Tustin · Building on your lot
Building on your lot in Tustin
Tustin sets construction hours, garage sale limits and hillside review triggers, and allows equines, cattle, pigs, sheep and goats only in the R-A District and, where guidelines allow, PC Districts. SB 9 lot splits and flood zones have separate city chapters.
Key points
- Construction hours: Construction hours: 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Saturdays; none on Sundays or city observed federal holidays.
- Garage sales: Garage and yard sales are limited to 3 consecutive days and 4 sales per address per calendar year; no City permit or fee required.
- Hillside review: Outside the East Tustin Specific Plan, hillside review applies to cut or fill of 3 feet or more or grade averaging 20% or more.
- Rainy-season grading: From October 15 to April 15, no grading over 200 cubic yards on a permitted site without an approved erosion control system.
- Large animals: Equines, cattle, pigs, sheep and goats are allowed only in the R-A District and, where guidelines allow, PC Districts, with a use permit.
- Rooftop solar: A permit application for small residential rooftop solar is handled within 3 business days if complete and meeting the approved checklist and standard plan.
Each rule below is marked Tustin code or CA state law and links to the section it comes from (checked October 2026). General information, not legal advice.
Solar panels and EV chargers
Tustin code A permit application for small residential rooftop solar is handled within 3 business days if complete and meeting the approved checklist and standard plan.
All 5 Tustin rules on solar panels and EV chargers, with the code text →
Pets, chickens and bees
| Large animals |
|
|---|---|
| Permit |
|
Grading and erosion control
| Grading without a permit |
|
|---|---|
| Rainy-season limits |
|
Building on a hillside
Tustin code Outside the East Tustin Specific Plan, hillside review applies to cut or fill of 3 feet or more or grade averaging 20% or more.
All 4 Tustin rules on building on a hillside, with the code text →
Noise and construction hours
Tustin code Construction hours: 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Saturdays; none on Sundays or city observed federal holidays.
All 8 Tustin rules on noise and construction hours, with the code text →
Garage and yard sales
| How long a sale may last |
|
|---|---|
| Permit |
|
| Sales per year |
|
| Signs |
|
Family child care homes
| Zoning | A small or large family child care home is a residential use and a use by right under all local ordinances, including zoning |
|---|---|
| Business license or fee | A city or county may not charge a business license, fee or tax to run a family child care home |
| Local rules | Local limits on height, setbacks, lot size, health and safety must be the same as for every other home in the same zone |
| Small home | Up to eight children, counting the provider's own children under 10 who live there |
| Large home | 7 to 14 children, counting the provider's own children under 10 who live there |
Home alarm permits and false alarms
Tustin code Yes. A nonrefundable application fee is set by City Council resolution. 10 or more burglary false alarms within any consecutive 365-day period.
All 3 Tustin rules on home alarm permits and false alarms, with the code text →
Signs on homes
| For-sale and open-house signs |
|
|---|
Other Tustin rules on this
Tustin's code also has these chapters. We have not summarized their values on this page yet; read them in the library.
- Two-unit homes and urban lot splits (SB 9) (§ 9280) — single-family zones only
- Parcel maps for urban lot splits (§ 9329)
- Floodplain management (Art. 9, Ch. 8)
Who this affects
Frequently asked questions
Can I keep chickens or bees at my home in Tustin?
Equines, cattle, pigs, sheep and goats are allowed only in the R-A District and, where guidelines allow, PC Districts, with a use permit.
What are the grading rules in Tustin?
From October 15 to April 15, no grading over 200 cubic yards on a permitted site without an approved erosion control system.
What are the garage sale rules in Tustin?
Garage and yard sales are limited to 3 consecutive days and 4 sales per address per calendar year; no City permit or fee required.
Can I run a family child care home in Tustin?
California law sets this for every city, including Tustin: Zoning: A small or large family child care home is a residential use and a use by right under all local ordinances, including zoning (Health & Safety Code § 1597.45(a)); Business license or fee: A city or county may not charge a business license, fee or tax to run a family child care home (Health & Safety Code § 1597.45(b)); Local rules: Local limits on height, setbacks, lot size, health and safety must be the same as for every other home in the same zone (Health & Safety Code § 1597.45(e)); Small home: Up to eight children, counting the provider's own children under 10 who live there (Health & Safety Code § 1596.78(c)); Large home: 7 to 14 children, counting the provider's own children under 10 who live there (Health & Safety Code § 1596.78(b)).
What signs may I put up at my home in Tustin?
Tustin's code: At most 6 square feet; 1 per street frontage; at most 4 feet high. (For-sale, for-rent or for-lease sign on the premises (residential, nonornamental stake or post); no permit needed; not illuminated.) (§ 9413); At most 6 square feet; 1 per street frontage; at most 7 feet high. (For-sale, for-rent or for-lease sign on the premises (residential, ornamental stake or post); no permit needed; not illuminated.) (§ 9413).
General information, not legal advice.
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