Cities | Torrance

Torrance, California Multiplex Rules 2026: Zoning, Lot Sizes, ADUs, SB 9, Apartments, the Hillside Overlay and Fees

Torrance, California is a city of 138,391 people in Los Angeles County. Its zoning rules are Division 9 of the Torrance Municipal Code, published by General Code. Three facts matter for a project here. Torrance is a charter city that challenged the state duplex law in court, and that law now applies to it by its own text. The City rewrote its ADU section in August 2025 after a letter from the state housing department. And part of the city is in an overlay where a second story needs a public hearing about the neighbors' views. This page summarizes the ways to build two, three, four or more homes on a Torrance lot. The seven guide pages below cover each topic in depth.

Torrance Guide Pages

Start With State Law and the Charter

Four state laws set the minimum Torrance must allow on a house lot or a small site. SB 9 (2021) allows two main homes on a lot in a single-family zone, a split into two lots, or both, approved by staff with no hearing. ADU law sets the accessory dwelling units (ADUs), second homes on a lot, and junior ADUs a city must allow; a junior ADU is a unit of 500 square feet or less inside a house. SB 684 and SB 1123 allow maps of up to 10 lots with 10 homes. The state density bonus gives extra homes to projects that include affordable homes.

Torrance is a charter city, one that governs its municipal affairs under a charter its voters approved. The charter printed in the code says the original was ratified "at an election held August 20, 1946," and Section 200 gives the City "the power to make and enforce all laws and regulations in respect to municipal affairs." That status mattered for SB 9. A Planning Commission staff report of February 18, 2026 says "Torrance was one of five charter cities that challenged SB9, and in April 2024, the Los Angeles Superior Court ruled that SB9 did not apply to charter cities," and that SB 450, effective January 1, 2025, amended the law "to apply to all local jurisdictions, including charter cities." Government Code 65852.21 now defines a local agency as a city "whether general law or chartered." The ADU statutes define a local agency the same way, and the Housing Accountability Act says it applies to charter cities.

The City has written two of these laws into its code. Section 92.2.10 is the ADU section, and it says "In any instance where there is conflict, State law shall govern." Section 92.29.34 is the SB 9 section, adopted in December 2021 and January 2022. A search of Division 9 found no section on small-lot maps, the density bonus or SB 79, the 2025 law on housing near transit stops. HCD, the state housing department, says in its SB 79 advisory that the law's provisions "will take effect on July 1, 2026, in Alameda, Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and San Diego Counties." This guide did not read the regional map of qualifying stops. HCD's list of affected cities under the Housing Crisis Act includes Torrance, so the state rule that a housing project must replace the protected homes it removes applies here.

Torrance in Numbers

The US Census Bureau's Vintage 2025 city file estimates 138,391 people in Torrance on July 1, 2025, down from a 2020 estimates base of 146,940. That is a loss of 8,549 people, or 5.8 percent (VanPlex arithmetic: 146,940 minus 138,391, divided by 146,940). In that file Torrance is the 43rd largest city in California, after Fullerton (138,675) and ahead of Orange (138,365). The next cities down the list are Pasadena (135,804) and Santa Clara (133,446). Los Angeles County as a whole has 9,694,934 people.

The City Council staff report of March 24, 2026 on the 2025 Housing Element Annual Progress Report gives the housing figures. The Housing Element is the City's housing plan. It "was adopted by Council on June 14, 2022, and certified by HCD on October 22, 2022," and the state allocation is 4,939 units for 2021 to 2029. In 2025 the City received 162 housing applications proposing 1,117 units and entitled 705 units. Building permits went to 107 units in the report's table by structure type: 88 ADUs, 11 single-family detached homes and 8 homes in buildings of two to four units. From 2021 through 2025, building permits total 660 units. The report's lines for SB 9 show zero projects.

The Ways to More Homes Compared

Sources: Torrance Municipal Code 92.2.10, 92.29.34, 91.6.1, 91.7.9, 91.9.10, 91.51.050, 91.52.060, 95.3.45, 91.39.5, 92.29.31 and 95.3.28 (current through Ordinance 3969); Gov. Code 66411.7 and 66499.41.

