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

Section 13.10.040(C) adopts item 7 of Table 13.10.040A, Maximum Height, across the residential zones. HL, R-1, R-1A and R-2 all cap out at 35 feet and two stories. R-7 allows the same 35-foot limit but a third story. R-14 steps up to 45 feet and four stories, and R-22 and R-30 both top out at 55 feet and five stories. For accessory dwelling units, Section 13.10.045(D)(7) sets separate, generally lower caps: a detached ADU on a lot with a single-family or multifamily home is capped at 16 feet, rising to 18 feet if the lot sits within a half-mile walk of a major transit stop or high-quality transit corridor, with two more feet allowed to match the primary dwelling's roof pitch, for a maximum of 20 feet.

A detached ADU on a lot with a multifamily building of more than one story is capped at 18 feet. Attached ADUs instead follow the base zone's height limit in Table 13.10.040A. Outside the residential height table, Section 13.30.020(B) lets flues, chimneys, antennas, elevators and similar mechanical or utility features exceed the base district height limit by up to 15 feet without being treated as habitable space, provided the Director approves appropriate screening, and lets church steeples, crosses and clock towers exceed the maximum height where a development review or conditional use permit finds the design architecturally compatible.