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

The Maximum Lot Coverage rows of Table 2-2 in § 9102.01.030 read 45% for 1-story dwellings and 35% for 2-story dwellings in each of R-M, R-0 and R-1. Table 2-3-2(1) prints the same 45% and 35% for Santa Anita Village, the Highlands, Lower Rancho, Santa Anita Oaks and Upper Rancho. Multifamily Table 2-6 in § 9102.01.090 lists Maximum Lot Coverage as N/A for R-2, R-3-R and R-3 and instead requires 100 sq ft of minimum open space per unit. Section 9103.01.040.A measures structures included in coverage from the outside walls, exclusive of architectural features.

Subsection B excludes open and uncovered projections such as balconies, platforms, landing places, decks, and eaves that do not extend more than three feet from the wall, plus steps, stairways, and walkways, any of which are not more than 18 inches above the finished grade. It also excludes uncovered swimming pools, spas, sports courts, and other athletic or recreational surfaces not more than 18 inches above the adjacent finished grade, and basements that do not extend above the level of the first floor nor 18 inches above adjacent finished grade.

Subsection C closes the door on informal relief: exceptions to the lot coverage requirement are permitted only by action of the Planning Commission, or the City Council on appeal. Accessory dwelling units that need an ADU permit under § 9102.01.080.F cannot push total lot coverage above 45 percent if the primary dwelling is one-story or 35 percent if it is two-story, and they cannot drop open space below 50 percent, although no lot coverage limit can force an ADU below 800 square feet. Table 2-2 also pairs the lower two-story percentage with an Incentive for One-Story Houses of 3% of lot area in additional floor area, which rewards single-story building.