Rancho Cucamonga — Outdoor Sales, Storage & Display

Core Site and Operating Standards

All outdoor display, sales, and storage activities are subject to Chapter 17.60’s general standards.

• The activity must occupy a fixed, specifically approved location that does not disrupt normal site function or circulation. It cannot encroach into required setbacks, driveways, emergency/fire access lanes, landscaping, required parking, pedestrian routes, bicycle lanes, seating, pedestrian amenities, or building-code requirements. § 17.60.030(A)(1)

• Use of the public right-of-way, required parking spaces, drive aisles, or required landscape planters requires the applicable encroachment permit, MUP, or TUP pathway. § 17.60.030(A)(1)

• Outdoor activities generally follow the operating hours of the corresponding primary use, and resulting noise must comply with the City’s noise ordinance. § 17.60.030(A)(2)–(3) See Rancho Cucamonga Performance Standards for the related noise framework.

• An outdoor activity cannot add business-identification or advertising signage beyond the primary use’s maximum sign area, unless the outdoor activity itself is the primary use, such as a Christmas tree lot. § 17.60.030(A)(4) Related sign rules are addressed on Rancho Cucamonga Signage.

• Areas must remain free of garbage and debris and retain at least 6 ft of horizontal sidewalk clear space, unless the Public Works Director requires more for pedestrian and vehicle traffic. § 17.60.030(A)(5)

Outdoor Display and Sales Standards

A store may use exterior display space only for goods or services associated with its own primary use. If the outdoor activity operates independently, it is a separate primary use and must be regulated as one. § 17.60.030(B)(1)

The practical distinction is important: an accessory sidewalk display of merchandise sold inside may qualify under the primary-use rule, while a stand-alone outdoor retail operation does not. Its approval must be assessed as a primary use rather than treated as a simple accessory display. § 17.60.020(A); § 17.60.030(B)(1)

Outdoor Storage Standards

Permanent storage is not automatically available merely because a business has exterior space. For a new development, it must have been approved with the original planning entitlement; adding permanent storage to an existing development requires an MUP. § 17.60.020(C)

• Outdoor storage is prohibited in a required front yard or street-side yard for the applicable zone. The actual yard dimensions are not established in Chapter 17.60; consult Rancho Cucamonga Development Standards. § 17.60.030(C)(1)

• Stacked goods and materials may not rise above screening material located within 100 ft of street-facing screens enclosing the storage area, unless a use-specific development standard says otherwise. § 17.60.030(C)(2)

• Storage screening must comply with Chapter 17.48. See Rancho Cucamonga Landscaping and Screening. § 17.60.030(C)(3)

• Permanent outdoor storage must provide the parking required by Chapter 17.64. Required parking cannot be reduced or converted unless approved equivalent facilities are provided elsewhere. § 17.60.030(C)(4); § 17.64.130

Temporary Storage Exemptions

A TUP is not required for the following limited situations:

• Construction materials and equipment on an active construction site, if a valid building or improvement permit is in effect and materials remain on the permitted construction site. § 17.60.020(D)(1)

• Emergency public-health or safety facilities established by a public agency. § 17.60.020(D)(2)

• A storage container on residential property for no more than 5 days, provided it is not in the public right-of-way. § 17.60.020(D)(3)(a)

• A storage container on nonresidential property for any duration, provided it is screened from public view. § 17.60.020(D)(3)(b)

These exemptions are narrow. A residential container left beyond 5 days, or placed in the street, sidewalk, or parkway, does not fit the stated exemption. § 17.60.020(D)(3)(a)

Outdoor Seating

Outdoor dining or seating not included in the principal use’s original development permit may be approved in all zones except residential zones through the specified approval process, plus any other applicable entitlement such as minor design review. § 17.60.020(E) See Rancho Cucamonga Design Review for the related review topic.

The approving authority must find that seating preserves a continuous pedestrian path at least 4 ft wide, does not obstruct fire, pedestrian, or wheelchair access, does not unduly interfere with access to street hardware, and leaves necessary traffic devices visible. § 17.60.020(E)(1)

The permittee is responsible for inspection, maintenance, cleanliness, and keeping seating within its approved location. The permittee must also comply with applicable right-of-way, health, safety, cleanliness, alcohol-sale, and public-consumption laws. § 17.60.030(D)(1)–(2)

If the Planning Director finds that added seating creates parking demand beyond available supply, off-street parking may be required at the same rate used for interior food-service floor area in that zone. § 17.60.030(D)(3)

District Applicability

Chapter 17.60 does not create a separate outdoor-sales, storage, or display allowance for each base zone. It creates citywide activity standards, with two express zone distinctions: temporary outdoor display and sale is allowed in form-based zones with a TUP, and permanent outdoor seating is excluded from residential zones. § 17.60.020(B), (E)

NE2 — Neighborhood Estate 2

NE2 is a form-based zone for low-density, low-intensity residential development with context-sensitive retail and services in key locations. Temporary outdoor display and sale may proceed only with a TUP and Chapter 17.60 compliance; Chapter 17.60 does not provide NE2-specific frontage, area, height, or setback numbers. § 17.26.020; § 17.60.020(B)

NG3 — Neighborhood General 3

NG3 supports medium-density and medium-intensity development along selected corridors and nodes, with daily-needs uses in walkable suburban neighborhoods. Temporary outdoor display and sale requires a TUP; all display limits, circulation protections, and location restrictions still apply. § 17.26.020; § 17.60.020(B); § 17.60.030

