California County Guides
Start here to find planning, building, assessor, GIS, environmental health, septic, and warning-flag research paths by county.
Southern California
Los Angeles County
ADUs are common, but city versus county jurisdiction matters. Tiny homes on wheels are often treated differently than dwellings or ADUs.
Open guideSouthern California
Orange County
Orange County parcels are often city-controlled, so city zoning, ADU standards, utilities, and fire review usually drive the first answer.
Open guideInland Empire
Riverside County
Desert, rural, and suburban parcels can have very different utility, septic, fire, and road-access issues even inside the same county.
Open guideInland Empire / High Desert
San Bernardino County
High desert land often requires careful review of water source, septic feasibility, access, fire response, and zoning before purchase.
Open guideSouthern California
San Diego County
San Diego County feasibility often turns on city versus county control, coastal constraints, fire access, septic, and utility availability.
Open guideCentral Coast
Ventura County
Ventura County tiny home research should start with jurisdiction, because coastal communities, agricultural areas, and unincorporated hillside parcels can follow different review paths.
Open guideCapital Region
Sacramento County
Sacramento-area parcels often start with city versus county jurisdiction, ADU objective standards, floodplain checks, utilities, and fire access.
Open guideCentral Valley
Fresno County
In Fresno County, small-home projects should be checked against agricultural and rural residential use rules before assuming a dwelling, ADU, manufactured home, or movable unit path is available.
Open guideCentral Valley / Desert
Kern County
Kern County tiny home projects should verify whether the local path is a dwelling, ADU, manufactured home, modular home, RV, or temporary use before buying land or ordering a unit.
Open guideCentral Valley
San Joaquin County
Small-home and ADU options in San Joaquin County depend heavily on city versus county control, agricultural zoning, sewer availability, and whether the parcel already has an officially recognized residential use.
Open guideSierra Foothills
Placer County
Placer County tiny home feasibility should account for foothill and mountain conditions, including access, defensible space, snow load, septic, wells, and wildfire review.
Open guideSierra Foothills
Nevada County
In Nevada County, small dwellings and ADUs should be checked against rural residential zoning, driveway standards, defensible space, water source, and septic feasibility early.
Open guideNorth Bay
Sonoma County
Sonoma County tiny home and ADU questions should start with jurisdiction, rural zoning, septic or sewer path, fire rebuild rules where relevant, and whether the unit classification is recognized.
Open guideCentral Coast
Santa Cruz County
Santa Cruz County small-home research should verify coastal zone status, slope or landslide constraints, septic or sewer path, and whether the proposed unit category is recognized.
Open guideNorth Coast
Humboldt County
Humboldt County tiny home planning should verify whether the parcel supports residential use and whether access, water, septic, fire response, and environmental constraints can be solved.
Open guideNorth Coast
Mendocino County
Mendocino County tiny home and ADU research should begin with official parcel status, zoning, water source, septic feasibility, driveway access, and the local classification of the unit.
Open guide