San Ramon, CA

Removing, relocating, or cutting down a protected tree in San Ramon requires a Tree Removal Permit under Municipal Code Section D5-11. The review authority weighs health, design, and…

San Ramon water service is provided by EBMUD and Dublin San Ramon Services District (DSRSD). Permanent statewide water waste rules under SWRCB prohibit runoff, watering within 48 hours…

San Ramon residents have a codified right to compost their own yard trimmings and food scraps at home instead of putting them in a hauler's bin. Municipal Code Section B6-7 lets any…

San Ramon declares it a public nuisance to let a tree's branches restrict access to a sidewalk or street, block traffic signs or lights, or overhang and obstruct a sidewalk, street…

San Ramon's Zoning Ordinance counts synthetic turf as landscaping under the 'Landscape Area – Softscape' definition, so artificial turf is allowed in required yards. New single-family…

Noxious weeds designated by the Contra Costa County Agricultural Commissioner under California Food and Agricultural Code Section 5004 must be controlled on private property. Common…

San Ramon encourages drought-tolerant landscaping under California's MWELO (Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance). New and renovated landscapes over 500 sq ft must meet Maximum…

The 2012 Rainwater Capture Act allows California residents to capture rainwater from rooftops for non-potable outdoor use without a state water-right permit, preempting most local…

Hedges in San Ramon are regulated similarly to fences for sight-line purposes. Front yard hedges must not exceed 3.5 feet within the front setback, and corner lot sight triangles…

Most San Ramon fences need no permit at all, but Municipal Code Section D3-4 requires a Building Permit for any fence or wall inside a mapped flood hazard area, and a Minor Exception…

San Ramon caps residential fences at 3 feet in a front setback and 7 feet along side or rear lines under Table 3-1 of Municipal Code Section D3-4, and Section D3-6.F additionally…

San Ramon requires any embankment over 48 inches high to be benched so no single retaining wall face exceeds 48 inches under Municipal Code Section D3-4.D.3, and a retaining wall under…

San Ramon bans barbed wire, electrified fencing, razor or concertina wire, and chain link in a front or street-side yard in every zone under Municipal Code Section D3-4.E, unless the…

San Ramon requires every dog, cat, or other animal brought into a city park facility to stay leashed and under an owner's full control at all times, per Municipal Code Section…

San Ramon follows California Food & Agricultural Code §31601-31683 for dangerous dog determinations, which are strictly behavior-based. No breed-specific bans are permitted statewide…

San Ramon's Unified Development Ordinance treats a pet grooming shop as 'Animal Services, Grooming,' a use allowed outright in the Community Commercial zone but banned in Office…

San Ramon allows hobby beekeeping on residential lots of at least 6,000 square feet in the RS, RC, HR and RE zones. Municipal Code Section D4-86 caps hives by lot size, sets rear and…

San Ramon's Tree Removal Permit review must protect active bird nests. Section D5-11.C.3 forces denial of a permit to remove a protected tree containing an active nest of a species…

San Ramon lets residential lots of 6,000 square feet or more keep up to five hens, no roosters, if the property has direct access to a private yard. Coops must sit in the backyard…

San Ramon prohibits exotic and wild animals as pets, with regulation primarily governed by California Fish and Game Code §2118 which bans private possession of dangerous wildlife…

Under Chapter 416-6 of the Contra Costa County Animal Ordinance, no household in a non-agricultural zone may keep more than three dogs or more than five cats over six months old for…

Contra Costa County's Animal Services Department requires spay or neuter surgery before releasing certain impounded dogs. An unlicensed, unaltered dog picked up under Section 416-8.002…

Contra Costa County's Animal Services Department will not release an impounded dog or cat without a microchip. Section 416-8.020 requires every animal picked up under Section 416-8.002…

Contra Costa County zoning treats a veterinary clinic as a conditional use, not a by-right business. In the unincorporated county's R-B Retail Business, C-B Community Business, and O-1…

Wildlife in unincorporated Contra Costa County is regulated primarily by California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). It is illegal to feed deer, coyotes, raccoons, or wild…

San Ramon enforces the 2022 California Building Standards Code for residential pool installations and exempts only small prefabricated above-ground pools from the building permit (less…

Pool safety barriers in San Ramon must meet California Health & Safety Code §115920-115929 requirements: minimum 60-inch height, self-closing/self-latching gates, no climbable…

