Bolthole Index

Yolo County, California

Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Davis, California

Inside Davis city limits in Yolo County, California, the City of Davis sets zoning under Chapter 40 of its municipal code1 and its Building Division issues building permits2. Wastewater from a new home must go to the city sanitary sewer3. Yolo County's Environmental Health Division handles septic and wells for the county4.

At a glance

Zoning
City of Davis zoning ordinance, Chapter 40, by district1
Building permits
Issued by the City of Davis Building Division2
Sewer
Wastewater discharge must go to the city sanitary sewer3
Septic (county)
Yolo County Environmental Health runs the septic program4
R-1 lot size
Varies by zone: R-1-15 is 15000 square feet minimum5
Agricultural (A) district lot size
10 acres minimum6
Accessory dwellings (R-1)
Allowed if they meet the city's ministerial ADU section7

Who to call

Building permits

City of Davis Building Division (Community Development and Sustainability)

Building permits, plan review and inspections inside Davis city limits

530-757-5610

onlinepermits@cityofdavis.org

23 Russell Blvd, Suite 2 Davis, CA 95616

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 23, 2026.

Off-grid gear

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

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Does Davis, California have zoning, and what does it mean for lots and setbacks?

Yes. The City of Davis adopts its own zoning in Chapter 40 of its municipal code, and the rules differ by district1. Two districts are documented here; Davis has others, such as R-2, that we did not review8.

In the R-1 single-family district, minimum lot area is 15000 square feet in zone R-1-15 and 8400 square feet in zone R-1-85. The Agricultural (A) district requires 10 acres6.

R-1 front yards are 25 feet in R-1-15 and 20 feet in R-1-8 and R-1-6, with exceptions in the code9. Lot coverage in R-1 is capped at 40 percent10. Principal buildings in R-1 cannot exceed two stories or 30 feet11. In the A district, front, side and rear yards are each 50 feet12.

Do you need a building permit in Davis, and who issues it?

The City of Davis Building Division reviews and issues all permit types inside city limits, and applications go by email to its online permits address2. The county's building office covers unincorporated Yolo County, not Davis addresses. For land outside the city, see the Yolo County page.

A city building permit is only part of approval: in R-1, site plan and architectural approval by the director is required for all uses unless Davis code says otherwise13. An attic conversion in R-1 may need only a building permit where no restrictions apply14. We could not confirm the city's fee schedule or owner-builder rules; ask the Building Division.

Can you build an accessory dwelling or guest unit in Davis?

On R-1 lots, accessory dwelling units are a permitted accessory use if they meet the city's ministerial ADU section, 40.26.4507. In the A district, living quarters are allowed for persons regularly employed on the premises, not for transient labor15. We could not confirm Davis rules for RVs or tiny homes as housing; ask the Building Division before you plan on either.

How do septic and sewer work inside Davis?

Davis code makes it unlawful for any user to discharge wastewater anywhere except to the city's sanitary sewer3. A new home inside the city should therefore plan for a sewer connection, not a septic field. We could not confirm any city exception or the distance rules.

Yolo County Environmental Health regulates septic systems in Yolo County where community sewer is unavailable4 and handles water wells16. For a parcel just outside city limits, call that office first; county septic permits are required for new or replacement systems17.

Building a home in Davis: the steps, in order

  1. Confirm the parcel's zoning district under Chapter 40 of the Davis code1.
  2. Check lot area, setbacks and height for that district9.
  3. Get site plan and architectural approval in R-113.
  4. Apply to the City Building Division for the building permit2.
  5. Plan the sewer connection3.
  6. For anything outside city limits, use Yolo County's offices instead4.

What to check before you buy land in Davis

Confirm the exact district first, since A-district lots need 10 acres6 and 50-foot yards12. Floodplain, driveway access and short-term rental rules inside the city were not confirmed; ask the Building Division. Yolo County's effective property tax rate is 0.8 percent18, and its typical home value is about $624,60819. Those are county-level figures.

Watch-outs

  • We reviewed only the R-1 and Agricultural districts of Davis's zoning code, so other districts may have different lot and setback rules8.
  • Do not use Yolo County's unincorporated-area rules for a Davis address; county zoning covers only unincorporated land20.
  • We could not confirm Davis's minimum dwelling size, permit fees or owner-builder exemption; ask the City Building Division at 530-757-56102.

