Los Angeles County · Zoning setbacks
Santa Monica setback requirements
This table is transcribed from the adopted code and printed on every export with its citation — but the envelope is drawn only after a table passes independent review, and Santa Monica’s has not yet. Until it does, the export carries the numbers and says plainly that they are unverified.
The envelope
What the numbers below make on the ground. Shown for the first district in the table; the rest follow the same geometry at their own dimensions.
Zone R1 — dashed: cited on the export, not yet drawn.
- Front
- 20′
- Side
- 5′
- Rear
- 15′
The hatched band is the yard — ground the code gives up. Drawn not to scale: the yards are proportional to each other, so the deepest one fills the band and the rest follow. The dimensions carry the real numbers, and the export draws them on the actual parcel outline.
Santa Monica setbacks by district
Every row is produced by the same function the exporter calls, so this page cannot drift from what the drawing gets. The citation under each row is what prints on the sheet.
Santa Monica SMMC §9.07.030 (R1 Single-Unit Residential): front per the Official Districting Map or 20 ft (the 20 ft default is drawn; the city Setbacks GIS carries the mapped front line where one exists); interior side 5 ft (ground floor / one-story <18 ft) — a two-story or 18+ ft structure must total 15 ft aggregate across both sides, and narrow lots use 10% of parcel width (min 3 ft); rear 15 ft. Upper-story stepbacks and the Coastal Zone / Alquist-Priolo overlays may add constraints. Verify with Santa Monica Planning.
Setbacks are one layer of the Santa Monica site plan
The same address search returns the parcel boundary, 1–2 ft contours, building footprints, CAL FIRE defensible-space zones, the soil profile, four-season sun, and a native plant palette matched to the site. See everything Lekua resolves in Los Angeles County→
Santa Monica setback FAQ
What are the residential setbacks in Santa Monica?
In R1 the code sets a 20 ft front yard, 5 ft sides, and a 15 ft rear yard. The full table is below, transcribed from Santa Monica SMMC §9.07.030 with the citation attached to every row. This table is captured and cited on the export, but it has not yet passed independent review — so Lekua prints the code-cited values with an explicit “unverified” advisory rather than drawing lines it can’t stand behind.
Does Lekua draw the setback envelope for Santa Monica?
Not yet. The table is encoded and every export carries the code-cited numbers and the citation, but the envelope is only drawn once a table passes independent review. Until then the export says so in plain words instead of drawing a line that might be wrong.
Where do these Santa Monica setback numbers come from?
They are transcribed from the adopted code — Santa Monica SMMC §9.07.030 — and this page renders them by calling the same function the exporter calls, so what you see here is what the drawing gets. Zoning changes; verify against the current code and with the planning department before submittal.
Can I get a CAD base map for a Santa Monica parcel?
Yes. Enter any Santa Monica address and Lekua returns a layered DXF base plan and a PDF site report — property lines, 1–2 ft contours, building footprints, CAL FIRE defensible-space zones, soil, seasonal sun, and a native plant palette matched to the parcel, alongside the zoning determination. See what else resolves in Los Angeles County.
Start with a Santa Monica address
Free to search. The zone resolves from the parcel, not from the mailing address.