47 local rules on file · Pop. 425 · Yolo County
Showing ordinances that apply to Yolo, CA
Yolo is an unincorporated community with a population of approximately 425 in Yolo County, California. Because Yolo is not an incorporated city, it does not have its own municipal government or city code. Instead, Yolo County ordinances apply directly to residential and commercial properties here. The rules below are the county-level regulations that govern your area. Nearby incorporated cities in Yolo County may have different rules.
Yolo County Code section 6-1.403 (Title 6, Animal Control) makes it unlawful for an owner to permit any animal except a domestic cat to 'habitually make a loud noise' or otherwise constitute a public nuisance. Enforcement is by Yolo County Animal Services through a written-log…
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 day / 65 dBA Leq night), and individual building permits, use permits, and oil-and-gas drilling…
Yolo County does not set a single residential quiet-hours window in its County Code. Instead, the Zoning Code (Title 8) enforces decibel-based noise limits at the property line, with a stricter nighttime cap from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., and California Penal Code section 415 applies to…
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 Title 21 section 5012, which sets a 65 dB CNEL standard for areas of incompatible land use, and…
Amplified music in unincorporated Yolo County is controlled mainly through the Zoning Code's general 80/65 dBA property-line limits and through Site Plan Review or Use Permit conditions on small and large special-event facilities, which require a higher-level permit when the…
Property owners in the State Responsibility Area (SRA) of Yolo County (largely the western foothills around Capay Valley, Esparto, Rumsey, Brooks, Guinda, and the hills above Winters) must maintain 100 feet of defensible space around any structure under California Public…
Yolo County Code Title 4 Chapter 2 (Sections 4-2.101 et seq., originally added by Ord. 1261 effective May 17, 2001 and amended by the Board of Supervisors in June 2025) prohibits the sale, possession, use, or discharge of all 'dangerous' fireworks throughout the unincorporated…
Open burning in unincorporated Yolo County requires three separate authorizations: (1) a permissive burn day declared by the Yolo-Solano Air Quality Management District (YSAQMD), (2) a valid burn permit issued by the local fire protection district (and, for SRA areas, by Cal…
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 307.4.2, a recreational fire (fuel pile no larger than 3 feet in diameter and 2 feet high) must…
A backyard wood fire in unincorporated Yolo County must comply with the California Fire Code Section 307.4.2 recreational-fire rules adopted by Yolo County Code Section 7-1.02, with YSAQMD's burn-day and prohibited-material rules if any vegetative debris is included, and with…
Yolo County enforces abandoned-vehicle rules through California Vehicle Code Sections 22523 (prohibition on abandoning), 22651 (impound authority), and 22658 (removal from private property), administered by the Yolo County Sheriff's Office and the county's Abandoned Vehicle…
Vehicles parked on any highway or county road in unincorporated Yolo County for more than 72 consecutive hours may be removed under California Vehicle Code section 22651(k), enforced by the Yolo County Sheriff's Office.
Yolo County Code section 8-2.1314 prohibits parking recreational vehicles (RVs, trailers, boats, ATVs) in any required front, side, or rear yard adjacent to a public street on residential properties in unincorporated areas, and bars using an RV as a dwelling without County…
Yolo County Code section 8-2.1314 bars commercial vehicles from parking in any residential zone in unincorporated Yolo County except for the immediate loading or unloading of goods or people.
Yolo County has no county-wide ordinance prohibiting overnight on-street parking in unincorporated areas. The CVC section 22651(k) 72-hour limit, the Title 5 abandoned-vehicle ordinance, and the section 8-2.1314 ban on using RVs as dwellings are the operative restrictions.
Driveway approaches onto county roads in unincorporated Yolo County require an encroachment permit from County Public Works and must meet sight-distance and drainage standards.
Yolo County Code Sec. 6-1.401.1 requires that any dog off its owner's private property be restrained by a leash no longer than 8 feet. Limited exceptions cover law-enforcement dogs, licensed hunting dogs, organized training/obedience activities, and dogs actively herding on…
Yolo County is in the heart of California's almond, sunflower, and seed-crop belt and is a major beekeeping county. State law (California Food & Agricultural Code Sec. 29040) requires every beekeeper to register every apiary annually with the County Agricultural Commissioner via…
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 itself must comply with Title 8 zoning. State Health and Safety Code requirements for rabies…
Yolo County Zoning Code § 8-2.506 lets all residential zones keep up to four small domestic animals (dogs, cats, rabbits, certain parrots) without a kennel permit; larger numbers and chickens/poultry are tied to parcel size, and large livestock (cattle, sheep, goats, horses…
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 'vicious animal' designations and (under HSC § 122331) breed-specific spay/neuter programs.
