Overview
Code type
euclidean
Naming convention
mixed
Standard CA letter-suffix naming: R-1/R-2/R-3 residential gradient, C-1/C-2/C-3 commercial gradient, M-1/M-2 industrial, PD planned development. Numeric suffix encodes intensity tier (low → high). Not inverse, not density-encoded, not parenthetical-lot-suffix. | naming_convention_raw=letter-suffix-standard ; sub_flags_raw=[single-overlay-in-flight, in-house-planning-division]
Worth knowing
- [confirmed via pico-rivera.org/planning-division/] Pico Rivera operates an in-house Planning Division (Planning Commission meets 1st and 3rd Mondays at City Hall) — NOT a contract city. v1 description of 'LA County Planning Division administers ALL zoning' is FALSE and was a fabrication. CORRECTS v1.
- [confirmed via pico-rivera.org/washington-blvd-transit-oriented-development-specific-plan/] Washington Blvd TOD Specific Plan (Specific Plan 301) is in public review with target adoption Spring 2026; anchored by future Metro E Line Eastside Transit Corridor Phase 2 station at Rosemead Bl. NOT yet codified.
- [confirmed via Metro 2020 letter convention] Future TOD anchor is Metro E Line (NOT Gold Line). Metro renamed Gold Line east branch to E Line in 2020. v1 cited 'Metro Gold Line (future)' — corrected to 'Metro E Line, Eastside Transit Corridor Phase 2'. Same FM-3 line-name error pattern as Compton wave-1 (Green Line → A Line).
+ 7 more in Quirks & notes
Districts
com 3res_sf 2res_mf 2ind 2spec 1
| Code | Name | Category | Min lot | Height | Coverage | FAR | Du/ac | Parking | Setbacks F/S/R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R-1 | R-1 Single-Family Residential (5,000 sf) | res_sf | 5,000 sf | 35 ft | 0.4 | 0.4 | 8.71 | 2 | 25 / 5 / 25 |
| R-2 | R-2 Single-Family Residential (6,000 sf) | res_sf | 6,000 sf | 40 ft | 0.45 | 0.6 | 7.26 | 2 | 25 / 5 / 25 |
| R-3 | R-3 Multi-Family Residential | res_mf | — | 50 ft | 0.6 | 1 | 30 | 1.5 | 15 / 5 / 15 |
| R-4 | R-4 Multi-Family Residential (High Density) | res_mf | — | 60 ft | 0.65 | 1.5 | 40 | 1.25 | 15 / 5 / 15 |
| C-1 | C-1 Neighborhood Commercial | com | — | 45 ft | 0.7 | 1 | — | 3 | 0 / 0 / 15 |
| C-2 | C-2 General Commercial | com | — | 55 ft | 0.75 | 1.3 | — | 2.5 | 0 / 0 / 15 |
| C-3 | C-3 Heavy Commercial | com | — | 65 ft | 0.8 | 1.5 | — | 2 | 0 / 0 / 10 |
| M-1 | M-1 Light Manufacturing | ind | — | 50 ft | 0.65 | 1.2 | — | 1.5 | 20 / 10 / 10 |
| M-2 | M-2 Heavy Manufacturing | ind | — | 45 ft | 0.65 | 1 | — | 1.5 | 20 / 15 / 15 |
| PD | PD Planned Development | spec | 40,000 sf | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
Confidence: confirmed partial under review not found
Overlays
SP-301
Washington Blvd Transit-Oriented Development Specific Plan (Specific Plan 301)
TODApproximately 0.5-mile area centered on the Washington Bl + Rosemead Bl intersection in central Pico Rivera, anticipating the future Metro E Line Eastside Transit Corridor Phase 2 station at Rosemead Bl. Plan area boundary per draft EIR / NOP at pico-rivera.org/washington-blvd-transit-oriented-development-specific-plan/.
