Building near the coast or a creek in Sierra Madre, California
Sierra Madre is an inland foothill city with no coastline. The only waterside rule we found is in the Hillside Management (R-H) zone: no building or structure may be placed within 100 feet of natural, unaltered riparian (streamside) areas, and all construction there needs a hillside development permit. The R-1 rules we reviewed don't set a creek setback.
| Setback from natural riparian areas (R-H zone) | 100 feet for any building or structure [1] |
| Permit for building or grading in R-H | Administrative hillside development permit or hillside development permit [2] |
| Projects affecting watercourses (where a biotic plan is required) | Must keep natural stream buffer areas [4] |
No coastal zone
Sierra Madre sits at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains, far from the coast, so coastal development permits don't apply. Near-water rules here concern canyons, creeks and riparian (streamside) habitat in the hillside areas.
Hillside Management (R-H) zone
In the R-H zone, yard setbacks follow the R-1 rules, and in addition no building or structure may be placed within 100 feet of natural, unaltered riparian areas [1]. Nobody may grade or build on an R-H lot without first getting an administrative hillside development permit or a full hillside development permit [2]. Permit applications must include a suitability analysis mapping riparian areas, drainage areas, flood plains, sensitive habitat and protected trees on the site [3].
Biotic resources plans
Where a biotic resources management plan is required, it must address runoff, sedimentation and erosion impacts on streams, and projects affecting watercourses must keep stream buffer areas in a natural condition to serve as wildlife corridors [4]. The plan must also discuss any state and federal permits the project needs, such as a California Fish and Game Code Section 1600 streambed agreement or an Army Corps Clean Water Act Section 404 permit [5].
Other zones
The R-1 zoning chapter we reviewed doesn't include a creek or riparian setback. If your lot borders a creek, wash or flood-control channel outside R-H, ask the City whether other rules apply. State law requires notifying the Department of Fish and Wildlife before work that alters a stream bed or bank (see state rules).
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Next steps
- Check your zoning (R-1 or R-H) on the City's zoning map or with Planning & Community Preservation, (626) 355-7138.
- On an R-H lot, map any natural riparian area and keep all buildings and structures at least 100 feet away; apply for the required hillside development permit before grading or building.
- If work could affect a creek bed or bank, contact the California Department of Fish and Wildlife about a Section 1602 notification before starting.
Common questions
- Is there a creek setback in Sierra Madre, California?
- Only in the Hillside Management (R-H) zone: no building or structure may be placed within 100 feet of natural, unaltered riparian areas. The R-1 rules we reviewed don't set a creek setback.
- Do I need a hillside development permit in Sierra Madre, California?
- Yes, on an R-H lot. Nobody may grade or build there without first getting an administrative hillside development permit or a full hillside development permit, and applications must map riparian areas, drainage, flood plains and protected trees.
- Do I need a coastal development permit in Sierra Madre, California?
- No. Sierra Madre is an inland foothill city with no coastline, so coastal development permits don't apply.
- Do I need a state permit for work near a stream in Sierra Madre, California?
- Possibly. State law requires notifying the Department of Fish and Wildlife before work that alters a stream bed or bank, and some projects may need a Section 1600 streambed agreement or an Army Corps Section 404 permit.
California rules for building near the coast and creeks
California has no statewide shoreland setback. Near water, two state laws matter most.
The coastal zone (Coastal Act, Pub. Res. Code §30000 et seq.):
- Almost any development in the coastal zone needs a coastal development permit (CDP) (§30600). "Development" is broad: buildings, additions, grading, lot splits, removing major vegetation, and changes in intensity of use (§30106).
- The zone generally runs about 1,000 yards inland from mean high tide (up to 5 miles in some habitat areas, less in some cities). San Francisco Bay is excluded; BCDC regulates it (§30103).
- Where a city or county has a Local Coastal Program (LCP) certified by the Coastal Commission, it issues the CDP (§30519). Otherwise the Commission does.
- Local approvals can be appealed to the Coastal Commission for projects between the sea and the first public road, within 300 ft of a beach or the mean high tide line, within 100 ft of a wetland, estuary or stream, or within 300 ft of a coastal bluff (§30603).
- Some improvements to existing homes and repairs are exempt (§30610), with exceptions set by regulation.
Creeks, streams and lakes statewide: you must notify the Department of Fish and Wildlife before work that diverts or blocks a stream, changes its bed, channel or bank, or puts material into it (Fish & Game Code §1602), even for streams that are dry part of the year. CDFW may require a Lake or Streambed Alteration Agreement.
Cities and counties often add their own creek setbacks or riparian buffers.
What the ordinance says
- Sec. 17.52.120(A)(4), Municipal Code Title 17 Ch. 17.52 H Hillside Management Zone, p. 1
Front, side and rear yard setbacks shall be as provided for in the R-1 zone (Sections 17.20.050 to 17.20.070). In addition, no buildings or structure shall be placed within one hundred feet of natural, unaltered riparian areas.
- Sec. 17.52.050(B), Municipal Code Title 17 Ch. 17.52 H Hillside Management Zone, p. 1
No person shall grade, erect, or construct into, over, or on top of property within an R-H-zone without first obtaining an administrative hillside development permit or a hillside development permit in compliance with this chapter.
- Sec. 17.52.100, Municipal Code Title 17 Ch. 17.52 H Hillside Management Zone, p. 1
A suitability analysis that clearly delineates the following on-site constraints: category 4 slopes, riparian areas, drainage areas, flood plains, vegetation types (including sensitive or critical habitat, protected trees, and other vegetation to be affected by the project in a manner which might have a significant biological or aesthetic impact on the environment or implicate the concerns of Section 17.52.180 of this chapter), prominent ridgelines and, if requested by the director, archaeological, historic and paleontological resources.
- Sec. 17.52.180(d), Municipal Code Title 17 Ch. 17.52 H Hillside Management Zone, p. 1
Mitigation measures shall include elimination of non-native, invasive plant species and preservation and placement of native plant species. Projects affecting watercourses shall incorporate stream buffer areas to be maintained in a natural condition through nonstructural flood control methods to maintain their value as wildlife corridors;
- Sec. 17.52.180(e), Municipal Code Title 17 Ch. 17.52 H Hillside Management Zone, p. 1
Permits. If state and federal permits are required for a project, the biotic resource manage plan shall include a discussion of the necessary biological permits (including but not limited to permits administered by the following agencies or pursuant to the following programs: California Department of Fish and Game, California Fish and Game Code Section 1600, United States Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service, and Clean Water Act, Section 404).