West Sacramento, CA

West Sacramento bans parking micromobility devices, shared e-scooters and e-bikes, in spots that block sidewalks or street traffic, and operators need a city permit under Chapter 5.30…

West Sacramento's parking manager may designate on-street spaces exclusively for electric-vehicle charging, and only a vehicle actively connected to charge may occupy one, under WSMC §…

West Sacramento requires on-street vehicles to park parallel to the curb, headed with traffic, and within 18 inches of the curbline: no angle or wrong-way parking except where signed.

West Sacramento lets the city council create preferential parking districts by resolution to shield residential streets from commuter congestion, exempting permitted resident vehicles…

West Sacramento bars parking commercial trucks over 10,000 pounds GVWR, and any trailer or semi-trailer, on residential streets, alleys or public places unless making deliveries or…

West Sacramento prohibits leaving any vehicle on a public street, alley, or city parking lot for more than 72 consecutive hours, treating the vehicle as an abandoned nuisance subject…

West Sacramento caps recreational-vehicle and boat-trailer parking on residential lots at 350 square feet of paved surface, with a five-foot setback on older lots and a full…

Only the West Sacramento city manager or a designee may paint or mark curbs in the city: private curb painting that imitates official parking markings is unlawful under WSMC §…

West Sacramento requires every driveway, parking space, and maneuvering aisle to be surfaced in concrete, asphalt, masonry, turfstones, or another comparable durable, dustless…

West Sacramento bans abandoning vehicles on public or private land and caps street parking at 72 hours before abatement.

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…

West Sacramento limits backyard hives to two per parcel outside its AG and RE zones, requires five-foot setbacks from property lines, and mandates a year-round water source to keep…

West Sacramento requires at least one acre of land to keep large livestock such as horses, cattle, sheep, or pigs, with per-species density caps and a fenced, screened enclosure set…

West Sacramento exempts domestic cats from its at-large and trespass laws, but owners remain liable if their cat damages property or injures a person or animal.

West Sacramento requires dogs in residential, commercial, or industrial areas to be leashed with a lead no longer than eight feet unless a specific exemption applies.

West Sacramento outright bans keeping any wild animal that requires a California Fish and Wildlife permit as a pet, along with roosters, peacocks, and geese, regardless of lot size or…

The City of West Sacramento, Yolo County zones veterinary clinics as a permitted use only in specific commercial zones (CBD, C, MU-NC, MU-C) and two employment zones (M-L, M-1), never…

West Sacramento bans hunting, harming or capturing any wild or domestic bird, or taking its eggs or nest, in a city park, per Municipal Code § 12.12.030(M), with no permit exception…

Yolo County Title 6 does not set a numeric household limit on dogs or cats, but anyone operating a kennel must obtain an annual kennel license under § 6-1.701, and the kennel use…

Yolo County does not ban or restrict any specific dog breed. California Food & Agricultural Code § 31683 preempts local breed-specific dog regulations, allowing only individualized…

Yolo County classifies pet grooming as a "Service Use" under Sec. 8-2.603(c), and Table 8-2.604 allows it by right, subject only to zoning clearance, in the Local Commercial, General…

California law makes it illegal to knowingly feed big game mammals, deer, elk, pronghorn antelope, black bear, and Nelson bighorn sheep, anywhere in the state. The California…

Sheds and other detached accessory structures in West Sacramento must sit at least 10 feet from the rear lot line and 5 feet from an interior side line, with a narrower exception for…

West Sacramento waives the standard four-foot side and rear yard setback for an existing, legally permitted garage that is converted into an accessory dwelling unit, so the converted…

West Sacramento allows Tiny Homes on Wheels as a primary residence or an accessory dwelling unit in any zone, capped at 399 square feet, with mandatory administrative approval and…

West Sacramento must allow an 850-square-foot accessory dwelling unit with 4-foot side and rear setbacks even where other zoning standards can't be met, per WSMC Section 17.30.040…

West Sacramento requires anyone permitted to remove a heritage, landmark or street tree to replace it inch-for-inch, or pay an in-lieu fee if on-site replacement isn't feasible.

Trimming or pruning a branch five inches or larger from a West Sacramento street tree requires a tree permit from the city's tree administrator before work begins.

