Ventura, CA

Before a guest ever checks in, the owner or the hosting platform handling the booking must collect that guest's name, address and a driver's license number or passport copy under San…

Two violations of a Ventura short-term rental permit's conditions in any 12-month period can suspend the permit for up to six months, and a third strike in the same window can revoke…

Every short-term vacation rental and homestay in the City of Ventura must post a notice inside the unit tying amplified sound to the city's noise ordinance and flatly prohibiting loud…

Ventura caps overnight occupancy at every permitted short-term vacation rental and homestay under Municipal Code § 6.455.140(F). A whole-unit vacation rental may sleep two people plus…

A short-term vacation rental or homestay permit is required before anyone rents, offers to rent, or advertises a Ventura dwelling for stays under 30 days, per Municipal Code §…

A Ventura homestay permit, unlike a whole-unit short-term vacation rental, is only available for a dwelling that is the owner's primary residence. Municipal Code § 6.455.020 defines a…

Ventura does not cap nights per year; instead it caps the total number of short-term vacation rental permits allowed in each of five defined areas. Municipal Code § 6.455.080 sets…

Ventura charges short-term rental owners the chapter's own permit fees plus the city's transient occupancy tax, and ties both to the permit itself. Municipal Code § 6.455.150 lets the…

Ventura ties parking directly to bedroom count for every permitted short-term rental. Municipal Code § 6.455.060 requires one free on-site space for a zero-, one- or two-bedroom…

Ventura requires every short-term rental owner or agent to stay close enough to respond. Municipal Code § 6.455.140(A) requires the owner or their agent to live or work within 30 miles…

Ventura requires proof of insurance before it will issue a short-term rental permit and requires that coverage to continue afterward. Municipal Code § 6.455.040(A)(4) makes proof of…

The City of Ventura bans keeping any animal or fowl whose sound, cry or behavior creates noise above the city's noise level limits under San Buenaventura Municipal Code Section…

In a residential zone in the City of Ventura, power saws, sanders, drills, grinders, lawnmowers, leaf blowers and similar garden tools cannot run between 8:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. under…

Power construction equipment, pile drivers and other construction devices cannot be run near or inside a residential zone in the City of Ventura between 8:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. under…

San Buenaventura Municipal Code § 10.650.150(A) bars operating a radio, musical instrument, phonograph, TV or similar sound device in any residential zone loud enough to exceed the…

Vehicle and motorcycle noise on Ventura streets is primarily a state-law matter: California Vehicle Code §27150 requires every motor vehicle to have an adequate muffler in constant…

Ventura County Ordinance Code § 6299-1 bans creating any loud or raucous noise, audible to the human ear, in any residential zone of the unincorporated county between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m…

Private helicopter pads are banned across the Santa Monica Mountains overlay zone in unincorporated Ventura County, with an exception only for emergency-service agencies.

Rooftop and ground-mounted HVAC units, pumps, generators, compressors and fans near sensitive habitat in unincorporated Ventura County must be sited as far as practical from ESHA or…

All fireworks, including safe and sane fireworks, are banned in the City of Ventura. San Buenaventura Municipal Code Section 10.852.020 bars anyone from selling, offering to sell…

The City of Ventura designates Very High, High and Moderate Fire Hazard Severity Zones under San Buenaventura Municipal Code Section 12.165.020, adopting the CAL FIRE-mapped Fire…

The City of Ventura requires anyone who owns, leases or controls land in a hazardous fire area to maintain a 100-foot firebreak around every building by clearing combustible material…

In High and Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones within the City of Ventura, Appendix Section J105.3 of the wildland-urban interface code amendments requires outbuildings and liquid…

Ventura's Fire Code amendments require an operational permit for open burning, including recreational fires and portable outdoor fireplaces on public ground, but exempt recreational…

In the City of Ventura, an operational fire permit is required before kindling any open fire, open burning, recreational fire, or portable outdoor fireplace on public streets, alleys…

