Rolling Hills — Zoning

Last reviewed: July 2, 2026

Overview

This page summarizes what the City of Rolling Hills' Zoning Ordinance (Title 17) actually says about zoning districts, the zoning map, and the locally‑specific overlays that govern use and dimensional standards in the city. It is strictly an ordinance synthesis — not building code, permitting procedure, or housing-law guidance. Primary ordinance citations are included for every substantive point so you can verify language and findings. See the Source References at the end for the exact code locations cited below.

What the ordinance establishes (baseline)

• The city's zoning law is codified as Title 17 — ZONING and is introduced in § 17.04.010 (short title) and purpose language in § 17.04.020 .
• The city explicitly establishes zone districts and adopts a Zoning Map incorporated by reference: § 17.08.010 (zones established) and § 17.08.020 (map adopted) .
• Rules for resolving uncertain boundaries and changing boundaries are in § 17.08.040 and § 17.08.030 respectively; the Planning Commission is the interpreter where ambiguity remains (§ 17.08.040) .
• Basic requirement: no building or land use may occur except as allowed by Title 17 (§ 17.08.050) .

(For links to related local guidance, see the city overview for Rolling Hills zoning & planning and these topic pages: the first mention of the city's planning program is at the Rolling Hills zoning & planning overview. For rules that tie to design and site requirements consult the city's development standards, parking, and design review pages. When overlay rules appear I link to the overlay districts resource. Small‑house and accessory rules connect to the ADUs page. Technical construction requirements fall under the California Building Standards Code.)

District-by-district breakdown

Below are the actual Rolling Hills zone district names and the ordinance sections that control them. Each subsection gives the ordinance "purpose," typical permitted uses (as the ordinance frames them), key dimensional or programmatic standards the ordinance explicitly states, and where the district applies (if the code specifies).

Note: where the ordinance text refers to a use matrix in Appendix A, or to subdistrict numeric values that are described only in other materials, I identify that and note where the ordinance text available to us did not supply the specific numeric figure.

RA‑S (Residential Agriculture‑Suburban) — (§ 17.16.010)

• Purpose: The RA‑S zone is established to provide standards for single‑family residential development that preserve the rural/equestrian character, natural terrain, and open space values of the city (§ 17.16.010) .
• Subdistricts: The ordinance divides RA‑S into RA‑S‑1 and RA‑S‑2 with the suffix indicating the minimum lot size in net acres; the ordinance text states the suffix meaning but does not list the actual acreage figures in the retrieved materials (§ 17.16.010) . Verify with the jurisdiction for parcel‑level lot‑size thresholds.
• Typical permitted uses: Primary use list begins with single‑family residences and limited agricultural uses; the index of permitted uses is implemented by Appendix A (index), and Sections 17.16.020–17.16.040 govern permitted/prohibited activities and conditions (§ 17.16.020 and Appendix A reference) .
• Key dimensional / development standards called out in Title 17 for RA‑S:
  • Minimum dwelling unit size: 1,300 sq ft (every single‑family dwelling) — § 17.16.090 .
  • Minimum graded building pad size: 12,000 sq ft — § 17.16.095 .
  • The Planning Commission uses a building pad coverage guideline when reviewing projects (method described in § 17.16.097) — this is a review GUIDELINE rather than a strict numeric lot‑coverage cap and is applied as part of discretionary review (§ 17.16.097) .
  • Numerous accessory/conditional use standards for structures like guest houses (max 800 sq ft), detached garages, cabanas and stables — see conditions in § 17.16.210 (examples and size limits) .
• Where it applies: The zone is the predominant residential zone in the city; the Zoning Map identifies which parcels are RA‑S (§ 17.08.020) .

PF (Public Facilities) — (§ 17.08.010 (B))

• Purpose: Established to allow public facility uses to support the community; listed in the zones enumeration (§ 17.08.010) .
• Permitted uses & standards: The ordinance identifies PF as a district but the specific permitted uses/dimensional standards for PF are not reproduced in the retrieved materials (many use details appear in Appendix A). Refer to Appendix A and review the Zoning Map for parcels identified PF. Appendix A is the index of permitted uses by district (see Appendix reference) .
• Where it applies: See the adopted Zoning Map for parcels zoned PF (§ 17.08.020) .

