What shapes a site plan in Los Angeles and the Inland Empire
Two regimes meet in this metro. Inside the City of Los Angeles, the size of a project decides whether its layout goes to discretionary review; east of the city, in the Inland Empire, state warehouse law fixes where truck bays and buffers sit. Five conditions follow, and each one moves a line on a preliminary site plan here.
- Size thresholds open Project Review in Los Angeles. City Planning's form CP13-2152.A sets the triggers at 50,000 gsf of nonresidential floor area, 50 units or guest rooms, a change of use producing 1,000 ADT, and a hillside single-unit home of 17,500 sf [2]. For a project over the LAMC 16.05 thresholds, no grading, foundation, building or use of land permit issues until Project Review is done [1].
- The Inland Empire is a named warehouse concentration region. San Bernardino County's truck routes FAQ of September 12, 2025 names both Riverside and San Bernardino counties, plus a run of cities from Chino, Colton and Fontana through Ontario and Perris to Rialto, Riverside and San Bernardino [8].
- AB 98 places the truck court before the building. Codified at Gov. Code 65098 to 65098.4 and signed September 29, 2024, the law reaches new and expanded logistics facilities, and the county guide lists extra requirements that apply within 500 or 900 ft of a sensitive receptor [4]. An addition of 20 percent or more of existing square footage counts as an expansion under Gov. Code 65098(b) [9].
- Local warehouse rules survive the state law. San Bernardino County keeps its whole Development Code in force "unless AB 98 contradicts or supersedes the local requirements" [4]. The Attorney General's September 2022 warehouse best practices document points to Fontana's ordinance and to good neighbor policies in Riverside County, the City of Riverside, Moreno Valley and WRCOG [10].
- Car wash noise is a property-line number in Los Angeles. LAMC 12.22 A.28 applies the Table II levels of LAMC 111.03, which in commercial zones are 60 dBA by day (7 a.m. to 10 p.m.) and 55 dBA at night, read at the property line [5, 6].
The statewide layer (CEQA, the Permit Streamlining Act clocks, ADU law) is set out on site plans in California. The sibling metro pages for San Diego and Sacramento show how the same state law meets different city codes.
Jurisdiction map: who governs where
The first line of a site plan here names the jurisdiction, because the City of Los Angeles, the two Inland Empire counties and the region's other cities each run their own code.
| Jurisdiction | Governs | What a developer needs to know |
|---|---|---|
| City of Los Angeles | Land inside city limits, under LAMC Chapter 1 and the new Chapter 1A (Article 4, Article 13B) | The two zoning systems coexist, and form CP13-2152.A applies to Chapter 1A properties [2] |
| San Bernardino County | Unincorporated San Bernardino County, where Land Use Services runs AB 98 implementation | Logistics use is conditionally permitted in commercial and industrial zones [4] |
| Riverside County | Unincorporated Riverside County, including Inland Empire growth areas | The Attorney General's comment letter on the county's Good Neighbor Policy F-3 records its ozone exposure [11] |
| Ontario, Fontana, Moreno Valley, Riverside | Land inside each city | Each sits inside the warehouse concentration region; Moreno Valley publishes an AB 98/SB 415 truck route page [8, 12] |
| HCD (state) | RV park and campground construction and operation, unless a local enforcement agency has assumed it | Permit to construct and permit to operate; park rules in Title 25, Division 1, Chapter 2.2, from section 2000 [13] |
Site plan process: City of Los Angeles Project Review
Project Review is the city's site plan review. The Director of Planning decides it under LAMC 16.05, and the findings go to the arrangement of buildings and structures, including their height and bulk [1].