City water can only irrigate landscapes three days a week on an odd/even address schedule, and never between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m., under West Sacramento's water conservation code.

West Sacramento's Urban Agriculture standards cap home composting to material generated on the property and set siting rules for garden compost piles, including a 20-foot setback from…

The city's landscape ordinance lists protecting native species and choosing local native plants among the approved ways to meet mandatory water-efficiency standards for new and…

Unincorporated Yolo County does not impose a specific lawn or grass height limit in the County Code. Overgrown vegetation can still be abated as a public nuisance under Title 6, and on…

Yolo County's Water Efficient Landscaping Ordinance requires covered landscape projects to keep irrigation and rainfall on-site, and recommends, but does not mandate, rain gardens…

Since SB 676 took effect in 2024, Government Code 53087.7 protects only drought-tolerant living landscaping from local bans, so cities may again prohibit artificial turf. Civil Code…

West Sacramento caps residential fences at 3 feet in a required front setback (4 feet if the top foot is at least half open) and at 7 feet in interior side and rear setbacks, with a…

In West Sacramento, retaining wall excavation is exempt from the grading permit only when the wall itself is authorized by a valid building permit under the city's grading code.

West Sacramento does not set a standalone permit for ordinary fences, but an electric fence needs two separate city permits: a building-division installation permit and a fire…

West Sacramento bans barbed wire, razor wire, and electrified fencing citywide except in specific zones and uses, bars visible chain-link in non-residential zones, and requires plain…

California Civil Code Section 841, the Good Neighbor Fence Act, presumes adjoining landowners share equal benefit and equal cost responsibility for boundary fences, applying statewide…

West Sacramento treats any hot tub, spa, or body of water deeper than 18 inches like a swimming pool, requiring a five-foot setback from side, rear, and street-side lines and clearance…

Yolo County has no separate swimming-pool permit process: a residential pool falls under the 2019 California Residential Code, which the county adopted by reference including Appendix…

West Sacramento allows a home occupation by right in any residential unit and zone, but confines it to the dwelling or an attached garage and caps it at 25% of the floor area.

West Sacramento treats licensed small and large family day care homes as permitted residential uses in every residential zone, from RE through R-3, with no conditional use permit…

West Sacramento bars any exterior sign or visible indication of a home occupation: the unit must keep its ordinary residential appearance under WSMC § 17.30.120(B)(1).

West Sacramento bans customer and client visits to a home occupation, with one narrow exception for personal instruction limited to two students at a time.

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…

Short-term rental hosts in the City of West Sacramento, Yolo County must collect and remit a 12% transient occupancy tax on stays of 30 consecutive days or less, under Chapter 3.28.

The City of West Sacramento, Yolo County lists short-term rentals as a permitted use in all six residential zones and most commercial zones, with no separate use permit, registration…

Yolo County Code Sec. 8-2.306(m) caps farm stays at six guest rooms or 15 guests, and Sec. 8-2.306(l) and Sec. 8-1.201 cap bed and breakfast inns at ten guest rooms total (six rooms…

For bed and breakfast and farm stay special events, Yolo County Code Sec. 8-2.306(k)(4)-(5) requires a Minor Use Permit if a small project involves 'noise generating activities after…

Yolo County Code Sec. 8-2.306(l)(2)(iii) and (m)(2)(iii) require bed and breakfasts and farm stays to provide adequate on-site parking 'as set forth in Sec. 8-2.306(k)(5) and (6),'…

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…

West Sacramento prohibits kindling or maintaining any open campfire or bonfire citywide, with no size exception carved out for a residential fire pit, under its camping-control…

West Sacramento's amended Fire Code caps any single liquefied petroleum gas installation at 500 gallons water capacity across most residential, commercial and public zones citywide…

Chapter 8.12 allows only state-classified 'Safe and Sane' fireworks within the city; all other 'dangerous' fireworks (mortars, bottle rockets, M-80s, sky rockets) are prohibited…

West Sacramento adopts the state Residential and Building Codes by ordinance, so the mandatory smoke alarm rules for homes come from Title 24, not a separate city rule.

