Related Entries
City of Los Angeles
Maximum Envelope Height
Code Reference
LAMC 12.21C10(d)(1)
Table 12.21C10-4
LADBS Form PC/STR/Corr.Lst.107A, Part II.D
Definition
The Maximum Envelope Height is the height ceiling for buildings in a designated Hillside Area under the City of Los Angeles Baseline Hillside Ordinance. It is the vertical distance from the Hillside Area Grade (as defined in LAMC 12.03) to a projected plane located directly above the building, parallel to grade, at the roof structure or parapet wall.
The specific number depends on the zone, the lot’s slope characteristics, and the height district. Table 12.21C10-4 in the LAMC sets out the applicable maximums. In a Single-Story Height District (designated “1SS” on the Zoning Map), only one story is permitted regardless of the envelope height.
The Maximum Envelope Height is distinct from the building height defined in the standard zoning code. On hillside lots, it is the controlling number. A project cannot exceed it without a discretionary approval.
What flags it in plan check
Plan checkers measure the Maximum Envelope Height by comparing the proposed roof or parapet elevation against the Hillside Area Grade at the same horizontal location. On a sloping lot, this is done at multiple points. The envelope is a curve, not a horizontal line.
Two specific exceptions: unenclosed cantilevered balconies and visually permeable railings (forty-two inches or shorter) may project up to five horizontal feet beyond the Maximum Envelope Height. Projecting roof structures (chimneys, vents, and similar) have their own allowances under Table 12.21C10-5.
Within twenty feet of the front lot line, height is also constrained to twenty-four feet measured from the centerline or midpoint of the street. This is a separate rule that often controls before the envelope height does on the front portion of the lot.
Connected Terms
Sources. Sources: LAMC Section 12.21C10(d)(1); Table 12.21C10-4; City of Los Angeles Department of Building & Safety, Plan Check Correction Sheet PC/STR/Corr.Lst.107A (Baseline Hillside Ordinance).
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