Does the Baseline Hillside Ordinance apply to my Sherman Oaks lot?

It applies if your lot is in a designated hillside area, which includes many properties south of Ventura Boulevard rising toward the Santa Monica Mountains. The Baseline Hillside Ordinance shapes allowable size, height, grading, and access. Flatter lots north of the Boulevard typically fall under standard R1 rules instead. We confirm which set applies before designing.

Can I build an ADU in Sherman Oaks?

In most cases, yes. ADUs are permitted across much of Sherman Oaks under state ADU law and the City of Los Angeles ADU rules, though hillside lots can add grading, access, and slope-related constraints. The firm we co-own confirms feasibility through LADBS before committing to a design.

Do you handle LADBS permits and plan check directly?

Yes. The licensed, CSLB-verified firm we co-own files and carries the LADBS permits for your project, coordinates any LA City Planning approvals, and manages plan check and inspections in-house. You work directly with the builder — no lead broker, no middleman, and no markup.

Sherman Oaks · Los Angeles County

Sherman Oaks Design-Build & Remodeling Contractors

We are owner-operated and hold equity in the licensed, CSLB-verified Sherman Oaks–area firm that self-performs your project — so you work directly with the builder, at a fair market price with no markup.

Talk to the builder or call 424-362-6480

Building in Sherman Oaks, at a glance

Sherman Oaks is part of the City of Los Angeles, so the rules here are LA City rules — LADBS permits, City Planning entitlements, and the hillside line that runs roughly along Ventura Boulevard. Here is what governs the work.

Permitting authority: Sherman Oaks is part of the City of Los Angeles, so permits go through LADBS (Los Angeles Department of Building & Safety) and LA City Planning — it is not a standalone city.
Overlays & local quirks: The Baseline Hillside Ordinance governs hillside lots (many south of Ventura Blvd toward the Santa Monica Mountains); flatter R1 lots sit north of the Blvd; LA City ADU rules apply.
Neighborhoods served: The south-of-Ventura hillsides, Chandler Estates, Longridge Estates, Greenleaf, and Royal Woods.
Typical projects: Hillside additions and rebuilds, ADUs, kitchen and bath remodels, and second-story additions.

Who issues building permits in Sherman Oaks?

LADBS — the Los Angeles Department of Building & Safety — issues building permits in Sherman Oaks, with land-use entitlements handled by LA City Planning.

Sherman Oaks is a neighborhood of the City of Los Angeles, not a separate city, so there is no Sherman Oaks city hall and projects are not routed through Los Angeles County. That distinction matters: the standards, the ADU rules, and the hillside ordinance are all LA City’s. The licensed firm we co-own files directly with LADBS, coordinates any Planning approvals, and manages plan check and inspections from submittal through final sign-off.

The LADBS & hillside reality — and how we navigate it

Sherman Oaks splits almost neatly at Ventura Boulevard. North of the Boulevard you find flatter R1 streets — Chandler Estates, Greenleaf — where additions and second stories follow standard LA City residential rules. South of the Boulevard the land climbs into the Santa Monica Mountains, and many of those lots fall under the City’s Baseline Hillside Ordinance, which limits buildable area, height, and grading by slope and lot size. A second-story addition that is routine in Chandler Estates can be a far more constrained design exercise in the Longridge or Royal Woods hills.

Building through LADBS rather than a small-city counter is its own discipline. The plan-check standards are exacting, ADU review follows LA City’s framework, and hillside projects can layer on grading and geotechnical requirements. Pricing a Sherman Oaks project without knowing whether the Baseline Hillside Ordinance applies is how budgets and timelines come apart.

Because we hold equity in the firm that does the work, there is no lead broker handing you off and no markup riding on top. The builder first pins down which side of the line your lot is on and which LA City rules apply, then designs and prices around what LADBS will actually approve — so the plan that goes to plan check is the plan that gets built.

Neighborhoods we build in

From the flats north of Ventura to the hillsides climbing south, these are corners of Sherman Oaks where our partner firm regularly self-performs.

South-of-Ventura hillsides
Chandler Estates
Longridge Estates
Greenleaf
Royal Woods

What to expect on timing in Sherman Oaks

LADBS plan-check timelines vary with the season, the department’s workload, and how complete the submittal is. A straightforward interior remodel typically moves faster than a hillside addition that triggers grading or geotechnical review or a project that needs an LA City Planning entitlement, and any resubmittals add time. We do not quote a guaranteed number of days — anyone who does is guessing.

What we can promise is a clean first submittal. Because the builder has worked through LADBS before, plans go in complete and answerable, which is the single biggest lever on how quickly a permit clears. We confirm the current expectations with LADBS for your specific project before we set a schedule.

Sherman Oaks questions, answered

Who issues building permits in Sherman Oaks?: LADBS — the Los Angeles Department of Building & Safety — issues building permits in Sherman Oaks, with land-use entitlements handled by LA City Planning. Sherman Oaks is a neighborhood of the City of Los Angeles, not a separate city, so permits do not go through a Sherman Oaks city hall or Los Angeles County.
Does the Baseline Hillside Ordinance apply to my Sherman Oaks lot?: It applies if your lot is in a designated hillside area, which includes many properties south of Ventura Boulevard rising toward the Santa Monica Mountains. The Baseline Hillside Ordinance shapes allowable size, height, grading, and access. Flatter lots north of the Boulevard typically fall under standard R1 rules instead. We confirm which set applies before designing.
Can I build an ADU in Sherman Oaks?: In most cases, yes. ADUs are permitted across much of Sherman Oaks under state ADU law and the City of Los Angeles ADU rules, though hillside lots can add grading, access, and slope-related constraints. The firm we co-own confirms feasibility through LADBS before committing to a design.
Do you handle LADBS permits and plan check directly?: Yes. The licensed, CSLB-verified firm we co-own files and carries the LADBS permits for your project, coordinates any LA City Planning approvals, and manages plan check and inspections in-house. You work directly with the builder — no lead broker, no middleman, and no markup.

What we build in Sherman Oaks

Explore the services our partner firm self-performs, or head back to the full service area.

Planning a build in Sherman Oaks?

Talk directly to the builder who knows the LADBS process and the Baseline Hillside Ordinance firsthand. We walk you through scope, timeline, and a fair-market price — no middleman, no markup.

Talk to the builder or call 424-362-6480