Merced, CA

Merced treats a cat off its owner's property and not under physical restraint as 'at large,' a violation of Municipal Code Sec. 6.04.040. Merced does not license individual cats, but…

Merced classifies large snakes, big cats, primates, and other non-domestic species as "wild animals" under Municipal Code Sec. 6.04.010(AC), and Sec. 6.04.270 makes it unlawful to keep…

Merced dogs off their owner's property must be on a leash or lead no longer than eight feet. Letting a dog run at large is a violation of Municipal Code Sec. 6.04.070, and a loose dog…

Merced does not ban any dog breed by name. Instead, Municipal Code Sec. 6.04.010(J) defines a "dangerous animal" strictly by behavior, size, and training, and a separate hearing…

Merced caps how many cats and dogs a single-family home can keep based on lot size, from five of each on parcels of 6,000 square feet or more down to one dog and one cat on lots under…

Merced caps residential livestock and poultry keeping at two animals per lot, bans hog pens and beekeeping outside educational use, and prohibits slaughtering animals except in zoned…

Merced County's Zoning Code treats commercial apiaries as a separate land use requiring a permit, not a hobby any homeowner can add to a lot. Table 4-3 of the animal-confinement…

Every Merced County park and recreation area is a wildlife sanctuary. County Code Section 10.28.040(B) bans hunting or killing, wounding, frightening or capturing any wild bird or…

Merced County bars pet stores in the unincorporated area from selling a live dog, cat, or rabbit unless the animal came from a public animal control agency, an SPCA, a humane society…

Merced County requires an annual administrative permit from the animal control manager, plus zoning clearance, before anyone may keep, harbor, or maintain a wild animal in the…

Merced County requires a Conditional Use Permit before an animal hospital or veterinary office can open in an agricultural zone, and Chapter 18.64 separately flags veterinary clinics…

Merced County doesn't require every pet to carry a microchip, but any dog or cat impounded for biting someone, or ruled potentially dangerous or vicious, must be implanted with a…

A dog or cat impounded a third time within 12 months in unincorporated Merced County must be spayed or neutered, at the owner's expense, before animal control will release it again…

California law makes it illegal to knowingly feed big game mammals, deer, elk, pronghorn antelope, black bear, and Nelson bighorn sheep, anywhere in the state. The California…

Merced requires an expedited, streamlined building permit for every electric vehicle charging station, per Chapter 17.64 adopted by Ordinance No. 2515. The building official must…

Merced prohibits parking or leaving standing any commercial vehicle rated 10,000 pounds gross vehicle weight or more on residential streets. The ban applies citywide in any area zoned…

Merced restricts freight and passenger loading zones to vehicles actually loading or unloading, capped at the time the task legitimately requires. Where signs designate the zone for a…

Painting house numbers on curbs for a fee is a regulated activity in Merced: Municipal Code Sec. 5.56.010 makes it unlawful to do so without a permit from the city manager, and…

Merced lets a residential area petition to become a Residential Parking Permit Zone under Municipal Code Section 10.50.010, giving residents parking-sticker exemptions from posted time…

Merced bans stopping, standing, or parking within any parkway strip, and requires cars parked on city streets to sit parallel to the curb with their right-hand wheels within eighteen…

Merced allows overnight street parking but bans leaving a vehicle parked continuously on any street, alley, or city lot for more than seventy-two consecutive hours. Signed zones can…

Merced bars parking any RV, trailer, camper, or boat on a front or side yard, lawn, or landscaped area unless it sits on a paved driveway or designated parking pad, and separately bans…

Leaving an abandoned, wrecked, dismantled, or inoperative vehicle on public or private property in Merced for more than 72 straight hours is an infraction under Sec. 8.34.150, unless…

Unincorporated Merced County bars parking in a front-yard setback except inside an actual driveway. Zoning Code Section 18.38.100 also blocks using street right-of-way for required…

California doesn't ban private-property towing, but Vehicle Code Section 22658 controls how it happens. A posted sign at least 17 by 22 inches must warn drivers before a tow company…

Merced Municipal Code Section 8.40.270 lets the city council declare by resolution that weeds growing on streets, sidewalks, or private property are a public nuisance and pursue…

Merced enforces mandatory water conservation levels that restrict when residents may irrigate, based on groundwater basin conditions determined by the state Department of Water…

