Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Hemet, California

Hemet’s own rules

• Building permitRequired

  Construction of any building or structure in Hemet single-family residential zones

  • Agricultural zones have the same rule in Sec. 90-185

  “Prior to the construction of any building or structure a building permit shall be required in accordance with the latest city-adopted uniform building code.”

• Building code adoptedAdopted

  Construction inside Hemet city

  • Edition not stated in the quoted section; it refers to the latest city-adopted code

  “a building permit shall be required in accordance with the latest city adopted California Building Code.”

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Hemet city limits

  • Zoning is Chapter 90 of the Hemet Municipal Code

  “New development projects in the single family residential zones are subject to pre-application review as provided in section 90-49 and site development review as provided in section 90-48 of this chapter.”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Zoning districts inside Hemet city

  • Districts seen: R-R, R-1-40, R-1-20, R-1-10, R-1-7.2, R-1-6, R-1-5, A-1, A-2, A-2-10, SLR, R-2, R-3, R-4, TTPD

  “a-zones minimum development standards zone a-1 a-2 a-2-10”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Single-family zones R-R, R-1-40 through R-1-5 inside Hemet city

  • Senior projects in R-2/R-3/R-4 may have smaller units

  minimum livable area: >= 1200 sq ft

  “9. minimum livable area (square feet) 1,200 1,200 1,200 1,200 1,200 1,200 1,200”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Agricultural zones A-1, A-2, A-2-10 inside Hemet city

  minimum lot area A-1/A-2/A-2-10: 1/5/10 acres

  “2. minimum lot area 1 acre 5 acres 10 acres”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Single-family zones inside Hemet city, order R-R, R-1-40, R-1-20, R-1-10, R-1-7.2, R-1-6, R-1-5

    “1. minimum net lot area (square feet) 20,000 40,000 20,000 10,000 7,200 6,000 5,000”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Agricultural zones A-1, A-2, A-2-10 inside Hemet city

  front yard: >= 20 ft · rear yard: >= 10 ft · side yard: >= 10 ft

  “5. front yard setback 20 20 20 6. rear yard setback 10 10 10 7. side yard setback 10 10 10”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Single-family zones inside Hemet city (order R-R, R-1-40, R-1-20, R-1-10, R-1-7.2, R-1-6, R-1-5)

    “5. minimum rear yard setback (linear ft.) including detached garages 20 20 20 20 15 10 10”

• Lot coverageDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Single-family zones inside Hemet city (order R-R through R-1-5), one-story maximum

  • Two-story maximums are lower (35/35/35/40/40/45/45)

  max lot coverage one story: 40/40/40/40/45/50/50 percent

  “7. maximum lot coverage (percent) a. one story 40 40 40 40 45 50 50 b. two stories 35 35 35 40 40 45 45”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • None — Agricultural zones A-1, A-2, A-2-10 inside Hemet city

    “8. lot coverage none none none 9. building and structure height 40 40 40”

• Building heightSpecified

  Single-family zones R-R through R-1-5 inside Hemet city

  • Maximum 2 stories

  maximum structure height: <= 35 ft

  “8. maximum structure height (linear ft.) 35 35 35 35 35 35 35 maximum stories 2 2 2 2 2 2 2”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Agricultural zones A-1, A-2, A-2-10 inside Hemet city

    “9. building and structure height 40 40 40”

• Living in an RVLimited

  RV living on private property inside Hemet city

  • Camping in a licensed, registered vehicle in a residential driveway needs written owner consent, max two vehicles, max three days per calendar month
  • Must not violate health, building, fire or other codes
  • Travel trailer parks are separately zoned (Chapter 90 Art. XXIII/XXIV)

  max days per month: <= 3 days

  “inside of a licensed and registered vehicle in a residential off-street driveway with written consent of the business owner or the owner of the residence”

• Camping on your landLimited

  Camping on private property inside Hemet city

  • Rear yard or screened side yard with owner consent, max three days per calendar month
  • Public property camping is banned by Sec. 53-1

  max days per month: <= 3 days

  “camping in the yard of a residence with the consent of the owner or occupant of the residence, where the camping is in the rear yard, or in an area of a side yard that is separated from view from the street by a fence, hedge or screen. in no case shall camping under this provision be permitted for more than three days during any one calendar month;”

• Manufactured homesLimited

  Manufactured homes on single-family zoned lots inside Hemet city

  • Exclusion does not apply to legally permitted manufactured homes converting from pier to permanent foundation
  • Flood zone elevation rules apply in Zones A1-30, AH, AE

  max age at permit application: <= 10 years (pier-to-permanent-foundation conversions)

  “no manufactured home shall be installed on a lot zoned for single-family dwellings if more than ten years has elapsed between the date of manufacture of the manufactured home and the date of the application for the permit to install the manufactured home in the subject zone. this exclusion shall not apply to legally permitted manufactured homes converting from a pier foundation system to a permanent foundation system.”

• Accessory dwellingsAllowed (with conditions)

  ADUs and JADUs on residentially zoned lots inside Hemet city

  • Ministerial approval if definitions and criteria are met
  • Not for short-term rental; rentals longer than 30 days
  • Occupancy only after primary dwelling occupancy is approved
  • State law controls where more permissive

  “shall be permitted ministerially without discretionary review or public hearing if it meets the definitions and criteria listed in”

• Shed and accessory-building permit exemptionConditional

  Non-dwelling accessory structures in single-family zones inside Hemet city

  • Structures over 120 sq ft need a building permit
  • Must meet zone setbacks and lot coverage; under 120 sq ft and under 8 ft high, not permanently affixed, may be 3 ft from interior side/rear lines
  • Total accessory area max 50 percent of principal structure floor area

  permit threshold: > 120 sq ft

  “an accessory structure greater than 120 square feet is required to obtain a building permit.”

Still unanswered

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

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builders inside Hemet city
• Inspections — Inspections inside Hemet city
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy inside Hemet city
• Tiny homes — Tiny homes inside Hemet city
• Who permits septic — Septic systems inside Hemet city

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.