Zones That Allow Homes

Section 91.3.2 lists the districts. R-1 permits a single family residence on a lot of 6,000 square feet. R-2 permits "Two (2) single family dwellings or one (1) two family dwelling." R-3, R-3-3 and R-R-3 allow apartments at one home per 1,600 square feet of land, and R-3-3 allows at most three homes a lot. R-4 allows one home per 1,000 square feet and 50 feet of height. R-P adds offices, R-5 asks for a one-acre parcel, and R-TH is for townhouse planned developments. Homes are a conditional use in the C-1 and C-2 commercial districts. Seven overlay zones add to these, and two of them, the Housing Corridor Overlay and the overlay for religious and college land, are optional sets of housing rules. A 2025 section treats the densities in the Housing Element sites inventory as a target. See the zoning districts page.

Lot Sizes and Dividing Land

The standard lot in R-1 through R-4 is 6,000 square feet, 80 feet deep and 50 feet wide, or 60 feet wide on a corner. Dividing R-1 land has an added test. Section 92.29.31 sets new lots at 6,000 square feet "or the mean average size and width at the street of lots within the same zone and general plan designation within a distance of three hundred (300) feet," whichever is larger. The Planning Commission holds a public hearing on every tentative parcel map and tentative subdivision map, and an approval lasts 24 months. Flag lots, which reach the street by a narrow strip, are allowed with one curb cut and an access easement of 10 or 15 feet. An SB 9 lot split follows the state statute: two parcels of at least 1,200 square feet, with two units on each. Condominiums need a conditional use permit and a tenant relocation plan. See the lot size and subdivisions page.

House Lots: ADUs and SB 9

Section 92.2.10 allows an attached or detached ADU of up to 1,000 square feet. A detached ADU may be 18 feet tall with one story or 23 feet with two, needs a 15-foot front yard and four-foot side and rear yards, and needs one parking space unless one of six exemptions applies, such as a site within one-half mile walking distance of public transit. Fifteen design standards apply, among them "New balconies, full height windows or doors openings with a guardrail, roof decks, and decks greater than 2 feet above grade are prohibited." A house lot may also combine a converted ADU, a junior ADU and a detached ADU of up to 800 square feet. The City lists four pre-approved ADU plans.

The City's SB 9 section limits a new unit to 800 square feet, 16 feet and one story, and bars ADUs on a property developed under it. The state statute has been amended since the section was written, and it now bars standards "that do not apply uniformly to development within the underlying zone." Ask the City which limits it applies today. See the ADUs and SB 9 page.

Three or More Homes

In the base districts the count is land area divided by 1,600 or 1,000 square feet. Section 95.3.28 then sends larger projects to a hearing: "Multiple residential developments of more than three (3) stories in height or having more than one hundred (100) units, or a density greater than twenty-seven (27) units per acre," and in R-3 any building above two stories. The Housing Corridor Overlay of 2023 is the way to build with no hearing. On mapped commercial and industrial sites it permits housing by right at 9.1 to 31, 20 to 44 or 31.1 to 44 homes per acre, with heights of 35, 50 and 75 feet, and it adds up to 30 percent more density for community benefits. A second overlay of 2025 allows 31 homes per acre on qualifying land of religious institutions and independent colleges. No rule requiring affordable homes in a market rate project was found in Division 9. In 2025 the City entitled 705 homes. See the three or more homes page.

Parking, Setbacks and Height

An R-1 house needs a 20-foot front yard, side yards equal to 10 percent of the lot width, and a rear yard averaging 15 feet for one story or 20 feet for two. Height is 18 feet for one story and 27 feet for two. The floor area ratio is 0.6 with the garage counted, and floor area under a roof 17 feet or more above the floor counts twice. Lot coverage is 50 percent for one story and 40 percent for two. A house needs a garage for two cars and a duplex garage space for four. Section 93.2.3 asks for two parking spaces for an apartment of two bedrooms or less and three for a larger one, with enclosed garages for 1.5 cars per unit and one visitor space for each five units. The Planning Commission may waive yard and height rules. See the parking, setbacks and height page.

