California Local Ordinance Summary

Last updated October 16, 2006.

Local Firearms Policies
Dealer Regulations Gun Shows Junk Guns/Saturday Night Specials Locking Devices	Regulation of Guns On Public Property Reporting of Lost or Stolen Firearms Ultra Compact Handguns 50 Caliber Firearms

State Groups / Governmental Entities

The California Local Ordinance Summary is not intended to be comprehensive. Commonly adopted ordinances, such as those prohibiting the discharge of firearms, or those duplicating state law, are not included. Before relying on any ordinance listed in this summary, contact the clerk of that particular jurisdiction to ensure the ordinance is still in effect and that no provision in the ordinance has been amended.

If an ordinance for your local jurisdiction is not linked in the text below, it may be found at the following municipal code web sites. Click on the web site for your local jurisdiction. Once at the site, click on California, then the appropriate local jurisdiction, and enter the relevant citation in the site's search field:

American Legal Publishing has compiled ordinances for Anaheim, Antioch, Danville, La Puente, Los Angeles, Oxnard, Pinole, San Jose and Walnut Creek.
LexisNexis Municipal Codes has compiled ordinances for Alameda County, Arroyo Grande, Campbell, Chino, Contra Costa County, El Cerrito, Lafayette, Los Angeles County, Marin County, Menlo Park, Merced, Monterey County, Oakland, Pacifica, Pasadena, Redding, Richmond, Salinas, San Anselmo, San Mateo County, San Pablo, San Rafael, Sonoma County, Tiburon and Torrance.
Municipal Code Corporation has compiled ordinances for Fontana, Fremont, San Francisco and Santa Ana.
Quality Code Publishing has compiled ordinances for Cathedral City, Hollister, Moreno Valley, Norwalk, Palm Desert, Sacramento, San Bruno, San Leandro and Santa Monica.
Sterling Codifiers has compiled ordinances for Beverly Hills, Pleasanton and Porterville.

To see a Model Ordinance regulating firearms dealers in California jurisdictions, click here.

Local License/Permit - The following jurisdictions require firearms dealers to obtain a local license or permit, including a background check, with requirements more stringent than the state license outlined in the California Penal Code (the prospective dealer and, in most jurisdictions, any agents, officers or employees who handle or control firearms must pass a local background check; see the California Dealer Regulations section for further information about employee background checks):

Alameda (Art. 5, § 4-36), Albany (Chap. 8, Art. 19), Berkeley (Chap. 9.72), Beverly Hills (§ 4-4.600 et seq.), Cathedral City (Chap. 5.32), Chino (Chap. 9.86), Contra Costa County (§ 82-36), El Cerrito (§ 6.70), Fremont (§ 5-8), Hayward (Art. 11, § 6-11), Hercules (Tit. 4, Chap. 14), La Puente (Chap. 5.32), Lafayette (Chapters 6-3, 6-4, 6-5, 6-9 & 8-6), Los Angeles (Chap. 5, Art. 5, §§ 55.11, 55.13; Chap. X, Art. 3, Div. 3, §§ 103.12, 103.314), Los Angeles County (Chap. 7.46), Marin County (§ 6.58), Merced (Chap. 5.12; handguns only), Oakland (Chap. 5.26), Palo Alto (Tit. 4, Chap. 4.57), Piedmont (Chap. 12C & § 17.8.3), Pleasanton (Chapters 6.64 & 18 et seq.), Richmond (Chap. 7.100), Sacramento (Chap. 28.05), Salinas (Chap. 12A), San Anselmo (Chap. 32), San Diego (Div. 42, §§ 33.4204 & 33.4210), San Francisco City & County (Police Code Art. 9, § 613 et seq.), San Leandro (Tit. IV, Chap. 14, Art. 4), San Pablo (§ 9.10), San Rafael (§§ 8.37 & 8.38), Santa Ana (Chap. 10-500 et seq.), Santa Cruz (Chap. 9.26), Santa Monica (Chapters 3.24 & 9.04), Tiburon (Chap. 32), and West Hollywood (§ 5.60.010 et seq.).

