Highland Zoning, Planning & Building Codes

Last reviewed: July 3, 2026

Overview

Highland’s land-use rules are codified in Title 16 (Land Use and Development) of the Highland Municipal Code; the code sets district maps, citywide development standards, and the process for discretionary and ministerial approvals (see § 16.04.010, § 16.08.020) . The city uses a conventional district + overlay structure (residential tiers, commercial, industrial, special districts, and specific plans) and centralizes cross‑cutting rules (setbacks, parking, landscaping) in the General Development Standards chapter (Chapter 16.40) so you can find standards that apply citywide in one place (§ 16.40.010; see Highland Development Standards) . The community development director leads application intake and ministerial approvals while the planning commission handles discretionary design and variance decisions (§ 16.04.140, § 16.04.100) .

How Highland's code is organized

• Title: the local zoning and planning rules live in Title 16: Land Use and Development (the “zoning code”); the code begins with administration and purpose in § 16.04.010–.030 .
• Administration & decisionmakers: the community development director is the central permit manager and interpreter of the code (§ 16.04.140) and the planning commission is the primary discretionary review body and design reviewer (§ 16.04.100) .
• Process chapters: permits, development review and appeal paths are in Chapter 16.08 (see permit types and the development review table in § 16.08.020) .
• Citywide standards: rules that apply across zones—setbacks, accessory structures, lot design, landscaping, and related controls—are collected in Chapter 16.40 (General Development Standards) and companion chapters such as the parking chapter (Chapter 16.52) .
• Maps & official district adoption: the official zoning map and rules for interpreting district boundaries are adopted in § 16.04.090 (official map date and map custody) .

Zoning district families

Highland separates districts into standard residential tiers plus commercial, industrial, planned and special districts. Key residential district definitions and densities are collected at § 16.16.020; quote and highlights below are paraphrased and cited to that section:

• A/EQ (Agricultural Equestrian) — rural, large‑lot single family; maximum 2 DUs/acre (§ 16.16.020.A) .
• R‑1 (Single‑Family) — detached single‑family (and mobilehome) neighborhoods; maximum 6 DUs/acre and discrete minimum parcel sizes in parts of the city (e.g., 7,200 / 10,000 / 15,000 / 20,000 sq ft where mapped) (§ 16.16.020.B) .
• R‑2 / R‑2C (Two‑Family / Corridor Residential) — small‑lot single family, attached and multifamily options; R‑2 up to 12 DUs/acre, R‑2C corridor district up to 9 DUs/acre with corridor‑specific flexibility and streetscape/landscaping expectations (see § 16.16.020, § 16.16.040 for R‑2C variation rules) .
• R‑3 / R‑4 (Multifamily) — R‑3 up to 18 DUs/acre; R‑4 is higher density (minimum 20, up to 30 DUs/acre) and is the baseline for the city’s higher‑density overlays (§ 16.16.020.E–F) .
• HDS (Residential High Density Special Overlay) — an overlay to encourage concentrated multifamily in targeted areas; allows by‑right higher density (generally 20–30 units/acre) consistent with the R‑4 standards and subject to the overlay rules (§ 16.16.020.G) .
• Special districts: Village Residential (VR), East Highland Village (EHV), Planned Development (PD) and Civic Center rules are separate subsections that add specific design expectations and minimum parcel rules (see § 16.16.020, § 16.12.010 for PD) .

(These district names and density rules are the city’s actual labels and figures; consult § 16.16.020 for the full adopted text) .

Citywide development standards (high level)

Highland keeps cross‑cutting technical standards in Chapter 16.40 so you can find setbacks, accessory‑structure rules, lot and grading standards and similar rules in one place: see § 16.40.010–.030 for purpose and applicability and accessory structure rules (§ 16.40.010, § 16.40.020, § 16.40.030) .

