Bolthole Index

San Bernardino County, California

Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Redlands, California

Redlands is a city in San Bernardino County, California. Redlands adopts its own zoning, so inside its limits Redlands’s rules apply, not the county’s. 4 rules below are quoted from official sources and independently re-checked, most recently on October 22, 2026. Rules for unincorporated land are on the San Bernardino County page.

Answers from the rulebook for Redlands

Redlands’s own rules

  • Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

    All land inside Redlands city limits; the City of Redlands administers its own zoning ordinance (Title 18) there.

    • Allowable uses and development standards are set district by district in Title 18; numeric standards are not restated in the city zoning page.
    • Zoning page notes that Ordinance No. 2985 residential and commercial amendments became effective August 15, 2025 and that the online code is still being updated.
    “title 18 of the redlands municipal code is the city’s zoning ordinance”
  • Minimum lot sizeSpecified

    A-1 agricultural district inside Redlands city limits.

    • The city lists A-1 at 5 acre minimum lots (A-1-20 is 20 acre minimum lots).
    • Figure is from the city's zoning page summary; Title 18 A-1 chapter text was not opened.

    minimum lot area: >= 5 acre (A-1-20 agricultural district requires 20 acre minimum lots)

    “a-1, agricultural (5 acre minimum lots) a-1-20, agricultural (20 acre minimum lots)”
    One more reviewed finding on this topic
    • Specified — R-1 single family residential district inside Redlands city limits (main single-family district).
      “r-1, single family residential (7,200 sq. ft. minimum lots) r-1-d, single family residential (8,100 sq. ft. minimum lots)”
  • Subdividing landRegulated (with conditions)

    Division of land inside Redlands city limits.

    • Title 17 (Subdivision Regulations) is part of the city code; its procedures and thresholds were not opened.
    “title 15 buildings and construction title 16 general plan title 17 subdivision regulations title 18 zoning regulations”

Still unanswered

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

  • Building permit — New residential construction inside Redlands city limits.
  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permitting inside Redlands city limits.
  • Inspections — Inspections of new construction inside Redlands city limits.
  • Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy of new homes inside Redlands city limits.
  • Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling size in the R-1 single family residential district inside Redlands city limits.
20 more unanswered
  • Setbacks
  • Lot coverage
  • Building height
  • Living in an RV
  • Camping on your land
  • Tiny homes
  • Manufactured homes
  • Accessory dwellings
  • Who permits septic
  • Septic permit
  • Septic inspection
  • Off-grid sanitation
  • Well permit
  • Mandatory utility hookup
  • Agricultural exemption
  • Driveway access
  • Building in a floodplain
  • Short-term rentals
  • Permit fees
  • Permit process

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.

Unanswered questions are usually a sign that Redlands publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. San Bernardino County’s page lists the county offices to call.

Off-grid gear

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

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