City of West Hollywood, CA Chapter 19.06 RESIDENTIAL ZONING DISTRICTS

§ 19.06.010 Purpose of Chapter.

This chapter provides regulations applicable to development and land uses in the residential zoning districts established by Section 19.04.020 (Zoning Districts Established). These regulations are intended to encourage the appropriate planning and development of residential uses and provide for a variety of housing types in response to community needs and physical locations, and to enhance and preserve the character of existing residential neighborhoods. Each zoning district is intended to ensure that development in each neighborhood and district preserves the desired character of that district. All residential zoning districts in West Hollywood are intended to provide and continue the sense of an urban village.

(Ord. 01-594 § 2, 2001)

§ 19.06.020 Purposes of Residential Zoning Districts.

A. R1 (Residential, Single-Family or Two-Unit Low Density) District. The R1 zoning district identifies areas of the city characterized by single-family homes on smaller parcels, together with other low density residential development in specific neighborhoods. The standards of the R1 zoning district are intended to maintain residential neighborhood character, and to ensure that new development is compatible with the existing character. The R1 zoning district is consistent with the R1A, R1B, and R1C residential land use designations of the General Plan.

The application of the R1 zoning district to property on the Zoning Map (Section 19.04.030) will include establishing separate R1 zoning districts with specific density requirements and development standards, based on the General Plan designation of the area. These requirements shall be indicated on the Zoning Map by a suffix to the R1 Zoning Map symbol (for example, R1-A, R1-B, and R1-C) which identifies the different areas and corresponding requirements of this chapter that apply. (See Table 2-4.)

B. R2 (Residential, Low Density) District. The R2 zoning district identifies areas of the City characterized by low density development. The standards of the R2 zoning district are intended to maintain residential neighborhood character, and to ensure that new development is compatible with the existing character. The R2 zoning district is consistent with the R2 residential land use designation of the General Plan. (See Table 2-4).

C. R3 (Residential, Multi-Family Medium-Density) District. The R3 zoning district provides for the development of a wide range of multi-family dwelling units, including apartments and condominiums. The standards of the R3 zoning district are intended to ensure that new residential projects are compatible with the scale and character of existing medium-density multi-family residential neighborhoods (see Table 2-3). The R3 zoning district is consistent with the R3A, R3B, R3C and R3C-C residential land use designations of the General Plan.

The application of the R3 zoning district to property on the Zoning Map (Section 19.04.030) will include establishing separate R3 zoning districts with specific density requirements and development standards, based on the General Plan designation of the area. These requirements shall be indicated on the Zoning Map by a suffix to the R3 Zoning Map symbol (for example, R3-A, R3-B, R3-C, and R3C-C) which identifies the different areas and corresponding requirements of this chapter that apply.

D. R4 (Residential, Multi-Family High-Density) District. The R4 zoning district provides for the development of a wide range of high-density multi-family housing, including apartments and condominiums. The standards of the R4 zoning district are intended to ensure that new high-density residential projects are compatible with the scale and character of existing high-density residential neighborhoods (see Table 2-3). The R4 zoning district is consistent with the R4A, R4B, and R4B-C residential land use designations of the General Plan.

The application of the R4 zoning district to property on the Zoning Map (Section 19.04.030) will include establishing separate R4 zoning districts with specific density requirements and development standards, based on the General Plan designation of the area. These requirements shall be indicated on the Zoning Map by a suffix to the R4 Zoning Map symbol (for example, R4A, R4B, and R4B-C) which identifies the different areas and corresponding requirements of this chapter that apply.

(Ord. 01-594 § 2, 2001; Ord. 12-882 § 7, 2012; Ord. 18-1022 § 7, 2018)

§ 19.06.030 Residential Zoning District Land Uses and Permit Requirements.

Table 2-2 identifies the uses of land allowed by this Zoning Ordinance in each residential zoning district, and the land use permit required to establish each use, in compliance with Section 19.04.040. (Zoning District Regulations). Permit requirements for additions to existing structures are determined by the amount of additional proposed floor area; see Chapters 19.42 (Zone Clearances), 19.44 (Administrative Permits), and 19.48 (Development Permits).

