Answer by condition
What the parcel's condition decides in Pasadena.
Two parcels in Pasadena can follow different paths because the mapped conditions differ. Below is each condition verified for this city, with the question, the answer, the verification step and the official source.
Pasadena sits about 9 miles north-east of Downtown Los Angeles, in the Central LA/Foothills cluster. The reviewing jurisdiction is the City of Pasadena.
Verified condition
Slope and grading
Sloped parcels change how a building meets the ground. Cut and fill quantities, retaining walls, driveway gradient, drainage discharge and construction access are decided together, not one at a time.
How does a sloped lot change a project here?
On a slope, the foundation approach, retaining walls, driveway gradient, drainage path and construction access are a single connected decision. The practical first step is confirming slope percentage, mapped geologic conditions and the local grading permit threshold for the specific parcel.
How to verify it
Confirm the parcel's slope percentage, any mapped geologic condition, the grading permit threshold in the municipal code and whether a soils or geotechnical report is required before design is fixed.
Verified condition
Historic resources and districts
A designated resource or a contributing property in a district changes what can be demolished, how additions read from the street, which materials are acceptable and what documentation the file needs.
What changes if the property is historic?
Demolition, street-facing additions, window and material choices and the documentation in the file. Confirm designation or contributor status and the applicable review before committing to an exterior design.
How to verify it
Check whether the property is designated or a district contributor, which review applies to exterior change and demolition, and what documentation is expected.
Baseline framework
What applies to every parcel, condition or not.
- StateState accessory dwelling unit lawCal. Gov. Code § 66310 et seq.
- StateLocal ADU ordinance standardsCal. Gov. Code § 66314
- StateJunior accessory dwelling unitsCal. Gov. Code § 66333
- StateTwo-unit residential development (SB 9)Cal. Gov. Code § 65852.21
- StateUrban lot splitCal. Gov. Code § 66411.7
- StateHCD accessory dwelling unit guidanceCalifornia HCD
- StateCalifornia Building Standards CodeCalifornia Code of Regulations, Title 24
- StateCALGreen building standardsTitle 24, Part 11 (CALGreen)
- StateBuilding energy efficiency standardsTitle 24, Part 6 (Energy Code)
- StateContractor licence verificationCal. Bus. & Prof. Code, CSLB
- CountyCounty parcel and assessment recordsLos Angeles County Assessor