Pacifica, CA

Pacifica does not set a numeric weed height limit; instead Municipal Code § 5-25.03(B)(7) declares dead, decayed, diseased or hazardous trees, weeds and other vegetation a public…

In the City of Pacifica, removing a protected tree, defined as any tree twelve inches or more in trunk diameter, a designated heritage tree, or part of a grove, requires a written tree…

In the City of Pacifica, significant pruning of a protected tree, more than fifteen percent of its leaf and stem area or roots two inches or larger, requires a written tree pruning…

In the City of Pacifica, potable rainwater harvesting systems fall under the California Plumbing Code, which the city adopts by reference at Municipal Code Section 8-3.01, including…

Single-family organic waste generators in the county's densely populated unincorporated areas may compost yard and food waste on site instead of subscribing to hauler collection, per…

Unincorporated San Mateo County does not ban or specifically permit-regulate artificial turf on private property, and the County's WELO governs water budgets without mandating or…

Unincorporated San Mateo County encourages native and drought-tolerant landscaping rather than mandating it for homeowners. The Countywide Water Pollution Prevention Program promotes…

Unincorporated San Mateo County requires new-development and open-area landscape plans to build in water-saving design under Ordinance Code § 4.36.120: plant choice, irrigation…

Pacifica Municipal Code Chapter 29 does not restrict aircraft overflight; it requires any seller of a single or multifamily dwelling, and their agent, to disclose that the property is…

In the City of Pacifica, a power blower, fan or internal combustion engine that creates noise from exploding operating gases or fluids is a prohibited disturbing noise under Pacifica…

In the City of Pacifica, sounding a vehicle horn except as a danger warning, running an exhaust without an effective muffler, and driving a vehicle so out of repair or loaded that it…

In the City of Pacifica, playing a radio, phonograph, musical instrument or similar device between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. so it is plainly audible 50 feet from the source is prima…

In the City of Pacifica, it is unlawful for an owner or caretaker to let their animal habitually bark, meow, or otherwise disturb the peace under Pacifica Municipal Code Section…

Construction requiring a building permit in the City of Pacifica may only happen between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, and between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on Saturday…

Pacifica's noise ordinance sets an overnight curfew on amplified sound and shouting. Playing a radio, phonograph or similar device loud enough to be heard 50 feet away between 11:00…

In unincorporated San Mateo County, exterior noise reaching a home, school, hospital, church or library cannot exceed the numeric limits in Table I of Code Section 4.88.330: as low as…

Every Pacifica short-term rental operator owes two separate City payments on top of the rental permit itself: the citywide 15 percent transient occupancy tax under Chapter 7 of Title…

In the City of Pacifica, a hosted short-term rental operator must physically be on-site between 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. whenever the property is being used as a short-term rental…

In the City of Pacifica, an unhosted short-term rental, one with no host present, may operate no more than 60 nights per year, on a cycle running October 31 to October 30, under…

In the City of Pacifica, every short-term rental must provide at least one off-street parking space per legally permitted bedroom, dedicated to short-term renters for the length of the…

In the City of Pacifica, short-term renters may not make excessive or loud noise during quiet hours of 10:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. daily under Pacifica Municipal Code Sec. 9-4.4905(o), and…

In the City of Pacifica, a short-term rental permit is revoked once the site accrues two violations of Article 49 within a 12-month period. Pacifica Municipal Code Sec…

In the City of Pacifica, advertising platforms listing short-term rentals must disclose listing details to the City and may not complete a booking for any rental not on the City's…

No one may operate a short-term rental in the City of Pacifica without a permit issued under Municipal Code Section 9-4.4904. The Administrator reviews a detailed application, a signed…

Every short-term rental permit in the City of Pacifica requires the operator to actually live at the rental property as a primary residence. Municipal Code Section 9-4.4903(c) requires…

A Pacifica short-term rental permit application is not complete without proof of insurance. Municipal Code Section 9-4.4904(a)(xi) lists an insurance certificate for the site as one of…

