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

The Residential Development Standards Table at Exhibit 17.10.020, tied to Montebello Municipal Code § 17.10.020, sets a Maximum Coverage column that governs every R-zoned lot in the city. In the R-A and R-1 zones, coverage is capped at 40 percent of lot area; the same table sets a 6,000-square-foot minimum lot area north of Beverly Boulevard and 5,000 square feet south of it, with 50 feet minimum lot width (60 feet for corner lots) south of Beverly, and 60/70 feet north of it. The R-2 zone allows 50 percent coverage on a minimum 6,000-square-foot lot, while R-3 and R-4 zones both allow 60 percent coverage, on minimum lots of 10,000 and 20,000 square feet respectively.

A footnote printed under the table states that 'Coverage includes accessory structures and patio covers,' so detached garages, sheds and patio covers are counted against the percentage, not carved out as freestanding structures. The table is administered by the Planning and Community Development Department at the building-permit and plan-check stage; a proposed floor plan and site plan showing structure footprints as a percentage of lot area must be submitted before a permit issues. Exceeding the coverage cap is not listed among the Section 17.06.070 infractions for R-zones, so it is enforced as the general Title 17 misdemeanor under Section 17.06.060, and each day the excess coverage remains built is a separate violation under Section 17.06.080.