San Ramon Municipal Code section B6-91 bans playing a car stereo or other sound equipment loud enough to disturb neighbors, and treats a vehicle stereo plainly audible 50 feet away…

San Ramon Municipal Code section B6-95 makes it unlawful to keep any animal, fowl or bird whose sound, cry or behavior annoys or disturbs a reasonable neighbor's rest. That single…

San Ramon's Municipal Code sets a 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. curfew on yelling, shouting, whistling or singing loud enough to disturb neighbors, under section B6-96. Noise from that conduct…

San Ramon limits residential-area construction and repair work to 7:30 a.m.-7 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m.-6 p.m. on weekends under Municipal Code section B6-100, with no exempted work…

Gas-powered lawn and garden equipment can be operated in San Ramon Monday-Friday 7:30 AM-7:00 PM, Saturday-Sunday and holidays 9:00 AM-5:00 PM. Commercial landscapers (common in Bishop…

San Ramon bars anyone but a peace officer from running a loudspeaker or sound truck on a street, sidewalk, park or public property without first filing a ten-day advance registration…

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

San Ramon lets small family day care homes (six or fewer children) and large family day care homes (seven to fourteen children) operate as a permitted use by right in every residential…

San Ramon bars any exterior sign advertising a home-based business. Municipal Code section D4-33.C.8 requires no exterior indication of the home occupation, including signs, so a…

Running a business from a San Ramon home requires a home occupation permit under Municipal Code section D4-33.A, issued by the Zoning Administrator once the use meets the standards in…

San Ramon's home occupation standards flatly bar client visits: Municipal Code section D4-33.C.1 states no clients may come to the home, and D4-33.C.6 caps traffic at normal…

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…

San Ramon assigns legal meaning to painted curb colors under Municipal Code B8-1: red bans stopping entirely, yellow is a loading zone, white is a passenger drop-off, and green caps…

San Ramon requires off-street loading spaces for every nonresidential building under Municipal Code Section D3-39, sized by gross floor area on Table 3-14: retail space over 3,000…

San Ramon prohibits parking or leaving a vehicle standing on any city street for seventy-two or more consecutive hours; violators may have the vehicle removed under the state Vehicle…

San Ramon runs a separate expedited, streamlined permitting track for electric vehicle charging stations under Government Code § 65850.7. The building official adopts a checklist…

San Ramon lets a single-family lot pave only half its required front setback for driveway and parking use under City Code Section D3-37. The driveway itself must run at least 20 feet…

San Ramon limits how long a heavy-duty commercial vehicle can sit on private property in a residential zone: three hours, under Municipal Code Section D3-41(A). The clock stops for…

San Ramon Municipal Code Chapter VII declares any abandoned, wrecked, dismantled or inoperative vehicle on private or public property, other than a highway, a public nuisance. The…

San Ramon limits on-street parking to 72 consecutive hours under California Vehicle Code Section 22651(k) and San Ramon Municipal Code Chapter 6.12. Vehicles parked longer than 72…

San Ramon bans parking any oversized vehicle, trailer or dolly on public streets at any time under Municipal Code B8-31, defining oversize as 10,000+ pounds gross weight or over 18…

Contra Costa County lets residents of unincorporated neighborhoods petition the public works director for a preferential (permit) parking district under Chapter 46-10 when nonresident…

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…

San Ramon bans possessing or igniting any firecracker or fireworks anywhere in the city under Municipal Code section B4-1, with no exception for the "safe and sane" fireworks sold…

California Public Resources Code Section 4291 requires 100 feet of defensible space around structures in Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones. SRVFPD conducts annual inspections in San…

San Ramon enforces the California Building Code and California Health & Safety Code sections 13113.7-13114 for smoke alarm placement. Smoke alarms are required in every sleeping room…

Backyard burning in unincorporated Contra Costa County is tightly limited: BAAQMD Regulation 5 prohibits burning yard waste, and recreational wood fires aren't among its allowed…

Open burning in unincorporated Contra Costa County is governed by BAAQMD Regulation 5 and County Fire Code Section 324. Residential yard-waste and trash burning is prohibited…

Wildfire rules in unincorporated Contra Costa County combine the state's 100-foot defensible-space requirement (PRC §4291) with the county fire code's hazardous-vegetation standards…

California uniformly applies the State Fire Marshal's propane storage standards through the California Fire Code, which all local jurisdictions must enforce as a minimum.

