Monterey Park, CA Building Setbacks & Zoning: Structure Height Limits (2026)

Table 21.08(E), Development Standards in Residential Zones, sets the same numeric height ceiling for the R-1, R-2 and R-3 zones under Monterey Park Municipal Code § 21.08.080: a maximum of two building stories and a maximum building height of 30 feet, measured under the code's general development standards for the residential districts. Within a required side yard setback area, that ceiling drops to 15 feet, so a wing of the house that sits inside the side setback cannot rise as high as the rest of the structure even though the overall building is under 30 feet.

The table sits alongside the lot area, floor area ratio, setback and building separation standards that apply to every residential lot in the city, and placement of buildings must conform to it under § 21.08.080(I). A separate hillside standard in § 21.08.080(L)(3) applies the same two-story, 30-foot cap to single-family lots with steep natural grade, while allowing architectural features such as chimneys, towers, gables and spires to extend up to five additional feet, and flag poles up to 35 feet in residential districts, subject to Planning Commission approval for anything taller.

The City Planner administers these limits as part of every building permit review in the residential zones, and a proposal that exceeds the table's height figures needs a variance or design review approval from the Planning Commission under Chapter 21.36 before it can be built.