Santa Clara County · Zoning setbacks
Los Altos setback requirements
Lekua resolves a parcel’s jurisdiction and zone, then draws this envelope on the base plan, offset from the county’s parcel line, with its citation. Yards are measured from the surveyed line, so confirm against a survey before siting anything near them.
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 R1-10 — the envelope Lekua draws on the plan.
- Front
- 25′
- Side
- 10′
- Rear
- 25′
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.
Los Altos 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.
Corner lots: 20′ on the secondary street frontage.
Los Altos MC §14.06.080 (R1-10): front 25 ft; interior side 10 ft first story and 17.5 ft second story (a lot under 80 ft wide takes 10% of its average width, at least 5 ft, and a corner lot under 90 ft wide a street side of 20% of its average width, at least 10 ft, lot width unknown, so the standard 10 ft and 20 ft are drawn, which is conservative); exterior side 20 ft; rear 25 ft (a lot under 100 ft deep takes 25% of its depth, at least 20 ft, lot depth unknown, so 25 ft is drawn, which is conservative). At least 50% of the required front yard must be pervious landscape material and landscaping (§14.06.080 B). On a flag lot the side yards are 15 ft (not drawn). Yards are measured from the nearer of the property line or the street line, or from a council-adopted setback line or official plan line where one exists (§14.66.200). On a corner lot the front lot line is the shorter street frontage, and either frontage may be the front where neither choice makes the lot or a structure nonconforming (Ch. 14.02 "Front lot line"); the rear yard ends at the exterior side yard. Eaves, canopies, chimneys and similar features may project 4 ft into any yard and bay windows 18 in; uncovered decks, porches and landings up to 6 ft into the rear yard; decks, walkways and other hardscape no more than 6 in above grade may reach any property line, and fences, walls, hedges, walks, driveways and retaining walls may occupy any yard, subject to the fence rules of Ch. 14.72 (§14.66.210). A legally built wall line that encroaches may be extended once, on the first story, by the lesser of 20 ft or 50% (city planner approval). IN THE R1-S SINGLE-STORY OVERLAY (the zoning map adds R1-S to the district; the regional zoning data leaves it off) these yards still apply, but the house is limited to 20 ft overall and one story, not counting basements (§14.13.050), so the second-story setbacks do not arise. Verify with Los Altos Planning.
Corner lots: 25′ on the secondary street frontage.
Los Altos MC §14.08.080 (R1-H): front 30 ft; interior side 20 ft first story (25 ft if the structure is over 22 ft high) and 25 ft second story; exterior side 25 ft; rear 50 ft. At least 50% of the required front yard must be pervious landscape material and landscaping (§14.08.080 B). On a flag lot the side yards are 30 ft (not drawn). A lot under 15,000 sq ft takes the R1-10 yards (§14.08.080 G), lot area unknown, so the R1-H yards are drawn. Yards are measured from the nearer of the property line or the street line, or from a council-adopted setback line or official plan line where one exists (§14.66.200). On a corner lot the front lot line is the shorter street frontage, and either frontage may be the front where neither choice makes the lot or a structure nonconforming (Ch. 14.02 "Front lot line"); the rear yard ends at the exterior side yard. Eaves, canopies, chimneys and similar features may project 4 ft into any yard and bay windows 18 in; uncovered decks, porches and landings up to 6 ft into the rear yard; decks, walkways and other hardscape no more than 6 in above grade may reach any property line, and fences, walls, hedges, walks, driveways and retaining walls may occupy any yard, subject to the fence rules of Ch. 14.72 (§14.66.210). A legally built wall line that encroaches may be extended once, on the first story, by the lesser of 20 ft or 50% (city planner approval). IN THE R1-S SINGLE-STORY OVERLAY (the zoning map adds R1-S to the district; the regional zoning data leaves it off) these yards still apply, but the house is limited to 20 ft overall and one story, not counting basements (§14.13.050), so the second-story setbacks do not arise. Verify with Los Altos Planning.
Corner lots: 25′ on the secondary street frontage.