Short-term rental operators in San Ramon owe Transient Occupancy Tax on every booking, but Municipal Code section D4-27.D.9 credits any TOT a hosting website already collected and paid…

San Ramon can revoke a short-term rental registration for violating its standards or creating a public nuisance, and Municipal Code section D4-27.G bars the property from…

San Ramon's short-term rental ordinance draws a hard line between hosted rentals, where the owner-operator lives onsite and actively manages the property, and un-hosted rentals, where…

San Ramon requires every short-term rental registration to include proof that the property is insured for short-term rental use before the City will issue a registration under Zoning…

San Ramon requires short-term rental guests to park in the property's own garage and driveway before using the street. Municipal Code section D4-27.D.7 bars oversized vehicles and…

San Ramon holds the owner and operator of a short-term rental jointly responsible for the property's compliance with the City's noise regulations under Zoning Ordinance Section…

San Ramon places no calendar limit on hosted short-term rentals under Municipal Code section D4-27.D.12: a homeowner who lives onsite and manages guests can rent rooms year-round. The…

It is unlawful to operate a short-term rental anywhere in a San Ramon residential district without first registering it with the City under Zoning Ordinance Section D4-27.C.1…

San Ramon caps short-term rental occupancy at two adults per bedroom whenever any part of the dwelling is rented, under Zoning Ordinance Section D4-27.D.1. The bedroom count used for…

Short-term rental operators in San Ramon must register with the City to collect and remit Transient Occupancy Tax under Zoning Ordinance Section D4-27.D.9, and pay a separate…

Contra Costa County caps how many nights a short-term rental in the unincorporated area can operate each calendar year: ninety days for a non-hosted rental where the owner isn't on…

San Ramon zoning treats a tiny house on wheels as a recreational vehicle, not housing, unless it sits on a permanent foundation. Municipal Code section D4-36.B caps a wheeled tiny…

San Ramon allows accessory dwelling units and junior ADUs by right in every zone that permits residential use, including mixed-use districts, under Zoning Ordinance Section D4-39…

San Ramon caps backyard sheds and other accessory structures in residential zones at three percent of the lot's total floor area and enforces a sliding setback: no setback for…

Contra Costa County bars owners from renting an accessory dwelling unit or junior accessory dwelling unit for less than thirty days, closing off short-term rental use of ADUs built…

Contra Costa County allows an attached ADU to be created through an internal conversion of an existing garage; no setback is required for an existing garage being converted to an ADU…

San Ramon requires a special event permit before promoting or conducting events such as parades, festivals, races, fairs, filming, and outdoor sales, whenever the event deviates from…

San Ramon lets restaurants add sidewalk cafes only where Division D2's zoning tables already allow an eating and drinking establishment on the site. Municipal Code section D4-35.A.6…

Contra Costa County exempts parades and processions from its Temporary Events permit, but only if the organizer still obtains every other permit state law or the county code requires…

A street fair or festival open to more than seventy-five people at a residential or agricultural venue, or more than 150 anywhere else, needs a Contra Costa County temporary event…

A film shoot that already holds a county filming permit under Chapter 56-8 does not need a separate temporary event permit for the same activity, but the production must still carry at…

San Ramon restricts food truck and mobile food facility operating locations through zoning and SB 972-consistent regulations. Typical restrictions include: no parking within a…

Food trucks operating in San Ramon must hold a Contra Costa County Environmental Health mobile food facility permit, a California seller's permit, a City of San Ramon business license…

Illegal dumping in San Ramon is prohibited under the municipal code and California Penal Code 374.3. Fines start at $250 for a first offense and escalate to $3,000+ plus cleanup costs…

San Ramon requires every occupied property to keep a separate green bin for food scraps and other organic waste alongside its trash and recycling containers. Municipal Code Section…

Every occupied property in San Ramon must subscribe to three-stream collection service, separate containers for solid waste, organic materials, and recyclable materials, under…

San Ramon Municipal Code Section B6-11 bans leaving trash, organics, or recycling containers on any public street, sidewalk, or footpath except during a narrow curbside window: no…

San Ramon residents get large, bulky items like furniture, mattresses and old appliances picked up only through the city's neighborhood clean-up days or its on-call bulky item…

San Ramon requires the owner of every occupied property to subscribe to trash, recycling and organics pickup from the city's authorized hauler. Municipal Code Section B6-2 sets a…

San Ramon Municipal Code Section B6-7 bars anyone from collecting, transporting, or conveying Recyclable Materials, Organic Materials, Solid Waste, or C&D debris unless the City has…