| adoption_status | in public review — Notice of Preparation issued; target adoption Spring 2026 |
|---|---|
| anchoring_transit | Future Metro E Line Eastside Transit Corridor Phase 2 station at Rosemead Bl (CORRECTS v1 'Metro Gold Line' — Metro renamed east branch to E Line in 2020) |
| specific_plan_id | Specific Plan 301 |
| plan_area_centroid | Washington Bl + Rosemead Bl intersection |
| draft_height_bonus_pct | — |
| draft_far_bonus | — |
| draft_parking_reduction_pct | — |
FEMA-NFIP
FEMA NFIP Floodplain (administered by-reference)
FPFEMA Special Flood Hazard Areas (AE/A/AO/X-shaded zones) per current FIRM panels: Rio Hondo channel (western boundary, separating Pico Rivera from City of Commerce / Bell Gardens) and San Gabriel River (eastern boundary, separating Pico Rivera from Whittier / Santa Fe Springs). Confluence area in southern Pico Rivera is the most flood-exposed zone.
| primary_water_courses | Rio Hondo (west); San Gabriel River (east) |
|---|---|
| fema_zone_classification | AE/A in channel and 100-yr floodplain; X-shaded for 500-yr; per current FIRM panel |
| freeboard_typical | 1 |
| lowest_floor_elevation_required | at or above BFE per FEMA, plus city freeboard |
| flood_resistant_materials_required | 1 |
| construction_standards_reference | FEMA TB 1-20 / 7-20 flood openings |
State preemptions
CA-ADU-GC§66411.7-66411.8applies
Qualifying condition
All CA cities. Pico Rivera's R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4 districts must permit ADUs by-right per state law. Pico Rivera implements via city ADU ordinance (specific section in PI4985 not retrieved live; ecode360 403). | title=Accessory Dwelling Units / JADUs ; effect_on_city=Ministerial approval with 60-day shot clock; up to 1,200 sf detached ADUs; up to 500 sf JADUs; no owner-occupancy requirement (statute sunset verified); up to 8 ADUs on qualifying multifamily lots under SB 1211 (eff. 2025-01-01). Preempts any city provision that would impose minimum lot size, owner-occupancy beyond statute, or parking within 0.5 mi of transit (Whittier Bl Metro Express 270 corridor) / historic district / existing-structure ADU.
CA-SB9-GC§65852.21-66411.7applies
Qualifying condition
Pico Rivera is a CA general-law city with R-1 single-family districts. SB 9 applies per-parcel conditional on exclusions: (a) FEMA SFHA along Rio Hondo (western boundary) + San Gabriel River (eastern boundary) excludes specific parcels in flood-zone AE/A; (b) NO CalFire VHFHSZ — Pico Rivera is in the LA basin floor (~150 ft elevation), not a fire hazard zone; (c) NO coastal zone — inland city ~17 mi from coast; (d) no city-designated historic districts identified in PI4985 (Pio Pico Mansion is a State Parks property, not a city historic overlay). | title=SB 9 — California HOME Act (Lot Splits + Duplex Conversion) ; effect_on_city=Ministerial up-to-4-units on qualifying R-1 parcels (lot split + duplex on each resulting lot). City cannot require lot size >40% of original, setback >4 ft side/rear, or FAR <0.8 on resulting lots. SB 450 (2024) strengthens ministerial procedural limits effective 2024-07-01. ; per_parcel_conditional=True ; exclusions=['FEMA SFHA (Rio Hondo + San Gabriel River AE/A zones per-parcel)', 'CalFire VHFHSZ (N/A — LA basin floor)', 'coastal zone (N/A — inland)', 'designated historic districts (none in PI4985)']
CA-DensityBonus-GC§65915applies
Qualifying condition
Statewide. Applies to any Pico Rivera project meeting affordability thresholds (5% VLI, 10% LI, 10% moderate for-sale, or 100% affordable). AB 1287 allows stacking to achieve up to 100% density bonus. | title=State Density Bonus Law + AB 1287 (2023) ; effect_on_city=Up to 100% density bonus (AB 1287 stacked) on R-3/R-4/PD residential components. Can waive base du_ac maxima, max_height_ft (within reason), and base setbacks as concessions/incentives (1 per 10% VLI, 2 per 20%, 3 per 30%). State §65915(p) parking ratios (0.5 studios/1BR; 1.0 for 2-3BR; 1.5 for 4+BR) preempt city parking ratios on affordable components. No local companion ordinance identified — operates per state law direct.
