Pacifica Municipal Code: Zoning, Permits, and Short-Term Rentals

The Pacifica Municipal Code is the full set of local ordinances adopted by the City Council, covering zoning, coastal development, building standards, business licensing, short-term rentals, and public conduct rules like construction hours and beach smoking. The official version is hosted on the Municode Library, linked from the city’s municipal code page, and is currently codified through Ordinance No. 906-C.S., effective February 11, 2025.¹ The supplement number at the top of the portal shows how current the online version is, which matters when you need to confirm that a recent ordinance has been incorporated.

How the Code Is Organized

The code uses a nested numbering system: Titles are the broadest category, subdivided into Chapters, Articles, and Sections. A citation like Section 9-4.4303 reads as Title 9 (Planning and Zoning), Chapter 4 (Zoning), Article 43 (Coastal Zone Combining District). Once you know the pattern, related provisions are easier to find. The Titles you will reach for most often are Title 3 (Finance, which includes business licensing and the transient occupancy tax), Title 4 (Public Safety), Title 8 (Building Regulations), and Title 9 (Planning and Zoning).²

Zoning and Coastal Development Permits

Title 9 divides the city into zoning districts that control building use, spacing, height, and bulk. The zoning plan is a specific plan tied to the city’s general plan, and what’s allowed on a commercially zoned parcel differs sharply from what’s allowed in a residential district.³ Verify your parcel’s designation before proposing new construction or a change in use.

On top of the base districts, combining districts layer extra requirements onto certain properties. The most important in Pacifica is the Coastal Zone Combining District. Anyone proposing development within the Coastal Zone must obtain a coastal development permit before starting work, and that requirement applies to individuals, businesses, partnerships, and government agencies alike.⁴ Applications go in writing to the Planning Director. Denials can be appealed first to the City Council and then to the California Coastal Commission.

Small improvements to existing single-family homes may qualify for an exemption. Improvements of less than a 10 percent increase in building height, bulk, or floor area can be exempt from the city’s coastal development permit requirement, subject to additional conditions.⁴ One boundary to note: development on tidelands or submerged lands falls under the California Coastal Commission’s direct jurisdiction, not the city’s.

Grading Standards in the Coastal Zone

New development in the Coastal Zone that needs both a coastal development permit and a grading permit has to follow strict grading and drainage standards. A licensed landscape architect or engineer must prepare the grading and drainage plan. During construction, the code requires that removal of existing trees and changes to natural drainage be minimized, cut-and-fill surfaces be stabilized with native ground cover, and temporary sediment control basins be built where silt could reach drainage channels. Grading is monitored daily against wind and precipitation forecasts, work stops during excessive wind, and removal of the sands characteristic of the Pacifica shoreline is kept to a minimum.⁵

Rainy Season Grading Ban

October 1 through April 30 is designated as the heavy rainfall season, and permitted grading is generally prohibited during those months. The Building Official can grant an exception only with a written determination that the work won’t endanger public health or safety and that appropriate erosion controls will be in place. Grading that begins before or extends into this window must be protected by approved temporary erosion control devices installed no later than October 1.⁶

Building Permits and Construction Rules

Title 8 adopts the California Building Standards Code (Title 24) along with the International Property Maintenance Code, and separate chapters incorporate the state’s Building, Mechanical, Plumbing, Electrical, Energy, Green Building, Residential, Historical Buildings, and Existing Buildings codes.⁶ Most structural alterations and electrical upgrades require a building permit before work begins.

Construction Hours

Construction on any project requiring a building permit is limited to 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on weekdays and 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on weekends. The city’s Building Division directs residents to Section 8-1.05 for the official text.⁷

Permit Expiration

Building permits expire if work doesn’t start within 12 months of issuance. Once work begins, the permit expires 180 days after the last successful inspection. No permit stays valid for more than two years from the original issuance date, regardless of extensions. Permits issued to bring unpermitted structures or grading into compliance run on a shorter clock: 60 days, with a possible extension of up to 180 additional days.⁶

Working Without a Permit

Starting work without a permit triggers an investigation and processing fee equal to the regular permit fee, collected on top of the permit cost when you apply after the fact. Violations of any provision in the adopted technical codes are treated as misdemeanors, and each day the violation continues counts as a separate offense.⁶

New residential and commercial projects with irrigated outdoor landscaping must also comply with California’s Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance. Residential projects with aggregate landscape areas under 2,500 square feet may use a simplified prescriptive compliance option.⁶

