Lucerne Valley, CA Guide: Water, Land, Roads and Rules

Lucerne Valley is an unincorporated high desert community in San Bernardino County, California, at the junction of Highways 18 and 247 east of Apple Valley. It has no city government, so the County handles zoning, building permits and fire service. Most properties are large lots on groundwater wells and septic systems, which makes water rights, well rules and septic permits as important as the house itself.

Who governs Lucerne Valley?

Local planning goals are set out in the County's Lucerne Valley Community Action Guide, part of the Countywide Plan, and zoning comes from the County Development Code. Who handles what:

• Planning, zoning and building permits: San Bernardino County Land Use Services (LUS).
• Septic design and percolation reports: LUS Building and Safety, working with County Environmental Health Services (EHS).
• Fire service: San Bernardino County Fire. Station 8 sits at 33269 Old Woman Springs Road, Lucerne Valley, (760) 248-7322.
• Parks: County Service Area 29, run by County Special Districts, which includes Pioneer Park.

The 2020 County guide reports that the line between County fire responsibility and the CAL FIRE State Responsibility Area mostly follows Highway 247, with the state area to the south. Ask your insurance agent which side a parcel falls on.

How do you get around from Lucerne Valley?

The County guide notes that Highways 18 and 247 meet in the middle of the valley.

• West to Apple Valley: Follow Highway 18 west through Apple Valley and Victorville toward I-15.
• Up to Big Bear: Take Highway 18 south and up the mountain past the Cushenbury area. The Big Bear Visitors Bureau calls the Lucerne Valley route the quickest climb into Big Bear and says every driver must carry chains or cables from November 1 through April 25.
• North to Barstow: Highway 247 (Barstow Road) heads north to its end at I-15 in Barstow, per California Highways.
• South to Yucca Valley: Highway 247 (Old Woman Springs Road) runs east, then south, ending at Highway 62 near Yucca Valley.

Caltrans named Highway 247 between Barstow and Yucca Valley a state scenic highway in October 2025, according to Scenic America. California Highways cites a local report giving its name as the High Desert State Scenic Highway.

Where does Lucerne Valley get its water?

The County guide says every local water purveyor in Lucerne Valley pumps from groundwater wells. Depending on the parcel, your water may come from:

• A private well on the property.
• Golden State Water Company's Lucerne system. Its 2026 water quality report describes treated groundwater pumped from the Este sub-basin of the Mojave River Basin.
• A small water company. The Mojave Water Agency's small water systems list shows nine with Lucerne Valley addresses, among them the Lucerne Valley, Lucerne Vista, Jubilee and Desert Dawn mutual water companies.

Get the water provider confirmed in writing, and ask how shares in any mutual company transfer at closing.

What does the Mojave Basin adjudication mean for well owners?

Groundwater here falls under the 1996 Mojave Basin Area Judgment. The Mojave Water Agency (MWA) sends pumping data to the court each year and bills users who pump more than their allowance.

• Minimal producers use less than 10 acre-feet a year. MWA says a typical half-acre home uses less than one acre-foot a year.
• New users expecting to pump more than 10 acre-feet a year must agree to the Judgment before they start.

Do you need a permit to drill a new well?

Yes. County EHS requires wells to meet the California Water Well Standards. MWA also requires a Notice of Intent at least 15 days before well construction starts.

MWA's Ordinance 14 charges an annual assessment on new small wells permitted in the Mojave Basin Area on or after July 1, 2022. The charge matches the replacement cost of one acre-foot of water: $565 for 2024-2025, the most recent rate MWA has posted as of November 2026. It is collected on the property tax bill. Use MWA's map to see whether your parcel is in the covered area.

The County guide also urges residents to press for a change in state law so hauled water can serve certain homes. Until that happens, don't plan on hauled water to make a vacant lot buildable.

How do septic systems work in Lucerne Valley?

Plan on a septic system, also called an onsite wastewater treatment system (OWTS). The 2020 County guide lists a community sewage treatment plant only as a possible future project.