All residential dwellings in the City of Ventura must have smoke detectors installed per California Health and Safety Code Section 13113.7. Detectors are required in each bedroom…

The City of Ventura caps weed and grass height under Municipal Code Section 8.10.130(C): if 50 percent of the weeds or grasses within a property's weed or grass growth area exceed 12…

Home composting is expressly allowed in the City of Ventura. Municipal Code § 6.500.190(C) exempts homeowners from the citywide ban on dumping or spreading waste on the ground for…

When the Ventura City Council declares a Stage 3 water-shortage event, Municipal Code Section 22.171.070 caps outdoor potable irrigation at two days a week and bars sprinklers from…

The City of Ventura's parks manager can remove a public street tree under Municipal Code Section 20.150.140 only for specific reasons: the tree is dead or diseased, it damages…

The City of Ventura requires a permit from the parks manager before anyone plants, prunes, trims, defaces, or removes a tree or shrub on a city street, under Municipal Code Section…

Ventura County encourages native and pollinator-friendly plants. The 2021 Non-Coastal Zoning Ordinance landscaping update promotes native plants supporting bees, butterflies, and…

Ventura County's Non-Coastal Zoning Ordinance landscaping rules do not ban artificial turf, but synthetic turf usually does not count toward landscape or water-efficiency requirements…

Rainwater harvesting is allowed and encouraged in unincorporated Ventura County. Collecting rooftop rainwater for landscape irrigation needs no state water-right permit under…

The City of Ventura prohibits beekeeping outright. Municipal Code Section 8.50.050 makes it unlawful for anyone to have, keep, maintain or possess any bees on any premises in the city…

In the City of Ventura, Municipal Code Section 8.50.030(A) requires any animal brought onto a public beach along the Pacific Ocean to be on a leash held continuously by a person able…

In the City of Ventura it is unlawful to feed squirrels, pigeons, rats or feral cats along the waterfront, defined as within 500 feet of the Pacific Ocean's mean high tide. Adopted in…

In the City of Ventura, keeping chickens or other fowl as livestock in the R-1 single-family zone requires a lot of at least one acre under the zoning code's Animal Husbandry…

In the City of Ventura, a dog grooming salon or pet store is defined by Section 24.115.330(A) of the Municipal Code as an Animal Sales and Services: Grooming and Pet Stores use, and it…

In the City of Ventura, a veterinary clinic or animal hospital for small animals is defined by Section 24.115.330(B) of the Municipal Code as an Animal Sales and Services: Veterinary…

In the City of Ventura's R-1 single-family zone, only a short list of wild animals, such as chipmunks, turtles, raccoons, certain monkeys, nonpoisonous snakes and raptors, may be kept…

Ventura requires bird-safe building design within the Harbor Mixed-Use Development (HMXD) zone at Ventura Harbor. Municipal Code Section 24.248.140(M) caps untreated glass at 35…

Every dog or cat over six months old kept in unincorporated Ventura County must be spayed or neutered under Ordinance Code § 4421-3, unless the owner documents one of the exceptions…

Pet stores in unincorporated Ventura County may sell only dogs, cats, or rabbits sourced from a shelter, humane society, or registered nonprofit rescue.

Beyond the base pet limit, unincorporated Ventura County caps additional animals at double the standard per-species maximum, only on lots that meet a minimum size, and only with a…

Ventura County does not ban or restrict any dog breed. California Food & Agricultural Code Section 31683 prohibits cities and counties from regulating dogs by breed, except for…

In the City of Ventura, retaining walls need their own permit from Building and Safety in addition to any grading permit, under San Buenaventura Municipal Code Section 12.215.010…

In the City of Ventura, a fence, wall, or dense landscaping serving as one is capped at three and one-half feet in a required front yard, and six feet in a required rear or side yard…

The City of Ventura does not issue a standard building permit for most fences, but a fence or wall over 10 feet tall in a required rear or side yard cannot be built or kept without a…

