Pop. 59,606 · Kings County
Hanford enforces the California Swimming Pool Safety Act (Health & Safety Code §§115920-115929) and the 2022 California Building Code §3109 / CRC Appendix AX, both adopted by reference…
In unincorporated Kings County, a private residential pool is treated as an incidental/accessory use permitted by right, but a building permit from the Community Development Agency is…
Kings County adopts the California Swimming Pool Safety Act for private single-family pools. New or remodeled pools must include at least two of seven drowning-prevention features…
Above-ground pools are a permitted accessory use in unincorporated Kings County, but pool placement must respect the County's setback rule: no pool or accessory mechanical equipment…
Spas and hot tubs are treated like pools in unincorporated Kings County: a permitted accessory use subject to the 5-foot setback from property lines, and, when built or remodeled under…
Hanford Municipal Code Title 6, Chapter 6.08 (Animal Control) requires all dogs to be kept under restraint at all times. HMC 6.08.020 makes it unlawful to permit a dog on any public…
California law (CCR Title 14 §671) prohibits keeping many exotic animals including ferrets, hedgehogs, sugar gliders, piranhas, and certain reptiles. Additionally, Hanford Municipal…
Beekeeping is PROHIBITED within Hanford city limits. Hanford Municipal Code §6.08.070 makes the keeping of bees within the city unlawful, and §6.08.080 designates bees as a public…
In residential areas of unincorporated Kings County, Animal Services states you may keep chickens, pigeons, quail and similar small birds — but no roosters. Larger poultry and…
Unincorporated Kings County does not ban any specific dog breed. Instead, the County Code treats dogs that are vicious or potentially dangerous under California Food & Agriculture Code…
Kings County is a major dairy, cattle and farm county, and livestock keeping in unincorporated areas is shaped by zoning. The County Code defines livestock broadly and makes it…
Unincorporated Kings County does not set a small fixed pet cap, but the County Code requires a multiple-animal (kennel) permit for anyone keeping ten or more altered dogs or cats. A…
Unincorporated Kings County requires cats to be vaccinated against rabies and to be spayed or neutered unless medically exempt. Cats are not required to be licensed like dogs, but the…
Kings County's animal code does not publish a specific anti-wildlife-feeding ordinance, but feeding wild animals can create a nuisance, and California law restricts handling of…
Animal hoarding in unincorporated Kings County is addressed through California's animal-cruelty laws plus the County's kennel-permit and nuisance rules. Owners must provide proper…
Hanford has not adopted a short-term rental ordinance and does not impose a city-specific guest cap on STRs. Occupancy is governed by state law: California Government Code §65852.2…
Hanford has no dedicated short-term rental noise ordinance. Guests at vacation rentals and STRs must comply with the citywide noise rules in Hanford Municipal Code Chapter 9.10 (Loud…
Hanford has no STR-specific parking requirement. Parking standards for the underlying residential use apply under Hanford Municipal Code Chapter 17.54 (Parking and Loading Standards)…
Short-term rental operators in Hanford must collect and remit an 8% Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) on gross receipts from stays of 30 days or less. TOT is submitted to the City Finance…
Hanford does not have a dedicated short-term rental permit ordinance. Operators are required to obtain a City Business License and register for Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT). No…
Unincorporated Kings County has no STR-specific registration scheme, but the Transient Occupancy Tax ordinance requires every operator of a 'hotel' (broadly defined to include…
Unincorporated Kings County imposes no primary-residence or owner-occupancy requirement on short-term rentals, because it has no STR ordinance. Non-owner-occupied and investor-operated…
Kings County does not require an on-site host or a designated local contact for short-term rentals, because it has no STR ordinance. Hosted and unhosted (whole-home) rentals are both…
Unincorporated Kings County sets no annual or per-booking night cap on short-term rentals, because it has no STR ordinance. The only night-based threshold in county law is the…
Kings County mandates no liability insurance for short-term rentals, because it has no STR ordinance. There is no county-required coverage minimum or proof-of-insurance condition for…
Hanford limits consecutive on-street parking to 72 hours. Vehicles parked beyond 72 hours without moving may be towed. General parking prohibitions include blocking fire hydrants…
Vehicles parked on public streets for more than 72 hours or that are inoperable may be declared abandoned and towed at owner's expense. Inoperable vehicles stored outdoors on private…
RVs and trailers may park on public streets after a written police warning for up to 72 hours. After the 72-hour window, the RV cannot return within 1,000 feet for 168 hours (7 days)…