Merced's landscaping ordinance affirmatively allows artificial turf anywhere it meets development services department standards, and even lets it satisfy required residential landscape…

Want a street tree gone in Merced? File a removal application with the recreation and parks department under Section 14.12.160; if it's healthy and you just want it out, you pay the…

Cutting, trimming, pruning, spraying, planting or removing any tree, shrub or plant on a Merced street, park, boulevard, alley or public place requires a permit from the director of…

Small development projects in unincorporated Merced County that create or replace between 2,500 and 5,000 square feet of impervious surface, including qualifying single-family homes…

Merced County's landscaping code requires 90 percent of the plant material on any landscaped project in the unincorporated area to be drought-resistant, well-suited to the local…

Merced County lets residents in the unincorporated area compost their own garden rubbish on-site instead of setting it out for weekly collection, as long as the county health officer…

Merced requires every operator of a 'hotel,' a term broadly defined to include apartment houses, mobile homes, and other short-term paid lodging, to register with the finance officer…

Unincorporated Merced County fixes quiet hours for every short-term rental at 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. under Zoning Code Section 18.60.270(D)(5), which also ties all rental activity to…

Short-term rental operators in unincorporated Merced County must collect and remit a 10% Transient Occupancy Tax under Chapter 5.32, on top of the Administrative Permit required by…

Vacation rentals in unincorporated Merced County cannot operate more than 180 cumulative days in a calendar year under Zoning Code Section 18.60.270(F)(1). The cap applies only to…

Every short-term rental in unincorporated Merced County must provide off-street guest parking under Zoning Code Section 18.60.270(D)(6), which sets a floor of one off-street space per…

Unincorporated Merced County requires every short-term rental to be the primary residence of its owner, verified by two forms of identification, and permits only one short-term rental…

A hosted short-term rental in unincorporated Merced County must keep the owner or operator on site for the whole stay. Zoning Code Section 18.60.270(E)(1) requires concurrent owner…

Merced County caps short-term rentals at five guest rooms under Section 18.60.270, tying real occupancy to the number of bedrooms in the single-family dwelling rather than a flat…

California requires hosting platforms to warn hosts to check their lease and insurance before listing (Business and Professions Code 22592), and AB 537 requires short-term lodging…

Merced Municipal Code Sec. 6.04.040(C) bars owners from letting any animal make loud or disturbing noises, expressly including chronic howling, yowling, barking, or whining, and…

Unincorporated Merced County bars noise that exceeds the background sound level by 5 dBA between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., stricter than the 10 dBA daytime allowance. The Sheriff, acting as…

Unincorporated Merced County limits construction, drilling, earthmoving, and demolition noise to weekdays between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. The work is barred outside that window on weekdays…

Merced County's noise ordinance targets vehicle stereos with heavy bass and off-highway vehicles run on private land. A stereo cannot push low-frequency sound more than 10 dB above the…

Merced County Code Section 10.60.030 sets numeric sound limits at the receiving property line: no more than 10 dBA above background by day or 5 dBA above background at night, plus flat…

Merced County's noise ordinance bars any stereo, radio or similar device from creating a noise disturbance for anyone but its operator, and flatly bans loudspeakers or PA systems from…

California sets statewide airport noise limits under Title 21 CCR, with the state preempting most local aviation noise control because federal FAA authority dominates aircraft…

Merced adopts the California Residential Code's Appendix CI, the state Swimming Pool Safety Act, under Municipal Code Sec. 17.05.010. That act requires any new or remodeled residential…

A Merced home occupation may display exactly one sign: a single, non-illuminated, wall-mounted sign no larger than one square foot. The code also bars newspaper, radio, or TV ads that…

Family day care homes for up to 14 children are a permitted use by right in every one of Merced's residential zoning districts. City code lists both small (1-8 children) and large…

Merced splits home-based businesses into 'minor' and 'major' home occupations under Chapter 20.48. A minor home occupation, limited to phone, computer, mail, and delivery-service work…

A minor home occupation in Merced cannot receive any clients or customers at all. A major home occupation may host up to six clients per day, but only between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m…

In unincorporated Merced County, a cottage or artisanal food operator (CFO) making low-risk food products at a private residence must obtain a Zoning Clearance from the Planning…

California lets home cooks sell meals from their own kitchen under a microenterprise home kitchen operation (MEHKO) permit, capped at 30 meals a day, 90 a week, and $100,000 in annual…

