Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Highland, California

Highland’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  New buildings, additions, residential work, renovations, reroofing, electrical, solar, plumbing and HVAC work inside Highland city limits

  • The California Building Code contains a list of projects exempt from permits; exempt work must still conform to technical codes and applicable city, county, and state ordinances.
  • Permits are required for the listed categories: new buildings; additions; residential work (decks, garages, fences, fireplaces, pools, water heaters, etc.); renovations; reroofing or roof repairs; electrical and solar systems; plumbing systems; HVAC systems.

  “a permit is required for most construction or repair activities regulated by code. however, the california building code contains a list of projects that are exempt from permits.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted

  Building construction inside Highland city limits

  • Adopted with local modifications related to specific climatic, geographic, or topographic conditions.

  “the highland municipal code incorporates the california building standards code with certain modifications related to specific climatic, geographic, or topographic conditions.”

• Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

  Land inside Highland city limits (city of Highland, CA, San Bernardino County)

  • Zoning is administered through Title 16 (Land Use and Development) of the Highland Municipal Code; use and development standards are set per zoning district.

  “title 16 of the highland municipal code establishes the allowable land uses, indicates standards for structures and improvements that are permitted within the various zones, and establishes procedures for the granting of permits and entitlements.”

• Mandatory utility hookupSewer (with conditions)

  New structures inside Highland city limits where public sewer is available

  • Connection required where sewer is available, subject to East Valley Water District review.
  • Water connection requirement not established in the pages opened; not recorded.

  “septic systems: all structures are required to be connected to sewer, where available, subject to east valley water district review.”

Rules another office applies inside Highland

Highland does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

• Septic permitRequired

  New, replacement, and expanded onsite wastewater treatment systems (OWTS) on land inside Highland city limits

  • Approval is required before the city building permit application is submitted.
  • Approval is for compliance with the state's OWTS policy.

  “all new, replacement, and expansion onsite waste treatment systems (owts) must obtain approval by the santa ana regional water quality control board, for compliance with the states owts policy prior to submitting for a building permit.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Highland or San Bernardino County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permit exemption inside Highland city limits
• Inspections — Inspections for construction inside Highland city limits
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new homes inside Highland city limits
• Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size in the R-1 single-family and A/EQ agricultural-equestrian districts inside Highland city limits
• Minimum lot size — Minimum lot size in the R-1 single-family district and the A/EQ agricultural-equestrian district inside Highland city limits

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.

Off-grid gear

Going off-grid in Highland means bringing your own water and power. The kit we’d start with:

• Water Crystal Quest Filter any source — well, rain, or creek — to drinking-clean.
• Power Bluetti Solar generators and home battery backup for living off the grid.
• Septic Soil percolation test kit Run your own perc test before paying an engineer — the first thing a septic office asks about.
• Water Well water test kit Bacteria, nitrates, hardness — know what the well on a parcel is really pumping.

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