Pacifica caps overnight occupancy at every short-term rental to two renters per legally permitted bedroom. Municipal Code Section 9-4.4905(m) excludes children under six from that…

In the City of Pacifica, keeping bees is not banned or separately licensed, but Municipal Code Section 5-25.03(B)(35) makes it a public nuisance to run an apiary in a way that disturbs…

In the City of Pacifica's parks, beaches, mini-parks, adjacent parking areas and recreation facilities, Municipal Code § 4-10.118(a)(19) bars hunting, molesting, harming, trapping…

In the City of Pacifica, dogs off their owner's property must be controlled by a chain, lead rope, or leash attached to a collar, saddle, harness, or halter under Pacifica Municipal…

In the City of Pacifica, every cat over three months old must carry a current annual license under Pacifica Municipal Code Section 6-1.204, the same licensing article that covers dogs…

Pacifica has no breed-specific dog ordinance. Under Pacifica Municipal Code Section 6-1.215(k), the city and San Mateo County have opted out of the state's potentially-dangerous-dog…

Pacifica does not require every pet to be microchipped, but Pacifica Municipal Code Section 6-1.210(a)(12) makes microchipping mandatory for any animal placed under a dangerous animal…

In the City of Pacifica, an unaltered animal impounded a second time within three years must be spayed or neutered before it can be redeemed, at the owner's cost, under Pacifica…

In the City of Pacifica, an animal hospital or veterinary clinic is allowed only in the C-1, C-2, C-3 and Professional Office (O) Districts, and only with a use permit under Municipal…

Keeping chicken roosters, homing pigeons, horses, or other livestock anywhere in the City of Pacifica requires a permit from the Building Official under the Animal Control chapter of…

Selling or offering cats, dogs or wolf hybrids on a public street, sidewalk or park in unincorporated San Mateo County requires a pet-sales business license under § 6.12.040(c), unless…

Unincorporated San Mateo County caps casual pet-keeping at four animals. Ordinance Code Section 6.20.020 makes it unlawful to keep five or more dogs, five or more cats, or five or more…

No one may own or keep an exotic animal anywhere in unincorporated San Mateo County without a Health System use permit. Ordinance Code Section 6.08.030 requires prior approval from the…

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…

In the City of Pacifica, open fires on any beach, park or recreation facility are banned except in a fireplace, barbecue facility or firepit the City designates for that purpose…

In the City of Pacifica, every dwelling unit, including single-family homes, mobile homes and multi-family buildings, must have and maintain smoke detectors that meet Title 8 building…

In the City of Pacifica, Municipal Code Section 4-3.202 bans the possession, sale, or discharge of dangerous fireworks without a Fire Chief permit, capping unpermitted possession at…

In the City of Pacifica, Municipal Code Section 4-3.117 amends California Fire Code Section 6104.2 to cap the aggregate storage of liquefied petroleum gas at any one installation at…

In the City of Pacifica, Municipal Code Section 4-3.301 formally adopts the Fire Hazard Severity Zones in the Local Responsibility Areas as mapped and recommended by CAL FIRE under…

Properties in the Wildland-Urban Interface of unincorporated San Mateo County must maintain defensible space under California Public Resources Code 4291: 100 feet of clearance around…

California requires permits for most outdoor burning, with statewide CAL FIRE and Air Resources Board rules that uniformly apply alongside local air district restrictions.