Ventura County's zoning ordinance does not assign cost responsibility between neighbors. That is governed by California's Good Neighbor Fence Act (Civil Code 841), which presumes…

Unincorporated Ventura County bans barbed wire, razor-edge wire, and electric wire fencing in urban residential and commercial zones, and extends the ban to industrial lots next to or…

Ventura exempts small detached sheds from a building permit under Municipal Code Section 12.115.020(A)(3), amending CBC Section 105.2. A shed qualifies only if it is one story, no…

Ventura allows one ADU on any residential or mixed-use lot and one JADU on single-family-zoned lots under Municipal Code Chapter 24.430. Adopted by Ordinance No. 2024-013, the chapter…

Converting an existing garage into livable space in Ventura is allowed only as part of an accessory dwelling unit under Municipal Code Section 24.430.040(A). A garage conversion on a…

Ventura bars short-term rental of accessory dwelling units. Municipal Code Section 24.430.050(D) sets a 30-day minimum rental term for every ADU and JADU in the city, applying…

Ventura does not require the owner to live on-site for a standard accessory dwelling unit built since 2020, but junior ADUs still carry a strict owner-occupancy rule. Section…

Ventura waives development impact fees for small accessory dwelling units. Municipal Code Section 24.430.070(A) exempts any ADU under 750 square feet from Mitigation Fee Act and Quimby…

Ventura's Building Code amendments require every residential swimming pool to be completely enclosed by a barrier. Municipal Code Section 12.115.020(A)(34) sets the barrier at least 60…

Ventura's Chapter 31AA swimming pool standards, added at Municipal Code Section 12.115.020(A)(35), require a Registered Civil Engineer or Architect to sign structural plans for any…

Every residential electric vehicle charging station in Ventura needs a building permit under Municipal Code Section 12.146.030. It is unlawful to install, operate or maintain one…

Leaving a wrecked, dismantled, or inoperative vehicle on private or public property (not counting highways) in the City of Ventura for more than five days is a public nuisance under…

In the City of Ventura, curbside loading zones are set and marked by the city traffic engineer under Municipal Code Section 16.220.010. Yellow zones limit commercial material loading…

In the City of Ventura, no one may paint any street or curb surface without city authorization, per San Buenaventura Municipal Code § 16.120.050(B). The only carve-out lets a property…

In the City of Ventura, drivers may not stop, stand, or park in traffic-hazard locations, divisional islands, red-curbed zones, or within 30 feet of a crosswalk or traffic signal…

In the City of Ventura, commercial vehicles cannot park longer than five hours on any public street in a residential zone under San Buenaventura Municipal Code § 16.210.040(D), unless…

In the City of Ventura, residents on streets posted with time-limited parking near schools, colleges, medical districts, and downtown can apply for a preferential parking permit that…

In the City of Ventura, an oversized vehicle, over 25 feet long, 80 inches wide, or 82 inches tall, can't park on a city street between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. without a permit, per…

Every driveway, drive aisle, parking area, and access to a parking area required by Ventura's zoning code must be completely surfaced with asphalt, Portland cement concrete, or another…

Ventura does NOT have a blanket overnight ban on standard passenger vehicles on city streets. Instead, the city enforces a 72-hour maximum-parking rule under SBMC §16.210.040(C): 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…

In the City of Ventura, Chapter 24.125 of the Municipal Code lets you run a home occupation in any zone that contains a residential dwelling unit, as long as the business stays…

In the City of Ventura, a licensed small family day care home serving six or fewer children is a permitted Residential Care use in the R-1 single-family zone and every other…

In the City of Ventura, a home occupation cannot generate pedestrian or vehicle traffic beyond what the residential neighborhood already sees, under Section 24.125.030(A) of the…

In the City of Ventura, a home business cannot display any sign visible from outside the dwelling unit. Section 24.125.030(B) of the Municipal Code allows only the signs a residence is…

Cottage food operations in unincorporated Ventura County are regulated by the County Environmental Health Division under California's Cottage Food Law (Health and Safety Code Sec…

