Sacramento, CA

Sacramento enforces watering limits under SMC Chapter 13.04: 2 days per week in summer, 1 day per week in winter, never between 10 AM and 7 PM.

Sacramento does not set its own numeric weed-height limit. Chapter 8.28 instead adopts the state's Government Code weed and rubbish abatement procedure (Sections 39500 et seq.), run…

California AB 1572 bans potable water use on ornamental turf at commercial and public sites; Sacramento allows residential artificial turf, but HOAs cannot forbid it under Civil Code…

Sacramento encourages California native plants through the Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (MWELO) and SMUD turf-replacement rebates.

Sacramento's strict tree canopy is protected by SMC Chapter 12.56; permits are required to prune city trees and Heritage trees above light maintenance.

Cutting down a protected tree in Sacramento comes with a mitigation obligation. City Code § 12.56.060 requires one-for-one replacement on lots with a house or duplex, or a…

Rainwater harvesting is legal in California and not separately restricted by Sacramento County. Under the Rainwater Capture Act of 2012 (AB 1750), residential roof-to-barrel/cistern…

SB 1383 requires every California resident and business to separate food scraps and yard waste from trash, with universal collection or on-site composting.

Sacramento restricts gas-powered leaf blowers by time of day and sound level under SMC Chapter 8.68; CA AB 1346 phases out gas-powered SORE equipment statewide.

Sacramento bans motor noise "not reasonably required in the operation" of a vehicle, including backfiring and motor racing, and requires every combustion engine's exhaust to run…

Sacramento gives pre-existing industrial and commercial facilities a one-year grace period to meet the city's noise chapter, but only if they show reasonable efforts to cut excess…

Sacramento City Code caps aircraft noise at Sacramento Executive Airport at 84.0 EPNdB measured at take-off. Any pilot who takes off or lands a louder aircraft commits a misdemeanor…

Concerts, athletic events and other outdoor activities using amplified sound in Sacramento are capped at 96 dBA Leq in September and October and 98 dBA Leq the rest of the year…

Sacramento exempts ordinary construction noise from its general noise ordinance only between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Sunday. Outside…

Sacramento outlaws "the keeping of any animal, fowl, or bird which by causing frequent or long continued noise shall disturb the comfort or repose of persons in the vicinity." A…

Yelling, shouting or singing on Sacramento's streets between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. is specifically declared unlawful noise if it disturbs nearby residents, and running a power saw, planer…

Running a business from a Sacramento house needs either an administrative permit or a conditional use permit under City Code §§ 17.228.210–17.228.220. Listed occupations qualify for…

Sacramento bans any sign, nameplate, or advertising at a home occupation's address outright. City Code § 17.228.230.A.7 applies the no-signage rule to every home business in the city…

Sacramento caps client and customer visits to a home occupation at one per hour and eight per day under City Code § 17.228.230.A.4, and counts a parent with children as a single…

A small family day care home for up to 14 children is allowed by right as an accessory use in any Sacramento residential zone, including R-1 single-unit neighborhoods, with no…

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…

Sacramento allows up to three hen chickens per residential lot, but only under an annual permit from the animal care services manager. Roosters are banned outright, hens must stay…

Sacramento caps the number of animals a household may keep: three swine, three dogs over four months (four if all are spayed, neutered or vet-certified unfit for surgery), and seven…

Sacramento's zoning code treats veterinary clinics and hospitals as a permitted use in the SC (Shopping Center) zone under Sacramento City Code § 17.216.510, but only if the entire…

Sacramento lets a resident run a pet-sitting, grooming, training, or veterinary-care business from home only with an administrative permit under City Code § 17.228.210.E, but the…

Sacramento requires dogs to be leashed or tethered whenever off their owner's property, and even on the owner's own property unless fenced, tethered or under the owner's direct…

Sacramento requires a dog to be spayed or neutered at the owner's expense before a second or subsequent redemption from animal care services after being impounded for running at large…

Sacramento requires every cat over four months old to be licensed by the city, and bans keeping an unsterilized cat unless the owner holds an unaltered-cat license or qualifies for a…

Sacramento prohibits feeding wildlife including deer, coyotes, turkeys, and waterfowl along the American River Parkway under SMC 9.44 and CDFW code.