Short-Term Rentals

Pacifica treats short-term rentals as a prohibited use in every zoning district unless you hold a permit under Article 49 of the zoning code. The city caps permits at 150 citywide, and the Administrator stops accepting applications once that cap is reached.⁸

The main operating rules:

You must live at the rental property as your primary residence for more than six months of the year, documented by at least three forms of proof.
No more than two overnight guests are allowed per legally permitted bedroom. Children under six don’t count toward the limit.
Daytime visitors cannot exceed half the maximum number of overnight guests and are limited to the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Unhosted rentals (when you’re not present) are capped at 60 nights per year.
Operators must install and maintain an exterior noise monitor and keep recordings for 30 days after each rental.

Violating any short-term rental provision is a misdemeanor carrying a $1,000 fine per violation. Infractions that threaten public health or safety carry higher penalties: $1,500 for a first violation, $3,000 for a second violation of the same provision within a year, and $5,000 for each additional violation.⁸

Business Licensing and Transient Occupancy Tax

Title 3, Chapter 1 governs business licensing. Anyone doing business in Pacifica must apply for a business license before starting operations, whether the business is based in the city or operates from outside city limits. This includes home-based businesses, building contractors, independent contractors, and nonprofit organizations.⁹ Applications are processed through HDL Companies.

A handful of business types need a separate permit from the Pacifica Police Department in addition to the general business license, including amusement arcades, fortune-telling operations, massage establishments, and taxicab services. Businesses with alarm systems also need an alarm permit through the police department.¹⁰

Hotels and short-term lodging operators must collect a transient occupancy tax of 15 percent of rent charged. The tax is a debt owed by the guest to the city, paid to the operator when rent is due; if a guest leaves without paying, the city’s Tax Administrator can require payment directly from the guest.¹¹

Beach Smoking, Quiet Hours, and Animals

Chapter 15 of Title 4 prohibits smoking and tobacco product use on all Pacifica beaches and the Pacifica Pier (officially the Rev. Herschell Harkins Memorial Pier). The ban reaches sand, grassy areas, parking lots, and picnic tables, and disposing of smoking waste on a beach or the pier outside a designated waste container is a separate violation. The city posts “no smoking” signs, but the absence of a sign is not a defense.¹²

The code sets quiet hours between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., stated most explicitly in the short-term rental rules but reflecting general expectations for nighttime noise.⁸

Animal ownership is regulated primarily through permits. You don’t need a permit for one or two pets of the same species, but the threshold is lower than many residents expect: three or more animals of the same species, or five or more total domestic animals in your household, requires an animal permit from the city. So does even one exotic animal or livestock, such as goats or pigs. Dog and cat licenses are handled through the San Mateo County Health Department, not the city.¹³ Leash laws apply on all Pacifica beaches, with one exception: Esplanade Beach allows off-leash dogs, and owners are expected to clean up after their animals on public property.

Code Enforcement

When the city identifies a violation, it typically starts with a written notice giving the property owner or business a deadline to fix the problem. If the issue isn’t resolved, the city can issue administrative citations with escalating fines. The Code Enforcement Division handles complaints and inspections for property maintenance, zoning, and similar issues.¹⁴

Building code violations are treated as misdemeanors from the start, with each day counting as a separate offense.⁶ Unpaid penalties can result in property liens or referral to collection agencies, so fixing the underlying problem quickly is the least expensive path.

1
Municode Library. Code of Ordinances
2
Pacifica, CA. Pacifica Municipal Code
3
California Coastal Commission. City of Pacifica Zoning Regulations
4
Municode Library. Pacifica Code of Ordinances Title 9 – Coastal Zone Combining District
5
Municode Library. Pacifica Code of Ordinances Title 9 – Coastal Development Regulations
6
Pacifica, CA. City of Pacifica Ordinance 852-CS – Building Regulations
7
City of Pacifica. Building Division
8
Pacifica, CA. Pacifica Code of Ordinances – Title 9, Article 49 Short-Term Rentals
9
City of Pacifica. Business License Division
10
City of Pacifica. Business Permits Info Page
11
Pacifica, CA. Pacifica Code of Ordinances – Title 3, Chapter 7 Transient Occupancy Taxes
12
Pacifica, CA. Pacifica Code of Ordinances – Title 4, Chapter 15 Smoking Prohibitions
13
City of Pacifica. FAQs – Section: Animals
14
City of Pacifica. Code Enforcement Division