Consumer and Environmental Protection

To report an emergency jeopardizing life or property anywhere in Orange County, call 9-1-1. 

For all non-emergency code violations involving;

  • Substandard conditions 
  • Unpermitted structures 
  • Public health concerns 
  • Property maintenance
  • Ongoing nuisance 
    • You should contact the Code Enforcement Division for your respective area, depending upon whether the violation is occurring in a particular city or an unincorporated area of Orange County.

A reference list of most code enforcement resources throughout Orange County can be found on the Tips and Resources tab of this web page.

  • Unpermitted construction  
  • Grading, and lack of property maintenance 
  • Unlicensed business and similar regulated activities 
  • Interference with utilities and public lands
  • Substandard residential, commercial, or nuisance properties 

More serious matters relate to;

  • Fire concerns such as brush clearance, smoke detection and fire prevention 
  • Environmental issues such as water quality, streambed alteration, illegal dumping, substandard health conditions, and other hazardous circumstances that threaten life and/or property.

Health Violations (All Areas & Municipalities Within Orange County):

Orange County Health Care Agency 

Unincorporated Areas & Communities of Orange County

(Including Atwood, Coto de Caza, Cowan Heights, Dove Canyon, East Irvine, El Modena, Foothill Ranch, Ladera Ranch, Laguna Canyon, Las Flores, Lemon Heights, Midway City, Modjeska Canyon, Monarch Beach, North Laguna Hills, North Tustin, Olinda, Olive, Orange Hills, Orange Park Acres, Portola Hills, Rossmoor, Santa Ana Heights, Santiago Canyon, Silverado Canyon, South Laguna, Sunset Beach, Trabuco Canyon, Trabuco Highlands, Tustin Foothills, and West Anaheim).

Orange County Code Enforcement

Orange County Fire Authority

Municipalities in Orange County (Listed Alphabetically):

Incorporated CityGeneral InformationCode EnforcementFire PreventionCity Website
Aliso Viejo949-425-2500949-425-2543714-573-6000avcity.org
Anaheim714-765-4311714-765-5158714-765-4000www.anaheim.net
Brea714-990-7600714-990-7139714-990-7655www.ci.brea.ca.us
Buena Park714-562-3500714-562-3629714-573-6000www.buenapark.com
Costa Mesa714-754-5000714-754-5625714-327-7400www.costamesaca.gov
Cypress714-229-6700714-229-6726714-573-6000www.cypressca.org
Dana Point949-248-3500949-248-3564714-573-6000www.danapoint.org
Fountain Valley714-593-4400714-593-4444714-593-4436www.fountainvalley.org
Fullerton714-738-5338714-738-6553714-738-6500www.cityoffullerton.com
Garden Grove714-741-5000714-741-5358714-741-5600ggcity.org
Huntington Beach714-536-5265714-375-5155714-536-5411www.huntingtonbeachca.gov
Irvine949-724-6000949-724-6326714-573-6000www.cityofirvine.org
Laguna Beach949-497-3311949-497-0301949-497-0700www.lagunabeachcity.net
Laguna Hills949-707-2600949-707-2662714-573-6000www.ci.laguna-hills.ca.us
Laguna Niguel949-362-4300949-362-4360714-573-6000www.cityoflagunaniguel.org
Laguna Woods949-639-0500949-639-0522714-573-6000www.cityoflagunawoods.org
Lake Forest949-461-3400949-461-3474714-573-6000lakeforestca.gov
La Habra562-905-9700562-905-9694562-691-4692www.orangecounty.net/cities/LaHabra.html
La Palma714-690-3300714-690-3342714-573-6000www.cityoflapalma.org
Los Alamitos562-431-3538562-431-3538 x304714-573-6000www.ci.los-alamitos.ca.us
Mission Viejo949-470-3000949-470-3055714-573-6000cityofmissionviejo.org
Newport Beach949-644-3309949-644-3213949-644-3106www.newportbeachca.gov
Orange714-744-5500714-744-7244714-288-2541www.cityoforange.org
Placentia714-993-8117714-993-8124714-573-6000www.placentia.org
Rancho Santa Margarita949-635-1800949-635-1800 x6703714-573-6000www.cityofrsm.org
San Clemente949-361-8200949-361-6100714-573-6000www.san-clemente.org
San Juan Capistrano949-493-1171949-443-6341714-573-6000www.missionsjc.com
Santa Ana714-647-5400714-667-2780714-647-5700www.santa-ana.org
Seal Beach562-431-2527562-431-2527 x1327714-573-6000www.sealbeachca.gov
Stanton714-379-9222714-379-9222 x220714-573-6000www.stantonca.gov
Tustin714-573-3000714-573-3134714-573-6000www.tustinca.org
Villa Park714-998-1500714-998-1500714-573-6000villapark.org
Westminster714-898-3311714-898-3311 x256714-573-6000www.westminster-ca.gov
Yorba Linda714-961-7100714-961-7138714-573-6000www.yorbalindaca.gov

FAQ

Citizen code violation complaints are referred to the appropriate municipality, health department, fire authority, or County code enforcement officer who will confirm whether or not a violation exists, determine the severity of the condition, and initiate a case where appropriate.  In most cases where a violation is confirmed, the owner, person in possession or control, or other responsible party is notified of the violation and asked to take immediate corrective action.

The goal in almost every code enforcement case is voluntary compliance in the most timely and efficient manner possible.  After an initial violation notice is issued, code enforcement officers will re-inspect for compliance and, where violations remain uncorrected, may issue civil citations (fines), initiate abatement of the violation at the expense of the property owner, record liens and other documents against the property, refer the matter for civil litigation, and/or request the filing of criminal charges by the OCDA which could result in the imposition of fines and/or jail.

Code enforcement officials can explain the alleged violations, discuss resolution options, and work with you in obtaining necessary permits and scheduling compliance inspections.  Likewise, the OCDA usually seeks voluntary resolution wherever possible and initiates court proceedings only in the most serious cases or where timely compliance is not forthcoming.


In most cases, all you have to do is obtain necessary permits and correct the illegal condition and/or contact your assigned code enforcement officer to discuss resolution of your case.  Persons who do not respond to code enforcement notices may be subject to civil fines, legal actions, and/or referred to the District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.  If the District Attorney’s Office is unable to resolve matters and decides to proceed with a criminal case, criminal charges may be filed on the property owner, manager, tenant, or other “responsible party.”