Sacramento does not ban any dog breeds; California Food and Agricultural Code 31683 preempts breed-specific bans except for mandatory spay/neuter programs.

Sacramento aligns with California Assembly Bill 485 to ban the retail sale of dogs, cats, and rabbits in pet stores unless sourced from public shelters or qualifying nonprofit rescues…

Owning a wild animal in Sacramento requires a permit from the city's animal care services manager under City Code § 9.44.380. The permit requirement doesn't apply to licensed…

Sacramento County doesn't microchip pets generally, but an animal formally declared vicious or dangerous must be implanted with a microchip and logged in the county and national…

Sacramento County Code § 9.04.020 bans destroying, injuring, or molesting any bird, bird's nest, or bird's eggs, along with any tree, shrub, plant, or flower, inside the boundaries of…

Sacramento County caps backyard hives by lot size, two on parcels under 10,000 sq ft, four up to 20,000, six above, and requires state hive registration plus a water source and flyway…

Converting an existing garage or other accessory structure into an ADU in Sacramento does not trigger the interior side-yard and rear-yard setbacks that apply to new ADU construction…

A single-unit lot in Sacramento may add up to two accessory dwelling units, one ADU plus one junior ADU, or two junior ADUs; duplex and multi-unit lots may add up to two ADUs. Detached…

A Sacramento junior accessory dwelling unit, capped at 500 square feet and built within the walls of the primary home, requires the property owner to live on site, unless the property…

A carport attached to a Sacramento home must follow the zone's height, setback, and lot coverage rules and meet minimum interior dimensions set in Sacramento City Code § 17.624.040…

Sacramento County waives its Countywide Transportation Mitigation Fee for accessory dwelling units under 750 square feet; larger ADUs pay a prorated share of the primary unit's fee.

Unincorporated Sacramento County bars ADUs from short-term rental use unless the unit was legally permitted before January 1, 2020, and bans short-term rentals in JADUs outright, with…

Sacramento requires an administrative permit before installing electrified fencing, limits it to M-1/M-2 industrial zones with a 10-foot maximum height, and mandates a non-electrified…

Sacramento bans barbed wire, concertina wire, razor wire and similar injury-capable fencing citywide except in M-1 and M-2 industrial zones, where it's allowed only at 6 feet or…

California Civil Code 841 presumes shared fences are equal responsibility between adjoining neighbors; Sacramento enforces boundary setbacks and tree-fence interactions.

Sacramento caps residential fences at 4 feet in front and street-side yards (6 feet for decorative wrought-iron), 6 feet in rear and interior side yards, and just 3.5 feet within the…

Retaining walls combined with fences on side-street or interior lot lines in unincorporated Sacramento County are capped at four feet for the wall, and a Minor Use Permit is required…

Sacramento requires that any vehicle parked in a yard area -- including boats, campers, trailers, and other recreational vehicles -- sit on a paved surface, under Sacramento City Code…

The city council may designate any residential area as a residential permit parking area by resolution under City Code § 10.48.040, exempting permit holders from posted parking limits…

Yellow curb zones in Sacramento are reserved for loading and unloading only during posted hours. Commercial vehicles get thirty minutes and cannot sit unattended past ten, while…

Sacramento has no blanket nightly parking ban; instead, City Code §10.36.080 lets police and city parking staff tow any vehicle left parked on the same street or highway for 72 or more…

Sacramento bars parking any commercial vehicle rated 10,000 pounds or more on private property zoned R-1 through R-5, R-O or RMX unless five conditions are met: one vehicle per lot, a…

A red curb in Sacramento means no stopping, standing, or parking at any time: the only exceptions are what the California Vehicle Code allows and a transit bus using a marked red bus…

Sacramento enforces a 72-hour move rule, residential permit districts in Midtown and Central City, and street sweeping restrictions with signed enforcement windows.