Merced bans barb-wire and razor-wire fencing citywide unless a minor use permit is approved, and prohibits electric fences outright in every residential zone. Sheet metal, vehicles…

Merced caps fences, walls and hedges at 4 feet in required exterior yards and 7 feet everywhere else on residential lots, with a 2.5-foot cap inside driveway and corner vision…

Merced does not require a permit for a standard-height fence, but any fence taller than the base limit in Table 20.30-1, or one in a nonresidential district over 8 feet, needs a minor…

Merced County exempts residential retaining walls two feet or less in height from a building permit under County Code § 16.12.110(B), and treats retaining walls under three feet as…

California Civil Code Section 841, the Good Neighbor Fence Act, presumes adjoining landowners share equal benefit and equal cost responsibility for boundary fences, applying statewide…

Merced bans dangerous fireworks outright and limits legal 'safe and sane' fireworks to a narrow window under Sec. 8.22.110: sales run only from noon June 28 to noon July 6, and stands…

Merced Municipal Code Section 12.08.080 makes it unlawful to set fire to or burn rags, paper, wood, rubbish or any other combustible material on a paved street, alley, public place or…

Merced's Fire Code bars anyone from filling an LP-gas container without a fire-department installation permit, per Section 17.32.030.G amending California Fire Code Section 105.5.30…

Merced enforces the 2025 California Wildland-Urban Interface Code, adopted by reference at Municipal Code Section 17.11.010, for construction in fire-prone areas. Section 17.32.105…

In unincorporated Merced County, a backyard fire pit is an 'open or outdoor fire' that needs a permit from the county fire chief under Code Section 9.24.130. The dooryard exemption in…

California requires property owners in fire hazard zones to maintain 100 feet of defensible space around structures, applying uniformly across State and Local Responsibility Areas.

Merced allows one attached ADU, one detached ADU and one JADU per single-family lot under Municipal Code Section 20.42.030, with a detached ADU capped at 1,200 square feet, 16 feet in…

Merced exempts accessory dwelling units under 750 square feet from all development impact fees. Larger ADUs pay impact fees prorated to their share of the primary home's square…

A shed or other detached accessory structure in a Merced residential yard can rise up to 35 feet, the same as the house, but must sit at least 3 feet from interior property lines, 5…

Merced bars short-term and transient rentals of accessory dwelling units and junior ADUs, requiring a minimum continuous rental term of 30 days under Municipal Code Section…

Merced imposed no owner-occupancy requirement on ADUs permitted between January 1, 2020 and January 1, 2025. Starting January 1, 2025, owners in R-1 zones (or equivalent planned…

Merced permits tiny homes on wheels as a form of accessory dwelling unit under Municipal Code Section 20.42.060, requiring DMV registration, ANSI/NFPA certification, a 400-square-foot…

Merced allows an attached garage to be converted into an accessory dwelling unit through ministerial approval, but converted-ADU garages on multi-family parcels are capped at 25…

Merced bans public camping and storing personal property in parks, streets, sidewalks, and public lots, and within 1,000 feet of any school. Code enforcement can remove encampments…

Merced bars sitting or lying on a public sidewalk, curb, or an object placed on one, in any commercially zoned district, but only after a law enforcement officer has first warned the…

Merced adopts the 2025 California Electrical Code, based on the 2023 NEC, by reference at Municipal Code Section 17.20.010, and Section 17.20.060 bars the city from issuing any…

Merced's amended California Fire Code requires an automatic fire sprinkler system in every new building 5,000 square feet or larger under one roof, regardless of use or occupancy…

Merced adopts the 2025 California Plumbing Code, based on the 2024 Uniform Plumbing Code, by reference at Municipal Code Section 17.28.020. Section 17.28.040 requires a valid…

Merced will not issue a building permit for commercial or industrial construction work unless the applicant holds a valid California contractor's license and a city contractor's…

Merced adopts the 2025 California Green Building Standards Code (Title 24, Part 11) by reference under Municipal Code Section 17.07.010, making CALGreen's water efficiency, waste…

Merced won't issue a certificate of final inspection on new construction until required public improvements, curbs, gutters, sidewalks, and street dedications are installed, per…

Merced requires parking lot lighting to be designed so glare or spillage is directed away from residential properties, pairing that trespass rule with a mandatory hooded-fixture…