Prohibiting Dealers in Residential Areas

Explicitly – The following jurisdictions expressly prohibit firearms dealers from operating in residential zones or areas, or from qualifying as a "home occupation" (i.e., a home business):

Albany (Chap. 8, Art. 19), Artesia (§ 9-2.2803(d)(xv)), Berkeley (§ 23C.16.010(B)), Beverly Hills (§ 4-4.600 et seq.), Burbank (§ 31-672 et seq.), Calistoga (§ 17.21.050), Cathedral City (Chap. 5.32), Contra Costa County (§ 82-36), Daly City (§ 17.36.040), El Cerrito (§ 6.70), Fontana (§ 30-79(7)), Fremont (§ 5-8), Hercules (Tit. 4, Chap. 14), La Puente (Chap. 5.32), Lafayette (Chapters 6-3, 6-4, 6-5, 6-9 & 8-6), Long Beach (§ 21.51.235), Los Angeles (Chap. X, Art. 3, Div. 3, §§ 103.12, 103.314), Los Angeles County (Chap. 7.46), Monterey County (Chap. 7.70; handguns only), Moreno Valley (Development Code § 9.02.130(E); ammunition only), Oakland (Chap. 5.26), Oxnard (§ 36-8.13.5), Pacifica (§ 9-4.3101), Palo Alto (Tit. 4, Chap. 4.57), Pasadena (Tit. 17), Piedmont (Chap. 12C & § 17.8.3), Pinole (§§ 17.16, .20, .32 & .36), Pleasanton (Chapters 6.64 & 18 et seq.), Richmond (§ 15.04.190), Salinas (Chap. 12A), San Francisco City & County ((Police Code Art. 9, § 613.10), San Jose (§ 20.08.1200), San Pablo (§ 9.10), San Rafael (Ord. 1748), Santa Ana (Chap. 10-500 et seq.), Santa Monica (Chapters 3.24 & 9.04), Sonoma County (§ 20-05.886), Stockton (§ 16-024.5), and Vacaville (§ 14.120).

Indirectly - The following jurisdictions indirectly prohibit the residential sale of firearms (e.g., they only allow the sale of products manufactured in the residence where they are sold, or prohibit retail sales entirely as a "home occupation"):

Alameda (§ 30-2), Anaheim (§ 18.02.052.040), Antioch (Art. 2, Figure 2 & § 9-5.901(B)(2)), Arroyo Grande (§ 9-03.090), Calimesa (§ 12.10.09), Campbell (n/a), Colma (§ 5.313), Danville (§ 32-2), Dunsmuir (Chap. 17.04), Glendale (§ 30.16.640), Hollister (Chap. 1746), Imperial (§ 24.11.200), Madera (n/a), Marin County (n/a), Menlo Park (§ 16.78.030), Merced (§ 20.54.100), Millbrae (§ 10-1.201), Norwalk (§ 27-5), Pacific Grove (§ 23.16.020), Palm Desert (Chap. 25.66), Porterville (§ 3006), Redding (§ 18.08), Reedley (§ 8-13), Riverside (§ 19.68.080), Sacramento (§ 11), San Benito (§ 18 et seq.), San Bruno (§ 12.84.130), San Diego (Art. 1, Divisions 4 & 5 §§ 101.0406 & 101.0502), Solana Beach (§ 17.20.040), Torrance (§ 92.18.4(7)), Walnut Creek (§ 10-2.3.107), West Hollywood (§ 9214(a)), and Yountville (§ 5.2.b).

Prohibiting Dealers Near Sensitive Areas – All of the following jurisdictions prohibit firearms dealers from, or limit firearms dealers in, residential neighborhoods. Many of these jurisdictions expressly prohibit firearms dealers from operating near sensitive areas, such as daycare facilities, schools, parks, places of worship, community centers, adult entertainment establishments, businesses selling alcohol, and other firearms dealers:

Albany (Chap. 8, Art. 19), Cathedral City (Chap. 5.32), Contra Costa County (§ 82-36), El Cerrito (§ 6.70), Hercules (Tit. 4, Chap. 14), Los Angeles (Ch. 1, Art. 2, § 12.24), Monterey County (Chap. 7.70), Oakland (Chap. 5.26), Palo Alto (Tit. 4, Chap. 4.57), Pinole (§§ 17.16, .20, .32 & .36), Richmond (§ 15.04.190), Salinas (Chap. 12A), San Francisco City & County (Police Code Art. 9, § 613.3), San Pablo (§ 9.10), San Rafael (Ord. 1748), and West Hollywood (§ 5.60.010 et seq.).