Commercial vehicles over 5 tons gross weight may not park on streets or alleys in residential zones, except for active delivery or construction service on that street. Designated truck…
Kings County's Code has no countywide overnight street-parking ban; most rural roads allow overnight parking. California Vehicle Code 22507.5 lets local authorities adopt 2 a.m.–6 a.m…
Kings County does not have a specific County Code section banning parking across a driveway; that rule comes from California Vehicle Code 22500, which prohibits stopping in front of…
Kings County imposes road weight limits on certain roads (Code sec. 23-4) and channels heavy traffic via through-highway rules, but has no blanket oversized-vehicle street ban…
Kings County's Code of Ordinances has no dedicated EV-charging parking ordinance. EV charging stations are permitted and reviewed through the County's building permit process under the…
Kings County defines loading-zone curb colors in Code sec. 23-35: yellow allows stopping only to load/unload passengers or freight for up to 30 minutes, and white allows passenger…
Kings County Code sec. 23-35 sets the official curb-color legend: red = no stopping/standing/parking; yellow = loading only, 30-minute max; white = passenger loading, 10-minute max…
Recreational fire pits in Hanford must comply with SJVAPCD regulations. Enclosed, commercially manufactured fire pits burning dry clean wood are generally permitted on burn days. Open…
Outdoor burning in Hanford is controlled by the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District (SJVAPCD). Open burning requires a permit and is prohibited on no-burn days issued by…
Hanford allows only State Fire Marshal-approved 'Safe and Sane' fireworks July 1–5 (9 a.m.–11 p.m.; noon start July 1). All fireworks that explode, rise in the air, or move along the…
Most of unincorporated Kings County is flat Central Valley agricultural land at low wildfire risk and is a Local Responsibility Area, not the State Responsibility Area covered by CAL…
Kings County Code prohibits accumulating dry weeds, brush, and other flammable waste material on property in the unincorporated area when it creates a fire hazard. The county fire…
Backyard recreational fires are allowed in unincorporated Kings County under the adopted 2019 California Fire Code, but open burning of trash and yard waste is barred by the San…
Kings County does not have its own smoke-alarm ordinance; smoke detector rules in the unincorporated area follow California state law (Health & Safety Code Section 13113.7) and the…
Propane storage in unincorporated Kings County is regulated through the 2019 California Fire Code, which the county adopted as the Kings County Fire Code, plus NFPA 58. Tanks must meet…
Hanford Municipal Code Chapter 9.10 (Loud or Annoying Noises) prohibits yelling, shouting, hooting, whistling, or singing in or near residential or noise-sensitive areas — and any…
Hanford regulates construction noise under HMC Chapter 9.10. While specific hour windows are not enumerated in publicly available code, construction noise that unreasonably disturbs…
Persistent barking or howling that disturbs neighbors violates Hanford's nuisance noise ordinance. Animal noise complaints are handled by the Hanford Police Department and animal…
Kings County has no ordinance specific to leaf blowers or gas-powered yard equipment in unincorporated areas. Such noise is handled under the general nuisance standard (Sec. 15-211)…
Kings County's code has no vehicle-noise or muffler ordinance; on-road vehicle noise is governed by the California Vehicle Code, enforced by the Sheriff and CHP. Amplified sound…
Kings County controls amplified sound through its noise-nuisance rule (Sec. 15-211) and a loud-party cost-recovery scheme (Secs. 15-212, 15-213). Loudspeakers mounted on vehicles also…
Kings County's noise ordinance sets no decibel limits; it bans noise that is unreasonably annoying or a nuisance (Sec. 15-211). Quantitative CNEL noise levels appear only in the…
Outdoor music and live entertainment in unincorporated Kings County fall under the noise-nuisance rule (Sec. 15-211) and the loud-party cost-recovery scheme (Secs. 15-212 to 15-213)…
Industrial and agricultural noise in unincorporated Kings County is controlled through the noise-nuisance rule (Sec. 15-211) and, for new development, the General Plan Noise Element's…
Military jet noise from NAS Lemoore is the dominant aircraft-noise source in Kings County. It is governed by the Navy's AICUZ program and federal law, not the county code. The county…
Sheds and accessory structures in Hanford are governed by zoning and building code requirements in Title 17. Structures over 120 sq ft generally require a building permit. All…
Hanford allows ADUs by right per California Gov. Code §65852.2. Administrative Approval and Site Plan Review are required (both ministerial). Pre-approved ADU plan sets are available…