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…

Chapter 8.600 of the San Buenaventura Municipal Code bars discharging anything but stormwater into the city's storm drain system, backed by the city's Clean Water Act permit…

In fire hazard areas of the City of Ventura, Appendix J105.1 of the wildland-urban interface code requires a 30-foot defensible-space zone around every structure: dead vegetation…

Ventura's Floating Piers chapter, Municipal Code Section 12.140.060, sets material and structural standards for private slips, piers, docks, wharves and appurtenances, including…

Ventura requires a flood area development permit before any construction or development starts in a mapped special flood hazard area, or in a locally known area with a history of…

Ventura caps rainy-season grading and requires erosion control devices under Municipal Code Section 12.215.030(L). Between November 1 and April 15, no grading job over 250 cubic yards…

In most flood zones, Ventura requires new and substantially improved residential structures to elevate the lowest floor at least two feet above the base flood elevation. Municipal Code…

Unincorporated Ventura County areas within the California Coastal Zone require Coastal Development Permits under the California Coastal Act. The county administers a Local Coastal…

The City of Ventura collects a 10 percent transient occupancy tax on rent paid by any transient staying in a hotel, motel, trailer court, RV park, mobile home park, camp or timeshare…

Every business in Ventura is sorted into one of 18 defined classifications, from retailing to services to solicitors, and each classification falls into one of three tax rate groups…

Ventura Municipal Code Section 8.250.020 makes it unlawful to dump solid waste, waste matter, rocks or dirt on any public or private road, right-of-way, park or private property…

In the City of Ventura, no one may collect or process recyclable materials commercially unless they hold a city franchise agreement or a one-year permit issued by the director of…

Every single-family generator in the City of Ventura must subscribe to city trash service and sort waste into the blue recycling, green organics and black trash carts under Municipal…

Residential and commercial waste in the City of Ventura must be removed from a property at least once a week under Municipal Code § 6.500.130(B), and the county health department can…

Ventura's code defines green waste as tree trimmings, grass, leaves, and branches, and requires oversized yard debris too big for a cart to be bundled: tied bundles no more than 18…

In Ventura, carts can go to the curb no earlier than 4:00 p.m. the day before your scheduled pickup and must come back in by 8:00 p.m. the day they're emptied, under Municipal Code §…

Ventura residents must place carts in the parkway strip if one exists, otherwise at the curb, sidewalk, or in a paved alley, under Municipal Code § 6.500.150(A). Between pickups, §…

Commercial dumpsters supplied by Ventura's waste franchisee must be leak-proof, lidded where applicable, built entirely of noncombustible material, and sited inside a designed…

California's Mandatory Commercial Recycling Act (AB 341, PRC §42649) and the Mandatory Organic Waste Recycling Act (SB 1383, PRC §42652.5) require every resident and business to…

Under the County's residential collection agreements, unincorporated Ventura County single-family customers receive free bulky-item pickups each year (the agreements provide up to…

In the City of Ventura, commercial buildings in Uniform Building Code Occupancy Groups E, F and G must secure every front door under San Buenaventura Municipal Code Section 12.150.220…

The City of Ventura adopts the 2025 California Building Code by reference under San Buenaventura Municipal Code Section 12.115.010, then amends its permit rules locally: Section…

Ventura adopts the 2025 California Plumbing Code by reference at Municipal Code Section 12.120.010, including Appendices A, B, D, H, I and J, and layers on local amendments driven by…

Ventura adopts the 2025 California Electrical Code, including Annex C, at Municipal Code Section 12.125.010, citing the city's moist coastal air and corrosive native soil, then layers…

Ventura adopts the 2025 California Green Building Standards Code, Part 11 of Title 24, in full at Municipal Code Section 12.135.020, with no local amendments layered on top, unlike the…

Municipal Code Section 12.310.020(F) sets how a Ventura code official may inspect a property under the San Buenaventura Property Maintenance Code. Occupied structures require the…

