Bolthole Index

Riverside County, California

Building permits, zoning and septic in Desert Hot Springs, California

Desert Hot Springs, California requires building permits for work covered by its adopted building code; the city Building & Safety Division issues building permits and performs plan checks.12 Desert Hot Springs sets its own zoning, including district-specific residential lot sizes and setbacks.345 We could not confirm the septic-permitting authority inside city limits; ask Riverside County Environmental Health’s Land Use office to confirm coverage for the parcel.6

At a glance

Building permits
City Building & Safety issues building permits and performs plan checks21
Zoning
City zoning applies; confirm the parcel’s district with Planning37
Residential lots
Single-family minimum: 5 acres in R-RD; 7,200 square feet in R-L, subject to applicable exceptions4
Minimum home size
R-RD detached single-family minimum: 1,000 square feet; Discount Zone and SB 9 standards differ8
Septic
City-limit authority unconfirmed; ask County Environmental Health Land Use6
RV or tiny-home living
Residential occupancy rules unconfirmed; ask City Planning before buying7
Water wells
County Environmental Health requires well construction, reconstruction and destruction permits throughout Riverside County9

Who to call

Building permits

Desert Hot Springs Building & Safety Division

City building permits, plan checks and construction inspections

(760) 329-6411

[email protected]

11999 Palm Drive

Zoning

Desert Hot Springs Planning Division

City zoning, development review and General Plan administration

(760) 329-6411

11999 Palm Drive

Septic permits

Riverside County Environmental Health — Indio Land Use Office

County Land Use contact for septic-jurisdiction questions and water-well permits; city septic coverage must be confirmed

(760) 863-7570

47-950 Arabia St, Suite A Indio, CA 92201

Contact details are copied from each office’s official page and were checked against it on October 11, 2026.

Off-grid gear

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

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Do you need a building permit in Desert Hot Springs, CA?

Desert Hot Springs requires a building permit for work covered by its adopted California Building Code.101 Starting covered work before the building permit is issued triggers a special investigation and an investigation fee.1 City building fees include plan-check fees and deposits, building permit fees, reinspection fees and special inspection fees; the City Council sets the amounts, and fees are collected before building permit issuance.11 Ask the city permit technician for the current fee calculation for your proposed home rather than budgeting from Riverside County’s building fee schedule.2

Who issues building permits in Desert Hot Springs?

The Desert Hot Springs Building & Safety Division issues building permits, performs plan checks and inspects building construction, additions and alterations.2 Reach a city permit technician at (760) 329-6411 to discuss a building permit application.2 Request building inspections through the city’s online portal, by calling (760) 329-6411, ext. 244, or by emailing [email protected].2 Building permit applications submitted on or after January 1, 2026 must comply with the 2025 California Building Standards Code.2 Ask the city division which application and plan-check documents apply to your project.2

Does Desert Hot Springs have zoning, lot-size rules and setbacks?

Desert Hot Springs has city zoning, and the Planning Division identifies the applicable land-use and development standards for each property’s zoning district.37 The ordinary single-family minimum lot size is 5 acres in R-RD Residential Rural Desert and 7,200 square feet in R-L Residential Low; the code also provides separate SB 9 standards.4 R-RD standard setbacks are 50 feet from the public right-of-way, 50 feet at the interior side and 100 feet at the rear; R-L standards are 15, 5 and 20 feet respectively, subject to applicable table notes and exceptions.5 Standard maximum lot coverage is 15% in R-RD and 40% in R-L, with separate SB 9 provisions.12 Ask City Planning to check the district and applicable exceptions before choosing a building footprint.7

How do septic permits and water wells work inside Desert Hot Springs?

We could not confirm which office issues septic approvals for parcels inside Desert Hot Springs; ask Riverside County Environmental Health’s Indio Land Use office at (760) 863-7570 to establish jurisdiction before commissioning a septic design.6 The county’s OWTS Construction Application rule covers unincorporated Riverside County and contracted cities, so city coverage needs confirmation for your address.13 California’s onsite wastewater policy authorizes local agencies to issue OWTS permits; that statewide framework does not identify the city’s permitting office.14 Water wells have a clearer countywide rule: Riverside County Environmental Health requires a permit for well construction, reconstruction or destruction throughout the county, with a Registered Well Driller preparing the application for construction or destruction.9

Can you live in an RV or tiny home in Desert Hot Springs?

