Home › California › Westlake Village

Westlake Village, California: what can you build or do?

Plain-English answers to common homeowner questions, taken from Westlake Village's published ordinances, with every rule linked to the section it comes from.

Last reviewed 2026-10-15

• Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)
  Yes. ADUs are allowed on single-family lots in Westlake Village's R-1 and RPD zones with a ministerial City Zoning Clearance plus a Los Angeles County building permit. A new detached ADU can be up to 850 sq ft (1 bedroom) or 1,000 sq ft (2+ bedrooms) and 16 feet tall, with 4-foot side and rear setbacks.Allowed with a permit
• Backyard Chickens
  Only on larger lots. Westlake Village allows chickens and other fowl on parcels of 15,000 sq ft or more, up to 6 birds total, with a plot plan approved by the Planning Director. Coops must be at least 15 feet from any neighbor's home.Restricted
• Short-Term Rentals (Airbnb / VRBO)
  Westlake Village's code has no short-term rental permit or outright ban, but anyone renting a house or room to guests for 30 days or less must register with the City and collect a 10% transient occupancy tax. The zoning code treats any use it doesn't list as prohibited, and short-term rentals aren't listed, so confirm with the Planning Department before listing your home. ADUs and junior ADUs can't be rented for less than 30 days.Restricted
• Fences
  In most of Westlake Village, fences and walls can be up to 42 inches tall in the front yard (and in a side yard next to a street) and up to 6 feet in side and rear yards. Anything over 42 inches needs a City fence permit, and all fences need HOA approval. A few neighborhoods differ: Southshore and Westlake Island allow walls up to 10 feet outside the front yard setback, and First Neighborhood allows front-yard walls over 42 inches if set back 8 feet.Allowed with a permit
• Sheds & Accessory Buildings
  Sheds and other accessory buildings are allowed in Westlake Village's R-1 and RPD zones. They can be 1 story and 18 feet tall, at least 5 feet from the rear lot line and 10% of the lot's width (max 10 feet) from the side lines, and can't cover more than half the required rear yard. A shed that needs an L.A. County building permit needs a City Zoning Clearance first; some neighborhoods' conditions of approval change the setbacks.Allowed with a permit
• Burn Permits & Backyard Fires
  You can't burn brush, yard waste or trash at your home: South Coast AQMD Rule 444 bans residential burning, and any other open burning needs a written permit and a declared burn day. Recreational fires and fires for cooking or warmth using natural gas, propane, untreated wood or charcoal are exempt from that rule, but the L.A. County Fire Code and winter no-burn days still apply.Restricted
• Home-Based Businesses
  Yes. Westlake Village requires no City license or permit for a home business, but it must follow the code's limits: no employees who don't live there, no more than 2 customers at a time and none from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m., and no sales of goods on site. Some businesses, including salons, auto repair and medical offices, are banned.Allowed
• Swimming Pools
  Yes. A pool can go in your rear yard as long as it's at least 5 feet from every lot line, and pool pumps, heaters and filters must be at least 2.5 feet from lot lines, no taller than 6 feet, and screened by a solid fence or wall. You need a City Zoning Clearance and a Los Angeles County building permit, and state pool-safety barrier rules apply.Allowed with a permit
• Building Near the Coast or Creeks
  Westlake Village has no general setback from the lake or creeks in the code and neighborhood conditions we reviewed. The main rules are the City's floodplain regulations: building in a FEMA special flood hazard area needs a development permit from the City Engineer, and new or substantially improved homes must sit at least 1 foot above base flood elevation. Lakefront lots also follow their neighborhood's conditions of approval and HOA rules.Allowed with board review
• Docks, Piers & Floats
  Only one neighborhood's rules mention docks: Lakeshore's conditions of approval allow ramps, piers and related facilities in the rear yards of lake-front lots. The Municipal Code and the other neighborhoods' conditions (including Southshore, Westlake Island, Watergate and First Neighborhood) say nothing about docks, so elsewhere ask the Planning Department and your HOA and lake association before building one.Depends on your zone