Merced requires every fixture lighting a parking lot of six or more spaces to be hooded and energy efficient, keeping light directed downward and off adjoining properties. Its zoning…

When a Merced film shoot would slow traffic, Municipal Code Section 5.52.110 requires the production to hire local law enforcement and follow state-standard traffic-control measures…

Merced requires a permit from the finance officer before anyone stages or shoots a commercial motion picture, television show, or commercial on public or private property, under…

New construction and substantial improvements in Merced's AE and AH flood zones must have the lowest floor, including any basement, elevated to or above the base flood elevation shown…

Every construction project in Merced with soil disturbance exposed to stormwater must install erosion and sediment control best management practices under Municipal Code Sec…

Any construction, filling, grading or other development within Merced's mapped special flood hazard areas requires a development permit before work begins. Municipal Code Section…

Merced makes it a misdemeanor to discharge anything but stormwater into the city's storm drain system under Municipal Code Sec. 15.50.050. Anyone who discovers a spill that could reach…

Marinas, boat docks, and launches in unincorporated Merced County's agricultural zones need at minimum an Administrative Permit under Table 2-1, and Section 18.10.040(H) lets the…

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…

Merced's Municipal Code entitles every dwelling unit to weekly removal of two 30-gallon containers of solid waste under Sec. 8.04.290, and residential collection cannot happen more…

Every Merced property that generates solid waste must use the city's own collection service under Municipal Code Sec. 8.04.015. Residential pickup runs once a week for two 30-gallon…

Merced defines 'green waste' as yard trimmings, plant waste and untreated wood, distinct from treated wood or demolition debris, under Sec. 8.04.700. The city bills $7.74 a month per…

Merced requires commercial facilities, multifamily properties, and special events to separate organic material, including food scraps, from garbage under Municipal Code Sec. 8.04.910…

Merced establishes a citywide recycling program for residences and businesses under Sec. 8.04.420, giving the director of public works authority to set operating rules while the city…

Any Merced building project needing a permit for commercial, industrial, institutional, or five-or-more-unit residential construction must include a dedicated recycling area under Sec…

Only the City of Merced, or its authorized contractor, may place and collect commercial dumpsters and roll-off containers under Municipal Code Sec. 8.04.140. Roll-offs come in 10, 20…

Items too large for regular containers must be removed through a special pickup arranged with Merced's solid waste collection division under Municipal Code Sec. 8.04.040. The city…

Merced requires curbside carts to go out no earlier than 4 p.m. the day before collection and be pulled in by 9 p.m. on collection day under Municipal Code Sec. 8.04.055. Carts can't…

Dumping solid waste on someone else's property, a street, alley, or public place is unlawful in Merced under Municipal Code Sec. 8.04.070. Letting waste accumulate on your own property…

Merced Municipal Code Section 9.12.020 makes it a misdemeanor to serve, drink, or possess an open container of any spirituous, vinous, malt, or other intoxicating liquor on a city…

When a party or gathering on private property becomes a police matter, Merced can bill the host, property owner, or a minor's parents for law enforcement costs beyond the first…

Merced bars loitering in or around any public building and blocking corridors, stairways, or doorways in a way that keeps the public, officers, or employees from moving freely. Section…

Merced pedestrians must cross the roadway in a crosswalk within a business district or wherever a marked crosswalk exists, and must use due care to avoid stepping into the path of a…

Merced bans skateboards, roller blades, roller skates and other coaster devices from streets, sidewalks and parking lots inside a signed downtown business district bounded by 16th, V…

Merced Municipal Code Section 9.16.020 makes it a misdemeanor to urinate or defecate on any street, sidewalk, parkway, alley, or other public place exposed to public view within the…

Merced's Aggressive Solicitation chapter makes it an infraction to solicit donations after sunset or before sunrise, within set distances of banks and bus stops, or in aggressive ways…

Merced law bans smoking in every place in the city, with only the narrow exceptions carved out in the smoking ordinance, under Sec. 8.26.050. A restaurant escapes the ban only if at…

Merced caps building lot coverage in single-family zones on a sliding scale tied to lot size: 25% in Rural Residential, rising to 50% in the smallest-lot R-1-5 subzone. Table 20.08-2…