| Step | What the city requires | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Size trigger | 50,000 gsf or more of net new nonresidential floor area, or 50 or more dwelling units or guest rooms | LAMC 16.05 [1] |
| Other triggers on the form | Change of use at 1,000 ADT; hillside single-unit dwelling at 17,500 sf | CP13-2152.A [2] |
| Chapter 1A addition | Development Review Threshold Package 2 adds any building of 500 ft or taller | [2, 3] |
| Permits held | No grading, foundation, building or use of land permit issues over the thresholds without Project Review | LAMC 16.05 [1] |
| Exemptions | Adaptive reuse under LAMC 12.22 A.26; projects that qualify under Mayor Bass's Executive Directive No. 1 | [1, 14] |
| Decision | Director of Planning | LAMC 16.05 [1] |
| Code sections | LAMC 16.05 for Chapter 1 properties and 13B.2.4 for Chapter 1A properties | [2] |
| Submittal documents | Site Plan Review Instructions and Checklist; form CP13-2152.A (1.27.2025) | [14, 2] |
Because the trigger counts dwelling units, guest rooms and floor area, the unit mix row and the floor area row of the site data table decide whether a residential or hotel concept enters Project Review at all [1]. The general steps of a commercial submittal are covered in this post on the commercial site plan process.
Site plan process: San Bernardino County and the AB 98 cities
Unincorporated San Bernardino County treats a warehouse as a conditional use: logistics is conditionally permitted in its commercial and industrial zones, so a project needs a CUP plus AB 98 compliance, and the county recommends a pre-application development review meeting [4]. Land Use Services publishes the AB 98 Quick Reference Guide, revised June 11, 2025, and a program page on the law [4, 15]. The guide sets out how the standards phase in by filing date [4].
| Application filed | AB 98 status under the county guide | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Active application submitted before September 30, 2024 | Not subject | [4] |
| From September 30, 2024 to December 31, 2025 | Applicants "should design an AB 98 compliant facility" | [4] |
| From January 1, 2026 | The standards apply unless the project is exempt | [4, 15] |
The law reaches a facility primarily served by heavy-duty trucks; facilities selling food or household goods to the public, rail-served facilities and strategic intermodal facilities are exempt (Gov. Code 65098(b), (d)) [4]. Inside the cities of the region the city is the land use authority; Moreno Valley's public works department, for example, publishes its own AB 98/SB 415 truck route page [12].
AB 98 site design: the numbers that move the layout
These are the adopted standards as San Bernardino County's guide states them; the buffer width follows the facility's Gov. Code 65098.1 category under 65098.2 [4, 9].
| Element | Standard | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Truck bays, facility of 250,000+ sf on industrial land within 900 ft of a receptor | 300 ft from the sensitive receptor property line | [4] |
| Truck bays, non-industrial land | 500 ft from the receptor property line | [4] |
| Buffer, industrial zoned land within 900 ft of a receptor | 50 ft | [4] |
| Buffer, non-industrial land | 100 ft | [4] |
| Buffer treatment | 10 ft berm or wall plus drought-tolerant landscape | [4] |
| Truck court gate | 50 to 100 ft of stacking | [4] |
| Idling and yard equipment | 3-minute idling limit; zero-emission forklifts by January 1, 2030 | [4] |
| Tier 1, at 250,000+ sf | Microgrid-ready switchgear and 50 percent EV-ready passenger parking, with 10 percent installed chargers | [4] |
| Housing demolished for the project | Replaced 2:1 if it was occupied in the prior 10 years | [4] |
On an Inland Empire distribution concept, the receptor property lines are measured first; the truck court, gate queue and buffer strip are then fixed against them, and the building footprint takes the land that remains [4]. The layout program is covered on the warehouse site plan and industrial site plan pages, and dock and turning geometry in this post on last-mile logistics site planning.
