Pasadena, CA Building Setbacks & Zoning: Setback Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Side setback
- 10% lot width, 5-10 ft
- Corner side setback
- 10% lot width, 10-25 ft
- Rear setback
- 25 ft (RS-1) down to 10 ft (RM-12)
- Front setback
- Blockface average, minimum 25 ft
- Encroachment plane
- 30-degree slope from 6 ft height
Summary
Pasadena's RS and RM-12 development standards set side setbacks at 10 percent of lot width (5 to 10 feet), corner-side setbacks at 10 percent of lot width (10 to 25 feet), and rear setbacks from 25 feet in RS-1 down to 10 feet in RM-12. Front setbacks default to the blockface average but never less than 25 feet.
Sides 10% of lot width, with a minimum of 5 ft, and a maximum requirement of 10 ft, and consistent with Section 17.40.160 (Encroachment Plane). Corner side 10% of lot width, with a minimum of 10 ft, and a maximum requirement of 25 ft. Rear 25 ft 10 ft ... Where 40 percent or more of the lots on a blockface in the same zoning district (excluding corner yards of reversed corner lots) are developed with primary structures (including the existing setback of the proposed development site), the minimum front setback shall be the average of the front setbacks of the developed lots, but not less than 25 feet.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 79 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
160. Side setbacks equal 10 percent of the lot's width, with a floor of 5 feet and a ceiling of 10 feet; corner-side setbacks use the same 10-percent formula but with a 10-foot floor and a 25-foot ceiling. Rear setbacks are a flat 25 feet in the RS-1 district and drop to 10 feet in RM-12, with intermediate RS zones falling on the same table. 1 sets the minimum at the average of the front setbacks of already-developed lots on the same blockface, but never less than 25 feet, whenever 40 percent or more of that blockface is built out with primary structures.
2 imposes a flat 25-foot front setback instead. C. 1 layers on an encroachment plane for the RS and RM-12 districts: a principal structure cannot cross a side-yard plane that slopes upward and inward at 30 degrees starting six feet above grade at the interior side property line. RM-12 also requires a minimum 10-foot building separation, measured wall to wall, between dwelling units on the same site.
Violations & Fines
A structure that encroaches into a required side, rear, corner-side, or front setback, or crosses the encroachment plane, is unlawful and a public nuisance under Section 17.78.060, and the City can issue a Stop Work Order and administrative penalties under Chapters 1.25 and 1.26 while the encroachment stands. Section 17.78.070 treats each day of the violation as a separate offense. Because setbacks are checked at plan check, most encroachments surface before a Certificate of Occupancy is issued.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is the front-yard setback determined in Pasadena's RS zones?
What is the minimum side yard setback for a Pasadena house?
What is an encroachment plane and does it affect setbacks?
How much space is required between two units on the same RM-12 lot?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pasadena
California rules heatmap·Compare Pasadena to another location·View the California building setbacks & zoning overview
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