Every single-family residential zoning subzone in Merced, from Rural Residential through R-1-5, caps building height at 35 feet. Table 20.08-2 sets the number, Sec. 20.24.010 defines…

Merced's single-family zoning code sets minimum front, side and rear yard setbacks that shrink as lot size decreases: a 30-foot front setback in R-R and R-1-20 down to 15 feet in the…

Garage sale signs in Merced can go on someone else's property only with the owner's permission, can never be placed in the public right-of-way or on public property like utility poles…

Parcels within Merced's Freeway Overlay District can add one pole or pylon sign per parcel through a freeway-oriented sign permit, up to 100 square feet per side and 90 feet tall, set…

Merced caps window signage at 20 percent of each window's area. Section 20.62.180 also requires an unobstructed view into the premises and exempts window signs from the building's…

Merced requires a conditional use permit for digital display signs and limits them to freestanding signs in commercial, overlay, and equivalent planned development zones. Brightness…

Political signs count as exempt non-commercial temporary signs under Zoning Code § 18.44.070(A)(4): no permit is needed, but each sign is capped at 8 square feet in residential zones…

In unincorporated Merced County, holiday lights and decorations qualify as exempt signs under Zoning Code § 18.44.070(A)(3): no sign permit is needed, but displays cannot stay up…

Merced Municipal Code Section 8.40.050 puts the duty to keep a fronting public sidewalk clean on the occupant or tenant first, falling to the owner, lessee, or proprietor only when no…

Merced Municipal Code Section 12.08.020 declares any sign, showcase, stand, rack, frame or other merchandise display device, or any structure or obstruction placed along, under, over…

Merced requires a written permit from the city engineer before anyone cuts, opens, or excavates a public street, alley, lane, court or place for any purpose, from laying pipe and…

Bounce houses, exclusive use of a covered park area, and organized sports leagues or tournaments cannot happen in a Merced city park without an exclusive use permit from the director…

Merced restaurants that want tables, chairs, racks or other equipment on a public sidewalk or in a park must first obtain a restaurant encroachment permit from the city manager under…

Merced requires an encroachment permit from the city manager before anyone closes a public street or alley, or places a structure or obstruction there, for a block party or similar…

Anyone operating an outdoor festival, defined as a periodic outdoor gathering for rock, dance, or theatrical performances, in unincorporated Merced County must obtain a Board of…

Merced's Fire Code amendments exempt small propane cylinders from the citywide LP-gas installation permit when they're used for backyard barbecue cooking. Under Municipal Code Section…

Merced Municipal Code Section 8.40.070 declares a long list of property conditions a public nuisance, including buildings left abandoned or in partial construction and any structure…

Merced Municipal Code Section 8.40.070 treats several vacant-land conditions as public nuisances: unsecured openings into vacant structures, overgrown vegetation that can harbor…

Operating an adult entertainment business in Merced without a city permit is unlawful under Municipal Code Sec. 5.58.030, and every application must map any other adult business…

Merced requires anyone running a secondhand goods, junk, or pawnbroker business to get a written permit from the city council before opening, under Municipal Code Section 5.28.030…

Merced bans new tobacco retailers, including vape and e-cigarette shops, within 1,000 feet of any listed school and within 600 feet of youth-oriented facilities like parks, libraries…

Merced bans open-air vehicle repair or dismantling in residential districts unless the fire department first issues a permit under Municipal Code Section 8.40.060. The permit process…

Operating a massage or bodywork business in Merced without a city permit is a misdemeanor under Municipal Code Section 5.44.100, punishable through Chapter 1.12. The finance officer…

Merced County pawnbrokers operate under the same Chapter 6.44 license as secondhand dealers, but face an additional, pawnbroker-specific rule: a peace officer with probable cause can…

In unincorporated Merced County, anyone operating a tattoo parlor, body piercing studio, permanent cosmetics business, or ear piercing service must hold an annual body art facility…

Merced has no general rent control ordinance. It imposes only a narrow, temporary rent freeze under Chapter 9.75: a landlord who displaced a tenant for storm-related repairs cannot…

Merced enforces rental-property habitability through the 1997 Uniform Housing Code, adopted by reference at Municipal Code Section 17.08.010. The code sets the minimum sanitation…

Merced requires just cause to end a tenancy in any rental unit damaged by the January 8, 2023 storm and flooding emergency. Landlords may still terminate for no-fault reasons like…