Practical highlights (read the cited code text for details):

• Setbacks & lot design: Chapter 16.40 provides that district‑level setbacks apply citywide and accessory structures generally follow the same zone standards; limited adjustments and staff review paths exist for certain features (§ 16.40.020–.030) . Specific residential setback flexibilities (e.g., reduced front setback averages in subdivisions and staff review triggers for two‑story additions) and project landscaping percentages for R‑2/R‑2C are in the residential standards (§ 16.16.040) .
• Height & lot coverage: height limits and coverage are set at the district level and applied together with Chapter 16.40 standards; accessory dwellings must meet the applicable district height or the state ADU height rules where the state provides a different cap (see ADU chapter § 16.44.180 for how state ADU height rules are applied locally) .
• Landscaping & open space: multi‑unit residential projects must meet site landscaping minimums (for example, 35% landscaped area standards for some R‑2/R‑2C developments are in the residential standards) (§ 16.16.040) .
• Parking: base off‑street parking schedules and calculation rules are in the parking chapter; the code authorizes parking studies and variance routes to change space counts where justified (§ 16.52.030–.050, cross‑referenced from Chapter 16.40) — see the city's parking rules for detailed rates and exceptions and the Highland Parking page for orientation (Highland Parking) .

First mention: the citywide development standards and the city's parking pages are good quick entry points.

Design, discretionary review, variances

• Design review and discretionary authority rest with the planning commission (any reference to a prior “design review board” now maps to the planning commission) (§ 16.04.100, note that the design review board was repealed § 16.04.130) . See the city’s design review page for process orientation.
• Variances: Highland distinguishes minor (community development director) and major (planning commission) variances; minor variances may modify limited development standards (e.g., up to 40% of a front or side yard setback or up to 30% of parking requirements subject to limits), and the code lists required findings and conditions in § 16.08.070 . (See Highland Variances and Exceptions.)

Specific plans & overlays

• Specific plans: Highland adopts specific plans and requires that subsequent approvals within a specific plan be consistent with it (§ 16.60.070) . The code contains a chapter of specific‑plan rules and requires that local actions (maps, permits, zoning changes) conform to an adopted specific plan in the plan area (§ 16.60.070) .
• Overlays & special districts: the city establishes special districts such as the HDS (High Density Special overlay) and area‑specific districts (e.g., EHV, VR); the overlay text is in the residential chapter and refers back to the R‑4 standard where applicable (§ 16.16.020.G) . The city also uses the Planned Development (PD) district for site‑specific flexibility (§ 16.12.010) . See Highland Overlay Districts for where overlays live in the code.

Building permits & review — the practical path

• Intake and ministerial reviews: the community development director processes and certifies completeness for applications and may issue ministerial permits or administrative approvals as authorized in Chapter 16.08 (§ 16.04.140, § 16.08.020) .
• Discretionary reviews: projects that require design review, conditional use permits, major variances, or zone changes follow public hearing tracks and are routed to planning commission and/or city council per Chapter 16.08 (§ 16.08.020) .
• Technical checks: building permits must comply with the California Building Standards Code (Title 24) as amended locally; the zoning code explicitly ties land‑use approvals and building permits together where state codes apply (see ADU rules and general permit chapters for cross‑references) — consult the city’s ADU chapter and the California Building Standards Code (California Building Standards Code) .
• Project review committee: larger projects go through the project review committee (city technical staff: planning, engineering, building, fire) before discretionary hearings (§ 16.04.120) .

State housing law in Highland

State law strongly shapes local practice; Highland’s code incorporates state ADU and density‑bonus policies and cites the relevant state code where appropriate.