Sacramento abates abandoned, wrecked, dismantled or inoperative vehicles on public or private property as a public nuisance under Chapter 8.16, acting on state authority in Vehicle…

Sacramento bans parking on dirt, gravel, or any other unpaved surface citywide. Sacramento City Code § 10.44.010 makes it "unlawful for any person to park... any vehicle... upon any…

Every off-street parking facility built or altered in Sacramento must provide electric vehicle charging stations and charging spaces, per Sacramento City Code § 17.608.040(O). The…

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…

Sacramento bans manufacturing, possessing, selling, using, displaying or discharging any fireworks in the city except licensed public displays and a narrow safe-and-sane sales/use…

Sacramento requires a fire department operational permit to store or use LP-gas under City Code § 15.36.050, which locally amends California Fire Code § 105.5.29. Homes are exempt…

Sacramento requires a State Fire Marshal-approved smoke detector within 30 days of any sale of a residential building built before January 1, 1976, with a sworn declaration filed with…

Sacramento bars igniting or maintaining any fire on public property outright, and on private property without the express permission of the landowner, under City Code § 15.36.050 (Fire…

Cal Fire maps identify limited Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones in Sacramento, mainly near the American River Parkway; AB 38 disclosure applies at sale.

Sacramento lets residents burn a small recreational fire without the open-burning permit, but City Code § 15.36.050 (Fire Code § 307.4.2) bars it within 25 feet of any structure or…

Property owners in or near mapped fire hazard zones must maintain defensible space under California Public Resources Code Section 4291. The standard is 100 feet of clearance around…

Sacramento does not force every short-term rental host to stay on-site. Instead, City Code § 5.114.300(B)(1) lets the city manager impose an on-site presence requirement as a condition…

A history of noise violations can cost a Sacramento host their short-term rental permit. City Code § 5.114.120(E) lets the city manager deny an application when the property owner or…

A Sacramento short-term rental permit that was denied or revoked can lock the property out of the program for two years. City Code § 5.114.120(G) makes a prior denial or revocation…

Sacramento's short-term rental code reaches booking platforms directly. City Code § 5.114.400 bars a hosting platform from accepting a fee for a booking unless the host holds a valid…

Sacramento caps every short-term rental at six guests, whether the booking covers a single unit or, for hosts who live elsewhere, an entire lot. City Code § 5.114.200 sets the number…

Sacramento bars a host from operating short-term rentals in more than one dwelling unit on the same lot unless that host's primary residence is inside the city. City Code §…

Every Sacramento short-term rental permittee must keep a written register recording each date lodging was provided, the number of lodgers per night, and the rent charged. City Code §…

Non-primary-residence short-term rentals in Sacramento are capped at 90 aggregate rented days per permit term. City Code § 5.114.210 imposes the cap only on permittees whose rental is…

Sacramento short-term rental permittees owe both the business operations tax under Chapter 3.08 and the uniform transient occupancy tax under Chapter 3.28, on top of a nonrefundable…

Stays longer than 30 consecutive days fall outside Sacramento's STR ordinance and into landlord-tenant law, including AB 1482 rent caps and the Sacramento Tenant Protection Act…

Sacramento County's short-term rental ordinance for unincorporated areas requires operators to identify pre-approved, authorized on-site parking spaces in the permit application and to…

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 swimming pool built in Sacramento must be completely enclosed by its own fence at least five feet tall, with no gaps, footholds, or climbable rails, and the only way in from…

Sacramento City Code treats every swimming pool as a structure, so building one requires the same building permit process used for any other structure. An application, and sometimes…

Sacramento built Chapter 8.120 around a deliberately proactive model: rather than waiting on tenant complaints, Section 8.120.020 states the council's finding that "the most effective…

Sacramento does not run a tenant-complaint hotline for rental conditions: instead every rental unit falls under a routine periodic inspection program run by the rental housing…

Sacramento adopts the 2025 California Green Building Standards Code by reference as part of its own Building Code, folding the state's mandatory green-building rules into every…

Sacramento's Housing Code lists "presence of lead hazards" as one of the conditions that makes a building substandard, triggering code enforcement. The definition covers deteriorated…

Sacramento requires a building permit for essentially any alteration or repair work on a structure, not just new construction, issued only under the 2025 California Building Standards…

Sacramento requires a final inspection and city approval of every building and its installed equipment before occupancy under City Code § 15.08.160, and gives the chief building…

Sacramento adopts the 2025 California Electrical Code, based on the 2023 National Electrical Code, by reference at City Code § 15.04.050(C), and requires an electrical permit for…