Note: Where the last column in the tables ("Specific Use Regulations") includes a section number, the regulations in the referenced section apply to the use; however, provisions in other sections of this Zoning Ordinance may also apply.

TABLE 2-2 ALLOWED USES AND PERMIT REQUIREMENTS FOR RESIDENTIAL ZONING DISTRICTS
P – Use Permitted1	CUP – Conditional Use Permit Required
MCUP – Minor Conditional Use Permit Required	— Use Not Allowed
RI – Rehabilitation Incentives
[Explanatory Notes Follow at the End of the Table]

LAND USE2	PERMIT REQUIRED BY ZONE				Specific Use Regulations
	R1	R2	R3	R4
Accessory dwelling units	P1	P1	P1	P1	19.36.310(A)
Adult day care facilities	CUP	CUP	CUP	CUP	19.36.040
Alcoholic beverage sales, off-site consumption (retail or wholesale establishment)	—	—	—	—
Alcoholic beverage sales, on- and off-site consumption with appropriate ABC License (restaurants)	—	—	MCUP10	—	19.36.060
Art galleries	—	—	P1, 10	P1, 10	19.36.190
Artisan/handicraft shops	—	—	P1, 10	P1, 10	19.36.190
Bed and breakfast inns (B&Bs)3	—	—	RI	RI	19.36.090
Child day care centers	CUP	CUP	CUP	CUP	19.36.040
Child day care, large family day care homes	P1	P1	P1	P1
Child day care, small family day care homes	P1	P1	P1	P1
Common interest developments, new or conversion	P1	P1	P1	P1	19.36.100
Community care facilities (6 or fewer clients)	P	P	P	P
Community care facilities (7 or more clients)	CUP	CUP	CUP	CUP
Community centers	CUP	CUP	CUP	CUP
Community gardens	MCUP	MCUP	MCUP	MCUP
Conversion of commercial to residential uses (excluding hotels and motels)	P1	P1	P1	P1	19.36.400
Conversions, multi-family units to other uses4	CUP	CUP	CUP	CUP	19.36.290
Conversions, residential, adaptive re-use, cultural resources	RI	RI	RI	RI	19.58.150
Corporate housing	—	—	—	—	19.36.100(B), 19.48.060
Courtyard housing	—	P1	P1	P1	19.36.280
Employee housing	P	P	P	P	Only permitted in compliance with the Employee Housing Act (CA Health and Safety Code §§ 17000 — 17062.5)
Garage sales	P1	P1	P1	P1	19.36.300(C)
General retail stores	—	—	P1, 10	P1, 10	19.36.190
Grading projects not related to permitted development	MCUP	MCUP	MCUP	MCUP
Guest houses	P1	P1	P1	P1	19.36.300
Home businesses	P1	P1	P1	P1	19.36.140
Home sharing pursuant to Chapter 5.66	P1	P1	P1	P1	5.66
Hotels, expansion of existing	—	CUP	CUP	CUP	19.36.150
Junior accessory dwelling units	P1	P1	P1	P1	19.36.310(B)
Legalization of illegal dwelling units	P1	P1	P1	P1	19.36.270
Live/work units	—	—	P1, 10	P1, 10	19.36.190
Micro-units	—	P1	P1	P1	19.36.280, 19.36.327
Mobile home parks	CUP	CUP	CUP	CUP
Multi-family dwellings	—	P1	P1	P1	19.36.280
Offices, business and professional	—	—	—	CUP5
Organizational houses	—	—	CUP	CUP
Parking (existing non-residential surface parking as of February 19, 2016)	P1	P1	P1	P1	19.28.090
Parking – Mechanical lifts	P1	P1	P1	P1	19.28.090
Parking – Automated structures	P1	P1	P1	P1	19.28.090
Parks and playgrounds	CUP	CUP	CUP	CUP
Personal services	—	—	P1, 10	P1, 10	19.36.190
Private residential recreation facilities	CUP	CUP	CUP	CUP	19.36.300
Public safety facilities	CUP	CUP	CUP	CUP	19.36.250
Reduction in number of residential units on a site	P1	P1	P1	P1	19.36.290
Religious facilities/places of worship	CUP	CUP	CUP	CUP
Residential accessory uses and structures	P1	P1	P1	P1	19.36.300
Residential care facilities9 – 6 or fewer clients	P1	P1	P1	P1
Residential care facilities9 – 7 to 12 clients	MCUP	MCUP	MCUP	MCUP
Residential care facilities9 – 13 or more clients	CUP	CUP	CUP	CUP
Restaurants, less than 1,200 sq. ft.	—	—	P1, 10	P1, 10	19.36.190
Restaurants – Outdoor dining, less than 250 sq. ft.	—	—	P1, 10	P1, 10	19.36.190
Room rental	P1	P1	P1	P1
Schools – Public and private	CUP	CUP	CUP	CUP
Schools – Specialized education and training	CUP	CUP	CUP	CUP
Second residential units	P1, 6	—	—	—	19.36.310
Senior residential projects, including congregate care	—	CUP	CUP	CUP	19.36.110
Shared housing building	—	—	P1	P1	19.36.328
Short-term rental of a dwelling unit, or any portion thereof, for a period of 30 consecutive calendar days or less	—	—	—	—	19.36.331
Single-family dwellings	P1	P1	P1	P1	19.36.320
Single room occupancy housing	—	—	CUP	CUP	19.36.335
Studio units	—	P1	P1	P1	19.36.280, 19.36.327
Supportive housing – Single-family structure	P1,8	P1,8	P1,8	P1,8
Supportive housing – Multifamily structure, 50 units or less	—	P8	P8	P8	19.36.280, Gov't Code § 65651
Supportive housing – Multifamily structure, more than 50 units	—	P1,8	P1,8	P1,8	19.36.280, Gov't Code § 65651
Telecommunications facilities	—	—	—	MCUP	19.36.350
Temporary uses	P1	P1	P1	P1	19.54.030
Transitional housing – Single-family structure	P1,8	P1,8	P1,8	P1,8
Transitional housing – Multi-family structure	—	P1,8	P1,8	P1,8
Transit stop shelters	P1	P1	P1	P1
Two-unit residential projects	P1	P1	P1	P1	19.36.320, 19.36.325
Urban inns	—	—	CUP7	CUP7
Utility facilities	CUP	CUP	CUP	CUP
Utility infrastructure	P1	P1	P1	P1