In the City of Pacifica, an abandoned, wrecked, dismantled or inoperative vehicle left on private or public property, including a highway, street or alley, is declared a public…

In the City of Pacifica, no vehicle may sit parked on any highway, street, road or alley for more than 72 consecutive hours under Pacifica Municipal Code § 5-2.03(a). Once that limit…

In the City of Pacifica, Municipal Code Section 4-7.1109 requires vehicles parked on a one-way street to stop within eighteen inches of the left-hand curb and face in the direction of…

In the City of Pacifica, Municipal Code Section 4-7.1204 defines an 'oversized vehicle' as any vehicle or combination twenty-two feet or longer, seven feet or wider, or eight feet or…

In the City of Pacifica, Municipal Code Section 4-7.1207 creates a temporary preferential parking program that gives admitted participants a dedicated parking space at one of thirteen…

In the City of Pacifica, the Traffic Engineer designates loading zones in business districts and in front of halls or assembly places, and the loading-zone total is capped at half of…

Pacifica's curb colors carry fixed legal meaning under Municipal Code § 4-7.1302: red bars stopping, standing, or parking at any time except for a posted bus zone; yellow bars standing…

In the City of Pacifica, commercial vehicles of 10,000 pounds or more cannot park, stand, or be stored on a public street in a commercial zone between 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. under…

Pacifica Municipal Code Section 9-4.2808 bars parking most vehicles, RVs, trailers and boats in a required yard, but allows automobiles, campers, trucks, motorcycles and one house car…

In the City of Pacifica, new nonresidential parking must include electric vehicle charging capacity under Municipal Code Section 8-7.06, which sets tiered percentages by use: offices…

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…

Pacifica caps home occupation signage to interior window signs only, capped at four square feet or twenty-five percent of the window area, whichever is smaller. Only one sign per home…

In the City of Pacifica, a family day care home for fourteen or fewer children, licensed by the California Department of Social Services, is allowed as part of residential use under…

In the City of Pacifica, a home occupation cannot generate more foot or vehicle traffic than the zone normally sees: Pacifica Municipal Code Section 9-4.3101(a) caps client and…

In the City of Pacifica, running any home-based business requires a home occupation permit from the Zoning Administrator before the work begins. Pacifica Municipal Code Section…

Government Code section 51035 forbids any California city, county, or city and county from prohibiting a cottage food operation in a residential dwelling. The local agency must pick…

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…

In the City of Pacifica, water and sewer agencies cannot charge any impact fee on an accessory dwelling unit under 750 square feet. Municipal Code § 9-4.455(f) treats a smaller ADU as…

Pacifica allows one accessory dwelling unit on any site with a lawful single-family or multi-family home, reviewed ministerially rather than through a discretionary hearing. A detached…

A Pacifica property owner who builds a junior accessory dwelling unit must live in the primary single-family home as a primary residence for as long as a tenant occupies the JADU. The…

A junior accessory dwelling unit in Pacifica cannot be rented for less than thirty consecutive days, which bars short-term rentals like Airbnb stays, and it can never be sold or…

Pacifica Municipal Code Section 9-4.2704 sets the standards for detached accessory buildings, such as sheds and garages, in residential districts: at least five feet from the main…

In the City of Pacifica, tiny houses on permanent foundations are covered by Appendix BB, Tiny Homes, one of six appendices the City adopted along with the rest of the California…

Converting an attached or detached garage into an accessory dwelling unit in unincorporated San Mateo County does not require replacing the lost parking spot: Zoning Regulations…

In the City of Pacifica, it is unlawful to place or maintain a fence made wholly or partially of barbed wire in any zoning district under Municipal Code § 9-4.2311(a). Fences must…

Pacifica Municipal Code Section 9-4.2503 caps fences, hedges, walls and screen plantings at six feet in the side yard behind the front setback and in the rear yard, and three feet in…

Pacifica does not require a permit for a residential fence that stays within the standard height limits, but Municipal Code Section 9-4.2503(a) requires a site development permit for…

Pacifica measures retaining wall height from the lower ground level where grade differs on either side, under Municipal Code Section 9-4.2503(b). The code does not cap how many…

San Mateo County's zoning code sets fence heights but does not allocate cost between neighbors. Boundary-fence cost sharing is governed by California Civil Code 841, which presumes…

The City of Pacifica regulates residential swimming pool construction through the California Residential Code, adopted with local amendments under Municipal Code Section 8-7.5.01. The…

