Porterville, CA

It is unlawful in Porterville to keep a dog whose loud or excessive barking, howling, whining, crying, or yelping disturbs a neighborhood's or any person's peace, but the owner must…

In the City of Porterville it is unlawful to play a radio, jukebox, loudspeaker or amplified instrument loud enough to disturb neighbors' peace or sleep. Sound plainly audible 100 feet…

The City of Porterville sets numeric decibel ceilings by time of day: a 50 dBA hourly average and 70 dBA peak outdoors in daytime, dropping to 45 and 65 dBA at night, plus a 55/45 dBA…

Porterville caps exterior noise reaching any residence, school, hospital, church or public library at 45 dBA hourly average and 65 dBA peak between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., five…

Construction noise within 500 feet of a home, school, hospital, church or library is only exempt from Porterville's noise limits on weekdays 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and weekends 7:00…

In the City of Porterville, land near Porterville Municipal Airport falls under the Airport Environs (AE) Overlay District, where any use is compatible below CNEL 55 dB and…

Engine, motorcycle, and dirt bike noise are 'excessive noise sources' capped at 65 dB at the property boundary under Ordinance Code 5-01-1215(b). Off-road vehicle use near homes is…

Porterville bars keeping an unaltered dog over four months old within city limits unless the owner has obtained an unaltered animal license. The Police Department, which runs animal…

In Porterville, a dog on any public place or right of way must be on a fixed leash no longer than six feet, and one handler cannot walk more than three dogs at a time regardless of how…

Single-family lots in Porterville may keep up to three hens in a fenced, sanitary rear-yard coop set back at least 30 feet from any neighboring residence; roosters are banned outright…

Porterville bans keeping predatory, wild, or endangered animals on any premises in the city, alongside a list of specific banned species including bees, swine, llamas, roosters…

Porterville does not require microchips for pets generally, but an owner whose animal is declared a public nuisance for a second or subsequent time can be ordered to have a…

Porterville residential lots may keep no more than seven animals combined, and no more than three each of cats, dogs, or chickens; a household that has four or more animals not owned…

Porterville lets residents keep racing, homing, or sporting pigeons only with a city council conditional use permit, on lots of at least 6,000 square feet, with the birds banded…

The City of Porterville outright bans keeping honeybees within city limits: any hive or swarm is declared a public nuisance that police officers must destroy or remove. A narrow…

In the City of Porterville, veterinary services need a Minor Conditional Use Permit in the General Commercial (CG) district and must be fully enclosed in a soundproof building, plus…

In the City of Porterville, commercial pet grooming falls under the Pet Stores use classification and needs a Minor CUP in the CN/CR districts, is permitted outright in CG, and cannot…

Tulare County's animal code does not ban or single out any dog breed. Instead, Section 4-07-6000 regulates dogs by behavior, classifying animals as "Potentially Dangerous" or "Vicious"…

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…

The City of Porterville requires wildfire-resistant construction by adopting the 2025 California Wildland-Urban Interface Code, Title 24 Part 7, alongside the Building, Residential and…

In the City of Porterville, the fire department enforces the weed and hazard abatement article, declaring rank growth and fire-menace vegetation a public nuisance. Owners who ignore a…

Porterville does not set its own poundage limit for LP-gas storage: Section 12-1.6 of the Municipal Code instead requires anyone storing, operating, or using liquefied petroleum gas to…

In the City of Porterville, dangerous fireworks may never be sold, and 'safe and sane' fireworks can only be sold with a permit under Section 12-2.2. Sales and stand operation run only…

Open burning within the City of Porterville must meet California Fire Code standards and San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District rules; the city allows no general backyard…

Backyard recreational fires in unincorporated Tulare County follow the adopted 2022 California Fire Code: a wood or charcoal fire for cooking or warmth, kept small, at least 25 feet…

In the City of Porterville, the code does not set a numeric inch limit, but it declares any rank or profuse weed growth on a lot a public nuisance whenever it can bear windborne seeds…

Removing, severely pruning or injuring any parkway tree in Porterville requires a permit from the parks and leisure services director; standard removal permits run only 30 days, though…

Porterville property owners must keep street and private trees trimmed to at least 12 feet over streets and alleys and 10 feet over parkways and sidewalks, rising to 16 feet over truck…

Porterville's landscaping standards cap ordinary lawn at twenty-five percent of any required landscaped area and ban new turf on slopes steeper than twenty-five percent, while…

Porterville Municipal Code section 501.10(E), inside the Hillside Zone (HZ) Overlay District, requires every landscape plan to use native and/or drought tolerant plant materials…