The County's OWTS bulletin lays out the path for a new or replacement system:

1. Hire a qualified professional, such as a registered civil engineer, geologist or environmental health specialist, to run a percolation test.
2. Get a design rate from an approved percolation report, coordinated with EHS.
3. Draw a plot plan showing property lines, buildings, tank size, the dispersal area with expansion room, setbacks and any wells.
4. Apply for a building permit with LUS Building and Safety.

New development on septic needs at least half an acre per dwelling unit. If you add a structure that sends more wastewater to an existing system, the County treats it as new development. Since January 22, 2024, OWTS design review applications go to LUS through the County's online EZOP portal, per EHS.

What about electricity and gas?

The County guide notes that Southern California Edison lines cross the Tamarisk Flats area near the dry lake. For a vacant parcel, ask SCE how far the nearest line is and what an extension would cost. We found no official map of natural gas service in Lucerne Valley. Ask the seller whether the home runs on propane or natural gas, and confirm with the supplier.

How are property taxes figured?

The County Assessor explains that the general levy is capped at 1% of assessed value, with voter-approved bonds and fees added on top. Assessed value can grow by no more than 2% a year, and property is reappraised when it changes hands or new construction is added. A new well's MWA assessment also shows up on the bill.

What should you know about zoning and animals?

The County guide calls for keeping industrial development next to the railroad in the southeast part of the valley, and it notes a Rural Commercial zone along Highway 18. In February 2019, the County amended its renewable energy policies to bar utility-oriented renewable energy projects in Rural Living land use districts.

Animal keeping depends on the zone. A third-party copy of the County Development Code's animal keeping chapter (§84.04.090) lists these standards for horses kept as an accessory to a home:

• A parcel of at least 20,000 square feet with 60 feet of frontage.
• One large animal for each 10,000 square feet, with no more than nine in total.
• Animals kept at least 70 feet from homes on neighboring lots and 100 feet from any domestic well.

That copy is not the official code, so confirm a parcel's zone and the current text with Land Use Services.

Why are the night skies so dark?

The County's Light Trespass Ordinance took effect January 7, 2022. In the Mountain and Desert regions, it limits light spilling onto a neighbor's land to 0.1 foot-candle. Fixtures must be shielded to aim light down, and most outdoor lights must be off by 11 p.m. Lights at entries, parking areas and driveways, and motion-sensor lights, are exempt.

What is there to do nearby?

• Lucerne Dry Lake: Highway 247 crosses the middle of it. The Center for Land Use Interpretation reports that amateur rocket groups launch there, while a BLM order keeps dirt bikes off the lakebed.
• Johnson Valley OHV Area: Per the BLM, you enter from Highway 247 at Camp Rock Road or Old Woman Springs Road. About 53,000 acres are shared with the Marine Corps, so check for training closures first.
• Other BLM land: The Barstow Field Office says that, under a federal court order, routes in desert tortoise and Lane Mountain milk-vetch critical habitat in the West Mojave have been closed to OHV recreation since March 24, 2026, until further notice.
• Big Bear: Up Highway 18. See our mountain day trips guide.

What is the Cushenbury cement plant?

A state water board order says Henry J. Kaiser opened the Cushenbury limestone quarry during World War II to feed his Fontana steelmaking operations, then built the cement plant in 1957.

Mitsubishi Cement Corporation was formed in March 1988 with the purchase of the plant, which it still runs at 5808 Highway 18. The company says trucks carry limestone from the quarry to a crusher, and a 250-foot rotating kiln heats the material to about 2,700 degrees Fahrenheit. The site is private property.

Which school district serves Lucerne Valley?

Lucerne Valley Unified School District.

How Pleasant Hill can help

Rural desert property raises well, septic and zoning questions. You can search homes and land in Lucerne Valley, or get a free home valuation if you own there. For help with a specific parcel, contact us or reach Dustin Bynum directly. Also see our Hesperia guide.

General information, not legal, tax or lending advice. Rules, fees and rates change; confirm with the agency linked above or ask us. Pleasant Hill Real Estate Group · CA DRE Corp. #01997374 · AZ Entity Lic. #LC694532000 · Equal Housing Opportunity.