Asset rules in metro Los Angeles and the Inland Empire
| Asset | Rule that applies here | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Warehouses and logistics, unincorporated San Bernardino County | CUP in commercial and industrial zones, plus AB 98 compliance | [4] |
| Multifamily, City of Los Angeles | Project Review at 50 or more dwelling units | LAMC 16.05 [1] |
| Hotels, City of Los Angeles | Project Review at 50 or more guest rooms; AB 2097 parking relief, as City Planning applies it, does not include hotels, motels, B and B inns or other transient lodging | [1, 16] |
| Car washes, City of Los Angeles | LAMC 111.03 Table II via 12.22 A.28: 60 dBA day and 55 dBA night in C1, C1.5, C2, C4, C5 and CM zones, 50 and 40 in residential zones, with 5 dB adjustments for steady tones and repeated impulsive noise | [5, 6] |
| Car washes, Anaheim | An express wash acoustical report used 60 dBA at each property line as the limit and predicted 50.2 to 59.4 dBA with sound walls | [17] |
| Car washes, Hesperia | 45-day moratorium approved unanimously on Feb. 7, 2023, as the Victorville Daily Press reported | [18] |
| ADUs, City of Los Angeles | A Standard Plan ADU still needs a to-scale plot plan with 9 items | [19] |
| RV parks and campgrounds | Permit to construct and permit to operate from HCD or a local enforcement agency; Special Occupancy Parks Act, HSC 18860 et seq. | [13] |
In Los Angeles the noise check is made at the property line: where measured ambient exceeds the presumed level, ambient governs, and the reading is A-weighted on slow response [5, 6]. That makes the tunnel exit, dryers and vacuum stations a layout decision rather than an equipment afterthought; the program is on the car wash site plan hub. The Victorville Daily Press report on Hesperia also notes that the city's Planning Commission had approved five car washes since 2019, which points to discretionary commission review there [18].
The LADBS ADU checklist lists the plot plan items: property lines with dimensions, front, side and rear setbacks, separation between the ADU and the main house, site drainage, north arrow, ADU dimensions and area, adjacent streets, the primary dwelling footprint with its square footage, and driveways and parking [19]. The title sheet adds the APN, legal description, zone, lot area and fire sprinkler information, and the set is filed through ePlanLA [19]. Under LADBS stamped plans policy, an unlicensed person may prepare the architectural plans for a two-story single-family dwelling, while structural drawings that carry engineering details need a licensed signature [20]. In Pasadena, the ADU Standard Plans Program asks the site plan to dimension 4 ft side and rear setbacks, or 5 ft where walls have doors or windows, and new construction within 5 ft of a property line needs a property line survey [21]. Hidden Hills runs an AB 1332 program in which "no plans have been preapproved" [22]. The state rules sit in the ADU laws by state guide.
Growth and proof points
- Inland Empire population. Census Bureau figures published April 17, 2025 show the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metro gaining almost 40,000 residents between 2023 and 2024 [7].
- SB 9 in Los Angeles. The Terner Center's January 18, 2023 report counted 211 SB 9 unit applications in Los Angeles through November 2022, of which 38 were approved, and 28 lot split applications, none approved [23].
Site factors
- Ozone. In its comment letter on Riverside County's Good Neighbor Policy, the Attorney General wrote that "the majority of Riverside County is in the worst 10% for exposure to ozone" [11].
- Sensitive receptors. AB 98's extra requirements start within 500 or 900 ft of a sensitive receptor, so the distances to receptor property lines belong on the base sheet [4].
- Noise. Ambient governs where it is higher than the presumed level, and steady tones and repeated impulsive noise carry 5 dB adjustments [5, 6]; Anaheim's report modelled sound walls to bring a wash under 60 dBA [17].
- Hillside lots. A hillside single-unit dwelling of 17,500 sf triggers Project Review in Los Angeles [2].
- Grading and drainage. Site drainage is one of the 9 ADU plot plan items in Los Angeles [19]; the drainage and grading design itself comes from the engineer of record.
What the preliminary plan carries in Los Angeles and the Inland Empire
The studio's preliminary site plan is a real first draft of the project, drawn without the engineering layer: buildings, floor plans, internal roads, drive aisles, truck courts, parking, pads and yield, organised with a site data table. In Los Angeles that table shows floor area, units and guest rooms against the Project Review triggers; in the Inland Empire it shows receptor distances, truck bay setbacks, buffer widths and gate stacking against the AB 98 standards. Developers use it to choose a site, to take to a pre-application meeting, to have a general contractor price it and to show a lender. The engineer of record then adds grading, drainage, stormwater and utility design and seals the construction set. The site plan consultant and site plan services pages describe the engagement, the case studies show the method on model projects, and service areas lists every state and metro covered.
