Los Banos, CA Building Setbacks & Zoning: Setback Rules (2026)

708 of the Los Banos Municipal Code governs setbacks for the Medium Density Residential (R-2) zone, the city's standard mid-density housing district. The rule reaches structures and fences or walls over three feet tall; anything shorter is exempt. The front yard minimum is 20 feet, reduced to 10 feet on lots fronting a cul-de-sac bulb. Side yards split into two categories: an interior side yard of 5 feet, where a fence may sit right on the line, and a street side yard of 10 feet for building structures, with a fence allowed at zero feet.

Reverse corner lots carry a stiffer street-side standard: 20 feet for the building and 15 feet for the fence. Where the home's main entrance sits on the side of the building rather than facing the street, the code adds a further requirement: the side setback measured from the front setback line to that entrance must be at least 10 feet. Rear yards depend on how tall the structure is. A single-story accessory structure needs only a 10-foot rear setback; anything two stories or taller, or a second-story deck, needs 20 feet, though rear fences may still sit at zero feet.

The code also carries two adjustment rules from older subdivisions. On any block where four or more lots were already built out with houses on or before January 15, 1964, the required front setback becomes the average of what the improved lots actually have, whether that average runs larger or smaller than the standard 20 feet. For irregularly shaped lots, the rear setback can drop to half the normal requirement if the lot's average setback still meets or exceeds what the code demands. 2601 with enforcing use, building and structure rules, including setbacks, citywide.