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Brea · Building on your lot

Building on a hillside in Brea

Brea's own rules on building on a hillside, with the code text for every value.

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Each rule below links to the section of the Brea Municipal Code it was read from, with the code text one click away (checked October 2026). General information, not legal advice.

What Brea's code says

Brea code What Brea's code adds
Grading and retaining walls
  • No grading on slopes over 30%.
    Applies: Hillside Residential zone; slope areas of 1 acre or more, at least 50 feet across; existing manufactured slopes, safety grading and emergency access are exempt.
    § 20.206.100 · code text
    No grading shall take place on any slope that exceeds thirty percent (30%) over an area encompassing one (1) acre or more and has any minimum horizontal dimension of fifty (50) feet.
  • No steeper than 2 feet horizontal to 1 foot vertical.
    Applies: Hillside Residential zone; graded or cut embankments next to a publicly maintained right-of-way.
    § 20.206.100 · code text
    Graded or cut embankment adjacent to a publicly maintained right-of-way shall not exceed a slope ratio greater than two (2) feet horizontal to one (1) foot vertical.
  • Berms must be landform graded no steeper than 3 to 1.
    Applies: Hillside Residential zone; berms 3 feet or taller.
    § 20.206.100 · code text
    Any berm three (3) feet or greater in vertical height shall be landform graded no steeper than three (3) to one (1).
  • Slopes must be contour graded no steeper than 2 to 1.
    Applies: Hillside Residential zone; slopes between home pads with at least a 2-foot elevation difference.
    § 20.206.100 · code text
    Where there is at least a two (2)-foot elevation difference between residential flat pads, slopes shall be contour graded no steeper than two (2) to one (1).

Who this affects

HomeownersContractorsDesigners

Frequently asked questions

What extra rules apply to a hillside lot in Brea?

Brea's code: No grading on slopes over 30%. (Hillside Residential zone; slope areas of 1 acre or more, at least 50 feet across; existing manufactured slopes, safety grading and emergency access are exempt.) (§ 20.206.100); No steeper than 2 feet horizontal to 1 foot vertical. (Hillside Residential zone; graded or cut embankments next to a publicly maintained right-of-way.) (§ 20.206.100).

General information, not legal advice.

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Brea Municipal Code — full text