Liability Insurance – The following jurisdictions require firearms dealers to carry liability insurance, typically with a minimum coverage of at least $1 million:

Albany (Chap. 8, Art. 19), Berkeley (Chap. 9.72), Beverly Hills (§ 4-4.600 et seq.), Cathedral City (Chap. 5.32), Fremont (§ 5-8), Hayward (Art. 11, § 6-11), Lafayette (Chapters 6-3, 6-4, 6-5, 6-9 & 8-6), Los Angeles (Chap. X, Art. 3, Div. 3, §§ 103.12, 103.314), Los Angeles County (Chap. 7.46), Marin County (§ 6.58), Oakland (Chap. 5.26), Palo Alto (Tit. 4, Chap. 4.57), Pasadena (§ 5.35.100), Piedmont (Chap. 12C & § 17.8.3), Pleasanton (Chapters 6.64 & 18 et seq.), Richmond (Chap. 7.100), Salinas (Chap. 12A), San Anselmo (Chap. 32), San Francisco City & County ((Police Code Art. 9, § 613.3), San Pablo (§ 9.10), San Rafael (§§ 8.37 & 8.38), Santa Monica (Chapters 3.24 & 9.04), and Tiburon (Chap. 32).

Ammunition Regulations - Berkeley (section 9.04.177) and the City and County of San Francisco (Police Code Art. 9, § 613) prohibit the sale of ammunition without a local dealer license.

The City and County of San Francisco (Police Code Art. 9, § 613.10(g)) also prohibits a licensee from selling or otherwise transferring any ammunition that: 1) serves no sporting purpose; 2) is designed to expand upon impact or project or disperse barbs or other objects intended to increase the damage to a human body or other target; or 3) is designed to fragment upon impact.

Los Angeles (Chap. 5, Art. 5, § 55.11(c)), Oakland (§ 9.20.040) and the City and County of San Francisco (Police Code Art. 9, § 615(b)), among other jurisdictions, require any vendor selling or otherwise transferring ammunition to record specific information related to the sale, including the transferee's personal information and signature, and the brand, type and amount of ammunition transferred.

Marin County (Resolution 2000-94) requires the County Sheriff to provide peace officers at all gun shows on county property to assist with: (1) proper security; and (2) the enforcement of all applicable laws. The Sheriff shall determine the number of officers that are necessary, and the cost shall be borne by the gun show producer. The gun show producer must pay the estimated cost of providing peace officers at least 15 days prior to the event. Failure to do so results in the automatic forfeiture of the use of the county facility.

For other gun-show related ordinances, see the California Local Ordinances Regulation of Guns on Public Property section.

Following the lead of West Hollywood in 1996, cities and counties across California began adopting ordinances banning the sale of junk guns. By 2000, at least 56 cities and counties had such laws on the books. Effective January 1, 2001, the sale and manufacture of junk guns were prohibited by state law (Cal. Penal Code §§ 12125 through 12133), and a number of local jurisdictions have since chosen to repeal their ordinances. See the California Junk Guns/Saturday Night Specials section.

Effective January 1, 2002, California required that state-approved locking devices be included with every firearm sold (Cal. Penal Code §§ 12087 through 12088.9). Prior to adoption of the state law, at least 40 local jurisdictions had required that a childproofing or disabling device to prevent unintentional discharge be sold with each handgun. See the California Locking Devices section.

Los Angeles County (Chap. 13.67) prohibits the sale of firearms and ammunition on all county-owned property, including the Los Angeles County Fairgrounds.

Alameda County (§ 9.12.120), Marin County (§ 6.50.040), San Mateo County (§ 3.53), and Sonoma County (§ 19-14) prohibit the possession of firearms and ammunition on all county-owned property.

Berkeley (§ 13.75.020), Los Angeles (Chap. 5, Art. 5, § 55.12), Oakland (§ 9.36.131) and the City and County of San Francisco (Police Code Art. 9, § 616) require any city resident who owns or possesses a firearm to report the loss or theft of the firearm to law enforcement within 48 hours of discovering the loss or theft.

Oakland (§ 9.36.400 et seq.) prohibits firearms dealers from selling any handgun that has a length of six and three-quarter inches or less or a height of four and one-half inches or less.

San Francisco City & County (Police Code Art. 9, §§ 613.1(f), 613.10(i), and 613.10-2) prohibits the sale of any handgun with a length of less than 6.75 inches or that is less than 4.5 inches in height, measured with the magazine detached.

Contra Costa County (§§ 54-22.006, 54-22.004(b)) prohibits the sale or other transfer of any "large caliber firearm" (i.e., rifle capable of firing a center-fire cartridge of .50 caliber or larger or .50 BMG caliber or larger).

Los Angeles (Chap. 5, Art. 5, § 55.18) prohibits the sale or other transfer of any "large caliber firearm" (i.e., any rifle or handgun capable of firing a center-fire cartridge of .50 caliber or larger).

San Francisco City & County (Police Code Art. 9, § 613.10-1) prohibits the sale or other transfer of .50 caliber firearms and .50 caliber cartridges.