LA County maintains roughly 30 community plans plus several specific plans under LACO Title 22 that overlay base zoning across unincorporated areas like Altadena, East LA, Marina del Rey, and Topanga with tailored use, density, height, and design rules.
Title 22.10 of the LA County Code authorizes Community Plans and Specific Plans for unincorporated areas. The Department of Regional Planning (DRP) administers about 30 community plan areas, including Altadena, East Los Angeles, Marina del Rey, Santa Monica Mountains North Area, Topanga, West Athens-Westmont, and Westside. Each plan supplements the base zoning with a land-use map, development standards, design guidelines, and occasionally Project Permit Compliance review. Where a plan conflicts with base zoning, the plan controls. Coastal community plans also serve as Local Coastal Programs. Always verify your parcel's plan via the GIS-NET parcel viewer before assuming a base-zone rule applies.
Building inconsistently with an applicable community or specific plan triggers permit denial, stop-work orders, and required redesign, removal, or restoration at the owner's expense.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Santa Monica, CA
Backyard chickens are allowed in Santa Monica with restrictions. Roosters are prohibited in residential areas due to noise. Livestock keeping is restricted b...
Santa Monica, CA
Dogs must be on a leash in all public areas in Santa Monica. Off-leash dogs are only permitted in designated dog parks. The city enforces leash laws through ...
Santa Monica, CA
Santa Monica does not impose breed-specific legislation. All dogs must be licensed per CA Food & Ag Code ยง30500+. Dangerous dog determinations are based on i...
Santa Monica, CA
Feeding wildlife in Santa Monica public parks and beaches is discouraged. The city's property maintenance code addresses nuisance conditions from wildlife at...
Santa Monica, CA
Portable fire pits on private property in Santa Monica must comply with South Coast AQMD regulations. Burns are prohibited on spare-the-air days. Beach fires...
Santa Monica, CA
Properties in fire hazard zones near Santa Monica must maintain defensible space per CA PRC ยง4291. Santa Monica itself is largely urban/coastal with limited ...
Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in Los Angeles County.
See how Santa Monica's specific plans overview rules stack up against other locations.
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