The Hillside Overlay, Views and the Coast

The Hillside and Local Coastal Overlay Zone dates from 1977. Inside it, any development needs a Precise Plan approved by the Planning Commission unless it is exempt, and the Commission must find that the project "will not have an adverse impact upon the view, light, air and privacy of other properties in the vicinity." A dwelling of one story and no more than 14 feet, with net interior area of no more than 50 percent of the lot, can use a Minor Hillside Exemption, which costs $530. The City lists ADUs and SB 9 projects as exempt from hillside review. A February 2026 staff report adds that the view findings cannot be used to deny a housing project of more than one unit. A separate View Equity article lets owners in the overlay bring claims about vegetation within 500 feet. West of Palos Verdes Boulevard the Coastal Zone applies, and in the original Torrance Tract an overlay protects houses listed as contributing. See the hillside overlay and view rules page.

Permits and Fees

The Planning Commission decides conditional use permits, precise plans and tentative maps after a hearing with notice to owners within 300 feet. A decision may be appealed to the City Council "within fifteen (15) days after such decision," and the fee schedule lists the appeal at $750. A conditional use permit expires after one year if unused. From July 1, 2026 a conditional use permit costs $6,890 for 7 or fewer homes and $19,668 for 8 or more, a Precise Plan $8,455 and a parcel map $4,446, each plus an $889 notification fee. The Development Impact Fees handout lists $11,177.72 for a single-family unit, $9,500.83 for a multi-family unit and $2,375.18 for an ADU of 750 square feet or more, paid when the first home receives its final inspection. See the permits and fees page.

Rentals and Existing Homes

A search of the ordinance table found no rent stabilization or just cause ordinance. Chapter 16 of Division 4, added in October 2019, was a temporary measure: "This chapter will temporarily prohibit no-fault evictions through December 31, 2019." The statewide rent cap and eviction rules are on the rent and tenant rules page.

• Smoking. Chapter 19 of Division 4, added in August 2023: "Smoking is prohibited in all Units of a Multi-Unit Residence, including any associated exclusive use Enclosed Areas or Unenclosed Areas, such as a private balcony, porch, deck, or patio." A multi-unit residence is a lot with two or more units, and ADUs and single-family homes are not counted as units. Landlords must put the rule in their leases.
• Short term rentals. In residential zones a rental of 30 days or less is allowed only as a home share, with the host living on site, under a permit. ADUs, junior ADUs and SB 9 units may not be rented for less than 30 days.
• Room rentals. Section 92.2.6 lets a resident owner or lessee of a single family residence rent rooms "to not more than two (2) persons," and to more with a waiver.
• Condominium conversions. Article 36 requires a conditional use permit, a relocation payment to displaced tenants and at least 120 days of notice.
• Demolition. State law protects tenants where a project replaces rented homes. An SB 9 project may not require the demolition or alteration of "Housing that has been occupied by a tenant in the last three years."

