Questions We Get Asked

The City's mapping shows the boundary and Development Services will confirm it. Distance from the water is not a reliable guide, because the boundary runs inland by varying amounts.

Section 30610(g) of the Public Resources Code exempts replacement of a structure destroyed by a disaster from the coastal permit requirement, provided it conforms to existing zoning, is for the same use, does not exceed the destroyed structure's floor area, height or bulk by more than ten percent, and sits in the same location.

The statute defines it as any situation in which the forces that destroyed the structure were beyond the control of its owner. An accidental fire ordinarily satisfies that.

Total interior cubic volume measured from the exterior surface of the structure. It is why higher ceilings can breach the ten percent limit without adding any floor area.

The definition of structure includes landscaping and any erosion control structure or device similar to what existed before the disaster, which matters on bluff and canyon properties.

Not on the exemption. Exceeding ten percent of floor area, height or bulk takes the project into the standard requirements and limitations for coastal development.

Not on the exemption, which requires the replacement to sit in the same location on the property — the same building pad rather than merely the same parcel.

That depends on its permit status rather than its age alone. A home built without a coastal permit does not qualify for the replacement exemption, and a first-time coastal permit is required instead.

Up to a point. Unless a structure was destroyed by natural disaster, replacing fifty percent or more of a single-family residence is treated as a replacement structure rather than repair, and it requires a coastal permit.

In a single dwelling unit zone the maximum is set by lot area, excluding environmentally sensitive lands. Whether the parcel sits in a Sustainable Development Area changes the bonus ADU allowance on top.

Environmentally sensitive land is excluded from both the unit count and the floor area ratio calculation. On canyon-rim and hillside parcels that deduction can be substantial.

Yes. Bonus ADUs are not permitted in a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone where the lot fronts a cul-de-sac or where the premises has only one point of ingress or egress, and ADUs in High and Very High zones require a four foot side and rear setback.

Not necessarily yet. They took effect thirty days after final passage outside the Coastal Zone, while implementation inside it awaits Coastal Commission certification. Confirm the current position for your parcel.

Yes. Who keeps the proceeds is a negotiated term rather than a legal barrier. Tell any buyer at the outset; one who suggests concealing it from your carrier is telling you something useful.

On a coastal parcel, be careful. Clearing before the permit position is established can remove evidence of the original structure's dimensions, which is what the ten percent limit is measured against. Take advice first.

Nothing. No fee, no commission, no repair spend and no obligation if you decline.

California charges a documentary transfer tax on the conveyance, and your escrow officer will quote the combined county and city figure for your sale price.

The estate has to be able to convey. It is a common cause of delay and it runs alongside the coastal and capacity questions rather than instead of them.