Sacramento requires a childcare center next to a residential zone or residence to build a minimum six-foot solid wall of masonry, brick, stucco, or similar material along every shared…

Sacramento adopts the 2025 California Plumbing Code (based on the 2024 Uniform Plumbing Code) by reference at City Code § 15.04.050(E), then locally amends it, including a stricter…

Sacramento's local fire code amendment exempts detached single-family homes (Group R-3) from the city's general sprinkler-installation trigger, which otherwise applies to any building…

Elevators in unincorporated Sacramento County are not regulated by county ordinance: California's Cal/OSHA Elevator Unit, the Division of Occupational Safety and Health, controls…

Sacramento's landscape design rules don't ban invasive plants outright. City Code § 15.92.100(A)(1)(g) 'strongly discourages' using species listed by the California Invasive Plant…

Riding a skateboard, roller skates, or any other wheeled device on Sacramento's downtown pedestrian malls, the K Street Mall, Chinatown Mall, and the Sacramento Entertainment and…

Sacramento flatly bans urinating or defecating anywhere in public other than a restroom: the ordinance also reaches private property in plain public view and any private property…

Sacramento can bill the host of a large, disruptive party or gathering for the cost of extra police officers sent to control it. After a first warning, any second police response for…

Smoking is prohibited in all Sacramento city parks under City Code § 12.72.135, with butts and other smoking waste required to go in a designated container. The director may authorize…

Sacramento's loitering ordinance is narrow and geographic: it only applies within 300 feet of a posted 'no-cruising zone,' and only when a reasonable person would conclude the…

Sacramento bans both drinking and simply carrying an open container of alcohol on any city-owned street, sidewalk, park or other public property, with narrow carve-outs for permitted…

Crossing a Sacramento through street anywhere within 300 feet of a marked crosswalk, other than inside that crosswalk, is illegal under City Code §10.20.020: the closest thing the city…

Sacramento bars consuming cannabis in public places, mirroring California Health & Safety Code Section 11362.3. Smoking, vaping, or eating cannabis in streets, parks, or any place open…

Sacramento County bans aggressive or intrusive solicitation in public and prohibits all panhandling near ATMs, banks, medians, gas pumps, and transit stops in the unincorporated area.

Sacramento requires a police-issued adult-entertainment business permit and enforces a 1,000-foot buffer between adult businesses and each other, homes, schools, parks and churches…

Sacramento requires every tobacco retailer to hold a city license per location under City Code Chapter 5.138, and bars new or renewed licenses within 1,000 feet of an existing licensed…

Sacramento requires a separate tow car vehicular permit from the director for every tow truck operating from a city-based business under City Code Chapter 5.144, plus a driver permit…

Tattooing in Sacramento requires a permit from the city health officer before opening. City Code § 5.132.020 requires a written, sworn application covering the applicant's identity and…

Secondhand and junk dealers in Sacramento need a city permit before operating, must do business only at the licensed address, and are bound by a 10-day resale holding period plus daily…

Pawnbrokers in Sacramento must hold a city permit before making loans against pledged property, and once licensed they face fixed hours, a mandatory holding period on purchased goods…

Sacramento flatly refuses a home occupation permit, administrative or CUP, for any auto service or repair shop under City Code § 17.228.240.A. Only mobile vehicle glass installation…

Operating a massage business in Sacramento requires a city permit good for only one site. City Code § 5.124.040(C)-(D) bans operating a massage therapy establishment without a valid…

Sacramento requires an encroachment permit from the public works director before anyone uses city sidewalks or rights-of-way for excavation, construction, storage, window cleaning, or…

Sacramento puts sidewalk repair on the abutting property owner, not the city. City Code § 12.32.020 requires owners to maintain and repair any defective sidewalk fronting their lot…

Sacramento City Code Chapter 12.24 bars obstructing any sidewalk with signs, posts, structures, or other obstructions, and sets a hard four-foot minimum clearance for pedestrians and…

Sacramento City Code Chapter 12.16 requires anyone closing a public street or alley for a block party, celebration, or street dance to obtain a city manager permit at least 20 days in…

Sacramento City Code Chapter 12.48 requires a special event permit from the city manager before anyone organizes, sponsors, or conducts a parade, march, or procession of more than…

