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Sierra Madre · Building on your lot

Building on a hillside in Sierra Madre

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

What Sierra Madre's code says

Sierra Madre code What Sierra Madre's code adds
Grading and retaining walls
  • Cut slopes for a building pad may be at most 20 feet high.
    Applies: Hillside development (R-H zone).
    § 17.52.150 · code text
    Cut slopes for purposes of establishing a pad shall not exceed twenty feet in height.
  • Fill slopes may be at most 9 feet deep at any point.
    Applies: Hillside development (R-H zone).
    § 17.52.150 · code text
    Fill slopes shall not exceed nine feet in depth at any point;
  • Upslope walls at most 4 feet high; terraced walls at least 3 feet apart are allowed.
    Applies: Hillside development (R-H zone): retaining walls upslope from a building.
    § 17.52.150 · code text
    Walls located upslope from a building or structure shall not exceed four feet in height.
  • At most 20 feet in total height.
    Applies: Hillside development (R-H zone): an upslope retaining wall system.
    § 17.52.150 · code text
    The total height of an upslope wall system shall be no more than twenty feet.
  • At most 3 feet high, measured from the daylight line.
    Applies: Hillside development (R-H zone): retaining walls downslope from a building.
    § 17.52.150 · code text
    Walls located downslope from a building or structure shall not exceed three feet in height from the daylight line.
  • At most 9 feet in total height.
    Applies: Hillside development (R-H zone): a downslope retaining wall system.
    § 17.52.150 · code text
    The total height of a downslope wall system shall be no more than nine feet.
  • At most 8 feet high.
    Applies: Hillside development (R-H zone): retaining walls that are part of a building.
    § 17.52.150 · code text
    Retaining walls which are an integral part of a building or structure shall not exceed eight feet in height.

Who this affects

HomeownersContractorsDesigners

Frequently asked questions

What extra rules apply to a hillside lot in Sierra Madre?

Sierra Madre's code: Cut slopes for a building pad may be at most 20 feet high. (Hillside development (R-H zone).) (§ 17.52.150); Fill slopes may be at most 9 feet deep at any point. (Hillside development (R-H zone).) (§ 17.52.150).

General information, not legal advice.

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

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Sierra Madre Municipal Code — full text