OZD‑1 (Overlay Zoning District‑1) — (Ch. 17.17, § 17.17.010–.030)

• Purpose/intent: The OZD‑1 is an overlay created to address neighborhoods with steep terrain and smaller lots where standard RA‑S setbacks hinder appropriate modernization — its intent is explicit in § 17.17.010 to allow compatible modernization and enlargement of homes while recognizing unique neighborhood character (§ 17.17.010) .
• Applicability: The ordinance lists precise lots and tract references to which OZD‑1 applies in § 17.17.020 (lot‑by‑lot listing) — this is parcel‑specific language; consult the legal lot descriptions in that section when evaluating a property (§ 17.17.020) .
• Key dimensional standards (explicit in the ordinance):
  • Reduced front yard setback: no less than 30 ft from the front roadway easement line (§ 17.17.030(B)(1)) .
  • Interior side yard setback: no less than 20 ft, except existing legally permitted footprints can control but in no case less than 10 ft (§ 17.17.030(B)(2)) .
  • Street side yard setback: no less than 10 ft from the street side roadway easement line (§ 17.17.030(B)(3)) .
  • Reduced setbacks apply only to single‑family dwellings (not accessory structures), and attached garages are considered part of the dwelling for setback purposes (§ 17.17.030(C)(1)) .
• Practical note: Because OZD‑1 lists specific lots in the text, determine applicability by comparing the property legal description to § 17.17.020; if you’re on a listed lot, the reduced setbacks in § 17.17.030 govern .

RDMO (Rancho Del Mar Housing Opportunity Overlay Zone) — (Ch. 17.19, § 17.19.010–.040)

• Purpose/intent: RDMO is explicitly enacted to create by‑right housing opportunities and implement the general plan/housing element; it is a targeted overlay to facilitate mixed‑use and affordable housing on a defined site (§ 17.19.010) .
• Applicability: The ordinance specifies the overlay applies to 38 Crest Road West — this is a single‑address applicability that must be checked against a property’s address (§ 17.19.020) .
• Permitted uses (express list in the code):
  • Affordable multi‑family, affordable senior housing, emergency shelter, single room occupancy, daycare, school facilities, transit facilities — some uses (marked with footnotes) require either a conditional use permit or a zone clearance permit as described in the chapter (§ 17.19.030) .
• Development standards / special rules: The chapter includes specific development standards for certain uses (for example single room occupancy standards in § 17.19.040) and cross‑references zone clearance procedures (Chapter 17.44) and conditional use standards (Chapter 17.42) — read those together when evaluating a project (§ 17.19.030–.040) .

Quick reference table — decision‑relevant items

Checklist — what an applicant must satisfy for a typical RA‑S lot project

• Confirm parcel zoning on the adopted Zoning Map (Title 17 map per § 17.08.020) and check for overlays (OZD‑1 or RDMO) .
• Verify whether your lot is specifically listed in OZD‑1 applicability language (§ 17.17.020) or is the RDMO parcel (§ 17.19.020) .
• Ensure the proposed project meets the RA‑S use rules (see primary uses and Appendix A index) and any accessory/conditional limits in § 17.16.020–.040 and Appendix A .
• For any project requiring discretionary review, follow the site plan review thresholds in § 17.46.020 and prepare materials addressing the site plan review purposes in § 17.46.010 .
• If your lot is in OZD‑1, apply the reduced setback rules in § 17.17.030 (30 ft front, 20/10 ft side rules) and note those reduced setbacks apply only to single‑family dwellings (not accessory structures) .
• Provide required plans that allow the Planning Commission to apply the building pad coverage guideline described in § 17.16.097 (include roofed structures and covered porches per the definitions) .
• Confirm whether a Zone Clearance Permit (Ch. 17.44) or Conditional Use Permit (Ch. 17.42) is required for specific uses (RDMO and various use footnotes reference those chapters) and include findings per those chapters where applicable (§ 17.19.030 cross‑references) .
• For any construction, coordinate with building officials on code issues that are in the California Building Standards Code (Title 24) — zoning does not replace technical building code requirements.

Risks & Ambiguities

Plain‑English summary

Rolling Hills' zoning (Title 17) primarily protects single‑family, rural/equestrian character through the RA‑S district (with two subdistricts) and a small number of overlays (notably OZD‑1 for certain older small‑lot neighborhoods and RDMO for a specific housing opportunity site); the Zoning Map adopted in the code locates each zone and the ordinance specifies reduced setback rules for the OZD‑1 lots and explicit permitted uses for the RDMO parcel — always check the exact code sections and the Zoning Map for parcel‑specific rules before you design a project (§ 17.08.010–.020, § 17.17.030, § 17.19.020–.030) .

