Burbank | Hillside, Rancho and Airport Areas

Burbank, California Hillside, Rancho and Airport Areas: the Hillside Development Permit, the R-1-H Horsekeeping Zone, Airport Height Filing Zones and the Media District

Four parts of Burbank carry rules that the citywide zone tables do not show: the hillside area, the Rancho with its horse properties, the land around the airport, and the Media District. This page explains what each one changes for a house, an ADU or an apartment building. All four are in Title 10 of the Burbank Municipal Code. The maps that draw their boundaries are pictures in the code or files at City Hall and were not read, so confirm with the Planning Division which area a lot is in. The Burbank overview has the summary.

The Hillside Area

Section 10-1-606 applies "to all R-1 zoned properties located within the hillside area." The area is "bounded by the City boundaries with Glendale and Los Angeles" and by these streets: "City boundary, Sunset Canyon Drive, Walnut Avenue, Bel Aire Drive, Cambridge Drive, Kenneth Road, Scott Road, City boundary." Its rules "supersede any conflicting standards of the R-1 Zone," and the other R-1 standards on the parking, setbacks and height page still apply.

Sources: Burbank Municipal Code 10-1-606, Table 10-1-606(B), and 10-1-603(D)(10).

• Height. "The building height shall be measured from finished or existing grade, whichever is lower." The 18-foot and 23-foot figures keep a house low against the street on a downslope lot and against the rear yard on an upslope lot.
• Floor area. "The maximum FAR of 0.4 shall be reduced to 0.35 on all hillside lots with slopes in the 15-29.99 percent range, as determined by the City, and to 0.30 for all hillside lots with slopes of 30 percent or more." On a 6,000 square foot lot that is 2,100 and 1,800 square feet in place of 2,400 (VanPlex arithmetic).
• How slope is worked out. The applicant supplies a topographic map, and the code gives the formula "S = (I x L x 100)/A": the contour interval times the combined length of all contour lines times 100, divided by the lot area.
• Ridgelines. "No structure shall be located within 100 feet, measured vertically, of the centerline of a major ridge, or within 50 feet, measured vertically, of the centerline of a minor ridge." Within 1,000 feet of a major ridge the building must keep "a low-profile appearance."
• View setback lines. Where the main view is from the front or rear yard, a line "drawn from the nearest front or rear corner of existing homes on adjacent lots" sets how far a new structure may reach without a permit. A downslope view is the primary view when a lot has both.
• Rear half of the lot. "No main dwelling unit shall be located entirely on the rear half of a lot unless a Hillside Development Permit is approved."
• Parking. "A minimum of four (4) off-street parking spaces must be provided." Two are covered for a house of 3,400 square feet or less and three for a larger one. The others may be in a driveway "so long as the slope of the driveway area used for parking does not exceed five percent."
• Walls. Retaining walls that face downslope are screened with plants, and the space under a raised structure is enclosed with permanent walls.
• Grading. Outside the hillside, a change of grade beyond 6 inches needs a survey and a grading plan; in the hillside the figure is 12 inches.
• Narrow frontage. In a subdivision, a hillside lot may have less than the usual 20 feet of street frontage "if necessitated by the terrain" under Section 11-1-1102.

The Hillside Development Permit

A Hillside Development Permit, or HDP, is needed before a grading or building permit when any one of four tests is met. It applies to a new structure and to changes that "increase the square footage or height of an existing structure or otherwise alter the footprint, volume, mass, or dimensions."

• Test 1, grading. "The project involves the creation of a new building pad, cut or fill activity to expand an existing building pad, or any other grading activity," including grading for pools and larger yards. A pool or spa on a flat part of a lot with a slope under 5 percent is exempt.
• Test 2, the view line. The structure extends beyond the front or rear view setback lines.
• Test 3, height. "The height of the proposed structure to the top of the roof exceeds 16 feet."
• Test 4, size. "The total gross square footage of all structures and spaces that are included in the floor area ratio calculation is greater than 3,000 square feet."
• Who decides. Section 10-1-607 uses the Administrative Use Permit process: the Community Development Director decides, and the decision "may be appealed to Planning Commission."
• Notice. Notice goes "to all property owners and occupants within a 300-foot radius of the property rather than a 1,000-foot radius."
• Findings. The Director must find that access is safe, that the house is "reasonably consistent with the natural topography of the surrounding hillside," and that it "will not unnecessarily or unreasonably encroach upon the scenic views from neighboring properties, including both downslope and upslope views."
• View study. "a view study must be submitted with all Hillside Development Permit applications documenting the impacts of the proposed structure(s) on views from adjacent properties."
• Size can be cut. "the maximum floor area ratio and the maximum allowable house size may be reduced through reasonable conditions placed upon the permit."
• Exceptions. The permit may also grant exceptions to R-1 standards on four findings, one of them that special conditions exist "due to the location in the hillside area."
• Changes during construction. When field conditions call for a change, "it shall be the responsibility of the owner or the contractor to cease work" until staff approves the change. A remodel that turns into a whole house demolition is treated as a new house.