Frequently asked questions
When does a Los Angeles project need Project Review?
Which Inland Empire jurisdictions sit in the AB 98 warehouse concentration region?
Riverside and San Bernardino counties, and the cities of Chino, Colton, Fontana, Jurupa Valley, Moreno Valley, Ontario, Perris, Rancho Cucamonga, Redlands, Rialto, Riverside and San Bernardino, per the county's truck routes FAQ of September 12, 2025 [8].
How far from a sensitive receptor must AB 98 truck bays sit?
300 ft from the receptor property line for a facility of 250,000 sf or more on industrial land within 900 ft of the receptor, and 500 ft on non-industrial land [4].
Is a warehouse allowed by right in unincorporated San Bernardino County?
No. Logistics use is conditionally permitted in the county's commercial and industrial zones, so it needs a CUP as well as AB 98 compliance [4].
What noise limit applies to a car wash in a Los Angeles commercial zone?
Does a pre-approved ADU in Los Angeles still need a plot plan?
Yes. The LADBS Standard Plan checklist dated 7.7.2023 asks for a to-scale plot plan with 9 items, on sheets of at least 11 x 17 in [19].
Sources
- 1)LAMC Sec. 16.05, Project Review, City of Los Angeles (American Legal Publishing). Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 2)Project Review Specialized Requirements Form CP13-2152.A, Related Code Sections (1.27.2025), Los Angeles City Planning. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 3)Chapter 1A, Article 4, Development Standards, Los Angeles City Planning. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 4)AB 98 Quick Reference Guide (rev. June 11, 2025), San Bernardino County Land Use Services. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 5)Operations Noise Study for a Proposed Automatic Car Wash (LAMC 12.22 A.28 and 111.03 applied), Sherman Oaks Neighborhood Council (meeting document). Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 6)Official City of Los Angeles Municipal Code, noise provisions (EIR reference document), Los Angeles City Planning. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 7)Some Metro Areas' Population Gains Reversed COVID-19 Era Trends (April 17, 2025), U.S. Census Bureau. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 8)Land Use Services AB 98 Truck Routes FAQ (September 12, 2025), San Bernardino County Land Use Services. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 9)AB 98 (2024), Gov. Code 65098 et seq., bill text (via LegiScan), California Legislature. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 10)Warehouse Projects: Best Practices and Mitigation Measures (September 2022), California Attorney General. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 11)Riverside County Good Neighbor Policy comment letter, California Attorney General. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 12)AB 98/SB 415 Truck Routes, City of Moreno Valley, Public Works. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 13)Laws and Regulations, Special Occupancy Parks, California Department of Housing and Community Development. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 14)Site Plan Review Instructions and Checklist, Los Angeles City Planning. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 15)AB 98 Enhancing Environmental Standards for Logistics Facilities, San Bernardino County Land Use Services. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 16)Assembly Bill 2097, Los Angeles City Planning. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 17)Acoustical Analysis Report for Express Car Wash (planning attachment), City of Anaheim. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 18)Hesperia places temporary ban on new car washes (Victorville Daily Press report), Yahoo News. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 19)ADU Standard Plan Building Permit Submittal Checklist (7.7.2023), Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 20)Information Bulletin P/BC 2023-073, Policy 4, Stamped Plans, Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 21)ADU Standard Plans Program, City of Pasadena, Planning and Community Development. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 22)Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU's), City of Hidden Hills, Building and Safety and Planning. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 23)California's HOME Act Turns One: SB 9 applications (January 18, 2023), Terner Center for Housing Innovation, UC Berkeley. Accessed 2026-10-10.
- 24)Information Bulletin 2022-12, California Department of Housing and Community Development. Accessed 2026-10-10.