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Morgan Hill · Building on your lot

Building on a hillside in Morgan Hill

Morgan Hill's own rules on building on a hillside, with the code text for every value.

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Each rule below links to the section of the Morgan Hill Municipal Code it was read from, with the code text one click away (checked October 2026). General information, not legal advice.

What Morgan Hill's code says

Morgan Hill code What Morgan Hill's code adds
Soils or geology report
  • Development must follow the engineering geologic or geotechnical report required under the geologic hazards rules.
    Applies: Hillside (H) combining district. A legal lot with no area under 20% slope may have 1 dwelling unit.
    § 18.30.040 · code text
    Development when allowed by this section shall conform with the recommendations in the engineering geologic or geotechnical report prepared by a qualified engineer geologist as required by the provisions of Chapter 18.70 (Geologic Hazards) and any other conditions of approval or mitigation measures adopted for the proposed project.
Grading and retaining walls
  • Areas sloping over 20% may not be graded, cleared of natural vegetation or otherwise altered for development.
    Applies: Hillside (H) combining district. The planning commission may allow exceptions such as fire trails or hazard abatement.
    § 18.30.040 · code text
    Areas on a lot with a slope exceeding twenty percent may not be altered by grading, altering natural features, removing natural vegetation, or by any activity related to the preparation of the lot for development.
  • Cut-and-fill slopes may be no steeper than 2 horizontal to 1 vertical (2:1).
    Applies: Hillside (H) combining district, unless a retaining wall or cribbing approved by the building official stabilizes the slope.
    § 18.30.040 · code text
    Cut-and-fill slopes shall not be steeper than two horizontal to one vertical (2:1) unless stabilized by a retaining wall or cribbing, as approved by the building official.
When hillside rules apply
  • Hillside rules apply where the average slope is 10% or more.
    Applies: Hillside (H) combining district: no buildings or driveways on slopes over 20%, larger minimum lots and open-space shares.
    § 18.30.040 · code text
    The H combining district applies to all areas within the city having an average slope of ten percent or greater.

Who this affects

HomeownersContractorsDesigners

Frequently asked questions

What extra rules apply to a hillside lot in Morgan Hill?

Morgan Hill's code: Hillside rules apply where the average slope is 10% or more. (Hillside (H) combining district: no buildings or driveways on slopes over 20%, larger minimum lots and open-space shares.) (§ 18.30.040); Areas sloping over 20% may not be graded, cleared of natural vegetation or otherwise altered for development. (Hillside (H) combining district. The planning commission may allow exceptions such as fire trails or hazard abatement.) (§ 18.30.040).

General information, not legal advice.

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Morgan Hill Municipal Code — full text