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Chapter I — General Provisions and Zoning›Article 2 — SPECIFIC PLANNING - ZONING - COMPREHENSIVE ZONING PLAN

SEC. 12.81. HOMELESS SHELTERS – EMERGENCIES – CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS.

Los Angeles Planning & Zoning Code — LAMC Chapter 1 · 2026-08 edition · updated 2026-09-09 · Los Angeles

(Amended by Ord. No. 186,339, Eff. 10/23/19.)

A. Notwithstanding any provisions of this article to the contrary, during any period for which the Mayor and/or the City Council have declared a shelter crisis within the meaning of Government Code Sections 8698 et seq., a homeless shelter defined in Government Code Section 8698.4(c)(1) as it is currently written as of the date this ordinance is adopted, may be established and operated in the R3, RAS3, R4, RAS4, R5, C2, C4, C5, CM, M1, M2, and M3 zones without regard to the number of beds or number of persons served, if the shelter is operated by a religious institution or a non-profit, charitable organization and the shelter is located on property owned or leased by that institution or organization. If the lot on which any such shelter is located does not have sufficient area to provide the number of parking spaces required by Section 12.21 A.4.(w) of this Code, then the number of spaces required shall be the number for which adequate area exists. If insufficient area for any parking spaces exists on the lot, no spaces shall be required. Unreinforced masonry and/or non-ductile concrete buildings shall not be used as shelters for the homeless. (Amended by Ord. No. 188,764, Eff. 12/29/25.)

B. Requirements.

  1. Providers shall register with the City of Los Angeles by submitting “Cold/Wet Weather Temporary Shelter Application” online via the City’s website (www.lacity.org); and

  2. Providers shall comply with the “Cold/Wet Weather Temporary Shelter” requirements promulgated by the Los Angeles Fire Department’s Fire Prevention and Public Safety Bureau; and

  3. Providers shall provide written notification to the owners of properties abutting the subject property, as well as to any school located within 500 feet of the subject property, prior to operating a shelter for the homeless on the subject property.

  4. Providers shall comply with all local, state, and federal requirements that apply to the permitted use of their property while operating a shelter for the homeless pursuant to this section.

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▸Contents — Los Angeles Planning & Zoning Code — LAMC Chapter 1
Los Angeles Planning & Zoning Code — LAMC Chapter 1
  1. ▸Chapter I — General Provisions and Zoning
    Overview
    1. Article 1 — GENERAL PROVISIONS
    2. Article 1.2 — ADMINISTRATIVE CITATIONS
    3. Article 1.5 — PLANNING - COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING PROGRAM
    4. ▸Article 2 — SPECIFIC PLANNING - ZONING - COMPREHENSIVE ZONING …
      Overview
      1. SEC. 12.01. CONTINUATION OF EXISTING REGULATIONS.
      2. SEC. 12.02. PURPOSE.
      3. SEC. 12.03. DEFINITIONS.
      4. SEC. 12.04. ZONES – DISTRICTS – SYMBOLS.
      5. SEC. 12.05. “A1” AGRICULTURE ZONE.
      6. SEC. 12.06. “A2” AGRICULTURAL ZONE.
      7. SEC. 12.07. “RA” SUBURBAN ZONE.
      8. SEC. 12.08. “R1” ONE-FAMILY ZONE.
      9. § 12.09
      10. SEC. 12.10. “R3” MULTIPLE DWELLING ZONE.
      11. SEC. 12.11. “R4” MULTIPLE DWELLING ZONE.
      12. SEC. 12.12. “R5” MULTIPLE DWELLING ZONE.
      13. SEC. 12.13. “C1” LIMITED COMMERCIAL ZONE.
      14. 1.5. (Deleted by Ord. No. 188,072, Eff. 7/1/24.)
      15. SEC. 12.14. “C2” COMMERCIAL ZONE.
      16. SEC. 12.16. “C4” COMMERCIAL ZONE.
      17. SEC. 12.17. “C5” COMMERCIAL ZONE.
      18. SEC. 12.18. “MR2” RESTRICTED LIGHT INDUSTRIAL ZONE.
      19. SEC. 12.19. “M2” LIGHT INDUSTRIAL ZONE.
      20. 3.5. (None)
      21. SEC. 12.20. “M3” HEAVY INDUSTRIAL ZONE.
      22. 13.03. (Amended by Ord. No. 155,950, Eff. 12/5/81.)
      23. SEC. 12.21. GENERAL PROVISIONS.
      24. SEC. 12.22. EXCEPTIONS.
      25. SEC. 12.23. NONCONFORMING BUILDING AND USES.
      26. SEC. 12.24. CONDITIONAL USE PERMITS AND OTHER SIMILAR QUASI-JU…
      27. SEC. 12.26. DEPARTMENT OF BUILDING AND SAFETY.
      28. SEC. 12.27. VARIANCES.
      29. SEC. 12.28. ADJUSTMENTS AND SLIGHT MODIFICATIONS.
      30. SEC. 12.29. VIOLATION OF CONDITIONS – PENALTY.
      31. SEC. 12.30. BOUNDARIES OF ZONES.
      32. SEC. 12.31. INTERPRETATION – PURPOSE – CONFLICT.
      33. SEC. 12.32. LAND USE LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS.
      34. SEC. 12.33. PARK FEES AND LAND DEDICATION.
      35. SEC. 12.35. ZONING OF ANNEXED OR UNZONED AREAS.
      36. SEC. 12.37. HIGHWAY AND COLLECTOR STREET DEDICATION AND IMPROV…
      37. SEC. 12.38. DEDICATION OF STREETS BY LONG TERM LEASES.
      38. SEC. 12.39. LOW AND MODERATE HOUSING.
      39. SEC. 12.40. LANDSCAPE – GENERAL REQUIREMENTS.
      40. SEC. 12.41. LANDSCAPE – WATER MANAGEMENT.
      41. SEC. 12.42. LANDSCAPE.
      42. SEC. 12.50. AIRPORT APPROACH ZONING REGULATIONS.
      43. SEC. 12.70. ADULT ENTERTAINMENT ZONING.
      44. SEC. 12.80. HOMELESS SHELTERS – EMERGENCIES – CITY OWNED AND L…
      45. SEC. 12.81. HOMELESS SHELTERS – EMERGENCIES – CHARITABLE ORGAN…
      46. SEC. 12.82. HOMELESS SHELTERS – EMERGENCIES – EL NIÑO 2016.
    5. Article 2.9 — CONDOMINIUMS, COMMUNITY APARTMENTS AND STOCK COO…
    6. Article 3 — SPECIFIC PLAN - ZONING SUPPLEMENTAL USE DISTRICTS
    7. Article 4 — PUBLIC BENEFIT PROJECTS
    8. Article 4.3 — ELDERCARE FACILITY UNIFIED PERMIT PROCESS
    9. Article 4.4 — SIGN REGULATIONS
    10. Article 5 — REFERRALS – LAND FOR PUBLIC USE
    11. Article 6 — LOCAL EMERGENCY TEMPORARY REGULATIONS
    12. Article 6.1 — REVIEW OF DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS
    13. Article 7 — DIVISION OF LAND REGULATIONS
    14. Article 8 — PRIVATE STREET REGULATIONS
    15. Article 9 — FEES

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