Garage conversions to ADUs or JADUs in Hanford are allowed per California state law. No replacement parking may be required as a condition of approval. Building permit and ministerial…
Carports and patio covers in unincorporated Kings County are subject to the building code adopted in Code of Ordinances Chapter 5 and to Development Code zoning setbacks. The county…
Tiny homes on a permanent foundation are reviewed as dwellings or ADUs under the county Development Code and Chapter 5 building code; the county issues a Mobile Home Information…
Hanford has no standalone heritage tree ordinance. Removal of trees in the public right-of-way requires a permit from Public Works. Trees on private property generally do not require a…
Unincorporated Kings County has no general ordinance requiring permits to trim trees on private property. Pruning is largely unregulated, except that dead, diseased, or hazardous trees…
Unincorporated Kings County has no fixed lawn-height number. Tall dry grass and weeds are regulated as a fire hazard and a property-maintenance nuisance only when they actually become…
Unincorporated Kings County enforces a weed-abatement ordinance (Code Ch. 10, Art. II). It is unlawful to accumulate dry grass, weeds, brush, and other flammable waste that creates a…
Day-to-day outdoor watering limits in unincorporated Kings County are driven mainly by California state rules and your local water provider, not a County landscape-watering ordinance…
Rainwater harvesting is legal in California and not prohibited by Kings County. Simple rain barrels and small landscape-irrigation catchment need no County permit. Larger cisterns…
Kings County implements California's SB 1383 organic-waste law through Code Chapter 13. Most homes and businesses must use the three-container (blue/green/gray) system and keep food…
Kings County does not mandate native plants and does not prohibit removing or replacing them on private land. For new permitted development, low-water and climate-appropriate plantings…
Artificial turf is not banned in unincorporated Kings County, and there is no County synthetic-lawn ordinance. Small ground-level installs generally need no permit, but drainage and…
Hanford's zoning code (Title 17, §§17.50.110–17.50.120) governs fence and wall heights. Block walls at least 7 feet are required at residential-commercial property line interfaces…
Unincorporated Kings County does not require a zoning permit for a typical fence, and the adopted California Building Code exempts fences up to seven feet from a building permit. Any…
Kings County's Development Code does not assign cost-sharing for shared boundary fences. That issue is governed by California's statewide Good Neighbor Fence Act (Civil Code Section…
Kings County's Development Code lets retaining walls (with fences, hedges, gates, walks and driveways) occupy any required yard, subject to district limits. The adopted California…
Kings County fence rules center on clear sight lines and gates set back from the road. Solid fences in R-1/RM zones may reach seven feet if set back ten feet from the front line…
Kings County's Development Code does not ban specific fence materials. Instead it classifies fences by openness - Open (at least 50% see-through), Solid (51% or more closed) and…
There is no County list of approved fence materials in unincorporated Kings County. Wood, chain link, vinyl, masonry and wrought iron are all acceptable; the rules that matter are…
California's Swimming Pool Safety Act in Health and Safety Code Section 115920 mandates statewide drowning prevention barriers around residential pools, with cities prohibited from…
Unincorporated Kings County allows home-based businesses through tiered home occupations. Minor home occupations are permitted by right in residential and agricultural districts; rural…
Signage for a minor home occupation in unincorporated Kings County is tightly limited: only one name plate not exceeding two square feet is allowed. Rural home occupations may have…
A minor home occupation in unincorporated Kings County is permitted by right and does not need a discretionary permit if it meets the standards of Development Code Section 1102.A. A…
Kings County's Development Code does not separately regulate cottage food. California's Homemade Food Act (Health & Safety Code 113758) controls: the County may not prohibit a cottage…
Small family day care homes (8 or fewer children) are permitted by right in residential districts of unincorporated Kings County, consistent with state law. Large family day care homes…
California Proposition 64 allows adults 21+ to cultivate up to 6 cannabis plants at home. Hanford may have local restrictions on outdoor cultivation. Plants must not be visible from a…
Cannabis retail dispensaries are subject to Hanford's zoning and business licensing regulations. Local approval is required in addition to state licensing. Check with Community…
California AB 1482 requires just cause for eviction of tenants in covered residential rental properties after 12 months of tenancy. Hanford has no additional local just-cause eviction…