Unincorporated Merced County requires every hotel and short-term rental operator to register with the Community and Economic Development Department before opening for business, obtain…

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 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…

Merced makes it unlawful for any solicitor to ring a doorbell, knock, or otherwise call attention to their presence at a home or business that displays a 'No Peddlers' or 'No…

Anyone who goes house to house in Merced selling goods or taking orders must obtain a solicitor's license under Municipal Code Section 5.08.810 before knocking on a single door. The…

Merced grants a density bonus and development incentives to any housing project of five or more units that sets aside units for very low-, low-, or moderate-income households, seniors…

Merced's downtown districts (D-COR, D-O, D-CM) run on build-to setbacks rather than suburban yards: buildings sit between 0 and 10 feet from the sidewalk, height tops out at 60 feet in…

Every transient occupying a room in a Merced hotel, motel, inn, or similar lodging pays a 10 percent transient occupancy tax on the rent charged, collected by the operator under…

Merced bars anyone under 18 from public streets, sidewalks, or parks between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. unless escorted by a parent or guardian or traveling to a legitimate activity…

Merced closes its city parks overnight: no one may be or remain in a park listed under Section 9.70.030 from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. between March and October, or 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. from…

New building permits in Merced come with a string attached: street trees must go in before occupancy, with right-of-way or easements dedicated for them. If landscaping isn't already a…

California provides statewide protections for native oak woodlands and heritage trees through CEQA review, Public Resources Code, and Forest Practice Rules that apply uniformly.

A food truck that parks on the same parcel for more than an hour a day is no longer a roaming sidewalk vendor under Merced's rules; it becomes a fixed-location use restricted to…

Merced requires a site plan review or conditional use permit before any food truck can park in a fixed location for more than an hour a day, restricts operation to 7 a.m.-9 p.m., and…

Merced requires every sidewalk or street vendor, including pushcart and food-cart operators, to obtain a permit from the city manager before selling anywhere in city limits. Permits…

Merced caps garage sales at four per year per lot, no more than one every three months, each lasting up to three consecutive days. Section 9.54.020.A also bars holding a sale between…

Merced caps the number of cannabis dispensaries citywide at five, requires a commercial cannabis business permit, and confines dispensaries to commercial and limited industrial zones…

Merced bars cannabis dispensaries within 1,000 feet of any school and within 600 feet of a day care center, youth center, library, or public park. Cultivation, manufacturing, and…

Health and Safety Code section 11362.2 grants every adult 21 or older the statewide right to cultivate up to six cannabis plants indoors, and bars local governments from completely…

Merced Municipal Code Section 10.44.080 bars parking a bicycle on any street, sidewalk, bicycle lane, or bicycle path in a way that blocks pedestrians. Riders share designated bike…

A low-speed vehicle in California may not be driven on any roadway with a speed limit above 35 miles per hour. Vehicle Code section 21260 permits it to cross a faster road only where…

Merced's Agriculture (A-G) zoning district protects farmland inside city limits with a 20-acre minimum parcel and a 2-percent lot-coverage cap, replacing the old A-1-20 zone. Crop…

Unincorporated Merced County requires a recorded Certificate of Public Acknowledgement of Farming Activities on final subdivision maps near agricultural land, warning future buyers…

Merced bans letting broken or defective plumbing, sprinklers, or irrigation systems leak water at any time, under Municipal Code Sec. 15.42.100.A.1. Once the city declares Level 4 or…

Merced declares overgrown vegetation likely to harbor rats or vermin a public nuisance under Municipal Code Sec. 8.40.070(G). Code enforcement can inspect the property, order the owner…

No one may alter, construct on, relocate, or demolish a city-designated historic resource in Merced without a certificate for alteration approved by at least four affirmative votes of…

Merced sorts every business into one of four gross-receipts classifications, A through D, based on the trade's profit margin, then taxes annual gross receipts on a sliding scale set in…

Merced's industrial performance standards cap noise beyond the property line at 70 dBA from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. and 60 dBA overnight. A use abutting residential zoning may transmit no…

The City of Merced has no data-center ordinance and no "data center" use category. A data center lands in the I-L or I-H industrial districts, where every use and structure requires a…

Merced does not publish a banned-species list, but its landscaping ordinance requires at least 90 percent of the plants and trees in any new landscaped area to be drought-tolerant…