We could not confirm a general rule allowing residential RV occupancy, temporary camping or tiny-home occupancy on private land inside Desert Hot Springs; ask City Planning about the proposed dwelling and use before relying on either as housing during construction.7 In R-RD, the detached single-family minimum dwelling size is 1,000 square feet, with a 900-square-foot Discount Zone standard and a separate 800-square-foot SB 9 standard.8 A manufactured home cannot be newly installed in a permitted residential district if more than 10 completed years have elapsed since manufacture; already-installed older manufactured homes are unaffected by that subsection.15 These dwelling standards do not establish permission to occupy an RV.815

Building a home in Desert Hot Springs: what should you do first?

  1. Start with City Planning: ask for the parcel’s zoning district, allowable residential use and applicable lot, setback and coverage standards.7
  2. Verify legal access: every structure or use must front a public street or have permanent access through a public or private easement or recorded reciprocal-access agreement.16
  3. Resolve wastewater jurisdiction with County Environmental Health Land Use, and ask City Planning about sewer and water connection requirements, which we could not confirm for a new home citywide.67
  4. Apply through City Building & Safety and obtain the required building permit before starting covered work.21
  5. Schedule construction inspections with City Building & Safety and arrange the certificate of occupancy before moving into a newly erected structure; the city requires the occupancy application at least 30 days before intended occupancy.217

What should you check before buying land in Desert Hot Springs?

Use the city Planning Division for land inside Desert Hot Springs; for property outside city limits, consult the Riverside County guide, because the county zoning ordinance applies to unincorporated land.718 Ask City Planning to identify flood-hazard review requirements and City Building & Safety to explain owner-builder eligibility; we could not confirm the city-specific requirements for either.72 Keep countywide cost context separate from a parcel estimate: Riverside County’s effective property tax rate is 0.8%, and its median property tax bill is $4,189 annually.1920 Ask the relevant offices about your intended use before making the purchase depend on an RV, a private well or septic approval.76

Watch-outs

  • Desert Hot Springs requires a certificate of occupancy before a newly erected structure is occupied; file the application at least 30 days before intended occupancy.17
  • Desert Hot Springs building permit applications submitted on or after January 1, 2026 are subject to the 2025 California Building Standards Code.2
  • We could not confirm residential RV occupancy or temporary camping permission inside Desert Hot Springs; ask City Planning before planning to live on the lot during construction.7

Sources

  1. ecode360.com (Desert Hot Springs), quoted and re-checked
  2. Desert Hot Springs Building & Safety Division (cityofdhs.org)
  3. Code of Ordinances, City of Desert Hot Springs (Desert Hot Springs), quoted and re-checked
  4. Chapter 17.08 Residential Districts (Desert Hot Springs), quoted and re-checked
  5. Chapter 17.08 Residential Districts (Desert Hot Springs), quoted and re-checked
  6. Riverside County Environmental Health — Indio Land Use Office (rivcoeh.org)
  7. Desert Hot Springs Planning Division (cityofdhs.org)
  8. Chapter 17.08 Residential Districts (Desert Hot Springs), quoted and re-checked
  9. Wells | Riverside County Department of Environmental Health, quoted and re-checked
  10. Chapter 15.04 Building Code (Desert Hot Springs), quoted and re-checked
  11. Chapter 15.05 Building Fees (Desert Hot Springs), quoted and re-checked
  12. Chapter 17.08 Residential Districts (Desert Hot Springs), quoted and re-checked
  13. Septic Systems, quoted and re-checked
  14. Onsite Waste Water Treatment Systems (California statewide rule), quoted and re-checked
  15. Chapter 17.08 Residential Districts (Desert Hot Springs), quoted and re-checked
  16. ecode360.com (Desert Hot Springs), quoted and re-checked
  17. Chapter 17.72 Certificates of Occupancy (Desert Hot Springs), quoted and re-checked
  18. Ordinance No. 348.4997 — Riverside County Land Use Ordinance, quoted and re-checked
  19. Effective property tax rate: Bolthole Index county data
  20. Median property tax bill: Bolthole Index county data

Written October 11, 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 Desert Hot Springs

Desert Hot Springs’s own rules

  • Building permitRequired

    Work inside Desert Hot Springs for which the adopted California Building Code requires a permit.

