Riverside County, CA Building Setbacks & Zoning: Structure Height Limits (2026)

Building height in unincorporated Riverside County is set by zone in Ordinance No. 348. For the R-1 (One-Family Dwellings) zone, Section 6.2.A states that 'Building height shall not exceed three stories, with a maximum height of 40 feet.' Section 18.20 (Height Exceptions) provides that 'Public or semipublic buildings in the R-1 and R-2 Zones may be erected to a height not exceeding four stories or 60 feet when the required yards are increased by an additional two feet for each foot by which the height exceeds 35 feet.' The same section exempts certain non-habitable projections: 'Structures necessary for the maintenance and operation of a building and flagpoles, chimneys or similar structures that exceed the prescribed height limits may exceed the prescribed height limits where such structures do not provide additional floor space,' though this exception does not apply to wireless facilities. Height limits differ in other zones and can be modified by an asterisk legend on the zoning map (Section 18.35) or by an adopted specific plan, which may set substantially different limits. Because the maximum height turns on the parcel's exact zone classification, owners planning a multi-story home or tall accessory structure should verify their zone and any specific-plan overlay with County Planning before designing.