The City Council looked at hillside views again in 2026. The agenda of April 21, 2026 lists an "Update on View Obstructing Fences in the Designated Hillside Area," with the recommendation to "Maintain the current regulations related to view obstructing fences in the designated hillside area." The recorded action is "Provided direction to maintain the current regulations 5-0."

Fire Zones in the Hills

• ADUs. On R-1 and R-1-H lots in "the City's designated Mountain Fire Zones as noted in the City's General Plan Safety Element," Section 10-1-620.3 allows "No more than one ADU no greater than 800 square feet or one Junior ADU no greater than 500 square feet," and new ADUs "shall comply with any applicable brush clearance requirements."
• The planned ADU ordinance. The July 2026 staff report proposes to keep a limit for the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, a state fire hazard mapping category, and notes "a risk that HCD could determine that the ordinance remains inconsistent with State ADU Law." See the ADUs and SB 9 page.
• SB 9. The SB 9 sections exclude sites that meet the hazard criteria of Government Code 65913.4, which the City cites as "(a)(6)(B-K)."
• SB 79. The City's January 2026 report says that if the planned bus station at San Fernando Boulevard and Olive Avenue qualifies as a transit stop under SB 79, the affected parcels would increase "in the Hillside area, within a half-mile" of it, and that SB 79 has limits inside Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones.
• What was not read. The fire hazard maps and the Safety Element. The Ordinance List shows that Ordinance No. 25-4,034, adopted October 28, 2025, replaced the building and fire code in Title 9, Chapter 1. Ask the Fire Department whether a lot is in a mapped zone.

The Rancho and the R-1-H Zone

The R-1-H zone "is intended for neighborhoods of single family dwellings with incidental facilities for the keeping of horses." It uses the R-1 lot, height, yard and floor area standards and adds Section 10-1-605. Article 24 creates the Rancho Master Plan Area, which "regulates land zoned single family horsekeeping, commercial, commercial-recreational and existing industrial."

• A permit to keep a horse. "It is unlawful to keep a horse in an R-1-H Zone without a permit issued by the Animal Shelter Superintendent," given only after the Community Development Director finds the property conforms.
• How many. In a non-commercial stable, no more than "one (1) for each 3,000 square feet of lot area": two horses on 6,000 square feet and three on 9,000 (VanPlex arithmetic). "Each lot on which one (1) or more horses is kept must have a stable."
• Where stables go. "Non-commercial stables must be located within the rear 35 feet of the lot," set back 3 feet from the rear and side lines, with openings at least 10 feet from them.
• Windows near the stables. Doors, windows and other openings of a dwelling "must be at least 10 feet from the rear and side property lines when constructed within the rear 35 feet of the lot."
• No SB 9. SB 9 second homes and urban lot splits are prohibited in R-1-H. The City cites Government Code 66499.41(h)(2), which removes the SB 9 statutes from a site in "a single-family residential horsekeeping zone designated in a master plan, adopted before January 1, 1994."
• ADUs. The printed rule allows one ADU or one junior ADU and "No new construction of ADUs," with conversions of a permitted garage, a permitted guest dwelling or space in the main house. "The conversion of any existing accessory structure (storage, shed, pool house, recreation room, and barn, stable, corral, tack room, etc.) into an ADU shall not be permitted."
• Larger lots. An animal hospital, a blacksmith, a petting zoo, a plant nursery and a commercial stable are possible by Conditional Use Permit "only on properties with a land area of 12,000 square feet or greater that abut commercially zoned land."
• Apartments in the Rancho Area. For R-2, R-3 and R-4 projects, Section 10-1-630 defines a Rancho Area bounded by streets that include Keystone Street, Alameda Avenue, Main Street, Victory Boulevard and Riverside Drive. Design there "must be oriented towards early California Rancho imagery," with "Wide eave overhangs," "Clay roof tile" and planting such as California pepper, olive and live oak.
• Rancho Review Board. All Development Review applications in the Rancho Area go to the Rancho Review Board, and "The composition of the Rancho Review Board shall be determined by the Community Development Director."

