Santa Ana, CA Building Setbacks & Zoning: Structure Height Limits (2026)

Section 41-233 of the Santa Ana Municipal Code sets the building height limit for the R1 (single-family residence) zoning district at 27 feet and two stories, whichever is more restrictive on a given design, a home can't exceed either threshold. The measurement runs from the lowest adjacent grade of the structure to the top of the structure, so a sloped lot's height allowance is anchored to its lowest point rather than an average or the highest point, preventing homes on graded or hillside lots from gaining extra usable height.

This 27-foot cap has been in place since the city's original 1960 zoning ordinance (Ord. No. NS-455) and was last amended in 1991 by Ord. No. NS-2111. The same limit extends beyond the R1 district itself: Section 41-357(b), governing site development standards for Planned Development (PD) projects, states there is no separate structural height limitation for PD projects except as set forth in the R1 district regulations, meaning a planned residential development is held to the identical 27-foot/two-story ceiling unless its conditional use permit specifies otherwise.

The height limit works together with the R1 setback standards (Sections 41-234 through 41-236) and the 35 percent lot coverage cap (Section 41-238) to define the maximum buildable form on any R1 lot.