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

Section 23.12.070 sets the R-1 front yard at 20 feet from the ultimate right-of-way, or as set by the planning commission and city council where optional design standards are used. A front entrance garage must be 25 feet back in all cases, except that 20 feet is permitted where a roll-up garage door is provided.

Section 23.12.080 covers side and rear yards. Main buildings need 6 feet on one side and 10 feet on the opposite side. On corner lots the setback from the ultimate right-of-way to any structure is 12 feet, and the 10 foot setback is mandatory where the side yard of one lot abuts the rear yard of the adjacent lot. Initial construction needs a 20 foot rear setback. Patio covers need 5 feet from the side yard property line and 5 feet from the rear property line, measured from the overhang. Room additions and accessory structures have separate distances in the same section.

Slopes exceeding 5 percent are not permitted within 6 feet of the side of the residence on the narrower side yard, within 10 feet on the wider side yard, or within 17 feet of the rear of the residence. Side and rear yard setbacks legally established when the section was adopted are deemed to conform.

Undersized lots get modified standards under § 23.12.090 if the planning commission approves them: a 20 foot minimum distance to a front entrance garage, a 10 foot rear yard, and a side yard of 10 percent of the parcel width but never less than 3 feet, with 12 feet on a corner lot.

Other districts print different numbers. R-A requires a 25 foot front yard, side yards of 11 feet at a corner lot line or 6 feet and 12 feet on an interior lot, and a 5 foot rear yard with 700 square feet clear on the rear one-third (§§ 23.10.070 to 23.10.090). R-G requires a 20 foot front yard and R-3 a 15 foot front yard, both fully landscaped (§§ 23.18.070, 23.21.070). Where four or more lots in a block are improved with buildings, not counting accessory buildings, the required minimum is the average of the improved lots if that is less (§ 23.81.130(2)).