Luxury Remodeling in Monrovia

In the Residential Foothill zone, where a pad sits beside a slope of three feet or more, structures must be set back from the side and rear pad edge by one third of the slope height, up to 15 feet for the single-story portion, and a second story sits a full 15 feet back. A retaining wall that extends the pad is limited to three feet unless a house, garage or other permitted structure screens it from the street and neighboring parcels.

New construction and additions in the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone fall under a local Building Code chapter that requires one-hour fire-resistive exterior walls with double-glazed exterior glass, though a one-story detached accessory building with no more than 484 square feet of projected roof area, set at least 20 feet from the primary building, is excepted.

The city's vegetation fire hazard ordinance keeps the 30 feet around any structure free of natural vegetation such as sumac, buckwheat and sage, holds highly flammable ornamentals such as eucalyptus, pine, cypress and juniper at least ten feet from buildings, and in the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone extends defensible space to 200 feet, which shapes planting around pools, decks and outdoor rooms.

Oaks ten inches or more in diameter, measured two feet above ground, in a single-family front yard or street-facing side yard, and every oak on a vacant lot, need an oak tree preservation permit from the Development Review Committee before removal, pruning of more than a third of the crown, foliage or roots, or any grading or irrigation inside the drip line.