The Santa Cruz Municipal Code is the city’s full body of local law, organized into numbered Titles that cover business licensing, noise, animals, parks, parking, building, zoning, short-term rentals, water use, and more. The City Council updates it as new ordinances pass, and the version most residents will use is the one hosted online by Code Publishing, current through Ordinance 2026-08 (March 2026).1Code Publishing. Santa Cruz Municipal Code The city clerk’s office holds the official version if you need to confirm a very recent amendment.
Business Licenses
Anyone operating a business inside city limits needs a license before opening. Chapter 5.04 governs these licenses, which raise revenue rather than regulate the type of business.2Code Publishing. Santa Cruz Municipal Code Chapter 5.04 – Business Licenses and Fees The term runs one year, July 1 through June 30, with fees due in advance. Start in the second half of the fiscal year and you pay half the annual fee.
Late penalties stack quickly. Operating without applying adds a 10 percent penalty, rising to 20 percent after 30 days. Renewals follow the same pattern: 10 percent after 30 days late, 20 percent after 60.2Code Publishing. Santa Cruz Municipal Code Chapter 5.04 – Business Licenses and Fees
Noise and Conduct in Public
Chapter 9.36 prohibits offensive noise between 10:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. if made within 100 feet of a building used for sleeping or audible to anyone within hearing distance.3Code Publishing. Santa Cruz Municipal Code Chapter 9.36 – Noise There are no fixed decibel thresholds. Officers can cite based on their own judgment, and the absence of a scientific measurement is explicitly not a defense.
Chapter 9.50 covers conduct on public property more broadly: obstructing sidewalks, sitting or lying on sidewalks in designated zones, damaging public trees or landscaping, and public urination or defecation. Section 9.50.050 bans smoking in any city building unless a “smoking permitted” sign is posted. A second violation of any Chapter 9.50 rule within 30 days triggers a higher penalty tier.4Code Publishing. Santa Cruz Municipal Code Chapter 9.50 – Conduct on Public Property
Parks, Beaches, and Alcohol
Chapter 13.08 bans glass containers on all city beaches. Possessing or drinking alcohol in a city park is illegal unless you are in a location specifically approved by the parks and recreation director and the city manager.5Code Publishing. Santa Cruz Municipal Code Chapter 13.08 – Beaches and Parks A special event permit can authorize alcohol at designated spots. A casual drink at a picnic is not covered.
Dogs and Other Animals
Under Chapter 8.14, dogs must be leashed when off the owner’s property, and every dog in the city needs a license. Licenses are valid for up to 36 months from issuance.6Code Publishing. Santa Cruz Municipal Code Chapter 8.14 – Dogs and Other Domesticated Animals Section 8.14.390 addresses animal noise, though the text does not fix a specific duration threshold before enforcement can act on a complaint.
Service dogs trained to perform tasks for people with disabilities are treated differently from pets under federal law. They need no special tags, and leash rules may be relaxed when a leash would interfere with the trained task. Emotional support animals are not service animals under the ADA.
Trash and Sanitation
Chapter 6.12 of Title 6 covers solid waste. It requires approved receptacles for garbage collection and sets standards for how waste is stored and disposed of on residential properties.7Code Publishing. Santa Cruz Municipal Code Chapter 6.12 – Solid Waste
Permit Parking
Chapter 10.41 establishes a citywide permit parking program authorized under California Vehicle Code Section 22507. The city designates program areas where parking is limited to permit holders, with permits available to residents, merchants, and in some areas commuters or members of designated groups.8Code Publishing. Santa Cruz Municipal Code Chapter 10.41 – Citywide Permit Parking The public works department maintains the current list of active areas.
Building Permits
Title 18 governs buildings and construction. You need a permit before doing significant structural, electrical, plumbing, or mechanical work. The title also covers swimming pools, house moving, historic building standards, and earthquake hazard reduction.9Code Publishing. Santa Cruz Municipal Code Title 18 – Buildings and Construction Residential permit fees typically range from a few hundred dollars to several thousand depending on project scope.
Properties within the Historic Overlay District under Title 24 can face additional review on renovation work. Local historic overlay zoning imposes its own restrictions independent of any federal designation.
