Buellton Zoning, Planning & Building Codes

Last reviewed: July 1, 2026

Overview

Buellton regulates land use through its municipal zoning ordinance, formally the City of Buellton Municipal Code, Title 19 Zoning. The code sets out what can be built where, how tall, how dense, and with what review processes, and ties directly to the General Plan. At a glance: districts are established and uses assigned in Chapter 19.02; citywide development standards live in Chapter 19.04; permits and procedures are in Chapter 19.08; and administration (roles, appeals, amendments) is in Chapter 19.10. Title 19 applies to all new uses, changes of use, and subdivisions; no building permit issues unless zoning requirements are met .

How Buellton’s code is organized

• Title 19 is the city’s operative zoning title and carries out the General Plan by regulating land uses, structures, and development citywide. It applies to all new and changed uses; any needed land use permit must be obtained before the Building Division can issue a building permit .
• Chapters at a glance:
  • Chapter 19.01: Purpose, applicability, conflicts, fees, and how the title interacts with other laws. It confirms that other permits (e.g., building, grading, APCD, CDFW) may also be required and that Title 19 is not retroactive to lawful existing uses (see nonconforming provisions) .
  • Chapter 19.02: Zoning districts, allowable uses, residential/commercial/industrial/special-purpose district standards, overlays, and PRD standards. It also contains overlay-zone rules and references to mixed-use standards and the community design guidelines .
  • Chapter 19.04: General development regulations that apply citywide, including parking, landscaping, setbacks measurement/exceptions, signs, and related performance standards; these supplement every base district .
  • Chapter 19.08: Land use permits and procedures—zoning clearance, minor/conditional use permits, development plans, and specific plan procedures. It also codifies site and design review touchpoints and standard conditions of approval .
  • Chapter 19.10: Administration—roles of the Planning Director (Zoning Administrator), Planning Commission, council, appeals, and how to process rezonings/amendments .

Navigation tips: start with the Buellton Zoning map and district list in Chapter 19.02 to identify your base district and any suffix (e.g., density), then consult Chapter 19.04 for cross-cutting standards like Buellton Development Standards and Buellton Signage. Use Chapter 19.08 to confirm what permit is needed and where Buellton Design Review applies.

Zoning district families

Buellton’s districts are created in § 19.02.010 and grouped into residential, commercial/industrial, special-purpose, plus overlays. Use tables in § 19.02.120 (residential), § 19.02.220 (commercial/industrial), and § 19.02.330 (special-purpose) to find the baseline dimensional standards; mixed-use has its own chapter (19.18) that layers onto the base zone .

• Residential

  • RS (Single-Family Residential). Minimum lot sizes are encoded via suffixes like RS-6 through RS-40; for example, RS-6 requires 6,500 sf minimum lot area and 65 ft width. Typical standards include a 20 ft front setback, sides at 10% of lot width (minimum 5 ft), rear 25 ft, and height 30 ft on lots under 20,000 sf (up to 35 ft above 20,000 sf). No maximum lot coverage is listed in RS in § 19.02.120(A)–(B) .
  • RM (Residential Multifamily). Densities are embedded as suffixes (RM-4, RM-6, RM-8, RM-9, RM-12, RM-14, RM-16) with the figure equal to max units per gross acre; e.g., RM-12 allows 12 du/ac. Typical standards include 10 ft front, 10 ft side and rear 10 ft, 35 ft height, 30% site coverage for dwellings, and 40% open space in § 19.02.120(A),(C) .
  • PRD (Planned Residential Development). A flexible residential district that requires a development plan and sets many standards (like setbacks) through that plan rather than fixed tables; setbacks are “as approved” to protect site resources, with parking per § 19.04.140 and clustering/open space findings required (§ 19.02.130) .
  • MHP (Mobilehome Park). Governed from Chapter 19.06 but referenced in the residential table: 7 units/gross ac (with a limited option to 8 if some single-wides are included), minimum park area 1 acre, per-site coverage 60%, and perimeter/front 20 ft with interior spacing 10 ft. Parking is 2 spaces/site plus RV storage at 1 per 5 sites (§ 19.06.120) .

• Commercial and Industrial (see § 19.02.220)

  • CN (Neighborhood Commercial). Typical standards: 10 ft front setback; 40% max site coverage; 35 ft height; individual tenant spaces capped at 5,000 sf; parking and landscaping per Chapter 19.04 .
  • CR (General Commercial). No minimum front setback is required; rear setbacks scale with lot depth and increase next to residential; site coverage has no maximum in the base table; on Avenue of Flags, heights can be increased up to 45 ft through a development plan due to corridor topography (§ 19.02.220(F)) .
  • CS (Service Commercial). 10 ft front setback; standards integrate with mixed-use where applicable; see Chapter 19.18 for any mixed-use specifics that overlay onto CS (§ 19.02.220) .
  • M (Industrial). 20 ft front setback, 45 ft height max, 50% site coverage max, and specific performance standards for noise, odors, smoke, and vibration (noise cross-references § 8.04.030G) (§ 19.02.220) .

