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Santa Clarita · Building on your lot

Building on a hillside in Santa Clarita

Santa Clarita'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 Santa Clarita Municipal Code it was read from, with the code text one click away (checked October 2026). General information, not legal advice.

What Santa Clarita's code says

Santa Clarita code What Santa Clarita's code adds
Grading and retaining walls
  • Grading over 100 cubic yards must meet the Hillside Development rules.
    Applies: Where the average slope is over 10%.
    § 17.86.040 · code text
    Grading where average slopes are greater than ten percent (10%) and involving more than one hundred (100) cubic yards is subject to Section 17.51.020 (Hillside Development).
  • 100 to under 1,500 cubic yards of grading: hillside review by the Director.
    Applies: Hillside parcels; minor work like pools, landscaping, additions or accessory structures may need only a grading or building permit.
    § 17.23.130 · code text
    Grading excavations or fills or any combination thereof equal to or exceeding one hundred (100) cubic yards, but less than one thousand five hundred (1,500) cubic yards;
  • Over 1,500 cubic yards of grading: hillside review by the Planning Commission.
    Applies: Hillside parcels.
    § 17.23.130 · code text
    Grading excavations or fills, or any combination thereof, exceeding one thousand five hundred (1,500) cubic yards;
When hillside rules apply
  • Average cross slope of 10% or more.
    Applies: These parcels need a hillside development review permit, as the Director decides.
    § 17.23.130 · code text
    The provisions of this section shall be applied to parcels of land having average cross slopes of ten percent (10%) or more as determined to be applicable by the Director, and shall be subject to the issuance of a permit for hillside development review.

Who this affects

HomeownersContractorsDesigners

Frequently asked questions

What extra rules apply to a hillside lot in Santa Clarita?

Santa Clarita's code: Average cross slope of 10% or more. (These parcels need a hillside development review permit, as the Director decides.) (§ 17.23.130); Grading over 100 cubic yards must meet the Hillside Development rules. (Where the average slope is over 10%.) (§ 17.86.040).

General information, not legal advice.

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Ask GoCodebook how Santa Clarita's building on a hillside rules apply to your situation and get an answer that cites the section.

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Santa Clarita Municipal Code — full text