Notes:
(1)	Zone clearance, administrative permit, development permit, or other permit or license may be required; see Chapters 5.66, 19.42, 19.44, 19.48 and 19.54.
(2)	See Section 19.03.020(E) regarding uses not listed. See Article 19-6 for definitions of the listed uses.
(3)	May be approved only within a building that is a designated cultural resource.
(4)	Other uses include day care, residential care, community oriented non-residential use.
(5)	May be approved only on Shoreham Drive and De Longpre Avenue.
(6)	Allowed in R-1-A zoning district only.
(7)	Allowed on San Vicente Boulevard only, or in accordance with the terms of an approved development agreement.
(8)	Subject to the same standards as similar residential uses, which shall be determined by the city based upon the predominant operating characteristics of the use. Only one land use category shall be applied to a use at a time and the city makes the final determination on classification based on the predominant characteristics.
(9)	Does not include supportive and transitional housing, which have separate use categories. The city makes final determination on classification based on the predominant operating characteristics.
(10)	Permitted only in R3C-C and R4B-C zoning district. Commercial uses limited to ground floor. Live/work units shall be permitted on any floor. Alcoholic beverage sales shall not be permitted on lots spanning the R3C-C and R3C Districts.

(Ord. 01-594 § 2, 2001; Ord. 01-610 § 1, 2001; Ord. 02-643 §§ 2, 3, 2003; Ord. 03-657 § 5 (1), 2003; Ord. 12-902 § 7, 2012; Ord. 13-914 § 1, 2013; Ord. 14-940 § 6, 2014; Ord. 15-958 § 2, 2015; Ord. 15-965 § 6, 2015; Ord. 16-973 § 6, 2016; Ord. 17-999 § 6, 2017; Ord. 18-1021 § 6, 2018; Ord. 18-1022 § 8, 2018; Ord. 18-1024 §§ 4, 5, 2018; Ord. 21-1143 § 7, 2021; Ord. 22-1181 § 6, 2022; Ord. 22-1186 § 6, 2022; Ord. 24-31, 10/21/2024; Ord. 25-19, 8/18/2025; Ord. 25-27, 12/15/2025; Ord. 25-28, 12/15/2025)

§ 19.06.040 Residential Zoning District General Development Standards.