Ventura's Fire Code Appendix R requires automatic fire sprinklers in every new building over 500 square feet, and in all new townhouses and one- and two-family dwellings regardless of…

Operating a massage establishment in the City of Ventura requires a certificate of registration under San Buenaventura Municipal Code Section 8.300.060, separate from the business tax…

Any pawnbroker doing business in the City of Ventura must hold a written permit from the police chief, separate from the standard city business license, under San Buenaventura…

Secondhand dealers doing business in the City of Ventura need the same police-issued permit as pawnbrokers and junk dealers under San Buenaventura Municipal Code Section 6.200.030(B)…

Every tobacco and vape retailer in the City of Ventura, including sellers of e-cigarettes and vaping devices, must hold a city tobacco retailer license for each fixed location under…

Any adult business in the City of Ventura, from adult arcades to adult cabarets, must hold an adult business regulatory license before opening. Municipal Code Chapter 6.900 sets…

In the City of Ventura, you may repair a vehicle at a residential property only if you own the vehicle, keep proof of registration on site, work only between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m…

Tattoo and body-art operators in unincorporated Ventura County must hold a permit or registration from the county's Environmental Health Division before working.

Chapter 8.1100 of the San Buenaventura Municipal Code layers city-specific requirements onto California's statewide just-cause eviction law for landlords citing intent to demolish or…

In the City of Ventura, general apartment and single-family rents run on California's statewide rent cap, but mobile home park space rent is different: San Buenaventura Municipal Code…

Before a mobile home park in the City of Ventura raises a resident's space rent under the annual CPI-based option in Municipal Code Section 6.600.070(F), the city's rent administrator…

Ventura amends the adopted Property Maintenance Code to require landlords to supply heat. Municipal Code Section 12.310.020(DD)-(EE) makes owners keep every habitable room, bathroom…

California evictions run through the unlawful detainer process. Under Code of Civil Procedure § 1161, nonpayment requires a 3-day notice to pay rent or quit (excluding weekends and…

California Civil Code § 1954 limits when a landlord may enter a rented home. Except in emergencies, abandonment, or with tenant consent, the landlord must give reasonable written…

California sets no fixed dollar or percentage cap on rent late fees, but a late fee in a residential lease is treated as liquidated damages. Under Civil Code § 1671, such a fee is…

To end a California month-to-month tenancy, a tenant gives 30 days' written notice. A landlord gives 30 days if the tenant has lived there under a year, or 60 days if a year or more…

As of July 1, 2024, California landlords may collect no more than one month's rent as a security deposit, regardless of whether the unit is furnished. The deposit, minus any lawful…

California adverse possession requires five years of continuous, open, hostile possession AND payment of all property taxes during that period under Code of Civil Procedure § 325. A…

San Buenaventura Municipal Code Section 8.350.030 bans smoking in outdoor public places across the city, including every public park, the Ventura Pier and Promenade, public beaches…

San Buenaventura Municipal Code Section 10.10.010 makes it a misdemeanor to drink alcohol on any city facility or public property and an infraction to simply carry an open container…

Under the City of San Buenaventura's disorderly conduct chapter, it is unlawful to loaf or loiter inside any restaurant, bar, or other food-and-drink establishment to beg, solicit, or…

City of San Buenaventura Municipal Code § 10.200.050 makes it unlawful to urinate or defecate in any public place, defined to include streets, sidewalks, parks, alleys and building…

The City of San Buenaventura bans soliciting, asking, or begging "in an aggressive manner" anywhere in public, and separately lists specific no-solicitation zones such as bus stops…

San Buenaventura Municipal Code §§ 10.650.210-260 lets Ventura Police bill a party host for 'special police services' after officers must return to the same address a second time…

In the City of Ventura, Municipal Code Section 16.350.040 makes it unlawful to ride a skateboard, roller skates, scooter, bicycle or similar wheeled device on any sidewalk or public…

