Alhambra, CA Building Setbacks & Zoning: Lot Coverage Limits (2026)

Lot coverage measures the percentage of a parcel's area that a building's footprint may occupy, separate from the setback lines that control where on the lot the structure sits. Table 23.04.030 lists 'Maximum lot coverage (% of lot)' as N/A for the RL zone, meaning single-family lots are not subject to a stand-alone coverage percentage and are instead constrained by the 0.40 floor area ratio that already applies there, plus the required setbacks and the 40% rear-yard coverage cap on accessory structures in § 23.12.020(C)(4).

Medium Density (RM) parcels are capped at 45% lot coverage, and High Density (RH) parcels, which can carry the tallest and densest development in the city, are capped at 55%. Because RH permits up to 45 feet and five stories, and even 75 feet and six stories within the mapped Atlantic-Woodward-Commonwealth-Chapel area, the coverage cap is what keeps larger buildings from occupying the entire buildable envelope of a lot. A qualifying RH housing project on a lot of 20,000 square feet or more providing at least 30 dwelling units per acre may seek up to a 20% deviation from the coverage percentage, along with other development standards, under the flexible standards of § 23.12.060, reviewed administratively by the Director of Community Development.