, retaining walls in Sonoma may not exceed 6 feet measured from finished grade at the base of the wall. Walls over 4 feet of unbalanced fill (measured from bottom of footing to top of wall) require a building permit under the California Building Code.

California's Swimming Pool Safety Act (Health & Safety Code §§115920-115929) controls pool barriers in Sonoma. Enclosures must be at least 60 inches tall with self-closing/self-latching gates opening away from the pool, and new/remodeled pools must include at least two of seven approved drowning-prevention safety features.

Sonoma requires a building permit for any new in-ground or above-ground pool, spa, or hot tub holding water deeper than 18 inches, with plans reviewed by Permit Sonoma against the California Building Code and SMC 19.50.080.

New and remodeled pools/spas at Sonoma single-family homes must have at least two of seven independent drowning-prevention features under California HSC §115922, plus dual anti-entrapment drains under the Virginia Graeme Baker standards (ASME/ANSI A112.19.8) referenced in Permit Sonoma CNI-044.

Hot tubs and spas in Sonoma are treated as swimming pools when their water depth exceeds 18 inches, but a locking safety cover meeting ASTM ES 13-89 can exempt a spa from the full HSC §115922 enclosure mandate under Permit Sonoma CNI-044.

Pool enclosures in Sonoma must be at least 60 inches high with self-closing/self-latching gates opening away from the pool, no more than a 2-inch ground gap and no openings that pass a 4-inch sphere - the isolation-enclosure option under SMC 19.50.080 and California Pool Safety Act HSC §115922-115923.

Above-ground pools holding water over 18 inches deep are regulated identically to in-ground pools in Sonoma - building permit, 5-foot side/rear setback under SMC 19.40.110, and the HSC §115922 two-feature drowning-prevention requirement all apply.

Sonoma allows ADUs and JADUs in all residential zones (R-HS, R-R, R-L, R-S, R-M, R-H, R-O, R-P) under SMC Chapter 19.45, consistent with Cal. Gov. Code 65852.2. Detached ADUs are capped at 850 sq ft (or up to 1,200 sq ft with proportional limits) with a 4-foot side/rear setback and 16-foot height for single story.

The City permits converting an existing garage into an ADU under SMC 19.45.040 with no replacement parking required; state law (Gov. Code §66323) and the City waive parking when the ADU is within ½ mile of transit or in the historic district.

Detached storage sheds 120 sq ft or smaller and not over 8 ft tall may sit at the side or rear property line without a building permit; anything larger triggers SMC 19.50.080 standards and a Permit Sonoma building permit.

Carports are listed accessory uses under SMC 19.50.080; detached carports must follow the 15-ft height cap and are barred from front and street-side setbacks, while attached carports must meet the main dwelling's setback and height standards.

The City of Sonoma has not adopted the County's movable-tiny-home (THOW) program — within city limits a tiny home is only legal as a permanent-foundation ADU built to the California Building Code under SMC Chapter 19.45.

Recreational fires and fire pits are allowed inside the City of Sonoma under the California Fire Code as adopted by the Sonoma Valley Fire District, but only natural gas/propane fire pits and small wood recreational fires meeting setback and supervision rules are permitted; vegetation pile burning inside city limits is prohibited.

Open burning of yard waste, brush, leaves, or trash is prohibited inside the City of Sonoma. The city is a Local Responsibility Area (LRA) where Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) rules and SVFD policy disallow residential vegetation pile burning; burn permits are only issued for unincorporated/State Responsibility Area (SRA) properties.

Sonoma Municipal Code Chapter 14.32 implements California's Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (MWELO) for new and rehabilitated landscapes, with most provisions triggered at 500 sq ft (new) or 2,500 sq ft (rehabilitated). Single-family private residential landscaping is not affected by AB 1572's non-functional turf irrigation ban.

Sonoma Municipal Code Chapter 12.08 (Tree Ordinance) regulates pruning, alteration, and removal of public and 'significant' trees in the City of Sonoma. Pruning of public trees and any alteration/removal of significant trees requires a permit, with ISA-certified arborist standards under SMC § 12.08.060.