Porterville's landscape ordinance encourages, but does not mandate, capturing rainwater on site: Municipal Code Sec. 25-32A.18 recommends sizing landscapes to retain runoff from a…

Unincorporated Tulare County adopted its own Water Efficient Landscaping ordinance (Part VII, Chapter 31) in lieu of the State model, requiring a landscape documentation package for…

Unincorporated Tulare County residents may compost yard trimmings and food scraps on their own property instead of subscribing to organic waste pickup, but a community composting…

Porterville Municipal Code section 17-10.3 bars stopping, standing or parking in listed hazard locations, including within 20 feet of a crosswalk or traffic signal and anywhere the…

Porterville's traffic engineer sets curb colors under Municipal Code section 17-12.1: red bars stopping entirely, yellow allows loading only on a time limit, and white is reserved for…

Porterville makes it an infraction to park a commercial vehicle of 10,000 pounds gross weight or more on any roadway next to residential-zoned property, with narrow exceptions for…

Porterville bars parking any vehicle on a street or alley for more than 72 consecutive hours under Municipal Code section 17-10.4, treating the street as storage once that window…

Porterville's traffic engineer marks loading zones with yellow curbs and passenger zones with white, capped at half a block's curb length, and limits use to twenty minutes for…

Porterville makes it a misdemeanor to leave an abandoned, wrecked, dismantled or inoperative vehicle on private or public property (not counting highways) for more than 10 days, and…

In the City of Porterville, parking or storing a vehicle on a residential lawn is unlawful unless the spot is a paved driveway or a defined improved area reached by a driveway or curb…

In the City of Porterville, the Building Official runs an expedited, nondiscretionary permit process for electric vehicle charging systems under Municipal Code Article VII, adopted by…

In the City of Porterville, recreational vehicles, boats, campers and trailers cannot sit in a front yard setback for more than seventy-two hours. Longer-term storage must move to a…

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…

When a homeowner converts a garage or other off-street parking structure in the City of Porterville into an accessory dwelling unit, Porterville Municipal Code section 301.16(A)(8)…

An accessory dwelling unit built under the City of Porterville's ADU program cannot be rented out for a term of thirty days or less. Porterville Municipal Code section 301.16(B)(1)…

Accessory dwelling units permitted in the City of Porterville after January 1, 2025 come with an owner-occupancy condition: Porterville Municipal Code section 301.16(C)(7) and (D)(7)…

In the City of Porterville, a detached ADU can reach 1,200 square feet with a 16-foot (one-story) or 25-foot (two-story) height limit, a 4-foot side/rear setback, and only a 30-day…

In the City of Porterville, a detached storage shed counts as a residential accessory structure under Municipal Code Section 301.01.B, capped at a cumulative 1,200 square feet and 18…

Tulare County has formally adopted the 2022 California Residential Code, based on the 2021 International Residential Code, for all unincorporated area construction, and that adoption…

In the City of Porterville, a home business must stay incidental to residential use and pass zoning conformance review under Municipal Code Section 301.09, which lists permitted uses…

In the City of Porterville, no sign of any kind may be displayed on the premises for a home occupation under Municipal Code Section 301.09(D)(2); the ban is total, with no allowance…

In the City of Porterville, a home occupation cannot exceed six patrons or customers per calendar day and cannot generate excessive auto or foot traffic under Municipal Code Section…

Porterville allows large family daycare homes in every residential zone, but Development Ordinance § 301.07 layers on local siting and operating standards: a 300-foot separation from…

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 Porterville, a fence or wall up to seven feet in a side or rear yard needs no permit, but Municipal Code Section 300.03.A.2 requires Zoning Administrator approval and a…

In the City of Porterville, a solid fence or wall in the required front yard tops out at 3.5 feet, while an open or lattice fence at least 50% open, or a hedge, can reach 4 feet. Side…

In the City of Porterville, barbed wire, razor wire, ultra barrier fencing and electrified fencing are banned on any lot, with an exception the Zoning Administrator can approve only in…

In Porterville's Hillside Zone (HZ) Overlay District, building a retaining wall taller than three feet along with a pool, spa, pond or related hardscape triggers an administrative…

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…

Porterville taxes short-term rental stays the same way it taxes any hotel stay. Under the Uniform Transient Occupancy Tax Law, a "hotel" includes a vacation cabin or similar private…

Porterville does not issue a separate "short-term rental permit." Instead, Section 22-15 of the Municipal Code requires every operator renting to transients, including short-term…

Unincorporated Tulare County sets no STR-specific occupancy cap. The proposed ordinance that would have limited occupants by number of bedrooms was rejected 3-2 on July 9, 2024…