Yolo County Code Section 7-1.02 adopts the California Fire Code by reference, including Section 307 governing open burning and recreational fires. Under California Fire Code Section…

Any special event facility, small or large, sited in a Fire Hazard Severity Zone in unincorporated Yolo County must submit a public safety and fire evacuation plan with its permit…

California requires property owners in fire hazard zones to maintain 100 feet of defensible space around structures, applying uniformly across State and Local Responsibility Areas.

West Sacramento bars owners from letting any animal, except a cat, habitually make loud noise or otherwise act as a public nuisance, under WSMC § 6.16.050.

West Sacramento requires an Amplified Sound Permit to use loudspeakers or music in any city park or building, capping sunrise-to-sunset volume at 84 dBA measured 35 feet away and 55…

West Sacramento requires an acoustic study for any project whose noise could exceed the City's General Plan noise tables, and mandates a 45 dBA interior standard for new schools…

West Sacramento Municipal Code Title 19 (Nuisance Abatement Code) §19.05 declares it a public nuisance to make or continue any loud, unnecessary or unusual noise that disturbs the…

Yolo County does not impose a single countywide construction-hour curfew. Routine residential and farm construction is governed by the Title 8 property-line decibel limits (80 dBA Leq…

Aircraft noise around Yolo County Airport (KDWA, Davis-Woodland-Winters), University Airport (KEDU), and the Watts-Woodland strip is regulated under California Code of Regulations…

West Sacramento requires an encroachment permit from the city engineer before any construction or object placement within the public street right-of-way, backed by a 100% cost security…

In Yolo County's Downtown Mixed Use zone, awnings, balconies, and other building features can project into the sidewalk right-of-way only with an encroachment permit and only if five…

West Sacramento requires every property owner to sign up for the city's exclusive solid waste collection service, with garbage picked up at least once a week.

West Sacramento expressly bans scavenging from waste containers and prohibits burying or burning any solid, hazardous or medical waste anywhere in the city.

West Sacramento's contracted hauler must collect garbage, recyclables and organic waste at least once a week from carts on automated routes, while self-haul and other service types…

West Sacramento requires commercial bins, drop boxes and debris boxes to stay leakproof, bagged and covered at all times except while loading or unloading.

West Sacramento exempts bundled yard trimmings and cardboard from the leak-proof container rule that applies to garbage, recyclables and organic waste, and lets residents set out…

West Sacramento bars residents from setting garbage, recycling, and organic-waste carts at the curb before noon the day before pickup, requires them out by 6 a.m. on collection day…

West Sacramento requires recyclables and organic waste to be source-separated from garbage before collection, with organic-waste generators also subject to state SB 1383 rules.

West Sacramento requires households and businesses to subscribe to three-container collection and keep food scraps and yard waste out of the garbage can, the city's local…

West Sacramento's solid waste ordinance defines bulky waste and puts the responsibility for hauling large discarded items off the property squarely on the property owner.

Yolo County Code Section 6-17.201(hh) defines Recyclable Materials that must go in the recycling cart, listing paper, cardboard, glass, aluminum, steel cans, and plastics numbered 1…

West Sacramento uses a nondiscretionary, expedited permit review for small residential rooftop solar systems up to 10kW AC, under the state Solar Rights Act.

Small accessory solar systems up to 10 kW AC (or 30 kW thermal) in unincorporated Yolo County need only a Building Permit and Zoning Clearance under Sec. 8-2.1104, no discretionary…

California Civil Code section 714 makes any HOA covenant, deed restriction, or governing document provision that effectively prohibits or restricts a solar energy system void and…

West Sacramento bars soliciting in an aggressive manner anywhere in public, plus panhandling within 15 feet of banks or ATMs and approaching drivers stopped in traffic.

West Sacramento bans drinking or carrying an open container of alcohol on any public park, street, alley, highway, or other public property, and on privately owned parking lots open to…

West Sacramento bans smoking, including vaping, in every enclosed and open-air area of city-owned property, parks, playgrounds, pools, City Hall and the sidewalks around them, unless…

Yolo County bans loitering, standing, or sitting on public highways, sidewalks, or crosswalks in a way that blocks passage, and at the entrances of churches, halls, theaters, or other…

Riding a skateboard, roller skates, or rollerblades on any property where a County-owned, occupied, or maintained building sits is unlawful under Yolo County Code of Ordinances Section…

West Sacramento bars anyone from removing, damaging or heavily pruning a designated heritage or landmark tree, private or public, without a discretionary permit from the tree…

West Sacramento gives native oak trees a lower protection threshold than other species: a 50-inch trunk circumference qualifies as a protected heritage tree, versus 75 inches for any…

Planting a tree in West Sacramento's public right-of-way or tree maintenance strip requires a tree permit, and only species listed in the city's Landscape Development Guidelines are…

West Sacramento's Building Code is the exclusive source of regulation for any construction, alteration, or demolition work that requires a permit citywide.

