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

030 of the Whittier Municipal Code sets the development standards for the R-1 Single-Family Residential zone, and subsection B fixes the minimum yard depths that apply to every lot in that zone. The front yard must be at least 20 feet deep, dropping to 15 feet on a key lot (a lot whose side line abuts the rear of an adjoining lot). Interior side yards must each be at least 5 feet wide; on a corner lot, the side yard abutting another lot stays at 5 feet but the street-side yard must widen to 10 feet, and a second dwelling with its entrance facing a side property line needs a 10-foot side yard.

Every R-1 lot also carries a 5-foot rear yard minimum. These figures sit alongside the zone's other R-1 standards in the same section: a 7,000-square-foot minimum lot area, a 60-foot minimum lot width for interior lots (65 feet for corner lots), a 35-foot height cap, and a 40 percent lot coverage limit on building bulk. Exterior lighting on R-1 lots must be arranged to reflect away from adjacent property under subsection F. Because R-1 is the city's baseline single-family district, these setbacks govern additions, new construction, and accessory structures reviewed by the Community Development Department. 010, which requires showing that strict application of the setback would deprive the property of privileges enjoyed by similarly zoned neighbors nearby.