Merced Municipal Code Section 9.08.020 confines cardrooms to Central Commercial, Commercial Thoroughfare, and General Commercial zones, caps the city at two licensed cardrooms and…

California Penal Code § 326.5 lets only tax-exempt nonprofits, mobilehome park associations, senior groups, and school-affiliated charities run bingo, and only under a local city or…

California law exempts private home card games from gambling regulation entirely. Penal Code § 337j(e)(2)(D) excludes any card game played in a private home or residence from the…

California has no legal sports betting, in stores or online. Penal Code section 337a criminalizes bookmaking, pool-selling, and placing or accepting any bet on the result of a sporting…

Merced's condominium ordinance forces every common-ownership project's CC&Rs to name the City as a third-party beneficiary with power to enforce common-area maintenance. If the City…

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's Davis-Stirling Act gives every HOA member the right to inspect and copy association records under Civil Code § 5205. Boards must produce current-year records within 10…

California voids any HOA governing-document clause that effectively bans or unreasonably restricts a clothesline or drying rack in an owner's exclusive-use backyard. Civil Code Section…

Civil Code section 4735 voids any HOA rule that bans low-water plants, turf replacement, or artificial turf, and bars fines for cutting back watering during a declared drought…

Civil Code § 4745 voids any HOA covenant or governing-document rule that prohibits or unreasonably restricts installing an EV charging station in an owner's unit or designated parking…

Civil Code § 4705 bars every California homeowners association from limiting a member's display of the United States flag on their own lot or within their exclusive-use common area…

California law caps homeowners association fines at $100 per violation or the amount listed in the association's published penalty schedule, whichever is less. Civil Code section 5850…

A California homeowners association cannot foreclose on a member’s home over unpaid dues until the delinquent assessments alone reach $1,800, or until the assessments secured by the…

Civil Code § 4741 bars every California homeowners association from adopting or enforcing a rule that prohibits, or unreasonably restricts, renting out a separate interest, and sets a…

Merced runs a streamlined, expedited permitting track for small residential rooftop solar systems under Municipal Code Section 17.05.040. Systems capped at 10 kilowatts AC (or 30…

Small residential rooftop solar systems in unincorporated Merced County go through the building and safety division on a published checklist, with the applicant confirming roof and…

California Civil Code section 714 makes any HOA covenant, deed restriction, or governing document provision that effectively prohibits or restricts a solar energy system void and…

Merced's sign ordinance exempts holiday and cultural observance decorations, including light strings, from sign permits and from counting toward a property's total sign area, as long…

Merced County restricts when backup generators at wireless telecommunication facility sites can run and be tested. Under County Code Section 18.68.100(D), generators may only operate…

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…

Sobriety checkpoints are lawful in California and stopping at one is a statutory obligation, not a courtesy. Vehicle Code § 2814.2(a) requires a driver to stop and submit to a sobriety…

California is one of the few states that answers this by statute rather than by case law alone. Penal Code § 148(g) says that photographing or making an audio or video recording of a…

California has no general stop-and-identify statute. The old Penal Code § 647(e), which required a person lawfully detained to give "credible and reliable" identification, was held…

California has no statute that requires you to consent to a search of your car, and none that requires an officer to warn you that you may refuse. What the Legislature and the voters…

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 works from a closed list: Vehicle Code section 24003 says no vehicle may carry any lamp or illuminating device not required or permitted by the code, so an accessory light…

California measures dash cam placement in square inches. Vehicle Code section 26708(b)(13) lets a video event recorder occupy a seven-inch square in the lower corner of the windshield…

Lane splitting is lawful in California. Vehicle Code section 21658.1, added by AB 51 in 2016, defines it as driving a motorcycle with two wheels in contact with the ground between rows…

California does not let you put a cover over your license plate. Vehicle Code section 5201(c) allows exactly two things: a full car cover on a lawfully parked vehicle, and a license…

No section of the California Vehicle Code makes it an offense for a private motorist to own, carry or use a radar detector. The prohibition in Vehicle Code section 28150 reaches only…

California permits metal studded tires only between November 1 and April 30, and only where the studs are tungsten carbide or another suitable material and the metal touching the road…

California never publishes a "legal VLT" for front side windows because it does not permit aftermarket darkening there at all. Vehicle Code section 26708(d) allows only clear…