West Sacramento adopts the 2025 California Plumbing Code by reference as the standard governing all plumbing permit work citywide.

New one- and two-family homes need sprinklers under the state-adopted code, and West Sacramento separately requires existing residential sprinkler systems be inspected before resale.

West Sacramento adopts the 2025 California Electrical Code by reference as the standard governing all electrical permit work citywide.

A stand-alone child care center for more than fourteen children isn't a by-right use anywhere in unincorporated Yolo County. Sec. 8-2.506(h) requires a Site Plan Review in the RR-5…

Unincorporated Yolo County construction is governed by the 2019 California Green Building Code, adopted word-for-word under Sec. 7-1.13 with zero local amendments. Every…

Yolo County charges a re-inspection fee any time a building inspector shows up and the work isn't ready or corrections from a prior visit are still outstanding. The Chief Building…

New and rehabilitated landscape irrigation systems in West Sacramento must be built to allow current or future recycled-water use, and public projects can be required to install purple…

West Sacramento treats a water fixture or irrigation leak left unfixed more than 72 hours after discovery as prohibited "water waste" under city code.

Once the Board of Supervisors declares a Level 3 Drought Response, Yolo County Code Sec. 6-8.1104(b) bars installing any new turf or hydroseed and limits new or expanded landscaping to…

Any parade, procession or public assembly in West Sacramento needs a special event permit from the special events administrator before it happens, with narrow exemptions for funerals…

West Sacramento requires a facility use permit to reserve a city park or building for exclusive group use, per Municipal Code § 12.12.040; assemblies over 50 people in a park need one…

West Sacramento requires a special event permit before any block party, a temporary closure of a public or private right-of-way, can proceed, per City of West Sacramento Municipal Code…

West Sacramento allows outdoor dining as an accessory use to a restaurant under § 17.30.160: private-property seating needs no separate permit, but tables in the public right-of-way…

Food trucks and vendors at a West Sacramento street fair or festival need special-event permit approval, and organizers must document each food, non-alcoholic and alcoholic vendor's…

West Sacramento requires traveling merchants, hawkers, peddlers and itinerant vendors to hold a city business license, screened by police background check before issuance.

West Sacramento requires mobile home park owners to file a rent increase notice with the city manager at least 90 days before any site rent increase takes effect.

West Sacramento bars any owner of residential rental property from letting a tenant move in until the city's housing stock conservation fee is paid, funding the housing code…

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

California landlords must keep rentals fit to live in. Civil Code §§ 1941 and 1941.1, reinforced by Green v. Superior Court, imply a warranty of habitability covering plumbing, heat…

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…

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…

West Sacramento confines mobile food vending to non-residential zones under § 17.30.140: no vendor may set up in a residential zone, and none may claim a permanent spot on any lot…

West Sacramento's zoning code bars push carts, kiosks, and standalone trailers from food vending, § 17.30.140 allows only a motor vehicle or a properly permitted trailer, leaving…

West Sacramento lets food trucks operate by right in non-residential zones under § 17.30.140: one vendor per lot per day, four hours per visit, and a 90-day annual cap per lot, with no…

West Sacramento processes density bonus applications for affordable and senior housing under Chapter 17.23, but the actual bonus percentage, incentives, and concessions are set…

Projects in West Sacramento's Central Business District zone must pass Design Review against the City Council's adopted design guidelines, which is the sole approval criterion, before…

West Sacramento bars permitted tobacco retailers from selling any flavored tobacco product, with a rebuttable presumption of 'flavored' triggered by the manufacturer's own marketing or…

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…

Front-yard setbacks in West Sacramento's residential zones range from 30 feet in the Rural Estates zone down to as little as 10 feet south of the Deep Water Ship Channel in R-2, R-2.5…

West Sacramento limits how much of a residential lot a building may cover, from 25% in the low-density RE and RRA zones up to 70% in the R-3 multifamily zone.

