Torrance | Parking, Setbacks and Height

Torrance, California Parking, Setbacks and Height: Yards, Height Limits, Floor Area Ratio, Lot Coverage, Garages, Fences and Waivers by District

The size of a building on a Torrance lot comes from five numbers: the yards, the height, the floor area ratio, the lot coverage and the parking. A setback is the distance a building must keep from a lot line, and the code calls the space a yard. Torrance writes each number into the article for the district, then adds general rules in Chapter 2 and parking counts in Chapter 3. The R-1 article gives separate figures for one-story and two-story houses. This page sets the numbers side by side and names the state laws that replace some of them. The Torrance overview has the summary.

Yards, Height and Bulk by District

Sources: Torrance Municipal Code, Division 9, Chapter 1, Articles 4, 6, 7, 9, 10, 13 and 48 (current through Ordinance 3969). The Housing Corridor Overlay and the religious and college housing overlay have their own tables on the three or more homes page.

R-1 Yards in Detail

• Front. Section 91.4.4: "A front yard shall be provided with a depth of twenty (20) feet." Where part of the building is set farther back, an equal part may be closer to the street, but "no portion of a building shall be closer than fifteen (15) feet from the front property line, and in no case shall garages which face the street be set back less than twenty (20) feet."
• Interior sides. Section 91.4.5: "Side yard setbacks shall equal ten (10) percent of the width of the lot," and "No setback shall be required to exceed five (5) feet nor be less than three (3) feet." A 50-foot lot has 5-foot side yards (VanPlex arithmetic: 10 percent of 50).
• Two stories. If a two-story dwelling is built, "each side yard setback shall be ten (10) percent of the width of the lot, but in no event less than three (3) feet." That sentence names a 3-foot minimum and no 5-foot maximum. Read that way, a 70-foot lot needs 7-foot side yards for a two-story house (VanPlex arithmetic: 10 percent of 70). Confirm the reading with the Planning Division.
• Street side. "Exterior side yards shall be not less than ten (10) feet in width."
• Rear, one story. Section 91.4.6: "an average depth of fifteen (15) feet for a single-story dwelling; provided, however, that no portion of such single-story dwelling shall be built closer than ten (10) feet from the rear property line."
• Rear, two stories. "an average depth of twenty (20) feet for a two-story dwelling," with no part closer than 15 feet.
• Between buildings. "No dwelling shall be less than six (6) feet from any accessory building or garage unless such structures are attached by a solid roof at least six (6) feet in width."
• What may project. In an R-1 interior side yard, "the only encroachments which will be permitted" are "chimneys, greenhouse windows and water heaters," none closer than 30 inches to the side line. Eaves may project up to 3 feet 6 inches into a required yard.
• No outside stair. Section 92.5.2: "In the R-1 zone, no staircase providing access to a second story, enclosed or otherwise, shall be permitted on the exterior of the dwelling."

R-1 Height, Floor Area and Coverage

• Height. Section 91.4.2 sets "eighteen (18) feet" for a single-story dwelling and "twenty-seven (27) feet" for a two-story dwelling, "measured from the lowest portion of the building which is above ground, but not including any berm or raised planter, to the topmost portion of the roof, exclusive of chimneys or vents." The limits apply to buildings permitted on or after October 10, 1989.
• Floor area ratio. Section 91.4.11: no single-family dwelling may exceed "a floor area to lot area ratio (F.A.R.) of .6 to 1," and "the area of any garage shall be included."
• How floor area is counted. Section 91.2.82 uses "the measurements from outside wall to outside wall, using gross square footage." It adds: "Stairwells and floor area in portions of the structure where the distance between any floor and roof directly above it is seventeen (17) feet or more shall be counted twice." At 26 feet or more the area counts three times. A tall room therefore counts for more floor area than its footprint.
• Lot coverage. Section 91.4.9: "For a single-story dwelling, fifty percent (50%) of the lot area" and "For a two-story dwelling, forty percent (40%) of the lot area," counting structures and "excluding covered patios open on two (2) sides."
• Open space. Section 91.4.10: "Open space shall constitute not less than one-third (1/3) of the total lot area in one or more areas having minimum dimensions of ten (10) feet by fifteen (15) feet."
• Accessory buildings. Section 91.4.8: "No accessory building shall exceed fourteen (14) feet in height," "No accessory building shall provide living quarters," and none "may exceed seven hundred (700) square feet in area." In the rear quarter of the lot, a detached accessory building may be one foot from the rear line and one foot from one side line if that wall is a one-hour fire wall with no openings.
• House sizes. Article 20 of Chapter 2 sets a minimum of 700 square feet for a one-bedroom single-family dwelling, 900 for two bedrooms, 1,200 for three and 1,450 for four.