Hanford does not have a local rent control ordinance. California AB 1482 (Tenant Protection Act of 2019) provides statewide rent increase limits of 5% + local CPI (max 10%) for certain…
California evictions run through the unlawful detainer process. Under Code of Civil Procedure § 1161, nonpayment requires a 3-day notice to pay rent or quit (excluding weekends and…
California landlords must keep rentals fit to live in. Civil Code §§ 1941 and 1941.1, reinforced by Green v. Superior Court, imply a warranty of habitability covering plumbing, heat…
California Civil Code § 1954 limits when a landlord may enter a rented home. Except in emergencies, abandonment, or with tenant consent, the landlord must give reasonable written…
California sets no fixed dollar or percentage cap on rent late fees, but a late fee in a residential lease is treated as liquidated damages. Under Civil Code § 1671, such a fee is…
To end a California month-to-month tenancy, a tenant gives 30 days' written notice. A landlord gives 30 days if the tenant has lived there under a year, or 60 days if a year or more…
California requires written notice before raising a month-to-month tenant's rent. Under Civ. Code § 827, increases of 10% or less in 12 months need 30 days' notice; increases above 10%…
As of July 1, 2024, California landlords may collect no more than one month's rent as a security deposit, regardless of whether the unit is furnished. The deposit, minus any lawful…
California adverse possession requires five years of continuous, open, hostile possession AND payment of all property taxes during that period under Code of Civil Procedure § 325. A…
California Civil Code §714 (Solar Rights Act) prohibits HOAs from prohibiting or significantly restricting solar panel installation. HOAs may require reasonable aesthetic conditions…
Solar panel installations in Hanford require a building permit from the Hanford Building Division. Under California law (SB 520 / SB 700), permit processing for residential solar must…
Political signs in Hanford are protected by the First Amendment and California Elections Code §19383. Local sign regulations cannot prohibit political signs on private property during…
Garage sale signs in Hanford must not be posted on public utility poles, traffic signs, or in the public right-of-way. Signs on private property with owner permission are generally…
Parts of Hanford near the Kings River and agricultural drainage channels fall within FEMA-designated Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHA). Properties in flood zones require flood…
The California Coastal Act, Public Resources Code sections 30000 through 30900, requires Coastal Development Permits for nearly all work in the coastal zone and gives the Coastal…
California Water Code sections 13260 and 13383 implement the federal Clean Water Act through statewide MS4 NPDES permits issued by the State and Regional Water Boards, binding all…
Vacant lots in Hanford must be kept clear of weeds, dry grass, and refuse. Weed abatement is enforced during fire season. Owners who fail to abate violations may have the city perform…
Hanford residents must place trash and recycling containers at the curb on designated collection day and return them to storage by the following day. Containers may not obstruct…
Hanford enforces property maintenance standards under its nuisance code (Title 8). Blighting conditions — including abandoned vehicles, overgrown vegetation, accumulated debris, and…
Kings County does not publish a fixed lawn-height number. Weeds and dry grass are regulated as a fire and nuisance issue: the Fire Marshal addresses hazardous/combustible vegetation…
We could not verify a dedicated Kings County garage-sale permit ordinance. Occasional yard sales are generally treated as a temporary residential use under the County Development Code…
Using a backyard wood, pellet, or charcoal smoker for cooking is allowed in unincorporated Kings County. Cooking is not treated as open burning by the San Joaquin Valley Air District…
Barbecuing with charcoal or propane is allowed in unincorporated Kings County. Gas and propane cooking devices are exempt from the San Joaquin Valley Air District's wood-burning…
Setbacks in unincorporated Kings County are set by zone in the Development Code. In agricultural zones (Article 4), occupied structures need a 50-foot front setback, 10-foot rear and…
Residential structures in unincorporated Kings County are limited to 30 feet (up to 50 feet with a Conditional Use Permit) under Table 5-2. Agricultural uses and accessory structures…
Lot coverage in unincorporated Kings County varies by zone. Residential Table 5-2 caps coverage at 40% in the RR and R-1 zones, rising to 50-70% in the RM multi-family zones (83.3% for…
Unincorporated Kings County has no tree-removal permit program. There is no heritage- or protected-tree ordinance for private property, so a County permit is generally not needed to…
California provides statewide protections for native oak woodlands and heritage trees through CEQA review, Public Resources Code, and Forest Practice Rules that apply uniformly.