    • Work commenced before permit issuance is subject to a special investigation and investigation fee.
    • Permit issuance fees, plan-review fees, reinspection fees, and special inspection fees apply as provided by the code and current City fee schedule.
    “Whenever any work for which a permit is required by this Code has been commenced without first obtaining said permit, a special investigation shall be made before a permit may be issued for such work.”
  • Building code adoptedAdopted

    Building construction, alteration, repair, moving, demolition, conversion, occupancy, equipment, use, height, area, and maintenance inside Desert Hot Springs.

    • The City adopts the California Building Code by reference.
    • State amendments are incorporated without further City Council action.
    • City amendments are stated in Chapter 15.04.
    “Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, the California Building Code, Title 24, California Code of Regulations, Part 2, Volumes 1 and 2, including, Appendix C, “Group U-Agricultural Buildings,” Appendix F “Rodent Proofing,” Appendix I “Patio Covers,” and Appendix J “Grading,” is hereby adopted by this reference as the Code for the City”
  • Certificate of occupancyRequired

    Occupation of vacant, relocated, altered, repaired, or newly erected structures, changes in land or structure use, and new businesses inside Desert Hot Springs.

    • Applications for relocated, remodeled, or erected structures must be filed at least 30 days before intended occupancy.
    • Applications for vacant land or structures or a change in occupancy must be filed at least 30 days before intended use inauguration.
    • A temporary certificate may be issued at the Director’s discretion subject to conditions and a deposit or security.

    advance application period: 30 days (The code states at least 30 days.)

    “No vacant, relocated, altered, repaired, or hereafter erected structure shall be occupied, or no change in use of land or structure(s) shall be inaugurated, or no new business commenced until a certificate of occupancy has been issued by the Department.”
  • Local zoningPresent

    Land inside Desert Hot Springs city limits.

    • The City code contains Title 17 Zoning, including residential, property-development, applications, certificates-of-occupancy, and other land-use chapters.
    “Title 17 Zoning (§ 17.04.010 – § 17.260.040)”
  • Zoning districtsPublished

    Residential zoning districts inside Desert Hot Springs.

    • The residential table identifies R-RD, R-L, R-M, and R-H districts and supplies use and dimensional standards.
    • Other City zoning chapters include commercial, mixed-use, industrial, visitor-serving, open-space, public-use, overlay, planned-development, and specific-plan districts.
    “TABLE 17.08.02 DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS – RESIDENTIAL DISTRICTS [...] R-RD | R-L | R-M | R-H”
  • Manufactured homesLimited

    Newly installed manufactured homes in permitted residential districts inside Desert Hot Springs.

    • A manufactured home more than 10 completed years old may not be newly installed on a lot in a permitted residential district.
    • A manufactured home more than 10 years old that is already installed is not affected by that subsection.

    maximum elapsed age for newly installed manufactured home: <= 10 completed years (Existing installed homes more than 10 years old are not affected by the subsection.)

    “No manufactured home shall be newly installed on a lot in a permitted residential district if more than 10 completed years have elapsed between the date of manufacture of the manufactured home and the date of the application for the issuance of a permit to install the manufactured home in the affected zone. Notwithstanding, a manufactured home more than 10 years old which is already installed shall not be affected by subsection F.”
  • Driveway accessRequired

    Every structure or use inside Desert Hot Springs.

    • Access may be through a public street, a public or private easement, or a recorded reciprocal-access agreement.
    “Every structure or use shall have frontage upon a public street or permanent means of access to a public street by way of a public or private easement, or recorded reciprocal access agreement.”
  • Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

    City building permit fees inside Desert Hot Springs.

    • The code does not publish fixed fee amounts in the quoted section.
    • Amounts are established from time to time by City Council action.
    • Fees must be collected before permit issuance.
    • Fee categories include plan-check fees and deposits, permit fees, reinspection fees, and special inspection fees.
    “The following fees, the amount of which shall be established from time to time by action of the City Council, shall be collected prior to the issuance of a permit:”

Rules another office applies inside Desert Hot Springs

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

  • Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

    R-RD Residential Rural Desert district inside Desert Hot Springs.

    • The table labels the district R-RD and provides minimum unit sizes for accessory dwelling units and detached single-family dwellings.
    • A detached single-family dwelling has a 1,000-square-foot minimum; a detached single-family dwelling in the Discount Zone has a 900-square-foot minimum; an SB 9 unit has an 800-square-foot minimum.

    detached single-family minimum unit size: >= 1000 square feet (Discount Zone: 900 square feet; SB 9: 800 square feet.)

