Santa Monica · Zoning · OP4
Santa Monica OP4 zoning: height, setbacks and lot size
In Santa Monica's OP4 zone, generally buildings can be up to 35 ft (3 stories) tall, the front setback is 15 ft and the minimum lot size is 5,000 sq ft, with the conditions listed below (Santa Monica code, read October 2026).
Key points
- Maximum building height: 35 ft (Flat roofs and roofs pitched less than 1:3; pitched roofs have a separate limit (see below))
- Maximum number of stories: 3 stories
- Minimum front setback: 15 ft (10 ft if the average of adjacent dwellings is 10 ft or less)
- Minimum side setback: greater of 4 ft. or 10% of parcel width (Blank walls and walls containing secondary windows on parcels less than 50 ft. in width)
- Minimum rear setback: 15 ft
- Minimum lot size: 5,000 sq ft
- Maximum floor area ratio (FAR): 1.5
- Maximum density: 1 unit per 1,250 sq. ft. of parcel area
OP4 (Ocean Park Neighborhood District OP4) is a zoning district in Santa Monica. Every value below was read from the Santa Monica Municipal Code and links to its section (read October 2026). State laws such as the ADU and SB 9 rules can allow more on a residential lot. General information, not legal advice — read the code text and check with the city before you build.
Development standards in OP4
The general rule for a typical lot in this zone. Zoning tables often attach notes, such as rules for corner lots, lots next to a residential zone, or new subdivisions only. Open “code text” under a value to see the table cell or sentence it was read from.
| Maximum building height | 35 ft Applies: Flat roofs and roofs pitched less than 1:3; pitched roofs have a separate limit (see below) § 9.09.030 · code textTable row “Base Standard—Flat Roofs; Roofs Pitched Less Than 1:3”, column “OP4”: 35 |
|---|---|
| Maximum number of stories | 3 stories § 9.09.030 · code textTable row “Base Standard”, column “OP4”: 3 |
| Minimum front setback | 15 ft Applies: 10 ft if the average of adjacent dwellings is 10 ft or less § 9.09.030 · code textTable row “Front”, column “OP4”: 15 [10, if average of adjacent dwelling(s) is 10 ft. or less] |
| Minimum side setback | greater of 4 ft. or 10% of parcel width Applies: Blank walls and walls containing secondary windows on parcels less than 50 ft. in width § 9.09.030 · code textTable row “Side—Blank walls and walls containing secondary windows on parcels less than 50 ft. in width”, column “OP4”: Greater of 4 ft. or 10% of parcel width |
| Minimum rear setback | 15 ft § 9.09.030 · code textTable row “Rear”, column “OP4”: 15 |
| Minimum lot size | 5,000 sq ft § 9.09.030 · code textTable row “Minimum Parcel Size (sq. ft.)”, column “OP4”: 5,000 |
| Maximum floor area ratio (FAR) | 1.5 § 9.09.030 · code textTable row “Base Standard”, column “OP4”: 1.5 |
| Maximum density | 1 unit per 1,250 sq. ft. of parcel area § 9.09.030 · code textTable row “Maximum Allowable Density”, column “OP4”: 1 unit per 1,250 sq. ft. of parcel area |
Uses in OP4
Uses the code's use tables allow in OP4, or allow with a permit. Each links to its page with the code section.
- Duplex — Allowed
- Apartment building — Allowed
- Rooming or boarding house — Allowed
- Bed and breakfast — Needs a conditional use permit — see note
- Child care center — Needs a conditional use permit
- Private school — Needs a conditional use permit
When a different number applies
The code sets other values for particular lots, buildings or locations in OP4:
- Minimum front setback: 10 ft — If average of adjacent dwelling(s) is 10 ft. or less § 9.09.030
- Minimum side setback: 8 ft — Walls containing primary windows on parcels less than 50 ft. in width § 9.09.030
- Minimum side setback: 12 ft — Primary-window walls, parcels 50 ft or wider; 4 ft for qualifying projects of 10 or fewer units complete on or after July 1, 2024 § 9.09.030
Not on this page
We did not find a general lot coverage limit for OP4 in the zoning tables we read. The code may still set one elsewhere — check the Santa Monica Municipal Code.
Other Santa Monica zoning districts
Who this affects
Frequently asked questions
What is the maximum building height in Santa Monica's OP4 zone?
35 ft (flat roofs and roofs pitched less than 1:3; pitched roofs have a separate limit (see below)) — Santa Monica Municipal Code § 9.09.030.
What is the maximum number of stories in Santa Monica's OP4 zone?
3 stories — Santa Monica Municipal Code § 9.09.030.
What is the minimum front setback in Santa Monica's OP4 zone?
15 ft (10 ft if the average of adjacent dwellings is 10 ft or less) — Santa Monica Municipal Code § 9.09.030.
What is the minimum side setback in Santa Monica's OP4 zone?
greater of 4 ft. or 10% of parcel width (blank walls and walls containing secondary windows on parcels less than 50 ft. in width) — Santa Monica Municipal Code § 9.09.030.
What is the minimum rear setback in Santa Monica's OP4 zone?
15 ft — Santa Monica Municipal Code § 9.09.030.
General information, not legal advice.
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