A. General Requirements. Subdivisions, land uses and structures, and alterations to existing land uses and structures, shall be designed, constructed, and/or established in compliance with the requirements in Table 2-3, in addition to the applicable development standards in Article 19-3 (Site Planning and General Development Standards).

B. Requirements for the SSP (Sunset Specific Plan) District. Residential development within the SSP (Sunset Specific Plan) zoning district shall comply with the Sunset Specific Plan as well as this Zoning Ordinance. The Sunset Specific Plan shall control in the event of any conflicts.

TABLE 2-3 RESIDENTIAL ZONING DISTRICT GENERAL DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS
[Explanatory Notes Follow the Table, on Next Page]
Development Feature	Requirement by Zoning District
	R1, R2	R3	R4
Minimum lot area1	5,000 sq. ft.
Maximum lot area	No maximum	No maximum R3C-C: 10,000 sq. ft.	No maximum; R4B-C: 12,000 sq. ft.
Residential density2, 6, 7	See Table 2-4	1 unit for each 1,210 sq. ft. of site area, and accessory dwelling units where allowed by § 19.36.310.	1 unit for each 872 sq. ft. of site area, and accessory dwelling units where allowed by § 19.36.310.
Floor area ratio (FAR)	R1 – 0.5, R2 – N.A.	R3C-C – 1.08	R4B-C – 0.58
Setbacks required	Minimum setbacks required. See Section 19.20.150 for setback measurement.
Front, 1st story	Average of front setbacks of the 2 structures closest to the front property lines on the 2 adjacent parcels, with the following minimums/maximums.3,10
	10 ft. min. in Norma Triangle, 15 ft. min. elsewhere; 30 ft. max.10	15 ft. minimum, 30 ft. maximum; No minimum setback for R3C-C.10	7.5 ft. minimum, no maximum;10 R4B-C: No 1st story front setback if commercial on the ground floor.10
Front, 2nd & upper stories	An additional 6 ft. for 2nd and upper stories in addition to the 1st story setback.4 For R3C-C, no additional 2nd or upper stories setback.
Sides, interior lot	5 ft.10 For lots less than 50 ft. wide, 10% of average lot width, with 3 ft. min. (See § 19.36.320 for additions to nonconforming buildings. See 19.36.325 for two-unit project exceptions and 19.42.020(A) for urban lot splits)10, 11	5 ft. for lots with structures up to 2 stories.10 For lots 50 ft. or less in width, 10% of average lot width, with a 3 ft. minimum, for structures up to 2 stories.10 For all lots: An additional 1 ft. setback is required for each story above the 2nd story.10
		R3C-C: No minimum side setback.10	R4B-C: 10 ft. setback with an additional 7.5 ft. stepback at 4th story is required when adjacent to R-1 zone.9,10 If a commercial use is on the ground floor, no minimum side setback on the 1st floor where adjacent to a commercial zone district.10
Street side, corner lot	5 ft.10	5 ft. 10
	10 ft. for reversed corner lots.5	7.5 ft. for reversed corner lots.5, 10
Rear	15 ft. For lots with a depth less than 75 ft., 20% of the average lot depth, but not less than 10 ft.10 R3C-C: 10 ft. minimum rear setback.10
Between structures	As required by Section 19.20.040 (Distance Between Structures)
Flag lots	As required by Section 19.20.150 (Setback Measurement and Projections into Yards)
Open space	None required other than setbacks.	As required by Section 19.36.280 (Residential Uses – Multi-Family Dwellings)
Height limit Primary structures	Maximum structure height. See Section 19.20.080 (Height Measurement and Exceptions).
	R1-A, R1-B, R-2: 25 ft., 2 stories	R3-A: 25 ft., 2 stories	R4-A: 35 ft., 3 stories
	R1-C: 15 ft., 1 story	R3-B: 35 ft, 3 stories	R-4-B: 45 ft., 4 stories R-4B-C: 48 ft., 4 stories
		R3-C and R3C-C: 45 ft., 4 stories
Accessory	15 ft., 1 story
Landscaping	As required by Chapter 19.26 (Landscaping Standards)
Safety and Seismic Safety	For new construction and building additions, as required by Chapter 19.32 (Seismic Safety). Critical facilities, sensitive facilities (such as schools and daycare) and high occupancy facilities (such as religious facilities and hotels) are also subject to Chapter 19.32.
Parking	As required by Chapter 19.28 (Off-Street Parking and Loading Standards)
Sidewalks	Sidewalks shall be provided at a minimum width of 10 ft. See Section 19.20.160.
Signs	As required by Chapter 19.34 (Sign Standards)