Commercial and multi-family properties in San Ramon must keep their solid waste, recycling and organics dumpsters together in one enclosure with clear signage, not scattered around the…

San Ramon treats yard trimmings as part of the Organic Materials stream defined in Municipal Code Section B6-1, which every occupied property must subscribe to collect under Section…

Waste Management of Alameda County / Contra Costa is the exclusive franchise hauler for San Ramon, providing once-weekly curbside pickup of garbage, recycling, and organics. Collection…

Disputes between San Ramon homeowners and their HOAs follow a statutory process under Davis-Stirling Act Civil Code 5900-5965, which requires Internal Dispute Resolution (IDR) and…

San Ramon's Zoning Ordinance makes clear the city stays out of private HOA disputes: it enforces its own code regardless of any CC&R, but it will not enforce a private covenant or…

HOA fines in San Ramon must follow the due process requirements of California Civil Code 5850 and 5855. Fines must be reasonable, set forth in a published schedule, and imposed only…

California HOAs may levy regular and special assessments, charge late fees and interest, record liens, and ultimately foreclose on delinquent owners under the Davis-Stirling Act. State…

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

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

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

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

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

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…

Political signs are strongly protected under the First Amendment and Civil Code 4710. San Ramon may not regulate them more strictly than other non-commercial signs and cannot ban them…

San Ramon prohibits free-standing signs, window signs, and for-sale/rent/lease signs of any type that are designed, oriented, or placed for freeway exposure and visible from the…

San Ramon caps window signs, including exempt ones, at 20 percent of a tenant's total window area for each wall, under Zoning Code Section D3-47(B). Signs must also avoid blocking the…

San Ramon exempts garage sale signs from a sign permit, but only within tight limits: one sign on the property holding the sale and up to four off-site signs on other private…

San Ramon lets residents and businesses put up holiday lights without a sign permit, but only for a set window: no sooner than 45 calendar days before the holiday and taken down within…

San Ramon does not operate an official No-Knock Registry. Residents rely on California's statewide Do Not Call Registry for phone, the FTC/FCC registries, and posted No Soliciting…

San Ramon requires anyone peddling or soliciting door-to-door to get a county sheriff-issued permit before starting, under Municipal Code Section B7-145. Individual solicitors pay…

San Ramon Municipal Code Section B7-125 bans loitering, standing or sitting on any public highway, alley, sidewalk or crosswalk in a way that hinders passage or annoys passersby. It…

San Ramon bans drinking alcohol on any public street, sidewalk, park or other public facility, and also bans drinking within fifteen feet of a public way while on private property open…

San Ramon Municipal Code section B6-73 bans smoking and vaping on every property in the city, indoor and outdoor, public and private, with no blanket carve-out for sidewalks or parks…

San Ramon bans rollerskating, bicycling and skateboarding on grassy areas, paths or walkways posted for pedestrian use only, and the Bollinger Canyon Road skate park requires a helmet…

Hosting or allowing a gathering of three or more people under 21 where alcohol is present or being consumed on property you control is a misdemeanor in unincorporated Contra Costa…

San Ramon requires every exterior swinging door on a residential building, including the door from an attached garage into the home, to carry a single-cylinder deadbolt with a one-inch…

San Ramon adopts the 2025 California Green Building Standards Code, Title 24 Part 11, by reference under Municipal Code § C1-161, effective November 27, 2025. The Building and Safety…

San Ramon has adopted the 2025 California Electrical Code, based on the 2023 National Electrical Code (NFPA-70), as its electrical code under Municipal Code C1-91. A local amendment…

San Ramon has adopted the 2025 California Plumbing Code, based on the 2024 Uniform Plumbing Code, as its plumbing code under Municipal Code C1-81. Local amendments cover fixture counts…

San Ramon builds its permit system on the 2025 California Building Code, adopted by reference under Municipal Code Section C1-1, which governs when construction, alteration, or…

Federal Title X and California Health & Safety Code require lead paint disclosure for pre-1978 rental units in unincorporated Contra Costa County. Landlords must provide EPA pamphlet…

Grading work under a Contra Costa County permit is checked at three defined stages under Section 716-6.006: initial, once the site is cleared and prepped before fill goes in; rough…

Contra Costa County requires automatic fire sprinklers in existing Group R-3 (single-family) dwellings whenever a substantial addition or alteration occurs, under a local amendment to…

Child care centers licensed for more than 12 children are classified as Group E occupancies under the county's amended California Fire Code, and Section 903.2.3 requires an automatic…