West Sacramento caps residential building height at 30 feet in the RE, RRA and R-1 zones, rising to 45 feet in R-2, 55 feet in R-2.5, and 65 feet in R-3.

Landscape design plans for projects in fire-prone parts of West Sacramento must address fire safety, including the defensible space that state law requires around buildings.

Berthing a vessel at West Sacramento's Etenesh Zeleke Public Boat Dock in River Walk Park requires a city berthing permit, capped at 15 consecutive nights, per Municipal Code §…

West Sacramento requires a grading permit from the city manager before any excavation or fill work, with engineered grading required above 5,000 cubic yards.

WSMC §13.10 (Urban Stormwater Quality Management and Discharge Control) prohibits the commencement, conduct, or continuance of any illicit discharge to the storm drain system, except…

WSMC Title 18 (Floodplain Management Regulations) applies to all areas of special flood hazard identified by FEMA. Residential construction must be elevated at least one foot above the…

In special flood hazard areas, Yolo County's flood damage prevention ordinance requires new and substantially improved residential structures in AE, AH, and A1-30 zones to elevate the…

Yolo County caps engine idling at ten minutes for vehicles and equipment working in-channel under the Cache Creek Area Plan In-Channel Ordinance. The limit targets sand and gravel…

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…

West Sacramento requires outdoor light fixtures on new development to meet IESNA 'cut off' or 'full cut off' shielding standards, with height capped at 16 to 25 feet, under Municipal…

West Sacramento bans advertising searchlights, mercury vapor lamps, and flashing, blinking, or laser outdoor lighting citywide under Municipal Code § 17.22.080(B), with narrow…

The City of West Sacramento, Yolo County bans operating any drone, model aircraft, or civil UAS within 1,000 feet of Sutter Health Park's property line under its stadium and arena…

Yolo County lets hobbyists fly drones under 55 pounds in county parks as long as they follow 49 U.S.C. 44809, California Civil Code Section 1708.8, and FAA rules. Sec. 9-3.220 defines…

Yolo County bans commercial drone use in its parks outright unless the Director gives written authorization or issues a permit. Sec. 9-3.220 draws a hard line between recreational…

Yolo County allows recreational drone flying in its parks by default under Sec. 9-3.220, but a park can be closed to drones by a posted order at the entrance or nearby access point…

West Sacramento bars any cannabis business from locating within 250 feet of a sensitive land use such as a school, day care or youth center.

West Sacramento has not opted out of commercial cannabis. Storefront retail is confined to designated Storefront Retail Cannabis Overlay Zones, with businesses on West Capitol Avenue…

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…

Hotels and motels in the City of West Sacramento, Yolo County must collect a 12% transient occupancy tax from guests and register annually with the city's tax administrator under…

West Sacramento requires a nontransferable city permit to operate a massage establishment, plus separate technician permits, under the Massage Parlor Permit Law.

Adult entertainment businesses in the City of West Sacramento must locate at least 600 feet from any residential zone, school, park, or place of worship, and their hours of operation…

The City of West Sacramento, Yolo County zones tattoo and body-modification parlors as a permitted personal-service use in CBD, C, MU-NC, MU-C, and Waterfront zones, but not…

The City of West Sacramento, Yolo County classifies secondhand stores as buying, selling, or auctioning used personal property, bars them from accepting donated goods, and permits them…

West Sacramento requires every tobacco retailer to hold a city permit tied to one single, fixed location before selling any tobacco products or paraphernalia.

West Sacramento requires shared e-scooter and e-bike operators to hold a city micromobility permit and bans riding devices on sidewalks.