In the City of Ventura's central traffic district and in any business district, pedestrians may cross a roadway only at a crosswalk; Municipal Code § 16.150.020 makes mid-block…

San Buenaventura Municipal Code Section 8.350.040(D) bars every tobacco retailer in the city from selling, delivering, or stocking with intent to sell any flavored tobacco product…

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…

San Buenaventura Municipal Code Section 8.750.120 shields commercial agricultural operations that comply with the city's zoning and comprehensive plan from being declared a nuisance…

Ventura's right-to-farm ordinance, Municipal Code Section 8.750.120, shields lawful commercial agriculture from nuisance lawsuits once it has run more than a year without complaint…

Running machinery, a pump, fan or air-conditioning unit loud enough to exceed the applicable noise level limit is unlawful anywhere in the City of Ventura under San Buenaventura…

In the City of Ventura, a delivery truck or other vehicle over 6,000 pounds GVWR cannot idle for more than five minutes an hour within 200 feet of a residential area between 10:00 p.m…

Outdoor generators near environmentally sensitive habitat must be sited as far as practicable from ESHA receptors or screened by a structure or solid wall under the county's…

Operating or maintaining a card room in the City of Ventura is a misdemeanor under San Buenaventura Municipal Code Section 10.750.130, except for the narrow categories the rest of…

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 Ventura, a resident may hold only one garage sale per calendar year, and it cannot run longer than two consecutive days, under San Buenaventura Municipal Code Section…

In the City of Ventura, an owner or anyone in charge of real property, including a vacant lot, commits a public nuisance under Municipal Code Section 8.10.130 by letting vegetation…

A City of Ventura property owner who lets a building fall into fire-hazard disrepair, weeds grow past 12 inches, junk pile up in view of the street, or an unfenced pool sit exposed is…

The City of Ventura bans dockless shared mobility devices outright. Chapter 8.20 makes it unlawful to display, offer, rent, park, leave standing or operate any shared e-scooter, e-bike…

In the City of Ventura, Municipal Code Section 16.340.030 bars motor vehicles from marked bicycle lanes, caps bicyclist speed at what is reasonable and prudent for conditions, and…

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…

The City of Ventura requires a permit before anyone films on public or private property under Municipal Code Section 8.120.140. The community services administrator issues permits…

The City of Ventura lets the film permit administrator waive any Chapter 8.120 fee for student filming under Municipal Code Section 8.120.180. The applicant must be an individual…

In the City of Ventura, Municipal Code Section 8.120.350 lets the administrator deny a film permit when filming would occur along a route or location next to a hospital or extended…

A Ventura County film shoot can't block a public or private road for more than three minutes under a standard ministerial permit: longer closures need neighbor waivers or a…

Anyone who peddles, hawks or solicits orders door-to-door in the City of Ventura without a fixed local business must first register with the police chief and pay the required license…

The City of Ventura bars charitable and nonprofit solicitors from contacting the public between 9:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m., under San Buenaventura Municipal Code Section 6.400.060(A). The…

The City of Ventura allows licensed cannabis businesses only in zoning districts that already permit the underlying use by right, under San Buenaventura Municipal Code Sections…

In the City of Ventura, a cannabis business cannot locate inside a 'sensitive use buffer zone' that the city council sets by resolution, under San Buenaventura Municipal Code Section…

Adults 21+ in unincorporated Ventura County may grow up to 6 cannabis plants per household under Proposition 64 (CA HSC 11362.2). Plants must be grown indoors or in a locked, fully…

In the City of Ventura, every small residential rooftop solar energy system needs a building permit before installation. Chapter 12.145 of the San Buenaventura Municipal Code defines a…

The City of Ventura must issue a building permit for a small residential rooftop solar energy system within three business days once the Building and Safety Division confirms it meets…

California's Solar Rights Act (Civil Code 714) protects homeowners in Ventura County from HOA restrictions that effectively prohibit solar panel installation. HOAs cannot increase…

Selling food or merchandise from a pushcart or stand on a City of Ventura sidewalk requires both a business tax certificate and a special business permit under Municipal Code Chapter…

Even with a permit, a City of Ventura sidewalk vendor cannot set up just anywhere: Municipal Code Section 6.1050.070 bans carts within set distances of fire hydrants, driveways…

Food trucks parking over 30 minutes in unincorporated Ventura County need a Zoning Clearance and can't stay past three hours a day.