• Special Purpose (see § 19.02.330)

  • REC (Recreation), OS (Open Space), PQP (Public/Quasi-Public). These carry tailored minimum lot areas (e.g., REC: 1 acre), setback buffers next to residential, and cross-reference citywide standards in Chapter 19.04 and 19.06 .

• Mixed-Use (Chapter 19.18)

  • Mixed-use projects must keep the primary use consistent with the base zone and at least 50% of floor area. They also carry district-specific height, setback, coverage, and open space/landscaping standards layered on top of the base zone (§ 19.18.018) .
  • Examples:
    • RM mixed-use: 35 ft height; 10 ft front; 5 ft interior building separation; 50% site coverage; parking area setbacks 15 ft at street and 5 ft elsewhere (§ 19.18.018(B)) .
    • CN mixed-use: 30 ft height; 5 ft front and street side; 10 ft rear; 60% site coverage (§ 19.18.018(C)) .
    • CR mixed-use (outside specific plans): tiered street setbacks by floor and 60% site coverage (§ 19.18.018(D)) .
    • CS mixed-use: 40 ft height; 10 ft front; 60% site coverage (§ 19.18.018(E)) .
    • M mixed-use: 45 ft height; 10 ft front; 60% site coverage (§ 19.18.018(F)) .
  • Required landscaping/open space for mixed-use: 30% site area in RM bases and 15% in other bases, plus 250 sf/unit of residential open space (§ 19.18.022) .

• Overlay districts

  • Overlays apply special rules to mapped areas and suffix onto the base zone (e.g., “RM-H”). Overlays are applied by rezoning, appear on the zoning map, and operate as suffixes; where an adopted specific plan or overlay conflicts with Title 19, the specific plan/overlay controls (§ 19.02.400; § 19.01.050(D)(2)) .
  • Buellton also implements Affordable Housing Overlay Sites (referred to as “AHOZ Sites” in § 19.16), with distinct processing tiers: by-right zoning clearance for qualifying ≤25 du/ac projects in CR or RM; development plan if >25 du/ac; and CUP paths when the base zone is RS, CS, OS, or M. AHOZ projects must comply with the community design guidelines and are processed to avoid making housing infeasible, consistent with Gov. Code § 65913.2 (§ 19.16 AHOZ processing) .

Citywide development standards

These rules apply in addition to your base zone.

• Setbacks, height, coverage, and open space

  • Residential standards center in § 19.02.120 (see RS and RM details above); PRD flexes standards through a development plan (§ 19.02.130(F)(1)) .
  • Commercial/industrial standards are tabled in § 19.02.220, with a special height allowance on Avenue of Flags up to 45 ft in CN/CR through a development plan (§ 19.02.220(F)) .
  • Chapter 19.04 provides measurement rules and exceptions for setbacks (§ 19.04.160, as referenced in multiple district tables) and citywide landscaping requirements (§ 19.04.120) .

• Parking

  • Baseline parking standards and interpretation rules are in § 19.04.140–19.04.142. The code details how to count floor area, fractional spaces, and mixed-use calculations, and allows modifications through a development plan. Mixed-use may reduce parking by 25% within 500 ft of a city lot (with a fee per space) but never below 1 space/unit (§ 19.04.140(F),(G); § 19.04.142; § 19.18.020) .

• Buellton Signage

  • Sign regulations are in Chapter 19.04’s sign sections (e.g., § 19.04.170-series). Off-premises signs are generally prohibited with enumerated exceptions (e.g., one city-controlled freeway identification sign in CR/M, up to 35 ft high and 1,200 sf sign area), and sandwich boards are allowed only on private property with zoning clearance and size/location limits (§ 19.04.174) .

• Buellton Landscaping and Screening

  • Landscaping is required citywide per § 19.04.120 and is supplemented by the mixed-use open space/landscape ratios noted above (§ 19.18.022) .

• Buellton Nonconforming Uses

  • Lawful existing uses may continue subject to Chapter 19.10.200 et seq.; the title is not retroactive to lawful existing uses, but expansions/alterations trigger current standards (§ 19.01.020(D)) .

Specific plans & overlays

• Specific plans are initiated by the City or applicants, must include Government Code § 65451 elements, and may be adopted by ordinance or resolution. If adopted by ordinance, a specific plan’s use and development standards supersede corresponding zoning standards. All subsequent zoning actions and subdivisions within the area must be consistent with the specific plan (§ 19.08.140) .
• Overlays are mapped as suffixes to the base district (e.g., RM-H), applied by rezoning, and shown on the zoning map (§ 19.02.400) .
• AHOZ Sites and Avenue of Flags/Highway 246: AHOZ Sites along these corridors have special density-calculation rules and must follow General Plan L‑23 development standards unless the Council approves exceptions (§ 19.16 AHOZ) .