Sources

  1. City of Davis, CA code of ordinances (eCode360 table of contents) (Davis), quoted and re-checked
  2. City of Davis Building Division (Community Development and Sustainability) (cityofdavis.org)
  3. Chapter 33 Article 33.03: Discharge requirements (wastewater and sewage disposal) (Davis), quoted and re-checked
  4. Land Use Programs | Yolo County, quoted and re-checked
  5. Article 40.03: Residential One-Family (R-1) District, Chapter 40 Zoning (Davis), quoted and re-checked
  6. Article 40.02: Agricultural (A) District, Chapter 40 Zoning (Davis), quoted and re-checked
  7. Article 40.03: Residential One-Family (R-1) District, Chapter 40 Zoning (Davis), quoted and re-checked
  8. City of Davis, CA code of ordinances (eCode360 table of contents) (Davis), quoted and re-checked
  9. Article 40.03: Residential One-Family (R-1) District, Chapter 40 Zoning (Davis), quoted and re-checked
  10. Article 40.03: Residential One-Family (R-1) District, Chapter 40 Zoning (Davis), quoted and re-checked
  11. Article 40.03: Residential One-Family (R-1) District, Chapter 40 Zoning (Davis), quoted and re-checked
  12. Article 40.02: Agricultural (A) District, Chapter 40 Zoning (Davis), quoted and re-checked
  13. Article 40.03: Residential One-Family (R-1) District, Chapter 40 Zoning (Davis), quoted and re-checked
  14. Article 40.03: Residential One-Family (R-1) District, Chapter 40 Zoning (Davis), quoted and re-checked
  15. Article 40.02: Agricultural (A) District, Chapter 40 Zoning (Davis), quoted and re-checked
  16. Yolo County Environmental Health Division, Land Use Protection Unit (yolocounty.gov)
  17. Yolo County Environmental Health Division Process for Design and Installation of Onsite Wastewater Treatment Systems, quoted and re-checked
  18. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
  19. Typical home value (Zillow): Bolthole Index county data
  20. Layer: Zoning (ID: 2), quoted and re-checked

Written October 23, 2026 from the rules quoted below, each taken from an official source and re-checked by an independent reviewer. This is research, not legal advice: rules change, so confirm with the office before you buy or build.

Answers from the rulebook for Davis

Davis’s own rules

  • Building permitLimited

    Attic conversions in R-1 district buildings inside Davis city where stories limits are not exceeded

    • Only a building permit (no other approval) is stated for this case, and only where no restrictions apply and the maximum stories allowed have not been reached.
    • General building permit requirements for new dwellings are not covered by this claim.
    “if no restrictions apply and the maximum stories allowed in the district have not been achieved, a building permit only would be required for the attic conversion.”
  • Local zoningPresent (with conditions)

    Land inside Davis city limits, under the City of Davis zoning ordinance (Code of Ordinances Chapter 40, Zoning)

    • Use and dimensional rules differ by zoning district; see the district-specific claims.
    • Research pass opened only the R-1 and A district articles; other district articles were not opened.
    “the r-1 district is intended for single-family homes and services appurtenant thereto.”
  • Zoning districtsPartial

    Zoning districts inside Davis city limits

    • Only Article 40.03 (R-1) and Article 40.02 (A) were opened. Search results named other Chapter 40 articles (R-2, R-2-CD, R-R, high density residential overlay) that were not opened and are not relied on here.
    “(a) lot area. ten acres. (b) lot width. three hundred feet.”
  • Minimum lot sizeSpecified

    R-1 single-family district inside Davis city (zones R-1-15, R-1-8, R-1-6)

    • Minimums are observed except where increased for conditional uses or as provided in sections 40.27.040 through 40.27.080.
    • R-1-6 has separate corner-lot and interior-lot minimums.

    minimum lot area, zone R-1-15: >= 15000 square feet · minimum lot area, zone R-1-8: >= 8400 square feet · minimum lot area, zone R-1-6 corner lot: >= 7000 square feet · minimum lot area, zone R-1-6 interior lot: >= 6000 square feet

    “(a) lot area. (1) zone r-1-15, fifteen thousand square feet. (2) zone r-1-8, eight thousand four hundred square feet. (3) zone r-1-6, seven thousand square feet corner lot; six thousand square feet interior lot.”
    One more reviewed finding on this topic
  • SetbacksSpecified

    R-1 single-family district inside Davis city (zones R-1-15, R-1-8, R-1-6)