R-2, R-3 and R-4

• R-2 rear yard. "there shall be a rear yard of not less than ten (10) feet." Where the R-2 rear line abuts the rear line of an R-1 lot, the R-1 rear yard applies.
• R-2 buildings. "No detached dwelling or other main building shall be less than ten (10) feet from any other dwelling or main building on the same lot." Open space is one-third of the lot, as in R-1.
• R-3 front yard. Section 91.7.4 starts from the R-1 front yard and adds that "where fifty (50) percent or more of the face of a building is set back more than the required distance the remainder may project into the required front yard to within ten (10) feet of the property line," as long as the total front yard area equals a uniform 20-foot setback.
• R-3 rear yard. Section 91.7.5: "There shall be a rear yard not less than ten (10) feet in depth and such yard shall be level, open and unoccupied." An open 10-foot yard between a front building and a rear building may take its place, but "no main building shall be less than five (5) feet from the rear property line."
• R-4 side yard. Section 91.9.6: above two stories, "the width of the side yard shall be increased one (1) foot for each additional story above the second floor; provided, however, that such side yard need not exceed five (5) feet in width."
• Courts. Section 92.5.11 asks for an average court width of 20 feet where buildings stand on three sides or two opposite sides of a court, and 10 feet between single-family dwellings where one has no more than one entrance facing the space between them.
• Alleys. Outside R-1, where a lot needs a 20-foot rear yard and abuts a public alley at the rear, half of the alley, up to 10 feet, may count toward the yard.
• Driveways and doors. Where a unit's main entrance faces a driveway, the door must be 10 feet from it, with a walkway and a 24-inch landscaped strip between.

Parking Counts

Sources: Torrance Municipal Code Sections 93.2.1, 93.2.2, 93.2.3, 92.2.10, 92.29.34, 91.51.0130, 91.52.100, 91.48.4, 91.36.5 and 91.11.16.

• Houses. Section 93.2.1 requires "a private garage located on the same lot or parcel of land with a storage capacity of not less than two (2) cars."
• Duplexes. Section 93.2.2 requires "private garage space with a storage capacity of not less than four (4) cars."
• How bedrooms are counted. For apartments, the code takes all rooms in the unit and leaves out "one (1) living room, one (1) dining room, one (1) kitchen, all bathrooms and closets. All other remaining rooms shall be counted as bedrooms." A den or office counts as a bedroom.
• Garage doors. Each enclosed apartment garage needs "a garage door operated by an automatic garage door opener," of the roll-up type where it faces an alley.
• No parking in front. "In no case shall open area parking be permitted in any required front yard or side street yard."
• Small Lot, Low-Medium Overlay. One or two homes there are exempt from Planning Commission review only with "not less than three (3) enclosed garages, with only one (1) uncovered required parking space on the lot."

Parking Space Sizes and Driveways

• Enclosed space. Section 93.5.2: "For a single enclosed parking space, a minimum dimension shall be ten (10) feet by twenty (20) feet clear, unpartitioned, inside dimensions." An enclosed tandem space is 10 by 18 feet, and other required spaces are "nine (9) feet by twenty (20) feet."
• Doors and headroom. A garage doorway is at least 7 feet 6 inches wide for one car and 15 feet 6 inches for two, and a garage needs 7 feet of clear height.
• Unenclosed space. Where an open space counts, it is 8 feet 6 inches by 20 feet on permanent paving, or 10 by 20 feet in a side yard setback.
• Driveway width. Section 93.5.7: "Driveways serving less than eleven (11) parking spaces shall have a minimum width of ten (10) feet; driveways serving eleven (11) or more parking spaces shall have a minimum width of twenty (20) feet or two (2) ten (10) foot driveways."
• Tandem. Section 93.5.12: outside the listed exceptions, "tandem parking will not be considered as satisfying the parking requirement of this Article." Tandem parking is one car parked behind another.
• Underground garages. A subterranean garage may be built to a side or rear property line, and its roof may rise no more than 3 feet above natural grade in a required side or rear yard.
• Paving. Driveways and open parking are paved with 4 inches of base and at least 2 inches of asphalt paving.
• Front yard paving. Section 92.5.14: "No person shall pave or cause to be paved more than fifty (50) percent of the front yard of any residentially zoned property without the prior approval of the Director of Building and Safety."

Fences, Walls and Pools

• Permit. Section 92.13.1: "No fence or wall three (3) feet or greater in height shall be constructed without first obtaining a building permit therefor."
• Front. A fence, wall or hedge in the required front setback "shall not exceed a height of four (4) feet," and may not be chain link, chicken wire, hog wire or fiberglass. Six feet is allowed where the fence stays 10 feet from the front property line and landscaping with irrigation is placed in front of it.
• Side and rear. A fence or wall "shall not exceed a height of six (6) feet." The Planning Director may allow up to 8 feet behind the front 40 feet of the lot for reasons such as a pool enclosure or a yard next to commercial or apartment uses.
• Materials. "No barbed wire is permitted," and no fence may be charged with electricity.
• Pools. The outer wall of a swimming pool must be at least 5 feet from an interior side line, a rear line or a building, 10 feet from a side street line and 20 feet from the front line.
• Decks. Decking up to 2 feet above grade may extend to the property lines.

