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Azusa · Building on your lot

Building on your lot in Azusa

Azusa sets fence heights by setback outside the West End District, with lower limits in front setbacks and corner areas. The city limits accessory structure height and rear-setback coverage, and only residents may work in a home business.

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Key points

  • Fence height: Outside the West End District, Azusa limits fences to 42 inches in front setbacks and 6 feet in side, street side and rear setbacks.
  • Accessory structures: Azusa limits accessory structures to one story or 20 feet, whichever is less; detached ones, 35% of the rear setback without alley access.
  • Home business: Azusa home businesses need a business license; only residents may work there, and sale of products on the premises is not allowed.

Each rule below is marked Azusa code or CA state law and links to the section it comes from (checked October 2026). General information, not legal advice.

Fences and walls

Azusa code What Azusa's code adds
Corner visibility
  • No more than 36 inches high.
    Applies: Inside the corner cut-off area of a side street setback, in all zones except the West End District.
    § 88.30.020 · code text
    Side street setback | 36 in. within corner cut-off area; 6 ft elsewhere, except as provided by 88.30.020.B.3.
Front yard height
  • No more than 42 inches high.
    Applies: Front setback, in all zones except the West End District.
    § 88.30.020 · code text
    Front setback | 42 in
Side and rear yard height
  • No more than 6 feet high.
    Applies: Interior side setback, in all zones except the West End District.
    § 88.30.020 · code text
    Interior side setback | 6 ft, except as provided by 88.30.020.B.3.
  • No more than 6 feet high.
    Applies: Side street setback outside the corner cut-off area, in all zones except the West End District.
    § 88.30.020 · code text
    Side street setback | 36 in. within corner cut-off area; 6 ft elsewhere, except as provided by 88.30.020.B.3.
  • No more than 6 feet high.
    Applies: Rear setback, in all zones except the West End District.
    § 88.30.020 · code text
    Rear setback | 6 ft, except as provided by 88.30.020.B.3.
  • No more than 7 feet, 4 inches high.
    Applies: Only with a height modification approved by the director: government sites, where other law requires, or rear and side lines along listed highways.
    § 88.30.020 · code text
    The height of the fence, wall, or hedge shall not exceed seven feet, four inches.
Permit
  • A minor use permit is needed for a retaining wall plus fence over 6 feet. Never over 9 feet combined.
    Applies: Where the ground level on the two sides differs within 6 feet of the fence base, such as a fence on a retaining wall.
    § 88.30.020 · code text
    The combined height of the retaining wall and fence may exceed six feet with minor use permit approval, but in no case shall the combined height exceed nine feet.

Sheds, garages and other accessory structures

Azusa code What Azusa's code adds
Maximum height
  • No more than 1 story or 20 feet, whichever is less.
    Applies: Accessory structures.
    § 88.42.020 · code text
    An accessory structure shall be not exceed a height of one story or 20 feet, whichever is less.
Size or lot coverage
  • No more than 35% of the required rear setback area.
    Applies: Detached accessory structures on lots without rear alley access.
    § 88.42.020 · code text
    A detached accessory structure shall not cover more than 35 percent of a required rear setback area and shall be set back a minimum of three feet from the rear lot line.
  • No more than 80% of the rear setback area.
    Applies: Lots with rear alley access: a detached garage with vehicle access to the alley only.
    § 88.42.020 · code text
    For lots with rear alley access, a detached garage which provides vehicular access to the alley only shall not cover more than 80 percent of the rear setback area and shall be set back a minimum of three feet from the rear lot line.
Side and rear setback
  • At least 3 feet from the rear lot line.
    Applies: Detached accessory structures on lots without rear alley access.
    § 88.42.020 · code text
    A detached accessory structure shall not cover more than 35 percent of a required rear setback area and shall be set back a minimum of three feet from the rear lot line.
  • At least 3 feet from the rear lot line.
    Applies: Lots with rear alley access: a detached garage with vehicle access to the alley only.
    § 88.42.020 · code text
    For lots with rear alley access, a detached garage which provides vehicular access to the alley only shall not cover more than 80 percent of the rear setback area and shall be set back a minimum of three feet from the rear lot line.
  • 3 feet from the side property line.
    Applies: Interior side yards, only when the structure is at least 75 feet from the front lot line.
    § 88.42.020 · code text
    In interior side yards, detached accessory structures may be set back three feet from the side property line, if the structure is set back a minimum distance of 75 feet from the front lot line.
  • A side setback of 5 feet.
    Applies: Interior side yards, when the structure is less than 75 feet from the front lot line.
    § 88.42.020 · code text
    If the structure is set back less than 75 feet from the front lot line, the structure shall be set back five feet from the side yard set back.
Distance from the house
  • At least 10 feet from any other structure on the site.
    Applies: Each accessory structure, unless it is an existing garage connected to the main house by a breezeway.
    § 88.42.020 · code text
    Each accessory structure shall be set back from any other structure on the site by a minimum of ten feet unless the accessory structure is an existing garage connected to the main house by a breezeway.