CE1 — Center 1

CE1 is a walkable town-center zone with neighborhood-serving commercial and retail uses near medium-density residential development. It is a form-based zone, so temporary outdoor display and sale is eligible only through a TUP; district-specific Chapter 17.60 dimensions are not found in source materials. § 17.26.020; § 17.60.020(B)

ME1 — Mixed Employment 1

ME1 focuses on walkable professional office and employment uses. A temporary outdoor display or sale requires a TUP, and Chapter 17.60 does not establish a separate ME1 display-area or storage-height standard. § 17.26.020; § 17.60.020(B)

ME2 — Mixed Employment 2

ME2 supports professional office, creative industrial, maker-space, and employment uses along active streets. Temporary outdoor display and sale requires a TUP; permanent display tied to the primary use follows the citywide Chapter 17.60 standards. § 17.26.020; § 17.60.020(A)–(B)

CO1 — Corridor 1

CO1 transitions auto-oriented corridors toward medium-intensity mixed-use, walkable development. Temporary outdoor display and sale requires a TUP, while any display must remain clear of required pedestrian, parking, and emergency-access areas. § 17.26.020; § 17.60.020(B); § 17.60.030(A)(1)

CO2 — Corridor 2

CO2 accommodates medium- to high-intensity mixed-use development on active corridors and key intersections. It is a form-based zone for the temporary-display rule; Chapter 17.60 supplies no separate CO2 dimensional standards. § 17.26.020; § 17.60.020(B)

CE2 — Center 2

CE2 provides mixed-use urban areas with pedestrian-friendly commercial and residential hubs around vibrant public spaces. Temporary outdoor display and sale requires a TUP, and a proposal must preserve circulation and the required sidewalk clearance. § 17.26.020; § 17.60.020(B); § 17.60.030(A)(5)

Residential Zones

The residential base-zone family includes VL, VL-EH 14000, VL-EH 9000, L, L-ESP, LM, LM-TV, LM-ESP South, LM-ESP, M, M-TV1, M-ESP South, M-ESP, MH, MH-TV, H, and H-TV. Chapter 17.60 expressly excludes permanent outdoor seating from residential zones; its temporary outdoor-display authorization is limited instead to form-based zones. § 17.26.020; § 17.60.020(B), (E)

Individual residential-zone permitted uses, lot dimensions, and setbacks are not found in source materials for this page. Verify with the jurisdiction before assuming an outdoor activity is allowed.

Industrial, Open Space, Special Purpose, and Overlay Zones

The city’s base-zone categories also include NI, IE, OSC, HR, P, FC/UC, and SP; overlays include SH, E, H, LW, and CS. An overlay supplements its base zone, and an overlay provision controls if it conflicts with the base-zone rule. § 17.26.020

Chapter 17.60 does not separately authorize temporary outdoor display and sale in these non-form-based zones, nor does it list district-specific outdoor-storage dimensions for them. For any parcel with an overlay, consult Rancho Cucamonga Overlay Districts and verify with the jurisdiction. § 17.26.020; § 17.60.020(B)

Checklist

• Identify whether the proposal is permanent or temporary, and whether it is display/sales, storage, or seating. § 17.60.020
• Confirm the activity is associated with the property’s primary use, or pursue the applicable approval for an independent use. § 17.60.020(A); § 17.60.030(B)(1)
• For permanent display, calculate the 10% gross-floor-area limit and the 25% storefront frontage/6 linear ft display limit. § 17.60.030(B)(2)–(3)
• Keep displayed goods within 4 ft of the storefront projection limit. § 17.60.030(B)(3)
• Locate the activity outside required setbacks, parking, drive aisles, walkways, landscaping, and fire/emergency access unless the applicable permit authorizes the location. § 17.60.030(A)(1)
• Preserve at least 6 ft of sidewalk clearance, or more if required by the Public Works Director. § 17.60.030(A)(5)
• For storage, keep it out of required front and street-side yards; provide compliant screening and required parking. § 17.60.030(C)
• For outdoor seating, demonstrate a continuous 4 ft pedestrian path and unobstructed fire, wheelchair, utility, and traffic-device access. § 17.60.020(E)(1)
• Confirm whether an encroachment permit, MUP, TUP, site development review, or other entitlement applies. § 17.60.020; § 17.60.030(A)(1)
• Verify the parcel’s base zone and any overlay before filing. § 17.26.020

Risks & Ambiguities

Plain-English Summary

A Rancho Cucamonga business generally may place merchandise outside only when it is connected to the business already operating there, fits within strict size and location limits, and does not take over parking, walkways, landscaping, or fire access. Outdoor storage and restaurant seating have separate approval and screening rules, so a site plan should be confirmed before anything is placed outside. § 17.60.020; § 17.60.030

Source References

• Rancho Cucamonga Municipal Code, purpose of Chapter 17.60 — § 17.60.010
• Rancho Cucamonga Municipal Code, permit requirements, exemptions, and outdoor seating findings — § 17.60.020
• Rancho Cucamonga Municipal Code, development, operation, maintenance, display, storage, and seating standards — § 17.60.030
• Rancho Cucamonga Municipal Code, zones, subzones, overlays, and conflict rule — § 17.26.020
• Rancho Cucamonga Municipal Code, required parking maintenance — § 17.64.130
• Rancho Cucamonga Municipal Code, temporary-use development standards — § 17.104.030
• Rancho Cucamonga Municipal Code, yard-sale limits — § 17.92.040