Planning a gathering in a Sacramento park takes a permit filed 15 days ahead. City Code § 12.72.160 requires a city form disclosing the organizer, dates, attendance estimate…

Sacramento requires a sidewalk café revocable encroachment permit before any restaurant may set tables and chairs on a public sidewalk, alley, boardwalk, or pedestrian mall. The city…

Any outdoor gathering of more than 500 people for a dance, concert, carnival or similar musical event in unincorporated Sacramento County needs a Special Business License from the…

Sacramento's Fire Code amendments treat a barbecue grill, barbecue pit, incinerator or outdoor fireplace as contained cooking equipment, separate from an open 'recreational fire.'…

Sacramento County's zoning code caps single-family and duplex homes at one kitchen per dwelling, but an outdoor kitchen doesn't count against that limit. Table 5.7.C of the Development…

Sacramento requires every residential property owner to subscribe to city garbage collection at least once a week, sets exact carts-out and pickup-hour windows, and fines residents…

Sacramento requires a screened trash and recycling enclosure for any multi-unit building with five or more units, and for commercial, office, or public projects whose garbage…

Sacramento bars dumping yard waste in streets or gutters except through its seasonal loose-in-the-street collection program, which caps piles at two cubic yards per parcel and blocks…

Sacramento requires every business, non-residential property, and multi-family residential property to source separate recyclables and organic material from trash and subscribe to…

Sacramento sets minimum organics-recycling service levels by property type in City Code § 13.24.600(B), a 64-gallon can per 25 units for apartment buildings of five or more units, and…

Sacramento requires garbage, recycling and organics carts to be grouped at the curb, kept clear of obstructions, and screened from public view except during a narrow collection window…

Sacramento City Code requires every owner of residential and residential mixed-use property to subscribe to the city's recycling collection service and to source-separate recyclables…

Sacramento requires every residential and residential mixed-use property to subscribe to city garbage collection service, keep at least one 32-gallon automatic-lift container, and…

Sacramento requires multi-family residential properties to subscribe to a bulky-item removal service for tenants' furniture and household belongings under City Code § 13.24.520(A)(7)…

Dumping solid waste, organic material, or recyclables on public or private property in unincorporated Sacramento County without consent is a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months…

Sacramento City Code bars a dwelling occupant from willfully letting insects, rodents or other pests infest their unit once the owner has supplied a reasonably rodent-proof building…

California requires most restaurant employees who handle unpackaged food to obtain a Food Handler Card within 30 days of hire. The card comes from an ANSI-accredited online course and…

California prohibits home sharps in regular trash and recycling. Sacramento residents must use approved sharps mail-back kits, kiosks, or county collection events. Sacramento County…

California Civil Code 1954.603 requires landlords to provide tenants with bed bug information and disclose known infestations. Sacramento landlords must address bed bugs as a…

Sacramento County posts a color-coded inspection placard at every food facility after each routine inspection, and removing, hiding, or defacing it is a violation punishable under the…

Sacramento City Code Section 8.100.550 declares any building endangering the life, health, safety or welfare of occupants a "substandard building," and Section 8.100.560 spells out…

Under Sacramento's Tenant Protection Program, a rent increase is not effective until the landlord delivers written notice to the tenant, and that notice must include the information…

Sacramento prohibits landlord conduct intended to force tenants out, including utility shut-offs, lock changes, threats, and constructive eviction tactics, with civil penalties under…

Sacramento requires landlords to pay relocation assistance equal to roughly two months of rent when terminating a tenancy for no-fault reasons such as owner move-in, withdrawal, or…

The Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency administers Housing Choice Vouchers locally, performing initial unit inspections, approving rent reasonableness, and executing HAP…

Sacramento limits no-fault evictions to four narrow grounds under Title 5 Chapter 5.156: owner or relative move-in, substantial remodel, removal from the rental market, and compliance…

California Government Code 12955 bars Sacramento landlords from refusing applicants because they pay rent with Section 8 vouchers, VASH, or other lawful housing assistance, treating…

California Civil Code 1950.5 caps Sacramento security deposits at one month's rent for most tenancies and requires itemized return within 21 days, with strict deductions and tenant…