Mid Valley Disposal provides residential trash, recycling and organics collection across unincorporated Kings County. Containers must be curbside by 6:00 a.m.; routes run 6:00 a.m. to…
Mid Valley Disposal requires unincorporated Kings County residents to place carts curbside by 6:00 a.m., set at least 3 feet apart, with lids closed and clear of parked vehicles and…
Mid Valley Disposal offers on-request bulky-item collection for unincorporated Kings County residents, covering old appliances, couches, mattresses, electronic waste and tires…
Unincorporated Kings County residents receive a recycling cart from Mid Valley Disposal for commingled paper, cardboard, cans, glass and plastics #1, #2 and #5. Recycling is mandatory…
California SB 1383 requires organics separation statewide. Kings County confirms that for unincorporated areas, subscribing to organics/recycling collection is mandatory unless the…
Outdoor lighting standards for unincorporated Kings County are set in the county Development Code, including its overlay-zone provisions (Article 10), rather than in the general Code…
Light trespass (light spilling onto neighboring property) in unincorporated Kings County is addressed through the county Development Code's lighting and glare standards rather than the…
Kings County has no dedicated data center ordinance. In unincorporated areas a data center is an industrial use, sited in the IL Light Industrial or IH Heavy Industrial district under…
Kings County's 2035 General Plan Noise Element caps stationary (non-transportation) noise at a home at 55 dBA daytime and 50 dBA at night (Leq), with maximum levels of 75 and 70 dBA. A…
Kings County has no ordinance specific to cryptocurrency or blockchain mining. A commercial mining operation is treated as a data center or industrial use, sited in the IL or IH…
Commercial drone operations in California follow uniform federal rules under 14 CFR Part 107 plus statewide California provisions in Civil Code 1708.8 and Public Utilities Code 21401…
Recreational drone flight in California is governed primarily by FAA regulations under 14 CFR Part 107 and 49 USC 44809, with state-level rules added by Civil Code 1708.8 and…
California sets a statewide minimum wage floor under Labor Code 1182.12, $16.90 per hour for all employers as of January 2026. Local governments are not preempted and may set higher…
California's Healthy Workplaces, Healthy Families Act under Labor Code 245-249 mandates paid sick leave for nearly all employees statewide. SB 616 (2023) raised the minimum to 40 hours…
California regulates concealed carry weapons licenses statewide under Penal Code 26150 through 26225. Senate Bill 2 (2023) imposes uniform sensitive-place restrictions and applicant…
California preempts most local firearm regulation under Government Code 53071 and Penal Code 25605, reserving licensing, registration, and manufacture authority to the state. However…
California broadly prohibits open carry of firearms statewide under Penal Code 25850 (loaded firearms in public) and Penal Code 26350 (open carry of unloaded handguns). The prohibition…
California prohibits carrying loaded firearms in vehicles statewide under Penal Code 25400 and 25850. Unloaded handguns transported in private vehicles must be in a locked container or…
California Retail Food Code (Health and Safety Code 113700-114437) sets uniform mobile food facility permit, equipment, and food safety standards enforced by counties statewide.
California's Safe Sidewalk Vending Act (SB 946) preempts most local bans on sidewalk vending, allowing only objective health, safety, and welfare regulations.
California HOAs may levy regular and special assessments, charge late fees and interest, record liens, and ultimately foreclose on delinquent owners under the Davis-Stirling Act. State…
California tightly regulates HOA governance. The Common Interest Development Open Meeting Act (Civil Code 4900-4955) governs board meetings and member access, sections 5100-5145…
California HOAs enforce recorded CC&Rs and architectural rules, but Civil Code section 4765 requires architectural decisions to be fair, reasonable, and in good faith, and sections…
California HOAs may fine members for rule violations, but only under a published schedule of fines and after strict due-process steps. Civil Code section 5855 requires written notice…
California overrides HOA governing documents on several owner protections. The Davis-Stirling Act and related Civil Code sections bar HOAs from prohibiting solar systems, U.S. flag…
California prohibits state and local governments from requiring private employers to use the federal E-Verify system except where federal law mandates it, under Labor Code 2812. The…
The California Values Act (SB 54, 2017) codified at Government Code 7284-7284.12 limits state and local law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration authorities. It applies…
The California Land Conservation Act of 1965 (Williamson Act), Government Code 51200-51297.4, allows landowners to enter contracts with counties restricting land to agricultural use…
The California Right to Farm Act under Civil Code 3482.5 protects established agricultural operations from nuisance lawsuits brought by neighbors who moved in after farming began. The…
California prohibits grocery stores and large retailers from providing single-use plastic carryout bags under Public Resources Code 42280-42288, enacted by SB 270 (2014) and ratified…
California restricts expanded polystyrene food containers statewide through SB 54 (2022) packaging requirements under Public Resources Code 42040-42081. The law mandates that…
California Public Resources Code 42270-42273, enacted by AB 1884 (2018), prohibits full-service restaurants from providing single-use plastic straws unless requested by the customer…
California prohibits sale of tobacco and vapor products to anyone under 21 statewide under Business and Professions Code 22958, enacted by SBX2-7 in 2016. The Tobacco 21 standard…
California bans retail sale of most flavored tobacco products statewide under Health and Safety Code 104559.5, enacted by SB 793 (2020) and upheld by voters via Proposition 31 in…
California requires statewide licensing of tobacco and vape retailers under the STAKE Act and the Cigarette and Tobacco Products Licensing Act. Business and Professions Code 22970…