LOTCHECK

Quick Reference

California Building Codes by City

Setback distances, height limits, lot coverage, parking requirements, and common plan check flags for 10 major California cities. Each page breaks down the city's zoning requirements zone by zone — so you know exactly what applies to your property before you design.

Not sure which codes apply? Search your address to find your city, or run a plan check to test your project against the codes.

Anaheim

Orange County · Anaheim Municipal Code (AMC)

2 zones 5 common flags
Height: 35' Front: 15' Coverage: 40%

Irvine

Orange County · Irvine Zoning Ordinance (IZO)

1 zones 5 common flags
Height: 35' Front: 15' Coverage: 50%

Long Beach

Los Angeles County · Long Beach Municipal Code (LBMC)

2 zones 5 common flags
Height: 25' Front: 20' Coverage: 50%

Los Angeles

Los Angeles County · Los Angeles Municipal Code (LAMC)

4 zones 10 common flags
Height: 33' Front: 15' Coverage: 45%

Oakland

Alameda County · Oakland Planning Code (OPC)

2 zones 5 common flags
Height: 30' Front: 15' Coverage: 40%

Riverside

Riverside County · Riverside Municipal Code (RMC)

1 zones 5 common flags
Height: 30' Front: 25' Coverage: 40%

Sacramento

Sacramento County · Sacramento City Code (SCC)

2 zones 5 common flags
Height: 35' Front: 20' Coverage: 50%

San Diego

San Diego County · San Diego Municipal Code (SDMC)

2 zones 8 common flags
Height: 30' Front: 15' Coverage: 50%

San Francisco

San Francisco County · San Francisco Planning Code (SFPC)

3 zones 8 common flags
Height: 40' Front: 0' Coverage: 75%

San Jose

Santa Clara County · San José Municipal Code (SJMC)

2 zones 6 common flags
Height: 35' Front: 25' Coverage: 45%

What You'll Find on Each Code Page

  • Zoning requirements table — setbacks, height, stories, lot coverage, and FAR for every residential zone in the city.
  • Parking requirements — spaces per unit, ADU parking, guest parking ratios, and stall dimensions.
  • General building requirements — fire separation, energy code, structural requirements, and other standards that apply across all zones.
  • Common plan check flags — the specific issues that each city's plan reviewers flag most often on residential submissions.
  • City-specific tools — links to setback calculator, ADU eligibility checker, parking calculator, and FAR calculator pre-loaded for that city.

Run a plan check

Enter your project dimensions and we'll check them against your city's building codes. Catch violations before you submit — save weeks of correction cycles.

Start Plan Check →