California AB 1482, the Tenant Protection Act, caps annual rent increases on most Sacramento rentals at 5 percent plus regional CPI, capped at 10 percent total, and requires landlords…

Sacramento's Tenant Protection Program caps annual rent increases at 5% plus a cost-of-living adjustment, up to a combined 10%, and lets a landlord adjust rent only once every 12…

After 12 months in a rental unit, a Sacramento tenant can only be evicted for one of the specific just-cause reasons Chapter 5.156 lists: nonpayment, lease breach, criminal or nuisance…

No one may lawfully rent housing in Sacramento without registering each unit with the city and paying the annual rental housing inspection program fee, under Section 8.120.060…

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 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…

Sacramento bans new digital billboards outright except through a city council agreement. Section 15.148.965 lets the council authorize digital billboards only on city-owned or…

Sacramento City Code § 15.148.910 caps permanent window signage at two signs per ground-floor occupancy and four square feet of total area, for every building except those in the R…

Sacramento City Code § 15.148.850 has banned new off-site signs and billboards within 660 feet of any freeway right-of-way, visible to freeway traffic, since April 4, 1970: existing…

Sacramento regulates signs under City Code Chapter 15.148 (Sign Ordinance). Political signs on private residential property are broadly protected under the First Amendment and…

Sacramento treats a garage- or yard-sale sign as a permit-exempt "temporary sign": in residential, agricultural and open-space/business (R, A, OB) zones the total display area of all…

Sacramento's A zone restricts land primarily to agriculture and farming, protecting working farmland from incompatible development until the city finds urban conversion consistent with…

Sacramento County shields established commercial farms from nuisance lawsuits once they've operated three years without complaint, under its 1990 Right-to-Farm Ordinance.

Sacramento City Code § 12.100.040 makes it unlawful and a public nuisance to camp in an encampment of four or more unrelated people on any public or private property, or to accumulate…

Sacramento City Code § 12.24.020 bars anyone from obstructing a public sidewalk after the city manager orders them to move, including sitting or lying within four feet of a building…

Sacramento designates landmarks, historic districts and contributing resources on the Sacramento Register of Historic and Cultural Resources under City Code Chapter 17.604. Once…

Sacramento requires shielded, non-spillover exterior lighting on every off-street parking facility citywide under City Code § 17.608.040.L, setting minimum illumination levels…

Digital billboards in unincorporated Sacramento County cannot exceed 0.3 foot-candles of illuminance above ambient light, or 7,500 nits of luminance by day and 300 nits at night, and…

Sacramento requires new construction and substantial improvements in mapped flood zones to elevate the lowest floor at least one foot above the base flood elevation, with a stricter…

A boat dock or marina anywhere in Sacramento's F (Flood) zone along the Sacramento or American Rivers needs a discretionary conditional use permit approved by the Planning and Design…

Sacramento City Code Chapter 8.116 caps engine idling for heavy trucks over 14,000 pounds GVWR, transport refrigeration units, and off-road equipment of 50-plus horsepower at five…

Sacramento is an inland city located approximately 80 miles from the Pacific Coast and is not within the California Coastal Commission's jurisdiction. Coastal development permits under…

Sacramento City Code Chapter 13.16 bans any nonstormwater discharge into the city's storm drain system unless it falls within a listed exemption. Violations carry civil penalties up to…

No one may grade any site in Sacramento without first getting the director's approval under City Code § 15.88.060. Small jobs are exempt below set cubic-yard, depth, and slope…

Sacramento adopts FEMA's flood insurance study and flood insurance rate maps by reference and applies Chapter 15.104 to every special flood hazard area in the city. No structure may be…

Sacramento's business operations tax chapter puts classification in the hands of the tax administrator, not the taxpayer. City Code § 3.08.130 makes the type or class of business an…

Sacramento limits commercial cardrooms to one license per 100,000 residents, capped at four citywide, under City Code § 5.32.070. Operators need a city-manager-issued license under §…

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…

Sacramento requires a city-manager permit before anyone uses public or private property, a facility or a residence to make a motion picture or television production, per City Code §…

Sacramento County Code § 4.50.150(a) lets the Treasurer-Tax Collector condition every motion picture production's Special Business License on the time, place and manner of filming…