    • Two-story or taller portions (or single-story portions over 20 feet) must meet stricter side setbacks: one side 10 feet, total both sides 24 feet in R-1-15, with projections allowed under section 40.27.060.
    • Rear setback is 25 feet for any portion over one story.
    • Corner-lot rear setback may be 5 feet only with an unimproved rear area equal to the stated lot-width multiple (§ 40.03.060(g)(2)).
    • Front setbacks are subject to sections 40.27.050 and 40.27.060; a corridor-plan street may allow a 10-foot front or street side setback.
    • Three-foot side yards in R-1-6 and R-1-8 require a tentative development plan showing 12 feet between buildings, approved by the director.

    front yard, zone R-1-15: 25 feet (except as provided in section 40.27.060) · front yard, zones R-1-8 and R-1-6: 20 feet (except as provided in sections 40.27.050 and 40.27.060) · street side yard, all R-1 zones: 15 feet (corridor-plan streets may be 10 feet) · interior side yard, zone R-1-15: 8 feet · interior side yard, zones R-1-6 and R-1-8: 5 feet (3 feet allowed with approved tentative development plan) · rear yard, all R-1 zones: 20 feet (portion of building over one story must be set back 25 feet)

    “(g) rear yard. (1) zones r-1-6, r-1-8, r-1-15, twenty feet, except for any portion of a building over one story (or any portion of a single-story building over twenty feet in height as measured to the exterior), that portion must meet the following minimum setback: twenty-five feet.”
    One more reviewed finding on this topic
  • Lot coverageSpecified

    R-1 single-family district inside Davis city

    • Maximum applies except where increased for conditional uses or as provided in sections 40.27.040 through 40.27.080.
    • Floor area ratio and garage allowances were not confirmed from the article text opened.

    maximum lot coverage: <= 40 percent of lot area

    “(d) lot coverage. (1) not in excess of forty percent.”
  • Building heightSpecified

    R-1 single-family district inside Davis city

    • Exceptions under section 40.27.030 apply to accessory buildings; additional height rules for two-story setbacks are in § 40.03.060(e).

    maximum principal building height: <= 2 stories or 30 feet, whichever applies · maximum accessory building height: <= 1 story or 15 feet (except as provided in section 40.27.030)

    “no principal building shall exceed two stories or thirty feet in height. no accessory building shall exceed one story or fifteen feet in height, except as provided in section 40.27.030.”
    One more reviewed finding on this topic
  • Accessory dwellingsLimited

    Living quarters for persons regularly employed on the premises in the Agricultural (A) district inside Davis city

    • Accessory use only; not labor camps, labor dwellings, or transient labor accommodations, which are handled as conditional uses under § 40.02.040(d)(2).
    “(a) living quarters of persons regularly employed on the premises, but not including labor camps and labor dwellings, accommodations or areas for transient labor.”
    One more reviewed finding on this topic
  • Mandatory utility hookupSewer (with conditions)

    Wastewater discharge from a new home inside Davis city

    • The text states that discharge is unlawful anywhere except the city sanitary sewer, which implies connection for wastewater from a dwelling.
    • An eCode360 index entry titled Sewage connection required (section 33.02.020) appeared in search results but was not opened; its mandate, distance rule and exceptions are unverified.
    • No distance-from-main or availability rule for new homes was located.
    “(a) it is unlawful for any user to discharge any wastewater anywhere except to the city's sanitary sewer.”
  • Permit processPartial

    Development and uses in the R-1 district inside Davis city

    • Applies to all uses in R-1 unless specified otherwise in section 40.31.040; Article 40.31 (site plan and architectural approval) was not opened.
    • Building permit, plan check and inspection process is not covered by this claim.
    “site plan and architectural approval by the director or designee shall be required for all uses, unless specified otherwise in section 40.31.040.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Davis or Yolo County directly.

  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder permit exemption inside Davis city
  • Building code adopted — Building code adoption in Davis city
  • Inspections — Building inspections for new dwellings inside Davis city
  • Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new dwellings inside Davis city
  • Minimum dwelling size — Minimum dwelling floor area inside Davis city
15 more unanswered
  • Living in an RV
  • Camping on your land
  • Tiny homes
  • Manufactured homes
  • Who permits septic
  • Septic permit
  • Septic inspection
  • Off-grid sanitation
  • Well permit
  • Agricultural exemption
  • Subdividing land
  • Driveway access
  • Building in a floodplain
  • Short-term rentals
  • Permit fees

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 Davis publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Yolo County’s page lists the county offices to call.

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