Unincorporated San Mateo County follows California's Swimming Pool Safety Act for pool barriers. A qualifying enclosure must be at least 60 inches high, leave no more than a 2-inch gap…

In the City of Pacifica, every residential unit and every occupied hotel, motel, apartment house, rooming house, or business premises must subscribe to and pay for refuse collection…

Pacifica Municipal Code Section 6-5.106 requires garbage receptacles to stay in a protected area on the property except for a twelve-hour window before and after the scheduled…

Pacifica Municipal Code Section 6-5.105 requires the scavenger to empty garbage containers at least once each week, and lets the City order a higher pickup frequency when a property's…

Pacifica Municipal Code Section 6-5.203 establishes a citywide recyclable materials collection program available to every person, residence, business, and institution, run under an…

Pacifica Municipal Code Section 6-5.207 requires residents in the Pacifica Recycling Program to separate recyclables from garbage and place receptacles at curbside no more than twelve…

Pacifica Municipal Code Section 6-5.703 requires every single-family household to subscribe to the City's organic waste collection service and sort food waste and yard trimmings into a…

In the City of Pacifica, it is unlawful to throw, deposit or accumulate litter on any public place or private premises, or to dump anything into San Pedro, Calera, Milagra or Big Inch…

New commercial and mixed-use development in San Mateo County's CMU-1 (Commercial Mixed Use-1) zoning district, the unincorporated North Fair Oaks area, must build at least one refuse…

Pacifica Municipal Code Chapter 25 declares abandoned, partially destroyed or neglected buildings a public nuisance, and separately targets vacant structures left with doors or windows…

Pacifica Municipal Code § 5-25.03(B)(6) declares overgrown vegetation a public nuisance on any property, including vacant and unimproved lots, when it harbors rats and vermin, causes…

Snow sidewalk clearing is not a regular concern in unincorporated San Mateo County's Mediterranean coastal climate, and the County has no dedicated snow-clearance ordinance. On the…

The three complaints Pacifica Code Enforcement handles most under Municipal Code § 5-25.03(B) are junk, trash or debris accumulation visible from the street; abandoned, dismantled or…

Pacifica Municipal Code Chapter 28 bans loud or unruly gatherings at private or rented public property and makes the responsible person or social host liable for police and fire…

In the City of Pacifica, loitering in a City park, mini-park, or recreation facility is barred between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., and beach-adjacent parking areas close to loiterers…

In the City of Pacifica, skateboards, roller skates, mopeds, and bicycles cannot be ridden on a sidewalk in any commercial zone, including the C-1, C-2, C-3, C-1-A, O, and C-R…

In the City of Pacifica, smoking or using any tobacco product, including cannabis, is banned outright on every City beach and on the Pacifica Pier under Pacifica Municipal Code §…

In the City of Pacifica, public consumption of cannabis products on the sidewalk or public space outside a licensed cannabis operation is defined as an "objectionable condition that…

San Mateo County parks generally ban liquor other than beer or wine; hard alcohol is allowed only in designated areas of Coyote Point County Park under Section 3.68.080(t).

Pacifica Municipal Code § 5-27.201 requires single-family dwelling exterior doors to carry a deadbolt in addition to a deadlocking latch, bans double-keyed double-cylinder deadbolts…

In the City of Pacifica, Municipal Code Section 4-3.109 amends California Fire Code Section 903.2 to require an automatic fire sprinkler system in every newly constructed building or…

In the City of Pacifica, anyone legalizing work built without a permit must obtain all applicable permits and submit to inspection by the Building Official under Section 117 of the…

The City of Pacifica has adopted the 2025 California Building Code, with local amendments, to regulate construction, alteration, and demolition of buildings and structures. Before…

The City of Pacifica has adopted the 2025 California Plumbing Code, based on the Uniform Plumbing Code, to govern plumbing work on buildings and structures citywide. A local amendment…

The City of Pacifica requires an operational permit before anyone opens a day care or institutional facility serving more than six people, under the locally adopted California Fire…