• ADUs / JADUs: Highland has a dedicated ADU provision that implements ministerial approval paths and building‑permit‑only paths, and it cross‑references the relevant state Government Code provisions (including § 66321, § 66323, § 66333). The ADU chapter (ministerial ADU review is shown as Table 16.44.180 and the ADU standards and ministerial/building‑permit procedures are in § 16.44.180) contains the local rules on size, height, setbacks (4 ft side/rear in many cases), parking exceptions, and that ADUs must comply with the California Building Standards Code; see § 16.44.180 for the detailed local standards and ministerial pathways . The code also follows state limits such as treating ADUs as accessory uses that do not count against density (§ 16.44.180(D)(3)) . See the city’s ADU page for practical steps.
• Density bonus: Highland implements the state density‑bonus law and requires a density bonus application when a project requests state‑authorized bonuses, incentives or waivers; the procedures and findings appear in § 16.40.090 (cross‑reference to Government Code § 65915) .
• SB 9 / lot splits / urban‑infill state reforms: explicit SB 9 (ministerial two‑unit split/lot‑split) language is not apparent in the retrieved portions of the code. The city does have processes for zoning amendments, pre‑zoning and map interpretation in Chapter 16.04 and 16.08, but I did not find a clear, dedicated local SB 9 implementation section in the retrieved materials — verify with the city for an SB 9 administrative checklist or recent ordinance (Not found in retrieved materials).
• Rent control & tenant protections: the code excerpts provided do not show a local rent‑control ordinance; Highland’s municipal code includes tenant‑ and rental‑related programs in other chapters (for example, the planning commission hears appeals under the residential rental enhancement program referenced in § 16.04.100), but a citywide rent‑control law was not found in the retrieved Title 16 materials (Not found in retrieved materials) .

Where to look for the rules you need (practical navigation)

• To find district rules and permitted uses: open Chapter 16.16 (Residential districts) and the corresponding commercial/industrial chapters; see the district list starting at § 16.16.020 for residential definitions and densities .
• For citywide technical rules (setbacks, accessory structures, lot standards): start at Chapter 16.40 (§ 16.40.010–.030) and then check the district chapter for zone‑specific tables and notes . Link: Highland Development Standards.
• For parking rates, exceptions and appeals: review Chapter 16.52 (parking schedules, calculation rules and the parking‑study/variance routes) and the Highland parking orientation (Highland Parking) .
• For ADUs and ministerial ADU paths: see § 16.44.180 (ADU rules, ministerial review table, building‑permit exceptions) and the Highland ADU page (Highland ADUs) .
• For process maps (who does what): read § 16.04.140 (community development director duties), § 16.08.020 (development review processes) and § 16.04.100 (planning commission) to see which decisions are ministerial vs discretionary .

Information Gaps / Items to Verify with the City

• Local implementation language for SB 9 (ministerial lot splits / duplex approvals) was not found in the retrieved files — contact planning staff or check recent ordinances for a dedicated SB 9 implementation section (Not found in retrieved materials).
• Current adopted parking schedule numbers and the most recent zoning map are maintained by the city clerk and the community development department; always confirm the map and numeric parking table in Chapter 16.52 for project‑specific counts (§ 16.52.030–.040) .

Source References

• Highland Municipal Code, Title 16 (Land Use and Development) — see administration and purpose § 16.04.010 and zoning map § 16.04.090 .
• Residential district definitions and densities: § 16.16.020 (A/EQ, R‑1, R‑2, R‑2C, R‑3, R‑4, HDS, VR, EHV) .
• Citywide standards and accessory structure rules: Chapter 16.40 (General Development Standards), § 16.40.010–.030 . See also residential‑project rules in § 16.16.040 for landscaping/setback specifics .
• ADU regulations, ministerial/building‑permit pathways, size/height/setback/parking rules: ADU chapter and Table 16.44.180 / § 16.44.180 (local ADU standards; cross‑references to Gov. Code §§ 66321, 66323, 66333) .
• Development review and permits, and variance processes: § 16.08.020 (development review), § 16.08.070 (variances) .
• Specific plans and consistency: § 16.60.070 (consistency of subsequent projects within a specific plan) .
• Parking schedules and calculation rules: Chapter 16.52 references and calculation rules (see § 16.52.030–.050) .