Excessive truck motor noise, including unnecessary backfiring and motor racing, is a specifically banned noise in Sacramento, and so is loud or excessive noise from loading, unloading…

Sacramento regulates bar, nightclub, and dance-club noise through its entertainment permit program, not just the general noise chapter. The city council found entertainment…

Sacramento caps residential air conditioners, fans, pumps and compressors at 60 dBA measured one foot inside a neighbor's property line, dropping to 55 dBA for equipment installed five…

Sacramento City Code Chapter 12.73 (Ord. 2026-0012) bars city property and city-controlled data, expressly including license plate readers, from being used for civil immigration…

Sacramento City Code makes it unlawful to keep leaky or faulty water fixtures connected to the city water system, and gives owners just five days after written notice from the…

Under City Code § 15.92.180, covered Sacramento landscape projects must design recycled water irrigation systems for both current and future use, built to all applicable local and…

Sacramento City Code Chapter 17.600 requires new development inside the city's design review districts, including downtown's Central City, to follow guidelines adopted specifically for…

California Government Code §65915 grants developers up to 50% additional density and waivers from local development standards when projects include affordable, senior, or supportive…

Sacramento's building official must run a fast-track review for small residential rooftop solar systems under City Code § 15.08.180. Eligible systems top out at 10 kW AC or 30 kW…

Under the California Solar Rights Act (Civil Code §714 and §714.1), HOAs in Sacramento cannot prohibit or unreasonably restrict solar energy system installations. Any HOA rule that…

Rooftop or ground-mounted solar for a home in unincorporated Sacramento County needs only a standard planning application packet with safety certification and utility consent…

Every vacant lot owner in Sacramento must register the property with the city, pay a vacant lot program fee, and designate a local contact: lots that rack up two or more code-violation…

Sacramento declares any building the chief building official finds dangerous a public nuisance and orders it repaired, demolished, secured or vacated under City Code Chapter 8.96…

Snow is extremely rare in the Sacramento Valley. No county sidewalk snow removal ordinance exists. Owners must keep sidewalks free of debris and hazards under Streets and Highways Code…

Sacramento has not opted out of commercial cannabis. Chapter 5.150 and Title 17 Article IX affirmatively license dispensaries, cultivation, manufacturing, testing and delivery citywide…

Sacramento requires cannabis dispensaries and many other cannabis businesses to maintain a 600-foot buffer from K-12 schools, day cares, and youth centers, mirroring California…

California Proposition 64 (2016) and Health and Safety Code 11362.2 allow adults 21+ to cultivate up to six cannabis plants per private residence. Sacramento permits indoor home…

Adults 21+ may grow up to 6 plants for personal use under Prop 64 and HSC 11362.2. Sacramento County requires indoor cultivation only; outdoor grows prohibited in unincorporated areas.

Sacramento charges a 12 percent transient occupancy tax on rent paid by anyone occupying a hotel, motel, or other lodging for 30 consecutive days or less. Operators collect the tax…

Sacramento has not enacted a hotel-specific living wage ordinance. Hotel workers are covered by the higher of California's indexed statewide minimum wage and Sacramento's general local…

Sacramento bans minors from public places and business premises between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. under City Code Chapter 9.40. Parents and guardians who knowingly allow a minor to violate…

Sacramento parks close from sunset to sunrise citywide under City Code § 12.72.090. Loitering or remaining in a park after dark is prohibited except at lighted facilities the city has…

California Vehicle Code §21208 requires cyclists on roadways with bike lanes to use them when traveling slower than traffic, with exceptions for turning, hazards, and passing…

Sacramento permits shared e-scooter operators under a Public Works program with capped fleets, geofenced slow zones near the Capitol Mall and Old Sacramento, and mandatory parking…

In Sacramento County regional parks, Class 3 electric bicycles are treated as motorized vehicles: riders need a Director's permit to use roads or trails not designated for motor use…

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…

Sacramento requires street trees to be planted along every residential lot in a new subdivision as a condition of tentative or parcel map approval. The city's director of public works…

Six native species get automatic protection in Sacramento regardless of council designation. City Code § 12.56.020 covers any Valley Oak, Blue Oak, Interior Live Oak, Coast Live Oak…

