Redondo Beach Zoning, Planning & Building Codes

Last reviewed: July 3, 2026

Overview

Redondo Beach’s zoning and planning rules are codified in the City’s Municipal Code zoning chapters (organized under title/chapters numbered with the 10‑prefix) and organize land use by base zones, overlay zones, and citywide articles for standards and procedures. The zoning ordinance is divided into a set of Articles that hold the land‑use tables, development standards (height, setbacks, FAR, lot coverage), parking rules, and permit procedures; the ordinance also contains overlays and special-area rules (for Riviera Village, Historic, Affordable Housing, etc.). For practical navigation, base zone development standards live in the zone writeups while citywide rules (parking, signs, landscaping, density bonuses, procedures) are in the Articles called out in the organization article. See § 10-5.200 for the organization of the zoning regulations .

How Redondo Beach's code is organized

• The zoning text is organized into twelve Articles (Article 1 General Provisions through Article 12 Procedures), with the zoning map and Coastal Zone variants referenced in later Articles; the organization and the role of Articles (land use tables, development standards, parking, procedures, coastal permits, density bonuses, etc.) are described at § 10-5.200 .
• Land‑use (what is allowed in each zone) and the zone list are in the Article that enumerates zoning districts; the City divides the jurisdiction into base zones (residential, commercial, mixed‑use, industrial, public) and Overlay zones — see § 10-2.300 and the Coastal Zone parallel list § 10-5.300 for the citywide & coastal zone enumerations .
• Procedural rules (how permits are processed, public notice, appeals, Planning Commission and Harbor Commission reviews, Administrative Review, Modifications, Variances, and zoning amendments) are located in Article 12; coastal permit procedures are in Article 10 — see § 10-5.200 .

(First time in this page: the word zoning links to the Redondo Beach Zoning page.) [/us/california/redondo-beach/zoning]

Zoning district families

Redondo Beach groups zones into familiar families; below are the City’s actual district names (bolded) and the code locations where they are listed:

• Residential zones: R-1, R-1A, R-2, R-3, R-3A, RMD, RH-1, RH-2, RH-3, and R-MHP (mobile home park). These are enumerated in § 10-2.300 and § 10-5.300 .
• Commercial zones: C-1, C-2 (and variants C-2A/B/PD), C-3 (and C-3A/B/PD), C-4, C-5, and CC-1..CC-5 (coastal commercial). See § 10-2.300 and the zone‑specific development standards (examples below) .
• Mixed‑use zones: MU-1, MU-2, MU-3 (and variants). Mixed‑use standards and minimum commercial/residential mix rules appear in the MU zone writeups such as § 10-5.914 for MU-2 .
• Industrial and industrial‑commercial: I‑1 / I‑2 / IC‑1 and variants (see § 10‑2.300 and zone writeups) .
• Public & institutional zones: P‑CIV, P‑RVP, P‑CF, P‑PRO, P‑ROW, P‑SF, P‑GP — each has its own development standards sections (example § 10-5.1112 for P‑CIV) .
• Overlay districts are explicitly named in the code (for example (H) Historic, (PLD) Planned Development, (MU) Mixed‑Use Overlay, (RIV) Riviera Village, (AHO) Affordable Housing Overlay, (IF) Industrial Flex); the overlay list and relationships are in § 10-2.300 and in each overlay division (e.g., § 10-2.1310 for Riviera Village) .

Overlay districts modify or layer on top of the underlying base zone and typically leave the underlying zone in force while adding overlay standards and special findings (for example the (RIV) Riviera Village overlay retains the base zone but adds village‑character findings at § 10-2.1310 and § 10-2.1320) . (First time in this page: the phrase overlay districts links to the Redondo Beach Overlay Districts page.) [/us/california/redondo-beach/overlay-districts]

Citywide development standards

The Code splits where specific zone limits are written (in each zone’s writeup) and where standards that apply across zones are collected (Articles 3–9). See § 10-5.200 for that division of responsibilities .