San Ramon puts sidewalk upkeep on the abutting owner, not the city. Municipal Code section C6-197 requires the owner of property next to any sidewalk area to maintain and repair it at…

San Ramon bars anyone from encroaching on a public right-of-way, including sidewalks, without a written permit. Municipal Code section C6-4 lists the acts that trigger the requirement…

San Ramon makes it a public nuisance to park or store vehicles, trailers, boats or equipment that overhang, block or obstruct a sidewalk, street, driveway or right-of-way, and to place…

San Ramon bars anyone under 18 from remaining or loitering in streets or public places between 10 p.m. and a half hour before sunrise on Sunday through Thursday, and from 12:01 a.m. to…

San Ramon parks operate dawn to dusk under Municipal Code section B5-11, and entering, remaining in or camping on a park facility during closed hours without a director-issued permit…

San Ramon prohibits medical marijuana dispensaries everywhere in the city under Municipal Code B10-2. No zoning district permits one, and the city will not issue any conditional use…

Every commercial cannabis business in unincorporated Contra Costa County must stay at least one thousand feet from any K-12 school, day care center, youth center, or drug treatment…

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…

San Ramon caps turf and ornamental water features at 25% of irrigated landscape area on new and rehabilitated projects. Municipal Code § C4-122 requires drought-tolerant plant…

New landscaping in San Ramon must use recycled water for irrigation whenever it is available under Municipal Code Section D3-21(C)(1), and if recycled water is not yet available, the…

San Ramon requires every massage business to hold a city massage establishment permit before offering services, under Municipal Code Section B7-190, and to pay a council-set fee under…

San Ramon bans adult-oriented businesses by right: operators need both a Use Permit and a Business License, and the use may only sit in the MC (Mixed Commercial) zone, kept 500 to…

San Ramon's home occupation rules flatly bar motor vehicle repair at a residence. Municipal Code section D4-33.C.10 lets a resident register only auto cleaning, detailing, or minor…

Selling tobacco, including e-cigarettes and vape products, anywhere in unincorporated Contra Costa County requires a county tobacco retailer's license for each location. The county…

San Ramon charges a 7.25% transient occupancy tax on hotel and short-term rental stays under 30 days. Operators collect it with the rent, register with the tax administrator, and remit…

San Ramon caps outdoor light fixtures at 18 feet, requires energy-efficient lamps, and mandates that fixtures be shielded or recessed so the bulb is never visible from off-site, under…

San Ramon caps light spilling onto a neighboring residential lot at one foot-candle at the property line and requires fixtures to confine glare within the site and aim downward and…

San Ramon does not regulate billboard lighting because it does not allow billboards at all: Section D3-50(F) of the Sign Ordinance prohibits off-site signs and billboards anywhere…

San Ramon declares it a public nuisance to store water or accumulate debris in a way that develops, attracts or harbors vectors, including rodents, mosquitoes, flies, ticks and mites…

Contra Costa County's color-coded placard program posts inspection results at every permitted food facility. Green means passed, yellow means a conditional pass, red means the permit…

Anyone who works in a permitted Contra Costa County microenterprise home kitchen operation must earn a county food handler certification within 30 days of joining. The rule sits inside…

San Ramon requires an approved erosion control system on every active grading site before the October 15 to April 15 rainy season under Municipal Code C7-66. Erosion control and…

San Ramon bans dumping anything but rain into its storm drains under Municipal Code Chapter XII. Non-stormwater discharges, litter, and pollutants entering the storm system are…

San Ramon bars delivery trucks from idling their engines while loading or unloading at a site's required off-street loading facility under Zoning Code Section D3-39(B)(10). Businesses…

San Ramon regulates all construction in FEMA-mapped special flood hazard areas under Municipal Code Chapter C4-IV. A development permit from the floodplain administrator is required…

New construction and substantial improvements in San Ramon's mapped flood zones must have the lowest floor at or above the base flood elevation, with a two-foot buffer in Zones AE, AH…

Contra Costa County's Electrical Code sets a minimum lighting standard for boat docks: at least two foot-candles of protective light at every point along docks, covered berths, and the…

The California Coastal Act, Public Resources Code sections 30000 through 30900, requires Coastal Development Permits for nearly all work in the coastal zone and gives the Coastal…

San Ramon caps the number of licensed cardrooms by city population and requires a city-issued license on top of the state Gaming Registration Certificate. Operating without one is a…