Placing anything, a sign, planter, dining fence, or storage item, on a City of Ventura sidewalk without authorization is an unpermitted encroachment under Municipal Code Chapter…

In the City of Ventura, the owner, tenant or agent of property abutting a sidewalk must repair it once the city engineer serves written notice under Municipal Code Section 18.10.060…

In the City of Ventura, Municipal Code Section 18.100.060 makes it unlawful to encroach on a public right-of-way or city utility easement, or to excavate in one, without a permit…

San Buenaventura Municipal Code Section 22.170.010 bans wasting water through an uncorrected leak, break or plumbing malfunction, and presumes a customer has 48 hours to fix it…

Unincorporated Ventura County landscaping must use reclaimed water for irrigation whenever the resource is feasibly available, under the county's water-efficient landscaping ordinance.

Municipal Code Section 12.310.020(Y) requires every structure in Ventura to stay free of insect, rodent and vermin infestation. Owners must exterminate an infestation promptly with…

Sidewalk food vendors in unincorporated Ventura County must show a Manager's Food Safety Certificate or County Food Handlers Card before the County issues a vending permit.

San Buenaventura Municipal Code Chapter 10.150 bans camping and storing personal property in parks, beaches, streets, and parking lots citywide, and sets a formal removal protocol…

San Buenaventura Municipal Code § 10.200.030 bars sitting or lying on public sidewalks, curbs, bike-walk paths, and building entrances in downtown Ventura, the Ventura Avenue corridor…

San Buenaventura's nighttime curfew, Municipal Code §§ 10.300.220-.240, bars anyone under 18 from being in any public place or private business open to the public between 10:00 p.m…

City parks in Ventura close to the public at a time set by the director of parks and recreation and stay closed until sunrise the next day, under Municipal Code Section 20.50.040…

In the City of Ventura, anyone planning an activity in a city park that draws more than 100 people, charges admission, sells goods or food, or reserves park space exclusively must get…

In the City of Ventura, restaurants and businesses that want to build a long-term outdoor dining parklet in the public right-of-way must first get an encroachment permit from the…

In the City of Ventura, a block party on a public street needs an event permit; Municipal Code Section 18.250.230 requires the application to count occupied houses in the closure area…

In the City of Ventura, a restaurant cannot put tables in the public right-of-way without a director's permit under Municipal Code Section 24.477.040. The rule requires four feet of…

In the City of Ventura, a parade in the public right-of-way needs an event permit whose application, under Municipal Code Section 18.250.220, must state the parade's assembly time and…

Festivals, street fairs, animal shows and similar outdoor gatherings in unincorporated Ventura County are permit-exempt below set attendance caps (75-350 people depending on parcel…

Removing or trimming a tree in a site identified as habitat for protected wildlife, including U.S. Fish and Wildlife-designated critical habitat and mapped monarch butterfly…

In the City of Ventura, the parks manager controls what kind of trees can be planted along city streets and parkways and how far apart they go, under Municipal Code Section 20.150.120…

In Ventura County's coastal zone, a non-native tree with a single trunk 28 inches or more in diameter, or with two trunks that together measure 22 inches, is a heritage tree that…

In the City of Ventura's R-1 single-family zone, standard lots need a front setback of 20 percent of lot depth (capped at 25 feet), side setbacks of 10 percent of lot width (between 3…

In the City of Ventura's R-1 single-family zone, total building area on a standard lot cannot exceed 35 percent of the lot, while the Pierpont-Keys waterfront tract has its own sliding…