Sacramento can name an individual tree a protected heritage tree by city council resolution. City Code § 12.56.020 defines a "private protected tree" to include any tree the council…

Selling food, drinks, or merchandise from a cart or your person on a Sacramento sidewalk or pedestrian path requires a sidewalk vending permit from the city manager under City Code…

Sacramento's Chapter 5.90 bars sidewalk vending within set distances of schools, other vendors, and liquor stores, and blocks it outright in city parking garages, on certain park land…

Sacramento requires every food truck, trailer, or vending bicycle to carry a food vending vehicle permit before operating. The permit is tied to one specific vehicle, must stay with it…

Sacramento employees accrue paid sick leave under California's Healthy Workplaces, Healthy Families Act (Lab. Code Section 245+), expanded to 40 hours or five days annually effective…

Sacramento workers receive the higher of California's statewide minimum wage of 16.50 dollars per hour, indexed annually under Lab. Code Section 1182.12, and the city's local floor…

Sacramento has not enacted a predictive or fair scheduling ordinance. Outside California's statewide fast food sector rules, Sacramento employers in retail and hospitality may set…

Anyone going house to house in Sacramento selling goods or taking advance orders needs a license first. City Code § 5.116.020 bars engaging in the business of solicitor within the city…

Sacramento honors no-solicitation signs and postings under City Code Chapter 5.36. Solicitors are prohibited from knocking on doors or ringing doorbells at properties that display a…

A typical garage sale in Sacramento needs no city permit at all. The permit requirement in Chapter 5.80 applies only to businesses like secondhand dealers, junk dealers, and…

Sacramento adopted Resolution 2017-100 declaring sanctuary status. City officers may not use Sacramento resources to enforce federal civil immigration law, layered atop California's…

Sacramento and California do not require employers to use the federal E-Verify system. California Labor Code Section 1019.1 actually limits abusive E-Verify use, and AB 450 restricts…

Sacramento City Code Chapter 5.150 banned the sale of flavored tobacco products (including menthol cigarettes and flavored vape) before California enacted the statewide ban via Senate…

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…

The City of Sacramento has no data-center ordinance and no "data center" use category. Data centers locate in the M-1 light-industrial and M-2 heavy-industrial zones under Title 17…

Sacramento City Code section 8.68.060 caps exterior noise at agricultural and residential property at 55 dBA from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. and 50 dBA from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. A data center's…

California Senate Bill 54 (2022) phases out non-recyclable plastic foodware, including expanded polystyrene foam, statewide. Sacramento businesses must transition away from EPS foam…

California Public Resources Code 42270 (Assembly Bill 1884, 2018) prohibits full-service restaurants from providing single-use plastic straws unless a customer requests one. Sacramento…

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…

Sacramento's Planning and Development Code sets zone-specific yard setbacks rather than one citywide number. In the R-1 single-unit zone, the front-yard setback defaults to 20 feet…

Sacramento caps homes at 35 feet in its two primary residential zones. Sacramento City Code §§ 17.204.220 and 17.204.520 set an identical 35-foot maximum height for the R-1…

In Sacramento's standard R-1 single-unit zone, buildings and structures cannot cover more than 40% of the lot, or 2,500 square feet, whichever is greater -- but coverage is hard-capped…

California law, not county code, sets the rulebook for HOA CC&R enforcement in Sacramento County: Civil Code Section 5855 requires the board to give a member 10 days' written notice…

For new residential subdivisions of more than ten units per acre, Sacramento County's Hearing Authority can require the developer to form a homeowners association to handle shared…

California HOA assessments are governed by Civil Code 5605. Regular increases over 20 percent or special assessments over 5 percent require member approval.

Sacramento County has no local dispute-resolution ordinance for HOAs; state law fills the gap. Civil Code Sections 5900-5920 require every California association to run a fair, prompt…

HOA architectural review in California is governed by Civil Code 4765. Boards must provide fair, reasonable, and timely review with written decisions.

HOAs in Sacramento County operate under the Davis-Stirling Act (Civil Code 4000-6150). Board meetings, notices, and elections must follow statutory rules.

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…

Sacramento County bans flying model airplanes, model helicopters, and drones in county park facilities except in fields, courts, or areas specifically set aside for that use, or with…

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 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…