Every short-term rental permit application in the City of Pacifica must include a signed safety declaration certifying working carbon monoxide detectors, smoke detectors and fire…

In the City of Pacifica, the California Electrical Code, 2025 Edition, incorporating the 2023 National Electrical Code, is the enforceable wiring standard under Municipal Code Section…

In the City of Pacifica, new construction and additions follow the California Green Building Standards Code, 2025 Edition, adopted by reference at Municipal Code Section 8-7.01. Beyond…

Pacifica Municipal Code § 5-31.02 makes it unlawful to act as a tobacco retailer, defined to include nicotine-vaping products, without first obtaining a Police Department tobacco…

In the City of Pacifica, no individual may practice massage therapy for pay, and no business may offer it, without a CAMTC-certified practitioner and a City registration certificate…

In the City of Pacifica, non-consensual, police-generated tows run through a Rotational Tow Program under Municipal Code § 4-8.03: only a tow operator holding a City-issued…

Adult businesses in Pacifica are allowed only in the Commercial (C) zoning districts, and only as a conditional use requiring a discretionary use permit. Pacifica Municipal Code…

Pacifica Municipal Code Section 9-4.2810(c) limits vehicle repair on a residential garage apron or driveway to vehicles owned by the occupant of that residence, closing off home-based…

Anyone running a pawnbroker, secondhand dealer, junk dealer, or junk collector business in unincorporated San Mateo County must hold an annual License Board license under County Code…

Tattoo and piercing shops in unincorporated San Mateo County need an annual LEA permit, and every practitioner must hold a current registration.

Secondhand dealers and flea market operators in unincorporated San Mateo County must license with the County and hold purchased goods 15 days before resale.

The City of Pacifica sorts every business with a fixed location into seven license-tax classifications, A through G, under Municipal Code §§ 3-1.202-3-1.208, based on the business's…

Anyone going door to door, working the streets, or telephone-soliciting in the City of Pacifica to sell goods, wares or services on a continuing basis must pay an annual $50 business…

Many San Mateo County cities (Redwood City, San Carlos, others) maintain 'Do Not Knock' registries that residents can join free of charge, and the County Sheriff requires all licensed…

Guests staying fewer than 30 consecutive days in a Pacifica "hotel," a term covering everything from motels to mobile homes at a fixed location, pay a 15 percent transient occupancy…

In the City of Pacifica, anyone under 18 may not loiter on public streets, in parks, or in any public place between 11:00 p.m. and sunrise without a parent or legal guardian. Pacifica…

In the City of Pacifica, running a noise-creating generator, power fan, or internal combustion engine without a muffler violates the City's noise ordinance. Pacifica Municipal Code…

In the City of Pacifica, an audible car alarm is exempt from the City's alarm-permit chapter, but it must still meet two noise rules: it cannot mimic an emergency-vehicle siren, and it…

In the City of Pacifica, loud noise from loading or unloading a vehicle, or from opening and breaking down boxes and crates, is a disturbing noise violation under Pacifica Municipal…

In the City of Pacifica, a household or group may hold no more than three garage sales per calendar year, and no single sale may run longer than three consecutive calendar days…

In the City of Pacifica, a garage sale may carry one on-site sign of up to six square feet, posted for no more than three days and removed immediately once the sale ends. Pacifica…

In the City of Pacifica, digital billboards and other animated or flashing signs are flatly prohibited citywide. Pacifica Municipal Code Section 9-4.2903 bans animated, moving, or…

In the City of Pacifica, holiday decorations that qualify as signs are exempt from the City's sign-permit process, but only if displayed no more than forty-five consecutive days or…

In the City of Pacifica, political signs do not need a sign permit, but Pacifica Municipal Code Section 9-4.2906(k) still regulates them closely: no sign larger than 32 square feet per…

In the City of Pacifica, window signs on a business cannot cover more than twenty-five percent of the total area of all glazed vertical surfaces. Pacifica Municipal Code Section…