Zoning and ADUs
Title 24 divides the city into land use districts ranging from single-family residential to high-density mixed-use, commercial corridors, industrial areas, and specialty designations like the Beach Commercial District, the Small Craft Harbor District, and the Coastal Zone Overlay District.10Code Publishing. Santa Cruz Municipal Code Title 24 – Zoning Each district has its own rules for use, height, and density. Confirm the zoning before buying property or signing a commercial lease.
Accessory dwelling units fall under Section 24.16.160. Size caps scale with lot size:
- Lots between 5,000 and 7,500 square feet: ADU up to 500 square feet.
- Lots over 7,500 square feet: up to 640 square feet.
- Lots over 10,000 square feet: up to 800 square feet.
Detached single-story ADUs need at least three-foot side and rear setbacks, with 10 feet between buildings on the same lot. Two-story ADUs require five-foot side setbacks and 10-foot rear setbacks. State law guarantees that cities must allow ADUs of at least 800 square feet, which can complicate how the local size caps apply on smaller lots.
Short-Term Rentals
Listing a property on a vacation rental platform requires both a short-term rental permit and a Transient Occupancy Tax certificate. The city caps owner-occupied (hosted) permits at 250 total, issued first-come, first-served. The city is not issuing new non-hosted permits, so you generally cannot rent out a property you do not live in for more than six months per year.11City of Santa Cruz. Short-Term Rentals
Properties with both a single-family home and an ADU are ineligible for a short-term rental permit on either structure. Parking requirements apply: one space per studio or one-bedroom unit, two spaces for units with two or more bedrooms. After issuance, you must enroll in the city’s Rental Inspection Service and pay an annual inspection fee. The city reviews applications within 30 calendar days.11City of Santa Cruz. Short-Term Rentals
Water-Efficient Landscaping
Chapter 16.16 applies to new residential and commercial landscape projects. Residential landscapes are capped at 55 percent of reference evapotranspiration; nonresidential projects at 45 percent.12Code Publishing. Santa Cruz Municipal Code Chapter 16.16 – Water-Efficient Landscaping
Turf and high-water-use plants cannot cover more than 25 percent of a residential landscape, and turf is prohibited entirely in new nonresidential landscapes. Irrigation systems must include weather-based or sensor-based controllers and rain-sensing devices. Watering is restricted to between 10:00 p.m. and 10:00 a.m.12Code Publishing. Santa Cruz Municipal Code Chapter 16.16 – Water-Efficient Landscaping New landscape projects typically require a water budget calculation and planting plan as part of the permit.
Rent Control and Tenant Protections
Santa Cruz voters passed a Rent Control and Tenant Protection Act that sits alongside the municipal code. Before the measure, the city did not restrict rent increases, limit grounds for eviction, or fund tenant counseling and legal defense. The Act supersedes any conflicting municipal ordinance on rents, evictions, and relocation assistance, while leaving the Council free to pass complementary regulations. Landlords and tenants need to check both the code and the voter-approved measure, because the two operate together.
Fines, Hearings, and Liens
Enforcement usually starts with a notice describing the violation and giving the owner a timeline to fix it. Chapter 4.04 sets infraction fines at up to $100 for a first conviction, up to $200 for a second within one year, and up to $500 for each additional violation of the same ordinance within a year.13Code Publishing. Santa Cruz Municipal Code Chapter 4.04 – Judicial Remedies
You can request a hearing to contest a citation. If fines go unpaid and the violation persists, the city can record a lien against the property. A lien attaches to the title and surfaces during any future sale or refinance, forcing resolution before the property can change hands. Responding promptly to a notice of violation, even if you plan to appeal, keeps the matter from reaching that stage.
What the City Cannot Regulate
Some things sit outside the code’s reach. Federal law requires the city to grant reasonable accommodations in zoning for people with disabilities, which can mean waiving a setback for accessible construction or allowing a group home in a district that would otherwise limit occupancy. The FAA controls airspace, so the city cannot regulate drone flight at altitude, though it can restrict launches and landings from city parks and beaches. First Amendment limits apply to how the city polices public sidewalks and parks: neutral noise rules are fine, but ordinances targeting the content of speech face serious constitutional problems.