Hillside and Design Rules That Add to the Numbers

• Hillside Overlay. A house there is exempt from the Precise Plan hearing only if it is one story, no more than 14 feet high, and its net interior area with the garage is no more than 50 percent of the lot area. Section 91.41.9 adds "a level setback of not less than five (5) feet" between a structure and any adjacent slope over 15 percent. See the hillside overlay and view rules page.
• Design compatibility. Article 21 of Chapter 2 bars a building "of an unusual and unorthodox architectural design, commonly referred to as a novelty building," and an exterior covering of galvanized iron or sheet metal.
• Screening. For multiple family projects, refuse and storage areas are enclosed on three sides by a wall at least 5 feet high, and mechanical equipment is screened on all sides.
• Garages on the street. Where apartment garages open toward a public street, a solid masonry wall at least 6 feet high must stand between them and the street property line.

Waivers and Buildings That Predate the Rules

• Waivers. Section 94.2.1: "The Planning Commission may grant waivers of the provisions of this Division relating to the following restrictions: front, rear, and side yard requirements, court requirements, building height and distances between buildings."
• The test. Section 94.2.4 has three parts. One is that "Unreasonable difficulties will result from the strict enforcement of this Division." The others are that the waiver will not harm the public welfare or nearby property and will not interfere with orderly development.
• Fee. The Planning fee schedule effective July 1, 2026 lists a Waiver at $3,386 and a Variance at $13,132, each with an $889 notification fee. A variance is for hardship from rules "relating to the use of land," and the City Council decides it after a Planning Commission recommendation.
• Older R-1 houses. A building permitted before October 10, 1989 "may be rebuilt to its original height" if damage exceeds 50 percent of its replacement cost, with no new or enlarged part above that height.
• Nonconforming buildings. Section 92.22.4 allows repair or rebuilding where the cost "does not exceed fifty (50) percent of the replacement cost." Above that the building follows current rules, except that a multiple-family building of three or more units "may be repaired, reconstructed, or restored in accordance with the zoning requirements of this Division that were in effect at the time it was first constructed," with no added units, bedrooms or living area and no lost parking.

Where State Law Replaces a Local Number

• ADUs. Government Code 66314 allows "a setback of no more than four feet from the side and rear lot lines" for a new ADU, and Government Code 66321 bars limits on lot coverage, floor area ratio, open space and front setbacks that would block an 800 square foot ADU. The City's ADU section uses the four-foot figure.
• SB 9 units. Government Code 65852.21 lets a city "require a setback of up to four feet from the side and rear lot lines," and the City's SB 9 section uses four feet and drops lot coverage, floor area ratio and open space for the new units.
• Parking near transit. Government Code 65863.2 says a public agency "shall not impose or enforce any minimum automobile parking requirement" on a project "located within one-half mile of public transit," and defines public transit as "a major transit stop as defined in Section 21155 of the Public Resources Code." The Torrance code defines a major transit stop as a rail or bus rapid transit station, a ferry terminal with transit service, or "the intersection of two or more major bus routes with a frequency of service interval of 15 minutes or less during the morning and afternoon peak commute periods." This guide did not map those stops. Chapter 3 itself has no line for the state rule.
• Overlay projects. A project that uses the Housing Corridor Overlay follows the overlay parking counts, and Section 93.1.9 exempts it from the Chapter 3 numbers.

Where the Code Disagrees With Itself

• The recording cross-reference. Section 91.4.5 says the neighbor's consent to building in a side yard is recorded "as provided in Section 92.6.1." The R-2 and R-3 articles refer to Section 92.26.1 for the same step, and Section 92.26.1 is the section on recorded agreements.
• Garage in or out. The R-1 floor area ratio includes the garage. The R-2 and R-3 ratios say "any garage area shall not be included," and the small-project ratios of 1.0 and 1.25 in R-3 are stated "including enclosed private garage areas."
• Roof decks. The R-3 open space section excludes roof decks from usable open space. The R-4 section lets roof decks supply up to 33.3 percent of it.
• Apartment sizes. Section 92.20.4 sets a one-bedroom apartment at 700 square feet. The Housing Corridor Overlay sets it at 600 and says its figures supersede Article 20.
• The height reference. Section 92.3.1 measures height "exclusive of roof structures" as defined in the Uniform Building Code of the Pacific Coast Building Officials Conference. The R-1 section measures to the topmost portion of the roof.

Limits of This Page

The code text is the publisher's copy, current through Ordinance 3969 of June 23, 2026, and City Council agendas through October 6, 2026 show no later ordinance amending Division 9. The City's parking handout, its parking layout exhibits and the City of Torrance Design Guidelines were not read. Standards in the Hawthorne Boulevard Corridor Specific Plan and in individual Planned Development plans are not covered. The building, fire and grading codes add their own limits. Have the Planning Division confirm the yards and height for your lot before design work starts.

Where to Go Next

Related on VanPlex: the Torrance overview, the California duplex to fourplex page and the California energy code page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Official sources (checked October 2026)