Special Districts, Areas and Plans FAQ

Coastal Zone

Is my property located in the Coastal Zone?

Within our GIS system, you would be able to obtain this information. After accepting the terms and conditions of usage, you will be launched into the GIS system. Once there, click on “Search” and type in either your address (House Number and Street Name) or Parcel ID (Assessor’s Parcel Number or APN). Click on “Submit” and you should see your property pulled up on the interface. Once your property is generated in the interface, please click on “Layers” and click on the green button next to “Administrative Layers & Districts”, “Environmental Resources”, “Topography”, and “Zoning & Land Use Policy”. These additional layers should then be automatically generated after you click “Refresh Map”.

To determine whether your property is located within the Coastal Zone, click on “Advanced View”, the blue tool box, the icon labeled “Identify visible”, and click on your property in the interface. Another window should pop-out. Within this new window, scroll to the fifth category. If your property is within the Coastal Zone, it should indicate “Coast Plan” and provide the plan designation on the next line.

Projects within the Santa Monica Mountains Coastal Zone currently require approvals from both the County and the California Coastal Commission.

Zoning and Special Districts

How do I find the zone designation for a particular property?

Zoning is site specific. Please use one of our GIS mapping applications. After accepting the terms and conditions of usage, you will be launched into the GIS system. Once there, click on “Search” and type in either your address (House Number and Street Name) or Parcel ID (Assessor’s Parcel Number or APN). Click on “Submit” and you should see your property pulled up on the interface. The zoning designation is in blue.

Note that your property may be located within a Community Standards District (CSD) or other special areas which may restrict the use on the property. Please click on “Layers” and click on the green button next to “Administrative Layers & Districts”, “Environmental Resources”, “Topography”, and “Zoning & Land Use Policy”. These additional layers should then be automatically generated after you click “Refresh Map”. Note that there is an index for these layers.

Also, note that the zoning designation provided by the Los Angeles County Assessor’s Office is often incorrect. Please contact us, either by telephone, in person, by mail, email or fax with your Assessor’s Parcel Number and/or site address. Our planners are also available in downtown Los Angeles Monday through Thursday and 9 field office locations on selective days.

Why is the zoning of my property important?

Zoning regulates land uses, population density, lot coverage, building size, and location of development, and thereby provides a means to implement the County’s General Plan and Community Plans. The overall objectives of planning and zoning are to protect public health, safety and welfare, to promote compatibility between various land uses and developments and to promote for an attractive and efficient community.

How do I request for a Zone Change on my property?

Zone change may be initiated by the Board of Supervisors, the Regional Planning Commission, or more commonly, by individual property owners who desire to develop property with a land use or density that is not permitted by the existing zoning classification. To be adopted, a zone change must be consistent with the adopted General Plan, including local area and community plans, which reflect the County’s policy regarding land use. If the proposed zoning is not consistent with the applicable general plan, it cannot be approved.

Major issues involved in the evaluation of zone change requests include consistency with the applicable general plan; compatibility with surrounding land uses; avoidance of “spot zoning”; land suitability and physical constraints; project design and layout; availability of adequate access, public services and facilities to serve the proposed development; potential environmental impacts and mitigation measures; and project design (the Department of Regional Planning and the Regional Planning Commission frequently recommend a zoning classification that requires adherence to a specific development plan approved by the Commission by means of a Conditional Use Permit).

To apply for a Zone Change, please follow the instructions on the Zoning Permit application for submittal. Along with the items listed on that application checklist, you will have to submit a Zone Change Burden Of Proof (download PDF or Word). Please refer to the fee schedule for the cost of a particular application submittal. Note that all discretionary applications requiring a public hearing, except Subdivision applications or in conjunction with Subdivision applications, are currently taking approximately 1 year to process. Applications which involve a subdivision are currently taking a minimum of 2-3 years to complete. Please contact the public counter for more information or assistance.

Community Standards Districts

What is a Community Standards District (CSD)?

A Community Standards District (CSD) is established as a supplemental zoning district to provide a means of implementing special development standards contained in adopted neighborhood, community, area, specific and local coastal plans within the unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County, or to provide a means of addressing special problems which are unique to certain geographic areas within the unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County.

The property may be located within a Community Standards District (CSD) or other special areas which may restrict the use on the property.

Is my property located within a Community Standards District (CSD)?

Within our GIS system, you are able to obtain this information. After accepting the terms and conditions of usage, you will be launched into the GIS system. Once there, click on “Search” and type in either your address (House Number and Street Name) or Parcel ID (Assessor’s Parcel Number or APN). Click on “Submit” and you should see your property pulled up on the interface. Once your property is generated in the interface, please click on “Layers” and click on the green button next to “Administrative Layers & Districts”, “Environmental Resources”, “Topography”, and “Zoning & Land Use Policy”. These additional layers should then be automatically generated after you click “Refresh Map”. Note that there is an index for these layers.

If your property is located within a CSD, this will be in red. If the property is located in a specific area within the CSD, this will be goldenrod.

You can also contactus, either by telephone, in person, by mail, email or fax with your Assessor’s Parcel Number and/or site address. Our planners are also available in downtown Los Angeles Monday through Thursday and 9 field office locations on selective days.

Development Program (-DP) Zone (Reserved)

Under Construction

Equestrian District (Reserved)

Under Construction

Hillside Management Areas (Reserved)

Under Construction

Setback Districts (Reserved)

Under Construction

Significant Ecological Areas (SEAs)

What is an SEA?

Please visit the Significant Ecological Areas (SEAs) FAQ page for more information.

What is the SEATAC?

Significant Ecological Areas Technical Advisory Committee (SEATAC) is a group of members from the private and public sectors with a range of expertise in ecology and habitat restoration.
For more information, please visit the SEATAC page.

Specific Plans (Reserved)

Under Construction

Transit Oriented Districts (TOD) (Reserved)

Under Construction