In the City of Pacifica, camping in any park, mini-park, beach or recreation facility is prohibited at all times under the Municipal Code's parks and beaches chapter. The Code defines…

On any City-owned or operated fishing pier, including the Pacifica Pier, Municipal Code § 4-9.02(n) bars loitering, sitting, lying, or standing in a manner that unreasonably annoys or…

In the City of Pacifica, certain native trees are automatically designated heritage trees once they reach a set trunk diameter: coast live oak, valley oak, California buckeye, Monterey…

In the City of Pacifica, a "protected tree" is any tree on public or private property with a trunk diameter of twelve inches or more, any Director-designated heritage tree, or any…

In the City of Pacifica, planting any tree, shrub or other plant material in a street planting strip or planting easement requires a tree planting permit from the Department of Public…

In the City of Pacifica, a film shoot counts as a special event once it holds a city permit, and that permit status creates a 300-foot no-vending buffer around the shoot's boundaries…

In the City of Pacifica, gathering fifty or more people at a beach or park for a common purpose is an "event," and more than one hundred fifty is a "major event," both requiring a…

In the City of Pacifica, a parade, circus, carnival, amusement park, public dance, or similar temporary assembly of large crowds requires a discretionary use permit under Municipal…

In the City of Pacifica, a sidewalk sale lasting more than three days, flea market, rummage sale, festival, or bazaar promoting a business needs written Zoning Administrator approval…

In the City of Pacifica, a parklet, a platform built within an on-street parking lane, requires an Outdoor Commercial Permit and an encroachment permit, and Pacifica Municipal Code…

In the City of Pacifica, a business must obtain an Outdoor Commercial Permit before placing tables, chairs or other furniture on a public sidewalk, and Pacifica Municipal Code Sec…

The Director of Public Works may temporarily close County highways in unincorporated areas for block parties, celebrations and parades.

In the City of Pacifica, Municipal Code Section 4-7.1205(a)(3) makes it unlawful at any time of day or night to park or leave standing an oversized vehicle, such as an RV, trailer, or…

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…

In the City of Pacifica, no tobacco retailer, distributor, or other business may sell, offer for sale, or distribute any flavored tobacco product, including flavored vape liquid…

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…

In the City of Pacifica, Pacifica Municipal Code Chapter 17 bars the Police Department and other local agencies from using City money, equipment or personnel for immigration…

In the City of Pacifica, sidewalk vending is barred on any beach sand surface and within 20 feet of one, on any municipal pier and within 50 feet of its entrance, and within 300 feet…

In the City of Pacifica, anyone selling food or merchandise from a pushcart, stand or similar non-motorized cart on a public sidewalk needs a vending permit from the City Administrator…

Mobile food facilities operating in unincorporated San Mateo County must obtain a Mobile Food Facility (MFF) permit from San Mateo County Health Environmental Health Services (EHS)…

In the City of Pacifica, the Council may designate buildings, structures, sites or natural features as historic landmarks under Pacifica Municipal Code Chapter 7 of Title 9. Once…

In the City of Pacifica, discharging anything other than storm water into the City storm water system is prohibited unless it's covered by an NPDES permit. The Storm Water Management…

Anyone doing construction or development work in the City of Pacifica must install best management practices, or BMPs, that keep construction waste, stockpiled soil and other…

The City of Pacifica regulates construction in special flood hazard areas under its Flood Damage Prevention chapter, adopted under state planning authority in Government Code Sections…

New and substantially improved residential structures in Pacifica's special flood hazard areas must have their lowest floor, including any basement, elevated to or above the base flood…

San Mateo County administers its own certified Local Coastal Program (LCP) and issues Coastal Development Permits (CDPs) for projects in the Coastal Zone, which covers roughly 240 sq…

No one may occupy, open, tear up, or excavate any street, sidewalk, parking strip or public easement in the City of Pacifica without an encroachment permit from the Community and…