In the City of Ventura's R-1 single-family zone, no building or other structure may exceed 30 feet in height, regardless of the number of stories, under San Buenaventura Municipal Code…

The City of Ventura requires outdoor lighting fixtures to be designed and selected to avoid excessive spillage of illumination onto public rights-of-way and adjacent properties, using…

New development and lighting improvements citywide must avoid spilling light onto neighboring property under Municipal Code Section 24.423.010, and within Ventura's Residential and…

Ventura allows temporary political signs without design review, but they cannot go up more than six months before a national election or three months before any other election, and…

In the City of Ventura, a temporary window sign cannot cover more than 40 percent of the window it is placed on, whether alone or combined with other window signs, under Municipal Code…

A freeway service facility in Ventura can get a pole sign only after a use permit is approved under Chapter 24.520, and Municipal Code Section 24.420.190 caps that sign at 85 square…

The City of Ventura bans digital and electronic changeable-copy billboards under its zoning code. Section 24.420.270 lists "changeable copy signs," "flashing or blinking signs," and…

Temporary holiday and seasonal string lights are exempt from the county's Santa Monica Mountains outdoor-lighting rules, as long as the bulbs run under 2,700 Kelvin and light only…

Ventura's density bonus ordinance, Chapter 24.445, lets qualifying housing developments build more units than the base zoning allows in exchange for affordable housing. Section…

Ventura's City Council alone can designate a building, site or object as a historic landmark or point of interest under Municipal Code Chapter 24.455. Once designated, demolishing or…

The City of Ventura caps noise at the receiving property line by zone under Municipal Code Sec. 10.650.130: 70 dBA anytime on industrial land, but 50 dBA daytime and 45 dBA at night at…

The City of Ventura has no data-center ordinance and no data-center use type. Data centers locate in the M-1 limited industrial and M-2 general industrial zones, classified as Light or…

The county's oversized-vehicle work-truck exemption only helps a resident if the vehicle isn't already blocked by that resident's own HOA or property restrictions.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In the county's Habitat Connectivity and Wildlife Corridors overlay zone, intentionally planting invasive plant species is prohibited unless the plants are a commercial agricultural…

Ventura County's Coastal Zoning Ordinance bars new plantings of invasive trees, including tree-of-heaven, anywhere in the unincorporated coastal zone, per Appendix T1's tree list and…

Ventura County Ordinance Code § 6307-9 makes it illegal to operate any model aircraft or drone in any County Park, with an exception only for County Parks operated by a lessee. The…

California sets a statewide minimum wage floor under Labor Code 1182.12, $16.90 per hour for all employers as of January 2026. Local governments are not preempted and may set higher…

California's Healthy Workplaces, Healthy Families Act under Labor Code 245-249 mandates paid sick leave for nearly all employees statewide. SB 616 (2023) raised the minimum to 40 hours…

California regulates concealed carry weapons licenses statewide under Penal Code 26150 through 26225. Senate Bill 2 (2023) imposes uniform sensitive-place restrictions and applicant…

California preempts most local firearm regulation under Government Code 53071 and Penal Code 25605, reserving licensing, registration, and manufacture authority to the state. However…

California broadly prohibits open carry of firearms statewide under Penal Code 25850 (loaded firearms in public) and Penal Code 26350 (open carry of unloaded handguns). The prohibition…

California prohibits carrying loaded firearms in vehicles statewide under Penal Code 25400 and 25850. Unloaded handguns transported in private vehicles must be in a locked container or…

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

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

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

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

California prohibits grocery stores and large retailers from providing single-use plastic carryout bags under Public Resources Code 42280-42288, enacted by SB 270 (2014) and ratified…

California restricts expanded polystyrene food containers statewide through SB 54 (2022) packaging requirements under Public Resources Code 42040-42081. The law mandates that…

California Public Resources Code 42270-42273, enacted by AB 1884 (2018), prohibits full-service restaurants from providing single-use plastic straws unless requested by the customer…

California 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…