See Buellton Overlay Districts for the overlay framework and Buellton Land Use for permit pathways on AHOZ or specific-plan sites.

Building permits & review

• Zoning must be satisfied before Building issues permits, and all other applicable permits (e.g., building, grading) still apply. Title 19 explicitly states that nothing waives other required approvals; the Planning Director administers CEQA review and zoning compliance (§ 19.01.020; § 19.10.020) .
• Core land use permits:
  • Zoning clearance for by-right uses that meet all standards; includes findings, expiration, and revocation provisions (§ 19.08.100) .
  • Minor/Conditional Use Permits (MUP/CUP) for uses needing discretion; Zoning Administrator hears MUPs; Planning Commission hears CUPs; coordinated processing with other entitlements is provided (§ 19.08.110) .
  • Development Plan for larger or more complex “by-right” projects in certain districts or as specified in Chapter 19.02; includes preliminary/final plans, environmental review, and jurisdiction thresholds (§ 19.08.120) .
• Buellton Design Review
  • “Every proposal” is reviewed for conformance with the community design guidelines in multiple district sections, and the code establishes preliminary site/architectural review within 30 days of submittal. Projects over 25 ft in height must erect story poles; the Commission may also require them for shorter projects (§ 19.08.110(G)) .
• Administration, appeals, and amendments:
  • The Planning Director serves as Zoning Administrator with jurisdiction over variances and certain permits; matters can be referred to the Commission; decisions are appealable under § 19.10.130. Rezonings/text amendments follow § 19.10.110, and fees are set by Council resolution (§ 19.10.030; § 19.10.110; § 19.01.060) .

When you pull your building permit, the work must also meet the California Building Standards Code; Title 19 acknowledges that separate building, plumbing, mechanical and other permits still apply (§ 19.01.020(F)) .

State housing law in Buellton

State law constrains how local codes regulate housing; Buellton’s Title 19 includes specific deference to these rules in places (e.g., AHOZ processing that bars discretionary use to render housing infeasible, consistent with Gov. Code § 65913.2) .

• ADUs and California ADU law
  • Local standards. Buellton’s ADU/JADU provisions include objective design standards (matching materials/roof slope for detached ADUs over 800 sf), native tree protection cross-references, a hard cap of 1 parking space per unit or bedroom (with multiple state-mandated exemptions), and a no-replacement-parking rule when converting/removing covered parking for an ADU (§ ADU standards; Chapter 12.32 ref; Gov. Code cross-references) .
  • State floor. State law guarantees at least an 800 sf ADU with 4‑ft side/rear setbacks and compels approval/denial within 60 days for lots with an existing home; it also sets baseline ADU heights (16–18 ft for detached; up to 25 ft for attached) and specifies parking exemptions and denial standards (Gov. Code §§ 66317, 66320, 66321, 66322, 66323, 66335) .
• SB 9 (urban lot splits/duplexes) and Density Bonus
  • Not found in retrieved Title 19 excerpts. Verify with the jurisdiction; in general, state SB 9 and the state Density Bonus Law govern where local code is silent. See California housing laws.
• Rent stabilization
  • Not found in retrieved materials. Verify with the jurisdiction; state AB 1482 may apply depending on building type and age (see California housing laws).

Source References

• Title 19—Purpose, applicability, and building-permit linkage; prior ordinances; nonconforming reference: § 19.01.010–.020; .060; .080; and § 19.10.200 et seq reference .
• Administration and amendments: § 19.10.010–.040; § 19.10.100–.110; appeals § 19.10.130 .
• Zoning districts and standards: Residential § 19.02.120; PRD § 19.02.130; Commercial/Industrial § 19.02.220; Special Purpose § 19.02.330; Overlays § 19.02.400 .
• Mixed-use standards and parking modifications: Chapter 19.18, incl. §§ 19.18.018, 19.18.020, 19.18.022 .
• Citywide development regulations: § 19.04.010; parking § 19.04.140–.142; signage § 19.04.170-series .
• Permits and design review (zoning clearance, MUP/CUP, development plans, preliminary site/design review, story poles): § 19.08.100–.120; .150; .160; .110(G) .
• Specific plans—process, contents, effect: § 19.08.140 .
• AHOZ processing and Avenue of Flags/Highway 246 parameters: § 19.16 (AHOZ sections) .
• Local ADU standards and state ADU statutes (timelines, minimums): Buellton ADU standards; 2025 California ADU handbook .