Part I — Authority And Purpose

This chapter shall be known as the "planning and zoning regulations of the County of Santa Cruz," or the "Zoning Ordinance."

(Ord. 3432 § 1, 1983; Ord. 5423 § 1, 2022)

The purposes of this chapter and of the Zoning Ordinance are:

• (A) To implement the General Plan and Local Coastal Program, and any applicable town, village, or area plan, by providing specific regulations as to the allowable uses of land and structures;

• (B) To promote and protect the public health, safety, peace, morals, comfort, convenience, and general welfare;

• (C) To protect the character, stability, and satisfactory interrelationships of residential, commercial, industrial, agricultural, recreational, and open space areas of the County; and

(D) To protect the natural environment in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act. (Ord. 3432 § 1, 1983; Ord. 5423 § 1, 2022)

Pursuant to California Government Code Section 65850 , this chapter contains provisions to:

• (A) Regulate the use of buildings, structures, and land as between industry, business, residents, and open space, including agriculture, recreation, enjoyment of scenic beauty, use of natural resources, and other purposes;

• (B) Regulate signs and billboards;

• (C) Regulate location, height, bulk, number of stories, and size of buildings and structures; the size and use of lots, yards, courts, and other open spaces; the percentage of a lot which may be occupied by a building or structure; and the intensity of land use;

• (D) Establish requirements for off-street parking and loading; and

(E) Establish and maintain building setback lines. (Ord. 3432 § 1, 1983; Ord. 5423 § 1, 2022)

• (A) Compliance With Zoning Ordinance. No person shall construct, enlarge, or move a building, and no person shall establish a new use of land or expand or intensify an existing use unless it conforms to the permitted uses provided in the zone district or conforms to a permit and regulations authorizing a discretionary use or discretionary development in the zone district in which the land is located. All construction, alteration, reconstruction, or enlargement of buildings and all uses of buildings and land shall comply with all provisions of this chapter and other applicable chapters of the Zoning Ordinance except as otherwise provided for nonconforming structures and uses.

• (B) Conformance by Government Agencies. No government unit whether city, County special district, or State agency shall be exempt from the provisions of this chapter and other chapters of the Zoning Ordinance, except for State agencies and cities engaged in a sovereign activity or a local public agency exempted by Sections 53090 et seq., of the California Government Code. Except as specifically exempted from coastal development permit requirements of the Coastal Act and the LCP by State law, all development in the Coastal Zone that is proposed by such

government unit shall be subject to the same LCP requirements as any other proposed development.

(Ord. 3432 § 1, 1983; Ord. 4027 § 2, 1989; Ord. 4166 § 5, 1991; Ord. 5182 § 4, 2014; Ord. 5423 § 1, 2022)

Any amendment to this chapter or the Zoning Ordinance as defined by SCCC § 13.10.110 or to the official zoning map, which changes property from one zone district to another, or imposes any land use development regulation not previously imposed, or removes or modifies any such regulation previously imposed, shall be processed as a legislative matter pursuant to Chapters 18.10 and 18.40 SCCC.

(Ord. 3432 § 1, 1983; Ord. 5423 § 1, 2022)

• [1] Code reviser's note: Ordinances 5423 and 5429, adopted simultaneously to implement the County's sustainability policy and regulatory update of 2022, both adopt amendments affecting SCCC § 13.10.150 through § 13.10.170 . The code reflects the County's intent to leave the amendments of Ordinance 5423 in Chapter 13.10 SCCC, rather than codifying those provisions in Chapter 18.40 SCCC as indicated by Ordinance 5429. Contact the County for more information.

All approvals pursuant to this chapter shall be processed in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the State CEQA Guidelines, and any local County procedures that may be adopted pursuant to Chapter 16.01 SCCC.

(Ord. 3432 § 1, 1983; Ord. 5423 § 1, 2022)

• [1] Code reviser's note: Ordinances 5423 and 5429, adopted simultaneously to implement the County's sustainability policy and regulatory update of 2022, both adopt amendments affecting SCCC § 13.10.150 through § 13.10.170 . The code reflects the County's intent to leave the amendments of Ordinance 5423 in Chapter 13.10 SCCC, rather than codifying those provisions in Chapter 18.40 SCCC as indicated by Ordinance 5429. Contact the County for more information.

• (A) Consistency Requirement. The Zoning Ordinance and the planning and zoning regulations established by this chapter shall be consistent with the General Plan, and any applicable Village, Town, or Area Plan.

• (B) Consistent Zone Districts. The following zoning implementation table denotes the basic zone districts that implement and are consistent with the various General Plan land use, resource, and constraint designations.

• Zone district designations shall be considered consistent with the General Plan and Local Coastal Program land use plan when in conformance with the residential density allowed by Figure 2-3 of the General Plan and Local Coastal Program land use plan.

** This zone district is established for the sole purpose of recognizing as conforming parcels those legal parcels of record located outside the urban services line of the County that, prior to the adoption of the 1994 General Plan and Local Coastal Program land use plan, were zoned R-1-5, R-1-6, R-1-7, R-1-8, R-1-9, R-1-10, R-1-12, R-1-15, R-1-20, R-1-32, R-1-40 or R-1-1 acre and developed with or intended for development of a single-family residence and any permitted accessory structures. Such development, including additions or remodels, is subject to the site and development standards of the specified zone district for the parcel. All land divisions must be consistent with the provisions of the Rural Residential Density Determination Ordinance (Chapter 13.14 SCCC) and with the residential density allowed by Figure 2-2 of the General Plan and Local Coastal Program land use plan.

(Ord. 3432 § 1, 1983; Ord. 3632 § 2, 1985; Ord. 3844 § 2, 1987; Ord. 4346 § 5, 1994; Ord. 4370 § 1, 1995; Ord. 4460 § 1, 1997; Ord. 4577 § 1, 1999; Ord. 4836 § 3, 2006; Ord. 4873 § 2, 2007; Ord. 5063 § 1, 2010; Ord. 5286 § 2, 2018; Res. 79-2019, 2019; Ord. 5294 § 1, 2019; Ord. 5305 § 1, 2019; Ord. 5307 § 1, 2019; Ord. 5423 § 1, 2022)

• [1] Code reviser's note: Ordinances 5423 and 5429, adopted simultaneously to implement the County's sustainability policy and regulatory update of 2022, both adopt amendments affecting SCCC § 13.10.150 through § 13.10.170 . The code reflects the County's intent to leave the amendments of Ordinance 5423 in Chapter 13.10 SCCC, rather than codifying those provisions in Chapter 18.40 SCCC as indicated by Ordinance 5429. Contact the County for more information.

A zoning map shall be established pursuant to this chapter containing the designations, locations, and boundaries of the various zone districts for parcels within the unincorporated portion of Santa Cruz County. The zoning map shall be maintained in the County's geographic information system and considered an integral part of this chapter. (Ord. 5423 § 2, 2022)

• (A) Amendment Policy. The County zoning map is intended to reflect a comprehensive assessment and projection of the County's present and future needs for various types of land uses and

developments, which are shown broadly on the adopted General Plan and Local Coastal Program Land Use Maps. In order to maintain a stable, desirable, well-balanced pattern of development throughout the unincorporated County area, amendments to the zoning map are made only upon adequate justification and subject to required procedures in Chapters 18.10 and 18.40 SCCC and findings pursuant to SCCC § 18.10.230(C) and § 18.40.060 . (Ord. 5423 § 2, 2022)