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…

Every outdoor residential swimming pool in unincorporated Tulare County must be surrounded by a barrier at least 60 inches tall with no opening larger than a 4-inch sphere, under…

In the City of Porterville, a code enforcement officer inside the fire department's prevention division investigates common violations: unsafe property conditions, nuisance conditions…

In the City of Porterville it is unlawful to possess an open container of alcohol in any public place, park, sidewalk, alleyway or parking lot open to the public, or to transport an…

The City of Porterville bans skateboarding on sidewalks and pedestrian areas in the downtown block bounded by Morton, Olive, Second and D Streets, and lets the city council extend the…

The City of Porterville bans aggressive solicitation citywide: approaching, following or blocking someone while asking for money, soliciting within 15 feet of a bank, ATM or…

Smoking, ingesting or otherwise using cannabis or cannabis products in public is flatly prohibited citywide in Porterville, matching wherever tobacco smoking is barred, and it's also…

Tulare County's Social Host Ordinance makes it unlawful to host a party on private property in the unincorporated area if the host knows or should know underage guests are drinking…

Tulare County bans loitering, standing or sitting at the entrance to any church, hall, theater or other place of public assemblage anywhere it obstructs the entrance, under Ordinance…

Porterville sorts businesses paying the semiannual gross receipts license tax into classifications A through D based on net profit percentage, from licensed professionals at 10.01% or…

Porterville permits only storefront cannabis dispensaries, and only in the zone districts set out in Chapter 21. Non-storefront cannabis retailers are banned citywide. Regulatory…

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…

Anyone conducting, carrying on or managing a pawnshop, or acting as a pawnbroker, in the City of Porterville must pay a flat $100 semiannual business license fee under the city's…

Porterville requires a City-issued sexually oriented business permit, in addition to a standard business license, for adult arcades, bookstores, cabarets, motels, theaters and model…

The Porterville Police Department dispatches police-ordered tows only through operators on its towing rotation list. The patrol division commander sets the number of eligibility list…

Every massage business in Porterville needs a valid city business license and a separate city registration certificate on top of it, and every practitioner must be certified by the…

Anyone who wants to buy, sell or peddle junk, including secondhand dealers, in the City of Porterville needs both a business license and a separate city council permit. Municipal Code…

In the City of Porterville, home occupations cannot include engine or vehicle repair under Municipal Code Section 301.09(C)(1); only non-engine mobile work like windshield repair or…

Porterville has no separate tattoo or body-art licensing chapter. The Development Code classifies a tattoo parlor under the "Personal Services" use, permitted outright in all four…

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…

Porterville runs a nondiscretionary, expedited review process for small residential rooftop solar systems under Article V of Chapter 7, issuing permits the same day for…

Porterville limits streamlined solar permitting to systems no larger than 10 kilowatts AC or 30 kilowatts thermal on a single- or duplex-family home, under Municipal Code section 7-13…

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…

Any construction, alteration, repair, or demolition work in the City of Porterville must comply with the adopted 2025 California Building Code, with permit fees set by City Council…

Electrical work in Porterville is governed by the 2025 California Electrical Code, Title 24 Part 3, adopted under Municipal Code section 7-9. Anyone who wants an electrical permit must…

Plumbing work in the City of Porterville is governed by the 2025 California Plumbing Code, Title 24 Part 5, adopted in full under Municipal Code section 7-6 along with Appendixes C, H…

The City of Porterville adopted the 2025 California Green Building Standards Code, Title 24 Part 11, under Municipal Code section 7-12, including the mandatory portions of Appendixes…

An accessory dwelling unit in the City of Porterville does not need its own fire sprinkler system when sprinklers are not already required for the primary house on the lot. Porterville…

In the City of Porterville, a Large Family Day Care Home must sit at least 300 feet from any other Large Family Day Care Home, run only 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays, and provide a…

In the City of Porterville, a vacant lot counts as 'premises' whether improved or unimproved, and the code separately flags any buildup of trash, weeds or growth on a vacant lot or…

The City of Porterville has adopted the 1997 Uniform Code for the Abatement of Dangerous Buildings by reference as a City ordinance, giving the Building Official authority to order…

In the City of Porterville, yard waste is limited by code definition to lawn clippings, tree and shrubbery trimmings and leaves that can be safely handled in a collection vehicle, and…

In the City of Porterville, the city may set up its own recycling collection service and guidelines, and anyone else who wants to gather, collect, transport or dispose of recyclables…

In the City of Porterville, dumping or letting solid waste pile up on any lot, street, alley or driveway outside the manner the code allows is both unlawful and a declared public…