Information Gaps (what I could not confirm in the retrieved materials)

• Exact numeric minimum lot sizes for RA‑S‑1 and RA‑S‑2 (the ordinance says the suffix indicates minimum net acres but the specific acreage numbers were not located in the retrieved text). Not found in retrieved materials.
• Full text of Appendix A (the index/matrix of permitted uses by zone was referenced but the complete matrix entries were not included in the retrieved snippets). Not found in retrieved materials; Appendix A is referenced in § 17.16.015 and Appendix callouts .
• Detailed PF zone permitted uses and dimensional standards beyond the fact PF exists — Appendix A likely contains programmatic detail; not fully reproduced here. Not found in retrieved materials.
• The live, graphic Zoning Map image or mapped online viewer URL — the ordinance adopts the map by reference (§ 17.08.020) but the map file itself was not embedded in the provided materials. Verify with the city.

Source References

• Title 17 — ZONING, short title and purpose; see § 17.04.010 and § 17.04.020 .
• Zones established (RA‑S, PF, OZD‑1, RDMO): § 17.08.010; Zoning map adopted: § 17.08.020; zones change & boundary interpretation: § 17.08.030–.040; zoning compliance required: § 17.08.050 .
• RA‑S intent and permitted uses: § 17.16.010 and permitted uses index reference § 17.16.015–.020; dwelling and pad minima: § 17.16.090, § 17.16.095; building pad coverage guideline: § 17.16.097 .
• OZD‑1 intent, applicability and development standards (reduced setbacks): § 17.17.010–.030 (OZD‑1) .
• RDMO (Rancho Del Mar Housing Opportunity Overlay): § 17.19.010–.040 — applicability to 38 Crest Road West and permitted uses list with permit‑type notes .
• Site plan review purposes and applicability thresholds: Chapter 17.46 (see § 17.46.010–.020) for when discretionary site plan review is required .
• Index of permitted uses / Appendix A referenced as the matrix of allowed/conditional uses (Appendix A entry) — Appendix referenced in § 17.16.015 and shown in the code index material .
• Definitions (zoning district, zoning map, yard definitions and others): 17.12 definitions including § 17.12.260 for zoning terms .

Retrieved passages

• Rolling Hills Zoning Code (§11) High relevance show source text
• Rolling Hills Zoning Code (§ 9) High relevance show source text
• Rolling Hills Zoning Code (Section 17007) High relevance show source text
• Rolling Hills Zoning Code (title occurs) Medium relevance show source text
• Rolling Hills Zoning Code (Chapter 17.46) Medium relevance show source text
• Rolling Hills Zoning Code (§ 22) Medium relevance show source text
• Rolling Hills Zoning Code (§ 22) Medium relevance show source text
• Rolling Hills Zoning Code (§6) Medium relevance show source text

Cited sections

• Title 17 — ZONING, short title and purpose; see **§ 17.04.010** and **§ 17.04.020** . (Title 17)
• Zones established (RA‑S, PF, OZD‑1, RDMO): **§ 17.08.010**; Zoning map adopted: **§ 17.08.020**; zones change & boundary interpretation: **§ 17.08.030–.040**; zoning compliance required: **§ 17.08.050** . (§ 17.08.010)
• **RA‑S** intent and permitted uses: **§ 17.16.010** and permitted uses index reference **§ 17.16.015–.020**; dwelling and pad minima: **§ 17.16.090**, **§ 17.16.095**; building pad coverage guideline: **§ 17.16.097** . (§ 17.16.010)
• **OZD‑1** intent, applicability and development standards (reduced setbacks): **§ 17.17.010–.030** (OZD‑1) . (§ 17.17.010)
• **RDMO** (Rancho Del Mar Housing Opportunity Overlay): **§ 17.19.010–.040** — applicability to **38 Crest Road West** and permitted uses list with permit‑type notes . (§ 17.19.010)
• Site plan review purposes and applicability thresholds: Chapter **17.46** (see **§ 17.46.010–.020**) for when discretionary site plan review is required . (§ 17.46.010)
• Index of permitted uses / Appendix A referenced as the matrix of allowed/conditional uses (Appendix A entry) — Appendix referenced in **§ 17.16.015** and shown in the code index material . (§ 17.16.015)
• Definitions (zoning district, zoning map, yard definitions and others): **17.12** definitions including **§ 17.12.260** for zoning terms . (§ 17.12.260)
• RollingHills_ZoningCode.md

• Official Rolling Hills code library