    “Detached Single-Family | 1,000 sf | 1,000 sf | 1,000 sf | 1,000 sf | Detached Single-Family – Discount Zone | 900 sf | 900 sf | 900 sf | 900 sf | SB 9 | 800 sf | 800 sf | — | —”
  • Minimum lot sizeSpecified

    R-RD Residential Rural Desert and R-L Residential Low districts inside Desert Hot Springs.

    • The table's single-family minimum lot size is 5 acres in R-RD and 7,200 square feet in R-L.
    • SB 9 minimum lot size is 1,200 square feet in both R-RD and R-L.

    R-RD single-family minimum lot size: 5 acres · R-L single-family minimum lot size: 7200 square feet · SB 9 minimum lot size: 1200 square feet (R-RD and R-L only in the table.)

    “Single-Family | 5 ac | 7,200 sf | 7,200 sf | 7,200 sf | Multifamily | — | — | 10,000 sf | 20,000 sf | SB 9 | 1,200 sf | 1,200 sf | — | —”
  • SetbacksSpecified

    R-RD Residential Rural Desert and R-L Residential Low districts inside Desert Hot Springs.

    • R-RD front setback from public right-of-way is 50 feet; R-L is 15 feet.
    • R-RD interior side setback is 50 feet; R-L is 5 feet.
    • R-RD standard rear setback is 100 feet; R-L is 20 feet.
    • Garage front yard setback is at least 20 feet, and a garage facing an alley has a minimum 20-foot rear-yard setback.
    • SB 9 setbacks and table notes apply where applicable.

    R-RD front setback: 50 feet (From public right-of-way.) · R-L front setback: 15 feet (From public right-of-way.) · R-RD interior side setback: 50 feet · R-L interior side setback: 5 feet · R-RD standard rear setback: 100 feet · R-L standard rear setback: 20 feet

    “From Public Right-of-Way | 50 ft | 15 ft | 15 ft | 10 ft [...] Interior | 50 ft | 5 ft | 10 ft | 0 ft [...] Standard Lot | 100 ft | 20 ft | 20 ft | 15 ft”
  • Lot coverageSpecified

    R-RD Residential Rural Desert and R-L Residential Low districts inside Desert Hot Springs.

    • Standard maximum lot coverage is 15 percent in R-RD and 40 percent in R-L.
    • SB 9 maximum lot coverage is 67 percent in both R-RD and R-L.

    R-RD standard maximum lot coverage: 15 percent (SB 9: 67 percent.) · R-L standard maximum lot coverage: 40 percent (SB 9: 67 percent.)

    “Maximum Lot Coverage | | | | | Standard | 15% | 40% | 50% | 60% | SB 9 | 67% | 67% | — | —”
  • Building heightSpecified

    Detached residential buildings in R-RD Residential Rural Desert and R-L Residential Low districts inside Desert Hot Springs.

    • Maximum detached residential height is 30 feet in both R-RD and R-L.
    • Accessory structures are also listed at 30 feet, subject to Section 17.08.110.
    • Attached residential and nonresidential height limits differ in R-M and R-H.

    detached residential maximum height: 30 feet (Accessory structures listed at 30 feet subject to § 17.08.110.)

    “Detached Residential | 30 ft | 30 ft | 30 ft | 30 ft | Accessory Structures | 30 ft* | 30 ft* | 30 ft* | 30 ft*”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Desert Hot Springs or Riverside County directly.

  • Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemptions for construction inside Desert Hot Springs.
  • Living in an RV — Long-term or residential occupancy of recreational vehicles on private land inside Desert Hot Springs.
  • Camping on your land — Temporary camping on private land inside Desert Hot Springs.
  • Tiny homes — Tiny-home occupancy inside Desert Hot Springs.
  • Who permits septic — Septic authority for land inside Desert Hot Springs city limits.
7 more unanswered
  • Septic permit
  • Septic inspection
  • Well permit
  • Mandatory utility hookup
  • Agricultural exemption
  • Building in a floodplain
  • Short-term rentals

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 Desert Hot Springs publishes no rule on the point, not that none exists. Riverside County’s page lists the county offices to call.

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