In the City of Porterville, every property owner must subscribe to city disposal service and pay for it, with limited exceptions for high-volume industrial users; the city council sets…

In the City of Porterville, bulky items like dirt, stumps, broken concrete, furniture and appliances are not part of normal household trash pickup; residents must request a special…

Curb customers in the City of Porterville must set solid waste containers at the curb or property line and pull them back in on the schedule the city manager sets; alley customers do…

In the City of Porterville, only the city or its designee may collect materials once you've set them out for recycling, and it's unlawful to put disqualifying items in a recycling…

Any dumpster, bin or roll-off container in the City of Porterville sits on a poured concrete pad inside a fenced enclosure. Municipal Code § 13-11 sets the pad at six inches thick and…

Every household in the City of Porterville is automatically enrolled in three-container service for garbage, recyclables and food-scrap organic waste, and commercial and multifamily…

In the City of Porterville, Municipal Code Section 13-7 requires curb-service customers to place solid waste containers at the curb or property line and pull the empty containers back…

In the City of Porterville, anyone under 18 who loiters, wanders or plays on public streets, alleys, parks or parking grounds between 10:00 PM and sunrise without a parent or guardian…

Six named city parks, Murry, Westview, Olivewood, Noon Lions', North and Zalud, close to the public between 10:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m.; entering, staying, or refusing to leave during…

In the City of Porterville, anyone selling food from a pushcart, stand, or other non-motorized mobile unit must hold a sidewalk vending permit issued by the Finance Director before…

In the City of Porterville, sidewalk food vendors cannot work exclusively residential areas as stationary operators, and roaming residential vending is confined to 9:00 a.m. through…

Sidewalk food and merchandise vendors in the City of Porterville need a Finance Director-issued permit under Chapter 8A, backed by a fingerprint background check and, for food vendors…

In the City of Porterville, obstructing a street, alley or sidewalk with machinery, vehicles or merchandise, or riding or driving animals or vehicles on a sidewalk, is a misdemeanor…

In the City of Porterville, any structure, sign, canopy, awning, lighting fixture or other device that projects into the public right of way beyond a property line requires city…

In the City of Porterville, owners of lots fronting an improved public street must keep the abutting sidewalk in a condition that does not endanger persons or property or interfere…

The City of Porterville sets a separate, stricter decibel ceiling for residential air conditioning and refrigeration equipment: 55 dBA for units already installed and 50 dBA for units…

The City of Porterville requires every retailer that sells sharps, needles, lancets and other skin-penetrating medical devices to run a free in-store take-back program for…

In the City of Porterville, every property must handle and store solid waste so it doesn't breed rodents or insects. Municipal Code Section 306.12(B) bars any outdoor accumulation of…

Card rooms are legal in the City of Porterville but tightly capped: Municipal Code § 15-20.A allows no more than three card tables per establishment, nine tables citywide, and three…

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…

In the City of Porterville, no one may hold a meeting, assembly or parade on public streets, sidewalks, highways or parks without a permit from the police chief. Parade organizers must…

Any carnival, fair, or festival tied to an existing business, church, school, lodge, or civic group in the City of Porterville needs a Temporary Use Permit from the Zoning…

Tulare County requires a permit before anyone may hold a water carnival, boat regatta, music festival, water show, group sporting event or group outing in a County Park, Recreation…

The City of Porterville bars campers on public property from dumping greywater or hazardous waste, leaving garbage or debris, or crowding camps closer than 150 feet apart, and caps…

Planting a parkway tree in Porterville requires the parks director's prior written approval, and no tree can go within 10 feet of a public sidewalk, street or curb (alleys excepted)…

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

Building any storm drainage system in a Porterville street, alley, easement or public property requires a city permit; Chapter 19A funds and administers drainage works that serve the…

In the City of Porterville, every approved subdivision map must comply with grading and erosion control standards under the California Building Code to prevent sedimentation and…

Porterville regulates construction in flood hazard areas under Article XIV of the Municipal Code, adopting FEMA's Flood Insurance Study and rate maps for Tulare County by reference. No…

Porterville's floodplain code requires new and substantially improved residential structures to elevate their lowest floor to or above the base flood elevation in the City's AE, AH and…

Porterville Municipal Code section 501.10(J), inside the Hillside Zone (HZ) Overlay District, requires a permanent fuel modification area and fire prevention plan around any…

Tulare County caps diesel-fueled commercial vehicle idling at 5.0 minutes at any location under Ordinance Code § 3-04-1020, mirroring the state's Title 13 CCR § 2485 rule. It applies…