Los Altos MC §14.10.080 (R1-20): front 30 ft; interior side 20 ft first story (25 ft if the structure is over 22 ft high) and 25 ft second story; exterior side 25 ft; rear 35 ft. At least 50% of the required front yard must be pervious landscape material and landscaping (§14.10.080 B). On a flag lot the side yards are 30 ft (not drawn). A lot under 100 ft wide takes the R1-10 side yards (§14.10.080 G), lot width unknown, so the R1-20 sides are drawn. Daylight plane: 11 ft up at each side property line, then inward at 25° (§14.10.100). Yards are measured from the nearer of the property line or the street line, or from a council-adopted setback line or official plan line where one exists (§14.66.200). On a corner lot the front lot line is the shorter street frontage, and either frontage may be the front where neither choice makes the lot or a structure nonconforming (Ch. 14.02 "Front lot line"); the rear yard ends at the exterior side yard. Eaves, canopies, chimneys and similar features may project 4 ft into any yard and bay windows 18 in; uncovered decks, porches and landings up to 6 ft into the rear yard; decks, walkways and other hardscape no more than 6 in above grade may reach any property line, and fences, walls, hedges, walks, driveways and retaining walls may occupy any yard, subject to the fence rules of Ch. 14.72 (§14.66.210). A legally built wall line that encroaches may be extended once, on the first story, by the lesser of 20 ft or 50% (city planner approval). IN THE R1-S SINGLE-STORY OVERLAY (the zoning map adds R1-S to the district; the regional zoning data leaves it off) these yards still apply, but the house is limited to 20 ft overall and one story, not counting basements (§14.13.050), so the second-story setbacks do not arise. Verify with Los Altos Planning.
Corner lots: 30′ on the secondary street frontage.
Los Altos MC §14.12.080 (R1-40): front 50 ft; interior side 30 ft first story and 30 ft second story; exterior side 30 ft; rear 50 ft. At least 50% of the required front yard must be pervious landscape material and landscaping (§14.12.080 B). On a flag lot the side yards are 50 ft (not drawn). Yards are measured from the nearer of the property line or the street line, or from a council-adopted setback line or official plan line where one exists (§14.66.200). On a corner lot the front lot line is the shorter street frontage, and either frontage may be the front where neither choice makes the lot or a structure nonconforming (Ch. 14.02 "Front lot line"); the rear yard ends at the exterior side yard. Eaves, canopies, chimneys and similar features may project 4 ft into any yard and bay windows 18 in; uncovered decks, porches and landings up to 6 ft into the rear yard; decks, walkways and other hardscape no more than 6 in above grade may reach any property line, and fences, walls, hedges, walks, driveways and retaining walls may occupy any yard, subject to the fence rules of Ch. 14.72 (§14.66.210). A legally built wall line that encroaches may be extended once, on the first story, by the lesser of 20 ft or 50% (city planner approval). IN THE R1-S SINGLE-STORY OVERLAY (the zoning map adds R1-S to the district; the regional zoning data leaves it off) these yards still apply, but the house is limited to 20 ft overall and one story, not counting basements (§14.13.050), so the second-story setbacks do not arise. Verify with Los Altos Planning.
What the export says about this table
Los Altos reviewed 2026-10-18 against Municipal Code Title 14 (§§14.06.080, 14.08.080 and 14.10.080), checked on R1-10 lots (interior, corner and irregular), an R1-H lot under 15,000 sq ft, an R1-20 lot and a planned unit development lot. The zone is read from the regional Bay Area zoning dataset, which does not show the R1-S single-story overlay: confirm the zone on the city's zoning map. In R1-S the yards are the same, but the house is limited to 20 ft and one story. Interior side yards are drawn at the first-story figure; a second story steps in further (17.5 ft in R1-10, 25 ft in R1-H and R1-20). Narrow-lot side yards, shallow-lot rear yards and the R1-H 15,000 sq ft line use a width, depth and area measured from the parcel outline; confirm them with the City. At least half the required front yard must be pervious landscaping. Flag lots take wider side yards, which are not drawn. The R1-40 and R3 districts and narrow, creek-adjacent and fire-hazard lots are not yet reviewed.
Printed verbatim on every Los Altos export — the same words the reviewer signed off, not a summary of them.
Setbacks are one layer of a Los Altos base plan
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Los Altos setback FAQ
What are the residential setbacks in Los Altos?
In R1-10 the code sets a 25 ft front yard, 10 ft sides, and a 25 ft rear yard. The full table is below, transcribed from Los Altos MC §14.06.080 with the citation attached to every row. This table has passed independent review, so Lekua draws the setback envelope on the base plan for a Los Altos parcel.
Does Lekua draw the setback envelope for Los Altos?
Yes. Los Altos is one of the jurisdictions whose table has passed review, most recently on 2026-10-18, so the envelope is drawn on the DXF and PDF base plan, with its citation.
Where do these Los Altos setback numbers come from?
They are transcribed from the adopted code — Los Altos MC §14.06.080 — 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 Los Altos parcel?
Yes. Enter any Los Altos address and Lekua returns a layered DXF base plan and a PDF site report — county parcel lines, fine contours (1–2 ft on demand, or the county’s own where it publishes them), building footprints, CAL FIRE defensible-space zones, soil, seasonal sun, and a native plant palette matched to the parcel, alongside zoning. See what else resolves in Santa Clara County.
Start with a Los Altos address
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