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…

West Sacramento bars minors under 18 from remaining in any public place or business in the city between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m., with listed exceptions for work, errands, and supervised…

West Sacramento closes its city parks and buildings to loitering between one hour after sundown and 6 a.m., per Municipal Code § 12.12.030(U), unless a permit expressly allows…

West Sacramento makes it a misdemeanor to camp on public property citywide and tightly restricts camping on private land, while committing to housing and social-service referrals…

West Sacramento's AG Zone preserves farmland by permitting one dwelling per 5-acre-minimum parcel, capping height at 35 feet, and requiring a 90-foot front setback from the public…

West Sacramento shields properly operated agricultural operations on agricultural land from nuisance lawsuits over noise, odor or dust, provided the farming predates the neighboring…

West Sacramento caps window signs -- anything painted on or adhered to glass -- at 25% of the window area, and bars them above the second story of a building.

Freeway information signs in West Sacramento need a Conditional Use Permit, are capped at 600 square feet and 65 feet tall, and must sit within 1,000 feet of the off-ramp they identify.

West Sacramento allows digital and automatic changeable-copy signs only with a Minor Use Permit, and requires static displays that change no more than once every eight seconds with…

Election signs in West Sacramento max out at 10 square feet per street frontage and six feet tall in Agricultural and Residential Zones, or 50 square feet in other zones, and must come…

West Sacramento exempts holiday and religious-celebration lighting displays from its outdoor lighting standards entirely under § 17.22.080(A)(1)(e); the code sets no duration or date…

West Sacramento funds a self-supporting rental housing code enforcement program through a fee on rental property owners.

Tenants and neighbors can trigger a City of West Sacramento inspection of a rental unit for suspected Nuisance Abatement Code or State Housing Law violations; the city manager can…

Residents flag suspected nuisance code violations to West Sacramento's city manager as a 'service request,' and the code protects the reporter's identity from disclosure to the…

West Sacramento's landscaping ordinance prohibits invasive plant species in city rights-of-way and easements, and strongly discourages them everywhere else in new or rehabilitated…

West Sacramento requires every hotel and motel in the city to keep its premises free of garbage, rubbish, rodents, and vermin under WSMC § 8.03.090(L).

When the Building Official finds a building substandard under Yolo County's amended Uniform Housing Code, the owner receives a formal notice and order demanding repair, vacation, or…

Yolo County amended the International Property Maintenance Code's weed standard to insert an 18-inch height limit, and its nuisance definition specifically calls out attractive hazards…

Yolo County splits its cannabis business tax into two rate classes for unincorporated-area operators: cultivation and all other cannabis businesses. Both run 1% to 15% of gross…

Yolo County bans commercial filming or photography in county parks unless the Director gives written permission first. Sec. 9-3.213 groups filming with other commercial activities, all…

A permanent second or outdoor kitchen, defined in Yolo County's zoning code as any outdoor space wired or plumbed for a stove, range, oven, sink, or dishwasher, needs a Site Plan…

Yolo County designates historic landmarks and historic districts under Sec. 8-11.102 using six alternative criteria covering cultural, architectural, geological and historical…

Yolo County allows card rooms in the unincorporated area only under a Sheriff-Coroner license approved by the Board of Supervisors, capped at one license per 20,000 residents and…

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…

Yolo County has no dedicated data center ordinance, but its zoning code lists 'data storage and computer operations' as a use. In the unincorporated county, it needs Site Plan Review…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

California overrides HOA governing documents on several owner protections. The Davis-Stirling Act and related Civil Code sections bar HOAs from prohibiting solar systems, U.S. flag…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

California works from a closed list: Vehicle Code section 24003 says no vehicle may carry any lamp or illuminating device not required or permitted by the code, so an accessory light…

California measures dash cam placement in square inches. Vehicle Code section 26708(b)(13) lets a video event recorder occupy a seven-inch square in the lower corner of the windshield…

Lane splitting is lawful in California. Vehicle Code section 21658.1, added by AB 51 in 2016, defines it as driving a motorcycle with two wheels in contact with the ground between rows…

California does not let you put a cover over your license plate. Vehicle Code section 5201(c) allows exactly two things: a full car cover on a lawfully parked vehicle, and a license…

No section of the California Vehicle Code makes it an offense for a private motorist to own, carry or use a radar detector. The prohibition in Vehicle Code section 28150 reaches only…

California permits metal studded tires only between November 1 and April 30, and only where the studs are tungsten carbide or another suitable material and the metal touching the road…

California never publishes a "legal VLT" for front side windows because it does not permit aftermarket darkening there at all. Vehicle Code section 26708(d) allows only clear…