Notes:
(1)	Minimum lot area for parcels proposed in new subdivisions and lot line adjustments. Condominium, townhome, or planned development projects may be subdivided with smaller parcel sizes for ownership purposes, with the minimum lot area requirement determined through the subdivision review process, provided that the overall development site complies with the lot area requirements of this chapter.
(2)	Maximum number of dwellings allowed for each specified unit of land. See also Chapter 19.22 (Affordable Housing Requirements and Incentives) for possible density bonuses.
(3)	If a parcel on either side of the site is not zoned residential, or if the site is a corner lot, the first two adjacent residential lots shall be used for the purposes of calculating the average setback.
(4)	The Director may modify or waive this requirement to accommodate what he/she deems to be exemplary design.
(5)	Where the front yard of a key lot adjoining a reversed corner lot is less than 10 feet in depth, the reversed corner lot may have a street side yard of the same depth, to a minimum of five feet. See Figure 2-1.
(6)	Density limits may be exceeded to permit legalization of illegal dwelling units in accordance with Section 19.36.270.
(7)	See also Section 19.06.080 for required density development standards.
(8)	Floor area ratio (FAR) calculations shall be used for calculating the maximum non-residential density for neighborhood serving commercial uses, limited to the ground floor of projects in the R3C-C and R4B-C zoning districts. Residential density shall be calculated by residential density standards.
(9)	Additional side stepbacks may be required above the second floor if the Director determines that additional side stepbacks are necessary to ensure compatibility between the uses and structures.
(10)	The review authority may grant deviations from required setbacks where the review authority finds, based on substantial evidence, that the combination of height and setbacks or similar standards for a code compliant development triggers requirements for life safety access methods that would conflict with city plans or policies that have been adopted by the City Council. The deviation shall be to the minimum extent necessary to avoid the conflict with city plans or policies. By way of example only, when the combination of height and setbacks triggers the need for installation of a new fire lane or the removal of mature trees to provide fire department access to the development, the applicable setback may be reduced by the review authority to the minimum extent necessary to site the building closer to the street for the fire department to safely access the building without having to create a new fire lane or require removal of the mature trees.
(11)	See Section 19.36.325 for setback and distance requirements between buildings requirements for two-unit projects, and 20.04.051 for urban lot split requirements.

FIGURE 2-1 Key Lot Front Setback

(Ord. 01-594 § 2, 2001; Ord. 01-610 § 2, 2001; Ord. 02-619 § 2, 2002; Ord. 09-812 § 7, 2009; Ord. 09-813U § 7, 2009; Ord. 18-1021 § 7, 2018; Ord. 18-1022 § 9, 2018; Ord. 19-1084 § 6, 2019; Ord. 22-1181 § 7, 2022; Ord. 23-02 § 3, 2023)

§ 19.06.050 Residential Density in R1 and R2 Zones.

The maximum number of dwellings allowed on an existing or proposed parcel in the R1 and R2 zones shall be as shown in Table 2-4. The maximum allowable density for residential development in the R3 and R4 zones is determined by Section 19.06.040, Table 2-3 (Residential Zoning District General Development Standards).