Key citywide / recurring controls (where to look and representative citations):

• Development standards (height, bulk, FAR, setbacks, stories, density rules) are set in zone sections and in cross‑cutting Articles 3–9; the zoning organization explains this at § 10-5.200 . Examples:
  • FAR and mixed‑use FAR caps: MU-2 mixed‑use projects cap total FAR at 1.5 (commercial-only max 0.7) in § 10-5.914 .
  • C-3 commercial zones generally limit FAR to 0.7 and heights to 30 ft / 2 stories in § 10-5.632/ § 10-5.633 .
  • CC‑5 coastal commercial has higher FAR allowances (up to 2.25 in parts) and area‑specific height limits; see § 10-5.816 for area distinctions .
  • RH‑3 (high density) sets unit/acre and height ceilings and explicitly references density bonus allowances for additional height under Article 9; see § 10-5.519 .
• Setbacks and lot‑specific measurements: each zone’s development standards state front/side/rear setback rules (examples include § 10‑5.632 for C‑3, § 10‑5.1112 for P‑CIV) .
• Parking is governed by Article 5; individual zone writeups call out “See Article 5” and reference the parking rules for numeric standards and replacement rules (see § 10-5.200 and multiple zone sections) . (First time in this page: the word parking links to the Redondo Beach Parking page.) [/us/california/redondo-beach/parking]
• Design controls and discretionary findings: Planning Commission Design Review requires written findings about compatibility, “village” character elements, facade modulation and other design features; see the required findings at § 10-5.1320 . (First time in this page: the term design review links to the Redondo Beach Design Review page.) [/us/california/redondo-beach/design-review]

Specific plans & overlays that matter on the ground

• Riviera Village overlay ((RIV)) — adds village‑character design findings and keeps the underlying zone standards; see § 10-2.1310 and the overlay development standards § 10-2.1320 .
• Historic overlay ((H)) — intended to preserve historic structures and to allow alternative uses under preservation rules; see § 10‑5.1400 and related historic overlay provisions § 10‑5.1410‑§ 10‑5.1415 .
• Affordable Housing Overlay ((AHO)) — a recently codified overlay that establishes minimum density, tiers of qualifying projects, and optional AHO standards applicants may elect to use; see § 10‑2.1430‑§ 10‑2.1444 and the AHO applicability and tiers at § 10‑2.1432 .
• Planned Development Overlay (PLD), Mixed‑Use Overlay (MU) and Industrial Flex (IF) are also in the code and operate by layering additional standards or incentives on the base zone — see the overlay list in § 10-2.300 and the specific overlay divisions referenced in the table of contents .

(First time in this page: the phrase development standards links to the Redondo Beach Development Standards page.) [/us/california/redondo-beach/development-standards]

Building permits & review — the typical permit path

• Where to start: determine the base zone and any overlay from the zoning map (the code points to the map location and zoning map in Article 13 and the zoning lists in § 10‑5.200 and § 10‑5.201) .
• Permit types and procedures are collected in Article 12 (procedures). The Code distinguishes ministerial from discretionary approvals; discretionary approvals (Conditional Use Permits, Variances, Planning Commission Design Review) require findings and public hearings; procedural rules and criteria are in Article 12 (see § 10-5.200) .
• Ministerial approvals: some state‑required projects or statutorily ministerial items (for example, a two‑unit project processed under state law) are approved ministerially by the Community Development Director — see ministerial two‑unit approval rules § 10‑2.505(d) .
• Discretionary review examples:
  • Projects requiring Planning Commission or City Council review must meet design findings (see § 10‑5.1320) .
  • Zoning tables use the letter C to indicate a use allowed subject to a Conditional Use Permit; the land‑use tables and the cited Conditional Use Permit cross‑reference are found in zone tables and § 10‑5.1110 (see the “P / C” explanation in that section) .
• Coastal developments have a separate Coastal Development Permit track in Article 10 and the Coastal Zoning chapters (see § 10‑2.2200 and coastal applicability § 10‑2.2202) .
• Other items developers must expect: parking (Article 5), landscaping (Article 7), sign rules (Article 6), nonconforming use rules (Article 8), and density bonus rules (Article 9) — each is called out in the zone writeups with “See Article X” language (see § 10‑5.200 and multiple zone sections) .

(First time in this page: the term California Building Standards Code links to the California Building Standards Code page.) [/us/california/building-codes]

State housing law in Redondo Beach — how statewide rules are reflected locally

Summary: Redondo Beach’s code implements state housing laws by creating local procedures and objective standards for ADUs, ministerial two‑unit projects (SB 9 / urban lot split style two‑unit rules), density bonuses, and occupant protections; the Municipal Code cross‑references state law where applicable and records local requirements (deed restrictions, owner‑occupancy, parking exceptions, replacement requirements).

