Yolo County Municipal Code Art. 1 General Provisions

This chapter regulates and shall apply to management and administration of County parks, as defined herein, by the Parks Division of the Yolo County General Services Department. Unless expressly stated otherwise, the restrictions on certain activities and uses do not apply to the Parks Division when managing County Parks.

(§ 2, Ord. 1581, eff. December 18, 2025)

As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the following meanings:

(a) “Community park” means a category of park that serves a broader purpose than a neighborhood, or mini park. These parks are designed to engage families and visitors for an entire day with multiple and diverse activities and amenities throughout.

(b) “Department” means the Yolo County Department of General Services.

(c) “Director” means the Director of the General Services Department and, unless otherwise expressly stated, shall include their authorized designee(s).

(d) “Discretion” shall mean, in reference to authority granted to the Director, the exercise of judgment and experience to determine the appropriate course of action in specific situations that are not directly addressed in this chapter, considering public health and safety, the need to safeguard County property, protection of environmental resources, and other matters consistent with the public interest.

(e) “Drone” means a small, unmanned aircraft system (sUAS) weighing under 55 pounds, as defined by the Federal Aviation Administration, that is operated without the possibility of direct human intervention from within or on the aircraft.

(f) “Electric bicycle” is a bicycle equipped with fully operable pedals and an electric motor of less than 750 watts per the California Vehicle Code.

(g) “Motorcycle” means any motor vehicle, other than a tractor, having a seat or saddle for the use of the rider and designed to travel on not more than three wheels in contact with the ground and weighing less than 1,500 pounds, except that four wheels may be in contact with the ground when two of the wheels are a functional part of a sidecar.

(h) “Motor vehicle” means a device by which any person or property may be propelled, moved or drawn over land, excepting a device moved by human power.

(i) “Off-highway vehicle” shall have the meaning set forth in section 38006 of the California Vehicle Code, and shall include motorcycles designed for off-road use, sand buggies, dune buggies, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), jeeps, go-carts, and other similar vehicles.

(j) “Open space park” means a designated park that has areas of essentially undeveloped natural landscape, such as ridges, streams, hillsides, canyons, riparian areas, and grasslands that are under management and control of the Parks Division.

(k) “Park” shall refer to and include every open space park, community park, and other public facility under the management and control of the Parks Division.

(l) “Park authority” means the employee of the Parks Division designated by the Director to exercise such powers and perform such duties to enforce the regulations herein.

(m) “Park waters” means any lake, reservoir, pond, river, stream, or other body of water within a park or under the management, protection, or control of the Parks Division.

(n) “Permission” as referred to in this code means written permission granted by the Director or their designee.

(o) “Person” means any person, firm, partnership, association, corporation, trust, or organization of any kind.

(p) “Take” or “taking” means but is not limited to hunting, pursuing, catching, capturing, possessing or killing, or attempting to hunt, pursue, catch, capture, possess or kill any wild bird, mammal, reptile, amphibian or parts thereof.

(q) “Valid permit” or “permit” means a permit issued by the Director, subject to revocation, suspension, or modification, that gives the organization or person(s) named on the permit permission to engage in some activity, use, or event. Valid permits have a date or date range during which the permittee may engage in the listed activity, unless the permit is revoked, suspended, or modified by the Director. The expiration of such date range renders the permit void. References to “valid permit” or “permit” shall not be deemed to indicate that such permissions are generally available upon proper application; their availability may be limited to specific locations, seasons, or other conditions in the Discretion of the Director. “Permit” shall also include any management or restoration plan approved by the Director or the Board of Supervisors.

(§ 2, Ord. 1581, eff. December 18, 2025)