LA Zoning Code Modernization
Los Angeles, CA · Regulatory Reform
Our principals served as lead code writers for the City of Los Angeles's multi-year zoning code modernization , one of the most ambitious regulatory reform efforts in the country. The existing code, accumulated since the 1940s, had become a patchwork of inconsistent standards, outdated use categories, and overlapping special regulations that made it nearly impossible to navigate without expert assistance.
The modernization effort built a new hybrid-modular zoning framework from the ground up , one that preserved the flexibility needed in a city as large and diverse as Los Angeles while providing the clarity and predictability that property owners, developers, and city staff needed to use it effectively. New form-based, district-based standards were developed for residential, mixed-use, commercial, and industrial contexts across all 470 square miles of the city.
Key Elements
- Hybrid-modular zoning framework replacing a legacy use-based code
- Form-based standards for residential, mixed-use, commercial, and industrial districts
- Context-calibrated development standards replacing uniform citywide regulations
- Streamlined review processes calibrated to the policy implications of different decision types
- Intent statements embedded in the code to support consistent administration and legal defensibility