Recent City Council Actions

• December 14, 2021 and January 11, 2022. Ordinances 3897 and 3896 added the SB 9 section and the small-project floor area ratios in R-3.
• June 14, 2022. The Council adopted the Housing Element, which HCD certified on October 22, 2022, according to the March 2026 staff report.
• December 6 and 20, 2022. Ordinances 3911 and 3910 amended the ADU sections.
• August 8, 2023. Ordinance 3920 added the chapter on smoking in multi-family dwellings.
• September 12, 2023. Ordinance 3922 created the Housing Corridor Overlay Zone.
• June 17, 2025. Ordinance 3949 designated fire hazard severity zones.
• August 5, 2025. Ordinance 3951 added the Religious and Higher Education Institution Housing Overlay Zone.
• August 19, 2025. Ordinance 3954 rewrote the ADU section and repealed the separate junior ADU section.
• September 23, 2025. Ordinance 3955 added the target residential density, and Ordinance 3957 replaced the building codes.
• January 13 and 27, 2026. The agendas carried a hearing on a 272-unit condominium development in the P-D zone and an appeal of a 449-unit residential development on Torrance Boulevard.
• February 24, 2026. The agenda carried a 106-unit mixed-use project and the special tax of Community Facilities District No. 2026-01.
• March 3, 2026. The agenda asked the Council to approve the South Bay Regional Housing Trust Joint Powers Agreement.
• May 5 and 19, 2026. Ordinance 3965 rezoned properties on Pacific Coast Highway from a specific plan sub-district to C-2.
• August 25, 2026. The agenda asked the Council to approve a Commercial Redevelopment to Housing Study prepared by the South Bay Cities Council of Governments.
• October 6, 2026. This is the latest Council meeting whose agenda was read. It carried an ordinance on cottage food and no ordinance on Division 9.

The 2026 items above come from agendas. Minutes were not read, so this page does not state how the Council voted on them.

Where the Code, City Documents and State Law Differ

The guide pages flag each difference where it arises. The main ones:

• The covenant in the ADU section requires an owner to live on site for any junior ADU. Government Code 66333, as amended effective January 1, 2026, requires it only where the junior ADU shares a bathroom with the house.
• The ADU section bars any ADU on a property developed under the City's SB 9 section. Government Code 65852.21 releases a city from allowing ADUs only on parcels that use both the two-unit and the lot split authority.
• The SB 9 section limits new units to 800 square feet, 16 feet and one story. The statute, as amended, bars standards that do not apply uniformly within the zone, and R-1 allows two stories and 27 feet.
• Section 91.4.1 allows one ADU or one junior ADU on an R-1 lot. Subsection G of the ADU section lists three units together.
• Section 91.7.9 sets a floor area ratio of 1.0 for R-3 projects of three to seven units. Section 95.3.28 still sends R-3 projects above 0.6 to a conditional use permit.
• Section 91.20.4 ties homes in C-1 to the R-4 land area of 1,000 square feet per unit. Section 91.20.9 states 1,600 square feet.
• Article 29 holds a public hearing on tentative parcel maps. Government Code 66411.7 and 66499.41 require approval with no hearing for the maps they cover.
• Section 91.41.4 mails hillside hearing notices within 300 feet. The City flowchart says 500 feet.
• The City's ADU page says the ADU amendments were adopted in October 2025. Ordinance 3954 was adopted on August 19, 2025.
• The impact fee handout charges an ADU of 750 square feet or more. Government Code 66311.5 exempts an ADU of 750 square feet or less.
• Section 91.3.2 has no line for the R-P district that Article 10 regulates.

Limits of This Guide

The code was read from the publisher's site, which says it "is current through Ordinance 3969, passed June 23, 2026." City Council agendas were read for 23 meetings from January 13 to October 6, 2026, with staff reports for two items. Those agendas show no ordinance amending the text of Division 9 after June 23, 2026. The Council may have acted on a housing rule after October 6, 2026, and Planning Commission agendas were not read.

City pages, handouts and fee schedules were saved from torranceca.gov on October 10, 2026. A later request to that site the same day was answered with an access error, and no further request was sent. As a result these documents were not read: the zoning maps, the General Plan and its land use map, the Housing Element and its sites inventory and programs, the Hawthorne Boulevard Corridor Specific Plan, the Housing Corridor Overlay map, the hillside and Torrance Tract maps, the City design guidelines, the HCD letter of September 5, 2024, and the Council resolutions that set the impact fees. School, water and sewer charges of outside agencies, the regional SB 79 map and the federal flood maps were not read. Ask the Planning Division which standards apply to your lot and whether a newer ordinance is in force.

Where to Go Next

Related on VanPlex: the California impact fees page, the Los Angeles guide and the Pasadena guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Official sources (checked October 2026)