• ADUs and JADUs
  • Redondo Beach codified accessory dwelling unit and junior accessory dwelling unit standards consistent with state law and includes specific local implementation details (limits, placement, owner‑occupancy/deed restriction for JADUs, parking replacement if a garage is converted). See the ADU/JADU rules at § 10‑5.1506 (Accessory dwelling units, junior accessory dwelling units) for the local standards and owner‑occupancy/deed restriction language . (First time in this page: the word ADUs links to the Redondo Beach ADUs page.) [/us/california/redondo-beach/adu] .
• SB 9 / Two‑unit projects and ministerial two‑unit approvals
  • The City created a two‑unit project procedure to implement Government Code Section 65852.21 (SB 9‑style provisions). The code defines a “two‑unit project,” sets applicant eligibility and objective standards (lot eligibility, flood/fire/hazard exclusions, historic exclusions), unit size caps (e.g., 800 sq ft for a second unit in some rules), height and setback rules, parking exceptions, and ministerial processing timeframes and recording requirements. See § 10‑2.505 for the full local two‑unit project rules and ministerial approval by the Community Development Director (including specific parking and setback rules and the requirement that the City record required documents before approval takes effect) .
• Density bonus
  • The City’s density bonus rules are collected in Article 9 (density bonuses) and zone sections cross‑reference density bonus allowances (for example § 10‑5.519 for RH‑3 cites the ability to grant up to a higher height when a density bonus is used) — see § 10‑5.200 (organization, Article 9) and § 10‑5.519 for the local interaction with density bonus measures .
• Tenant/occupant protections and replacement requirements
  • The Code includes demolition/replacement and occupant protection rules that affect housing projects that remove units (replacement obligations, timing, and limits) at § 10‑2.2604 and related provisions; these are local protections a developer must satisfy before entitlements or building permits are issued for projects that demolish units .
• Building code compliance
  • Projects (including those under two‑unit rules) must comply with the City’s current building and fire codes; the two‑unit provision explicitly states that structures must conform to applicable Building and Fire Codes and that the project is a change of use subjecting the lot to current building code requirements (§ 10‑2.505(l)) . (First time in this page: the phrase California ADU law links to the California ADU law page and the term California Building Standards Code was linked above.) [/us/california/california-adu-laws] [/us/california/building-codes]

Information Gaps and “watch here” items

• The uploaded ordinance excerpts show extensive zone‑by‑zone standards and the Articles that hold cross‑cutting rules; however, some administrative specifics (fees, submittal checklists, precise numeric parking tables in Article 5, and the full text of Article 12 procedures including exact timelines and noticing rules) were not included in full in the retrieved excerpts. Where I summarize “see Article X,” check the full Article text or the City’s permitting handouts for numeric tables and submittal checklists (verify with the Planning Department).
• The code includes tenant‑protection and replacement rules (e.g., § 10‑2.2604) but the extent of local rent‑control (if any) could not be found in the zoning chapters supplied; no explicit municipal rent‑control ordinance text appeared in the retrieved zoning excerpts — verify with the City Attorney or City Council resolutions if you need confirmation of rent stabilization policies .

Source References

• Redondo Beach Municipal Code — Zoning organization and Articles (Article list, organization): § 10-5.200 (downloaded from https://ecode360.com/RE4995).
• Zoning district list and zone designations (citywide): § 10-2.300 and Coastal zone list § 10-5.300 .
• Design review findings (Planning Commission): § 10-5.1320 .
• MU‑2 mixed‑use development standards (FAR, height): § 10-5.914 .
• C‑3 commercial development standards (FAR, setbacks, height): § 10-5.632 / § 10-5.633 .
• Coastal commercial (CC‑5) area FAR and heights: § 10-5.816 .
• P‑CIV Civic Center development standards (setbacks, height): § 10-5.1112 .
• Riviera Village overlay relationship and standards: § 10-2.1310 / § 10-2.1320 .
• Historic overlay zone purpose and relationship: § 10-5.1400 / § 10-5.1410 .
• Affordable Housing Overlay (AHO) purpose, applicability, site standards: § 10-2.1430‑§ 10-2.1444, applicability § 10-2.1432 .
• Two‑unit projects / SB9‑style ministerial rules (eligibility, setbacks, parking, ministerial approval): § 10-2.505 (including ministerial approval § 10-2.505(d) and technical standards § 10-2.505(g‑l)) .
• ADU and JADU rules (owner occupancy, deed restriction, parking replacement): § 10-5.1506 .
• Demolition replacement and occupant protections for housing projects: § 10-2.2604 .