City
Fontana
Fontana is an incorporated city in San Bernardino County with an estimated 2025 population of 221,223. It handles many rules and services inside its limits. The county still handles property records, taxes, courts, elections, public health, and many household programs.
Starting point
Confirm the address is inside local limits first.
If the address is inside Fontana, city or town offices may handle local permits, code, and services. If it is outside limits, county routing may be the better first stop.
What changes the answer: A mailing city is not always the same as city government jurisdiction.
How local government works here
The city line changes some rules, but not every public office.
The mailing address can say Fontana even when the property sits outside local limits. Check the city line before relying on a local rule or permit page.
City limits choose the local counter
Inside Fontana, the city usually handles permits, zoning, parking, business licenses, and local code. Outside the city line, start with county planning or building.
The county still handles county work
San Bernardino County handles property value and tax bills. It also handles deeds, court, elections, health, and many aid programs. Living inside Fontana does not move those jobs to the city.
A provider can have its own boundary
Water, sewer, fire, schools, transit, trash, and power may belong to a special district or other provider. Use the address, parcel, or service bill to find the right agency.
Place answer
Fontana 311 is the front door for many city service requests
Fontana 311 lets residents submit and track city service requests for streets, trees, sidewalks, parks, graffiti, potholes, and other public works issues.
Read the full explanation2025 population
221,223
Land area
43.285 sq mi
Water area
0 sq mi
Local front desk
Start with the task in front of you.
Fontana is incorporated. Start with the city for work inside its limits, while San Bernardino County still handles property records, taxes, courts, elections, many benefits, and county alerts. San Bernardino County is the public-health layer.
- Property Open the property-tax path
Assessed value, exemptions, tax bills, and appeals
San Bernardino County assessor handles value and exemptions. The clerk of the board handles a formal value appeal. The tax collector handles the bill, payment, and penalties.
- Records Open the records path
Deeds, birth and death records, marriage records, and name changes
San Bernardino County recorder is the usual deed and public-record door. Vital-record access depends on the record and year. A legal name change or divorce decree can involve Superior Court.
- Property work Open official city planning
Building permits, ADUs, zoning, code, water, and septic
Start with the city planning or building office for an address inside Fontana. Start with the county for an address outside local limits.
Browse planning and building offices - Housing Open the housing path
Rent rules, repairs, notices, and eviction papers
Start with a local rent, housing, or code office if one serves the address. Court papers go to the Superior Court self-help path, and the deadline on the papers keeps running.
- Household help Open the benefits path
CalFresh, Medi-Cal, CalWORKs, General Assistance, and IHSS
San Bernardino County social-services agency is the main local door. Coverage, food, cash aid, and in-home support remain separate programs with separate notices.
- Public health Open the health path
Vaccines, disease reporting, health records, and local health programs
San Bernardino County public health is the local health jurisdiction. Health coverage and benefits still use separate program doors.
- Business Open the business path
Business setup, seller's permits, local licenses, and regulated work
State filings and tax accounts do not replace Fontana zoning, licensing, building, fire, or health approvals for the address.
- Neighborhood services Open official service requests
Potholes, streetlights, graffiti, trash, and service requests
For a city-owned street or service inside Fontana, start with the local request system. County roads, Caltrans routes, utilities, private property, and separate service providers use different doors.
Browse city service-request systems - School and care Open the school and care path
School enrollment, student records, and child-care checks
The school district handles assignment and records. County offices can help with some family services, while the state licenses child-care facilities.
- Parking Open the parking path
Residential, guest, overnight, and local parking permits
A local parking permit is separate from a citation, moving ticket, and toll notice. Match the permit to the address, vehicle, district, or parking facility.
- Tickets Open the ticket path
Traffic court, parking citations, and toll notices
San Bernardino County Superior Court handles traffic court matters. A city or issuing agency handles parking. The toll operator handles toll notices.
- Safety Open the emergency path
Emergency alerts, evacuations, smoke, roads, and power
Use the county or city alert system for local warnings. Follow the local emergency office for evacuation wording, then use the state fire, smoke, road, and utility sources for the matching layer.
Official city doors
Start local when the address is inside Fontana.
The official website is always here. Direct service links appear only when the California Porch source trail supports them; an unlisted service has not been guessed.
County handoff
Keep the county layer close.
Fontana does not replace the county for records, property taxes, courts, elections, benefits, public health, or county alerts. The official doors stay together below.
San Bernardino County
Practical notes
Office, map, permit, and paperwork notes for Fontana
Place answer · Home and property · Reviewed July 4, 2026
Fontana trash service is handled through Burrtec
Fontana contracts with Burrtec for trash and recycling service, while city utility and sewer questions may use different public works contacts.
Place answer · Home and property · Reviewed July 14, 2026
Ready Fontana is the plan; county TENS is an alert path
Ready Fontana covers planning and training, while San Bernardino County's TENS registration adds cell, text, and VoIP contacts for targeted emergency messages.
Place answer · Rules and licenses · Reviewed July 4, 2026
Fontana business questions start with license and project type
Fontana's business page routes business-license applications, renewals, inspections, building permits, plan check, and development or zoning information through separate city links.
Place answer · Outdoors · Reviewed July 7, 2026
Fontana park shelters can be reserved, but the details matter
Fontana park shelter rentals can be reserved online or in person, with timing, resident rates, and extra rules for things like inflatables.
Place answer · Home and property · Reviewed July 3, 2026
For work at a Fontana address, Build Fontana is the permit front door
Fontana uses Build Fontana and Building and Safety pages for permit applications, plan checks, inspection links, project updates, fees, and older permit research.
Countywide answer · Cars and driving · Reviewed July 4, 2026
San Bernardino County mountain snow has its own road rhythm
San Bernardino County Snow Information shares winter driving tips, road-status definitions, and snow-removal status for county mountain roads.
Stories & Notes
Stories and local context in San Bernardino County
Place story · History and culture
Fontana Days Run is a community thread with long legs
The Fontana Days Run began as a local half marathon in 1955 and now helps carry one of the city's best-known civic traditions.
Place story · History and culture
Kaiser Steel changed Fontana from farm town to industrial city
Kaiser Steel opened in Fontana during World War II and left a lasting mark on local jobs, medicine, industry, and the Inland Empire's working landscape.
Place story · Outdoors
Mary Vagle Nature Center gives Fontana a quiet Jurupa Hills pocket
Mary Vagle Nature Center brings pond paths, native gardens, local geology, and hands-on nature programs into a city that is often seen first from busy roads.
Place story · History and culture
Fontana's Art Depot turns a freight stop into a local gallery
Fontana's Art Depot Gallery began as a 1915 freight train depot and now gives the city a small arts anchor beside the Pacific Electric Trail.
Place story · Outdoors
Pacific Electric Trail gives Fontana a straight outdoor thread
The Pacific Electric Trail runs 7 miles through Fontana, linking parks, resource centers, scenery, and everyday walking or biking space.
Countywide story · History and culture
The Integratron keeps Landers wonderfully hard to explain
The Integratron in Landers is a wooden desert dome tied to George Van Tassel, UFO-era ideas, unusual acoustics, restoration work, and sound-bath visits.
Countywide story · Outdoors
Mojave National Preserve is the big desert trip in San Bernardino County
Mojave is a remote preserve with desert habitats, long human history, and road conditions that visitors should check before they go.
County place story · History and culture
The California Theatre keeps San Bernardino's movie-palace layer
San Bernardino's California Theatre is a 1928 downtown landmark, with movie-palace roots, live performances, and a long civic role.