In unincorporated San Mateo County, blocking a sidewalk or public right-of-way with an obstruction or excavation is declared a nuisance under Ordinance Code Chapter 1.12. The County…

In the City of Pacifica, the Agricultural District (A) zone under Municipal Code § 9-4.1901 permits farming, livestock and crop uses by right, subject to combined base-district…

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…

In the City of Pacifica, Article 41 of the Zoning Code (Sections 9-4.4100 through 9-4.4106) lets residential projects exceed the maximum zoned and General Plan density in exchange for…

In the City of Pacifica, off-street parking lot lighting must be directed away from neighboring residential properties so it does not create a nuisance, under Pacifica Municipal Code…

Development in unincorporated North Fair Oaks' CMU-1 commercial district must use dark-sky-compliant lighting confined to the property, and flood lights are banned absent a safety…

In Pacifica's R-1 Single-Family Residential District, a house must sit back at least fifteen feet from the front lot line, five feet from each side lot line, and twenty feet from the…

In Pacifica's R-1 Single-Family Residential District, all structures on a lot together cannot cover more than forty percent of the building site. The Planning Division enforces this…

A single-family house in Pacifica's R-1 District cannot rise above thirty-five feet, while a detached accessory building like a garage or shed is capped at twelve feet. The Planning…

Cannabis retail operations in the City of Pacifica may open only inside one of five Cannabis Operation Overlay Districts the zoning code creates for the Fairmont, Linda Mar, Park…

Pacifica keeps every licensed cannabis operation, retail, manufacturing or testing, at least 600 feet from any school or youth center and at least 200 feet from any day care center…

Unincorporated San Mateo County allows adults 21+ to cultivate up to 6 cannabis plants per residence for personal, non-medical use under County Code Chapter 5.148 (Personal…

In the City of Pacifica, small residential rooftop solar systems get a ministerial, expedited permitting track under Municipal Code Section 8-4.04, adopted to comply with the 1978…

Unincorporated San Mateo County uses expedited solar permitting under California AB 2188 (Solar Rights Act). Residential rooftop systems under 10 kW qualify for same-day online permits…

California Civil Code §714 (Solar Rights Act) strongly limits HOA authority to restrict solar panels. HOAs in unincorporated San Mateo County (Emerald Hills, West Menlo Park…

In the City of Pacifica, minimum habitability and maintenance standards for existing structures, including rental housing, come from the 2024 International Property Maintenance Code…

In the City of Pacifica, mobile home space rents are capped by a local rent stabilization ordinance, not by market rate. Municipal Code Section 9-1.203 lets a park owner raise rent…

Unincorporated San Mateo County applies California's statewide just-cause eviction protections under AB 1482 (Civil Code §1946.2). After 12 months of tenancy, landlords must state an…

In unincorporated San Mateo County, a mobilehome park owner seeking a space-rent increase above the standard CPI cap must file a petition with the County Hearing Officer 60 days…

Unincorporated San Mateo County does NOT have a rental registration program. Landlords must comply with state habitability laws (Civil Code §1941.1) and the California Building Code…

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…

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…

San Mateo County Environmental Health posts a compliance placard at every inspected food facility under Ordinance Code § 4.56.070, and it is unlawful to operate without the placard…

Unincorporated San Mateo County property owners may not maintain a building, lot, vehicle or premises in a condition that lets rodents or other vermin breed or harbor there, under…

After a hearing finds repeated critical food-safety violations or unsafe staff practices, County Environmental Health can order a food facility to send all food-prep staff to an…

San Mateo County Ordinance Code Section 4.72.140 requires every recycled water or graywater system to be designed and installed in accordance with California law and the local Plumbing…

Commercial cameras in unincorporated county parks need a written permit from the Parks Director before shooting, with a news-gathering exemption.

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's Gambling Control Act bars any city or county from issuing a gambling license to a cardroom unless a local ordinance authorizes it first: one adopted by voters after…

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…

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 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 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…

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 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…