Around the Airport

Article 13 of Title 10 still uses the name Bob Hope Airport; City agendas of 2026 call it Hollywood Burbank Airport, run by the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority. Two sets of rules matter for housing.

• The Airport Zone. It "is intended for the protection of the airport from uses that might restrict or inhibit its principal function as an air terminal facility." In the use table the Airport column is blank for accessory dwelling units, for residential-only buildings and for mixed use, and a blank means prohibited.
• The filing map. Section 10-1-1305 adopts "The FAA Filing Requirement Map," which is "on file in the office of the City Clerk." It divides land around the airport into five zones.

Source: Burbank Municipal Code 10-1-1307.

• What filing means. The applicant files "a Notice of Proposed Construction or Alteration with the FAA," the Federal Aviation Administration, under Part 77 of the Federal Aviation Regulations. "No building permit shall be issued for any structure subject to this Section until the building permit applicant submits to the Director proof of submission."
• If the FAA finds an obstruction. The permit "may be issued subject to the applicant complying with all applicable provisions of the Code," with any lighting or painting the FAA requires shown on the plans.
• If the FAA finds a hazard. "no building permit shall be issued until the applicant has applied for and obtained an Administrative Use Permit," and the finding "may be a basis to find the project unable to meet the required standards."
• Who is affected. In Zone 1 an ADU or a house addition files. In Zone 3 a house does not reach 35 feet, and a three-story apartment building at 35 to 50 feet does.
• SB 79. The City's January 2026 report notes that SB 79 "Projects near airports must meet additional requirements regarding height, noise, and safety standards."
• What was not read. The FAA Filing Requirement Map, any airport noise map and the county airport land use plan. Noise insulation rules, if any apply to a lot, are a question for the Building Division.

The Media District

• What it is. Article 21 "creates a Media District Overlay Zone." It "regulates commercial-industrial land in the Media District for land use, density, height and setbacks."
• Homes. Section 10-1-2124: "The residential zones are those areas of the Media District zoned MDR-3 and MDR-4," and "MDR-3 shall be treated as if R-3 and MDR-4 shall be treated as if R-4, except for the list of permitted uses."
• One use difference. In MDR-3 a business or professional office is possible by Conditional Use Permit "when the parcel is adjacent to a Major or Secondary Arterial street, and the office use is conducted in an existing residential structure."
• Construction noise near studios. "Written notice shall be given to the appropriate studio whenever any activity is proposed which may create noise levels which exceed 90 dB within 100 feet of studio property," and for jackhammers "within 500 feet of any studio." The notice is given "at least two (2) weeks in advance," and "Permits for these activities shall not be granted without proof of this notice."
• A plan update is pending. The Planning Commission agenda of September 28, 2026 lists the "Media District Specific Plan Update" with an ordinance to amend Title 10. It describes the area as "roughly bound by Clybourn Avenue, Keystone Street, Oak Street, and the Los Angeles River." The update is not in the code read for this guide.

Designated Historic Resources

One more citywide overlay affects demolition. Section 10-1-928: "No person shall demolish, construct, move, change the appearance of or make alterations to any Designated Historic Resource without first obtaining a Permit to Alter a Designated Historic Resource." The Heritage Commission considers the application at a public meeting. The City's SB 9 sections exclude any project "located within a historic district." The list of designated resources and districts was not read.

Limits of This Page

The code was read as text from codepublishing.com, where it is stated to be current through Ordinance 26-4,038, passed February 24, 2026. Diagram 10-1-606(A) of the hillside area, the ridgeline diagrams, Diagram 10-1-630(A) of the Rancho Area, the FAA Filing Requirement Map and the Media District figures are pictures or files and were not read. The City website answered 403, so the City's hillside permit forms, view study instructions and fees were not read. The Rancho commercial zones, commercial stables and the Media District commercial zones are outside this page. Ask the Planning Division whether a newer ordinance is in force.

Where to Go Next

Related on VanPlex: the Burbank overview, the zoning districts page and the California property tax and insurance page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Official sources (checked October 2026)