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…

San Ramon's Zoning Ordinance sets minimum front, side and rear setbacks by zoning district in Division D2's development-standards tables. The Rural Conservation and Hillside…

San Ramon caps house height at 35 feet in the RC, HR, RE, and all five RS single-family zones, rising to 40 feet in RMH and 50 feet in RVH multi-family zones, measured under Section…

San Ramon's zoning tables list residential lot coverage as "N.A." in every single-family and estate zone, RC, HR, RE, and all five RS districts, so no citywide percentage caps how much…

San Ramon Municipal Code section B6-97 requires commercial machinery, pumps, fans and air conditioning equipment to be muffled so they don't create noise, making unmuffled commercial…

San Ramon requires a permit to run an internal combustion engine, including a portable generator, in a way that causes excessive noise between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. under Municipal Code…

San Ramon protects historically and architecturally significant properties through the Landmark (-L) overlay zone under Municipal Code Section D2-31. A site, structure, or district can…

San Ramon assigns every business license to a rate classification, such as general business by employee count, landlord by square footage or unit count, or itinerant vendor by event…

San Ramon requires a director-issued permit for any fire in a park facility unless it is contained in a barbecue cooker or other city-authorized cooking device, per Municipal Code…

San Ramon's building and safety services division must use a nondiscretionary, administrative review to approve small residential rooftop solar systems up to 10 kW AC or 30 kW thermal…

San Ramon requires rooftop solar applicants to use a standard plan and checklist that the building and safety services division adopts and posts on the city website before a permit can…

California Civil Code Section 714 (Solar Rights Act) prohibits San Ramon HOAs from banning solar panels. HOAs and CC&Rs can impose only 'reasonable restrictions': those that do not…

San Ramon lets a residence hold a garage sale without a Temporary Use Permit, but only three times a year and only for two consecutive days each time, and only on Saturday, Sunday, or…

Commercial filming on private property in San Ramon is a temporary land use requiring a Temporary Use Permit from the Zoning Administrator, who must find the filming will not create…

Filming permits that require closing a county road take longer to process: Section 56-8.410 gives the Department of General Services up to ten working days to issue a permit requiring…

San Ramon declares it a public nuisance for any property, vacant or occupied, to accumulate debris, litter, dirt, overgrown vegetation, dead trees or weeds. Owners bear primary…

San Ramon prohibits storing inoperable, wrecked, or unregistered vehicles on private property where visible from the street or neighboring properties. Enforcement follows California…

San Ramon bans camping or maintaining an encampment on any public property, including streets, sidewalks, parks, open space and waterways, without a temporary use or encroachment…

San Ramon's tree preservation chapter defines which trees are legally protected before removal, relocation, or cutting requires a permit. Section D5-8.A protects native oaks six inches…

In unincorporated Contra Costa County, planting a tree along a public street requires the species and exact planting location to be approved in advance by the Public Works Department…

Contra Costa County protects registered heritage trees countywide under Ordinance Code Chapter 816-4. A heritage tree is any tree seventy-two inches or more in trunk circumference, or…

San Ramon grants State Density Bonus Law incentives under Municipal Code Chapter D4-VIII. Any housing project receiving a density bonus, incentive, concession, or waiver under…

San Ramon does not currently operate a mandatory city-wide residential rental registration program. Landlords must still obtain a City of San Ramon business license and comply with…

Every rental dwelling unit owner in unincorporated Contra Costa County must keep the unit and premises free of 'substandard conditions' under Section 720-8.402. Section 720-8.404's…

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 Civil Code 1708.8 makes it a tort to use a drone to capture images or recordings of private activity where a person has a reasonable expectation of privacy. Penalties…

Unincorporated Contra Costa County shields established commercial agricultural and agricultural-processing operations from nuisance lawsuits once they have run for more than three…

The California Land Conservation Act of 1965 (Williamson Act), Government Code 51200-51297.4, allows landowners to enter contracts with counties restricting land to agricultural use…

Rental dwelling units in unincorporated Contra Costa County are subject to periodic inspection by the county building official under Section 720-8.602, on a schedule the building…

No store in unincorporated Contra Costa County may sell flavored tobacco products or menthol cigarettes to anyone, a blanket retail ban that reaches fruit, candy, and menthol-flavored…

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…

Contra Costa County has no codified decibel ordinance for stationary sources. A data center's cooling and generators are held to the 2045 General Plan land-use compatibility standard…

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 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…