California restricts exotic pets through the Fish & Game Code and CDFW regulations — ferrets and hedgehogs are illegal statewide, and many wild/exotic species are prohibited. These restrictions apply in unincorporated Yolo County.
Unincorporated Yolo County does not maintain a comprehensive 'heritage tree' permit ordinance comparable to that of the cities, but native oak removal and agricultural tree work are addressed through the General Plan's oak woodland conservation policies and through specific…
Unincorporated Yolo County is subject to a tiered drought-response ordinance at Title 6, Chapter 8 of the Yolo County Code. Under the permanent Level 1 restrictions, potable water cannot be applied to landscapes in a manner causing more than incidental runoff, and landscape…
Yolo County Code Sec. 8-2.1005 requires that trees located within 20 feet of intersected street lines have their main trunks trimmed free of branches to a height of 7.5 feet above the curb grade, preserving sight lines for vehicles. The County does not impose a general…
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 parcels in or adjoining wildland fuel, California Public Resources Code Sec. 4291 requires 100…
Yolo County does not adopt a numeric weed-height ordinance for residential parcels. Noxious-weed control on agricultural and conservation lands is coordinated through the Yolo County Weed Management Area (a voluntary cooperative program run with the Yolo RCD), with herbicide…
ADUs are a ministerial, permitted use on residentially zoned lots, with a 1,200 sq ft cap on detached units and 4-foot side/rear setbacks for new construction; state ADU Law preempts most local standards.
Sheds and storage buildings 120 sq ft or smaller without water, sewer, or electrical service need no building permit and may sit in side and rear yard setback areas; larger sheds need a permit and at least a 3-foot side/rear setback.
Yolo County allows garage conversion to an ADU or JADU as a ministerial, permitted use; no replacement parking is required, no setback is imposed on the converted footprint, and a JADU may share sanitation with the main house.
Rural home occupations may display one non-illuminated wall-mounted or freestanding sign of no more than six square feet in area and four feet in height (Yolo Zoning Code Sec. 8-2.306(ab)(7)). Residential home occupations are limited to a single non-illuminated wall-mounted sign…
Yolo County Zoning Code Sec. 8-2.306(ab) governs rural home occupations in agricultural zones (max two non-family employees, may use a detached shop, no external evidence of the business). Sec. 8-2.506 governs residential home occupations and limits the activity to the family…
Operating a home-based business in unincorporated Yolo County requires a Yolo County business license under Title 12 of the County Code, administered by the Planning Division, plus compliance with the Title 8 Zoning Code home-occupation performance standards (Sec. 8-2.506 in…
Home occupations in unincorporated Yolo County must not generate traffic, parking demand or deliveries beyond what is normal for a residence; significant customer visits can disqualify the use.
Unincorporated Yolo County has no general short-term rental permit. Title 8 only authorizes transient lodging as bed and breakfast inns (Sec. 8-2.306(l)) and farm stays (Sec. 8-2.306(m)) in agricultural and limited rural-residential zones via Site Plan Review or Minor/Major Use…
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 the 'small' by-right tier). There are no occupancy caps for stand-alone vacation rentals…
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 10 p.m.' and a Major Use Permit for large projects with the same nighttime noise.
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),' which mandates permanent on-site gravel or paved spaces for all guest, sales, and food-service…
Short-term rentals in unincorporated Yolo County are subject to the county Transient Occupancy Tax on stays under 30 days. Operators must register and remit TOT to the county.
Shared boundary fences in California are governed by the Good Neighbor Fence Act (CA Civil Code §841), presuming adjoining owners share the cost equally after 30 days' notice — particularly relevant for rural and agricultural parcels.
County zoning permits standard fence materials and, given Yolo County's extensive agricultural land, allows agricultural and livestock fencing (including barbed wire) where land use supports it.
Fences in unincorporated Yolo County are reviewed for zoning setback and sight-distance compliance; a building permit is generally required for fences over 6 feet or masonry/retaining walls, and pool barriers must meet the California Building Code.
Fence heights in unincorporated Yolo County are set by county zoning — generally up to 6 feet in side/rear yards and 3–4 feet in front yards in residential districts, with agricultural fencing allowances on the county's extensive farmland.
Pool construction in unincorporated Yolo County must meet the California Building Code and Swimming Pool Safety Act — a 60-inch barrier, anti-entrapment drain covers, and electrical bonding. A county building permit and inspections are required.
Pools in unincorporated Yolo County must be enclosed under the California Building Code and Swimming Pool Safety Act: a barrier at least 60 inches (5 feet) high with self-closing, self-latching gates, plus at least one additional drowning-prevention feature.
Above-ground pools holding more than 18 inches of water in unincorporated Yolo County require a county building permit and the same barrier protection as in-ground pools; ladders must be removable or secured when unattended.
These unincorporated areas are also governed by Yolo County ordinances.