Running a business from home

Azusa code What Azusa's code adds
Space used
  • Only the kitchen plus 1 additional room.
    Applies: Cottage food businesses, inside the residence, including storage areas.
    § 88.42.105 · code text
    The cottage food home occupation use shall utilize only the kitchen and one additional room inside the residence (including storage areas), which have been permitted and inspected by the County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health.
Customer visits
  • No more than 1 customer at the site at any given time.
    Applies: Cottage food businesses.
    § 88.42.105 · code text
    No more than one customer may be allowed at the site at any given time.
  • Visitors, customers or deliveries may not exceed what is normal and reasonable for a residence.
    § 88.42.100 · code text
    Visitors, customers, or deliveries shall not exceed that normally and reasonably occurring for a residence;
Employees
  • No more than 1 full-time employee.
    Applies: Cottage food businesses only. Family or household members do not count. The operator must be a primary resident.
    § 88.42.105 · code text
    A maximum of one (1) full-time employee, exclusive of family/household members, may be employed by the cottage food home occupation business at the residence.
  • Only residents of the dwelling unit may work in the home business.
    § 88.42.100 · code text
    No person, other than a resident of the dwelling unit, shall be engaged in commercial use or employed in the home occupation;
Permit
  • A business license is required.
    § 88.42.100 · code text
    A business license shall be obtained for the home occupation;
  • Zoning clearance approval and a business license are required.
    Applies: Cottage food businesses.
    § 88.42.105 · code text
    Institute the Zoning Clearance Planning approval process for the approval of all cottage food home occupation businesses in addition to the required business license application.
Businesses not allowed
  • sale of commodities or products on the premises
    § 88.42.100 · code text
    No commodities or products shall be sold on the premises;

Lot splits under SB 9

Azusa code What Azusa's code adds
Standards
  • The lot must be in a single-family residential zone.
    Applies: A zone where the only primary residential use allowed is one dwelling on a lot.
    § 66-491 · code text
    The lot to be split is in a single-family residential zone.
  • The lot must not be on prime farmland, wetlands, uncleared hazardous waste sites, conservation land, protected habitat or conservation easements.
    Applies: Lots in very high fire, earthquake fault or 100-year flood areas qualify only if they meet the stated mitigation or flood rules.
    § 66-491 · code text
    The lot to be split is not located on a site that is any of the following:
  • The lot must not be a historic property or be in a qualifying historic district, landmark or historic site.
    Applies: Applies to historic properties and districts.
    § 66-491 · code text
    The lot to be split must not be a historic property or within a historic district that is included on the state historic resources inventory.
  • The lot must not come from an earlier urban lot split, or adjoin a lot the owner created by one.
    Applies: The adjoining-lot rule also covers a split by a person acting together with the owner.
    § 66-491 · code text
    The lot to be split was not established through a prior urban lot split.
  • The split must not demolish or alter income-restricted, rent-controlled, Ellis Act-withdrawn (15 years) or tenant-occupied (3 years) housing.
    § 66-491 · code text
    The urban lot split must not require or include the demolition or alteration of any of the following types of housing:

RV and boat parking

Azusa code What Azusa's code adds
Parking on the street
  • Not allowed.
    Applies: Applies to detached trailers, travel or camping trailers, boats, boat trailers, semitrailers and pipe or pole dollies on public streets or alleys, at any weight.
    § 74-466 · code text
    Regardless of weight, no person shall park or leave standing any detached trailer, travel trailer, camping trailer, boat, boat trailer, semitrailer or pipe or pole dolly upon any public highway, street or alley.
  • No more than 60 minutes.
    Applies: Applies to oversized vehicles on a public street or alley between 6:00 a.m. and 2:00 a.m.
    § 74-466 · code text
    No person shall park, store or leave standing any oversized vehicle upon any public highway, street or alley for more than sixty (60) minutes between 6:00 a.m. of any day and 2:00 a.m. of the following day or for more than thirty (30) minutes between 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. of any day, unless:
  • No more than 30 minutes.
    Applies: Applies to oversized vehicles on a public street or alley between 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m.
    § 74-466 · code text
    No person shall park, store or leave standing any oversized vehicle upon any public highway, street or alley for more than sixty (60) minutes between 6:00 a.m. of any day and 2:00 a.m. of the following day or for more than thirty (30) minutes between 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. of any day, unless:
  • Up to 72 hours.
    Applies: Applies to a resident's or guest's RV or vehicle with a camping, travel or boat trailer, next to their property, with a temporary overnight permit.
    § 74-466 · code text
    an oversized vehicle that is a recreational vehicle or vehicle with an attached camping, travel or boat trailer that belongs to a resident, or a guest of the household in which such resident resides, may be parked or left standing for seventy-two (72) hours provided the following conditions are met:
Living in an RV
  • Not allowed.
    Applies: Applies to an RV or vehicle with a camping, travel or boat trailer parked under the 72-hour resident or guest street allowance.
    § 74-466 · code text
    The recreational vehicle or vehicle with an attached camping, travel or boat trailer is not be used for overnight camping, lodging, residing in, or any use for accommodation purposes.

Solar panels and EV chargers

Azusa code What Azusa's code adds
EV charger permit
  • The Building Official issues all permits when the application meets the checklist; e-mail, internet or fax filing is allowed.
    Applies: Applies to electric vehicle charging stations.
    § 14-12 · code text
    Consistent with Government Code § 65850.7, the Building Official shall allow for electronic submittal of permit applications and associated supporting documentations covered by this Ordinance.
Solar height and setbacks
  • The array must not exceed the city's maximum legal building height to qualify for the fast rooftop solar permit.
    Applies: Applies to small rooftop solar on a single-family or duplex dwelling.
    § 14-11 · code text
    A solar panel or module array that does not exceed the maximum legal building height as defined by the city.
Solar permit process
  • Approved administratively when the complete application meets the checklist and standard plan; apply in person, by mail or electronically.
    Applies: Applies to rooftop solar up to 10 kilowatts AC or 30 kilowatts thermal on a single-family or duplex home, unless a use permit is warranted.
    § 14-11 · code text
    The applicant may submit the permit application and associated documentation to the city's building division by personal, mailed, or electronic submittal together with any required permit processing and inspection fees.

Other Azusa rules on this

Azusa's code also has these chapters. We have not summarized their values on this page yet; read them in the library.

Who this affects

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Frequently asked questions

How tall can a fence be in Azusa?

Outside the West End District, Azusa limits fences to 42 inches in front setbacks and 6 feet in side, street side and rear setbacks.

How big can a shed or accessory building be in Azusa?

Azusa limits accessory structures to one story or 20 feet, whichever is less; detached ones, 35% of the rear setback without alley access.

Can I run a business from my home in Azusa?

Azusa home businesses need a business license; only residents may work there, and sale of products on the premises is not allowed.

Can I split my lot under SB 9 in Azusa?

Azusa's code: The lot must be in a single-family residential zone. (A zone where the only primary residential use allowed is one dwelling on a lot.) (§ 66-491); The lot must not be on prime farmland, wetlands, uncleared hazardous waste sites, conservation land, protected habitat or conservation easements. (Lots in very high fire, earthquake fault or 100-year flood areas qualify only if they meet the stated mitigation or flood rules.) (§ 66-491).

Can I park an RV or boat at my home in Azusa?

Azusa's code: Not allowed. (Applies to detached trailers, travel or camping trailers, boats, boat trailers, semitrailers and pipe or pole dollies on public streets or alleys, at any weight.) (§ 74-466); No more than 60 minutes. (Applies to oversized vehicles on a public street or alley between 6:00 a.m. and 2:00 a.m.) (§ 74-466).

Do I need a permit for solar panels or an EV charger in Azusa?

Azusa's code: The Building Official issues all permits when the application meets the checklist; e-mail, internet or fax filing is allowed. (Applies to electric vehicle charging stations.) (§ 14-12); The array must not exceed the city's maximum legal building height to qualify for the fast rooftop solar permit. (Applies to small rooftop solar on a single-family or duplex dwelling.) (§ 14-11).

General information, not legal advice.

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