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…

Table 201.03 of the Porterville Municipal Code fixes minimum front, side and rear yard setbacks for each residential zoning district, from the twelve thousand five hundred square foot…

Porterville's Development Ordinance caps residential building height at 35 feet in the RS-1, RS-2, and RM-1 zones and 50 feet in the higher-density RM-2 and RM-3 zones, per Table…

Porterville caps building coverage by residential zone under Development Ordinance Table 201.03: 30 percent of the lot in the RS-1 Very Low Density district, 45 percent in RS-2 and…

In the City of Porterville, new residential condominium projects must record CC&Rs, approved by the City Attorney and Zoning Administrator, that spell out both annual maintenance…

In the City of Porterville, a new condominium's CC&Rs must let the Homeowners' Association terminate a developer-hired management contract three months after the HOA takes control, and…

Porterville's landscape ordinance bars a common interest development's architectural guidelines from blocking low water use plants: Municipal Code Sec. 25-32A.8 says an HOA's design…

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…

Anyone peddling, soliciting or canvassing house to house in the City of Porterville needs a permit from the Finance Officer under Municipal Code Section 8-3, on top of any Chapter 15…

Porterville bars peddlers and solicitors from knocking or ringing a doorbell at any home or business posted with a No Peddlers or No Solicitors sign under Section 8-16, and Section…

In the City of Porterville, off-site billboards, signs advertising a business or product not sold on the same property, are prohibited outright unless the state Outdoor Advertising Act…

In the City of Porterville, signs painted or adhered directly onto a window need no permit at all. Municipal Code Section 305.10(C) lets them cover up to one hundred percent of the…

A Porterville garage or yard sale gets exactly one sign, capped at two feet by two feet, under Development Ordinance § 301.21(B)(3). The sign can go up only on the property where the…

In the City of Porterville, the sign code defines a political sign as a temporary sign advertising a candidate, party, or ballot issue. The Development Code treats these as…

In the City of Porterville, Municipal Code Section 300.07 exists to protect the night sky, requiring every outdoor light fixture installed after the ordinance took effect to be…

In the City of Porterville, Municipal Code Section 300.07 is written to reduce unnecessary illumination spilling onto adjacent properties, banning unshielded building and landscape…

In the City of Porterville, a garage, patio, or yard sale on a residential lot is capped at two sales per property in any six-month period, with each sale running no more than three…

In the City of Porterville, commercial crop cultivation is allowed only as an interim use under Municipal Code Section 301.06, permitted while land awaits urban development, and the…

A commercial agricultural operation in unincorporated Tulare County cannot be declared a nuisance over a changed condition in the surrounding area once it has run for more than three…

Downtown Porterville development must comply with the City's Downtown Design Guidelines, adopted by Resolution 48-2010 and incorporated directly into Development Ordinance Section…

Article 302 of Porterville's Development Ordinance grants a density bonus, on top of the General Plan's maximum residential density, to any housing project that sets aside units for…

In the City of Porterville, the property owner or water customer, not the city, is responsible for finding and fixing leaks on their own service line. Municipal Code Sec. 25-13.2…

Porterville caps how much lawn a property can keep under its water efficient landscape ordinance: residential turf cannot exceed 25 percent of the landscape area, nonresidential lots…

Porterville requires new and renovated landscape irrigation systems to be built for recycled water use where available, and Municipal Code Sec. 25-32A.16 treats any landscape irrigated…

Porterville's water efficient landscape ordinance defines invasive plant species by reference to the California Invasive Plant Council and USDA lists, and its landscape design…

Every hotel, motel, inn, or similar lodging in the City of Porterville must collect an eight percent (8%) transient occupancy tax from any guest staying thirty (30) consecutive days or…

Tulare County has no dedicated data center ordinance. In unincorporated areas a data center is an industrial use, sited in the M-1 or M-2 manufacturing zone under Zoning Ordinance No…

Tulare County has no standalone noise ordinance. Its General Plan Noise Element bars new industrial noise sources from exceeding 60 dB Ldn/CNEL at the boundary of a residential zone…

When someone reports a suspected substandard housing nuisance on unincorporated Tulare County property, the Resource Management Agency's enforcement officer can inspect it with the…

When a Tulare County enforcement officer finds a rental structure in the unincorporated area to be both substandard and a public nuisance, § 7-15-3570 lets the county order repair…

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…

Civil Code 1946.2 requires landlords statewide to have just cause to terminate tenancies of qualifying tenants who have lived in a covered unit at least 12 months.

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 limits annual rent increases statewide to 5% plus the local change in the cost of living, capped at 10%, under the Tenant Protection Act of 2019 (AB-1482). It also lets…

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 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…

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…

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…