Table 2-4 MAXIMUM DENSITY IN R1 AND R2 ZONES
Zoning Map Symbol	Maximum Number of Dwelling Units Allowed1
R1-A	1 unit per lot, accessory dwelling units where allowed by Section 19.36.310, and 2 units per lot where allowed by Section 19.36.325.
R1-B	2 units per lot of less than 8,499 sq. ft.; 3 units per lot between 8,500 and 11,999 sq. ft.; plus 1 additional unit per lot, for each 3,500 sq. ft. or fraction thereof in excess of 11,999 sq. ft. Accessory dwelling units where allowed by Section 19.36.310.
R1-C	1 unit per lot, accessory dwelling units where allowed by Section 19.36.310, and 2 units per lot where allowed by Section 19.36.325.
R2	2 units per lot of less than 4,000 sq. ft.; 3 units per lot between 4,000 sq. ft. and 7,999 sq. ft.; 4 units per lot between 8,000 sq. ft. and 9,999 sq. ft.; plus 1 additional unit per lot, for each 2,000 sq. ft. or fraction thereof in excess of 9,999 sq. ft. Accessory dwelling units where allowed by Section 19.36.310.

Notes:
(1)	Density limits may be exceeded to permit legalization of illegal dwelling units in accordance with Section 19.36.270.

(Ord. 01-594 § 2, 2001; Ord. 01-610 § 3, 2001; Ord. 18-1021 § 8, 2018; Ord. 19-1097 § 6, 2020; Ord. 22-1181 § 7, 2022; Ord. 23-02 § 4, 2023; Ord. 24-16, 6/24/2024)

§ 19.06.055 R2 Zoning District Development Standards – Required Density.

All new residential projects in the R2 zoning district shall be built to have no net loss in dwelling units, unless the number of existing dwelling units is greater than allowed by zoning, in which case the project shall build to the maximum number of units allowed by the residential density requirements in Section 19.06.050. This provision shall apply only if all existing dwelling units on the site are demolished and new dwelling units are constructed.

(Ord. 21-1145 § 6, 2021)

§ 19.06.060 R4 Zoning District Standards – Office Uses.

A. Limitation on Use. Offices for single tenants may be allowed only within existing single-family dwellings located on Shoreham Drive and De Longpre Avenue, in blocks where 50 percent or more of the land area of the block is zoned for, or occupied by, commercial or parking uses.

B. Findings for Approval. The Review Authority may approve a conditional use permit for an office use within the R4 district only where it first finds that the office use will generate no more vehicle trips than would be generated if the site were developed to the maximum residential density allowed within the R4 district by this chapter, in addition to all findings otherwise required for CUP approval by Chapter 19.52.

(Ord. 01-594 § 2, 2001)

§ 19.06.070 R3 and R4 Zoning District Development Standards – Maximum Average Unit Sizes.

The aggregated maximum average size of all dwelling units within a new residential project shall be no greater than 1,500 square feet in the R3 district, and no greater than 1,200 square feet in the R4 district. The calculation of maximum average unit size shall not include any city required inclusionary units. This provision shall apply only if all existing dwelling units on the site are demolished and new dwelling units are constructed. Live/work units in the R4B-C and R3C-C zoning districts shall be exempt from the maximum average unit size requirement.

(Ord. 09-812 § 7, 2009; Ord. 09-813U § 7, 2009; Ord. 14-940 § 7, 2014; Ord. 18-1022 § 10, 2018)

§ 19.06.080 R3 and R4 Zoning District Development Standards – Required Density.

All new residential projects in the R3 and R4 zoning districts shall be built to have no net loss in dwelling units, unless the number of existing dwelling units is greater than allowed by zoning, in which case the project shall build to the maximum number of units allowed by the residential density requirements in Section 19.06.040. This provision shall apply only if all existing dwelling units on the site are demolished and new dwelling units are constructed.

(Ord. 09-812 § 7, 2009; Ord. 09-813U § 7, 2009; Ord. 14-940 § 8, 2014; Ord. 18-1020 § 6, 2018; Ord. 18-1022 § 11, 2018)

§ 19.06.090 R3C-C and R4B-C Zoning District Development Standards.

A. The R3C-C zoning district allows for the same residential density as R3C and allows for live/work units and/or ground floor neighborhood-serving commercial. See Section 19.36.190 for regulations for neighborhood-serving commercial uses. See Section 19.36.160 for regulations for live/work facilities.

B. The R4B-C zoning district allows for the same residential density as R4B and allows for live/work units and/or ground floor neighborhood-serving commercial.

Commercial uses shall be limited to no more than 50 percent of the total lot area. See Section 19.36.190 for regulations for neighborhood-serving commercial. See Section 19.36.160 for regulations for live/work facilities.

(Ord. 18-1022 § 12, 2018)