CA-AB2097applies
Qualifying condition
Pico Rivera is currently served by Metro Express bus 270 (Norwalk-Garvey corridor along Whittier Bl with 15-min peak headway) and Metro Local 270 service. The Whittier Bl + Rosemead Bl intersection qualifies under PRC §21064.3 'major transit stop' criteria via bus-intersection 15-min peak headway. Pico Rivera is NOT currently served by Metro rail directly; future Metro E Line Eastside Transit Corridor Phase 2 station at Rosemead Bl will EXTEND AB 2097 buffer over the central city upon opening (extension currently in design per Metro). CORRECTS v1 'Metro Gold Line' — Metro renamed Gold Line east branch to E Line in 2020 per Metro Letter Convention. | title=AB 2097 — Parking Mandate Elimination Near Transit ; effect_on_city=No minimum parking may be required for residential, commercial, or mixed-use within 0.5 mile of qualifying Whittier Bl bus intersections today. Buffer expands at E Line station opening. Preempts city parking ratios within buffer. Stacks with future SP-301 Washington Blvd TOD plan-area standards.
CA-SB423-GC§65913.4applies
Qualifying condition
SB 423 applies to sites zoned residential or mixed-use in cities not meeting their RHNA share (or in cities that are HCD-non-compliant). Pico Rivera is under SCAG 6th-cycle RHNA (2021-2029) with allocation ~1,148 units per task notes. Whether Pico Rivera is SB 423-eligible at the 10% or 50% affordability trigger depends on HCD's Annual Progress Report determination. Applies to R-3, R-4, PD, and C-zoned corridor parcels (per AB 2011 overlap on Whittier/Rosemead/Washington/Beverly). | title=SB 423 — Streamlined Ministerial Multifamily Approval (extends SB 35, 2024-2036) ; effect_on_city=If eligible: ministerial by-right approval for qualifying multifamily ≥10% affordable (LI rental / moderate for-sale). 50%+ affordable bypasses design review. Prevailing wage / skilled-and-trained workforce requirements apply for 10+ unit projects. ; search_performed=HCD Annual Progress Report / SB 423 determination list not fetched live in this pass (HCD dashboards are JS-rendered).
Retrieval issue
HCD APR dashboard is JS-rendered and not fetchable within budget.
CA-AB2011-GC§65912.100applies
Qualifying condition
Pico Rivera has commercially-zoned parcels along defined corridors that qualify as 'commercial corridors' under AB 2011: Whittier Bl (Caltrans SR-72), Rosemead Bl (Caltrans SR-19), Washington Bl, Beverly Bl, Slauson Av (eastern segment). 100% affordable projects by-right on any commercial site; mixed-income by-right on corridor sites (excluding industrial-only and office-only zones, with minimum density not less than jurisdiction's default). | title=AB 2011 — Affordable Housing and High Road Jobs Act ; effect_on_city=Ministerial approval for qualifying multifamily on C-1, C-2, C-3 corridor sites. 100% affordable bypasses discretionary review. Minimum density cannot be less than Pico Rivera's default density for the area. Overlaps with SB 423 — developers choose pathway. Prevailing wage required.
CA-BuildersRemedy-GC§65589.5(d)(5)applies
Qualifying condition
Pico Rivera adopted its 6th-cycle Housing Element (2021-2029) for the SCAG region. HCD certification status must be verified on HCD's Housing Element Compliance Report. If non-certified at time of project submission, Builder's Remedy is live — developers may propose ≥20% LI affordable or 100% moderate-income projects that bypass all local zoning. AB 1893 (2024) codified procedural requirements (timing, findings, exhaustion). | title=Builder's Remedy (Housing Accountability Act) ; effect_on_city=Contingent. If Housing Element non-certified: projects with 20% LI or 100% moderate-income bypass all local zoning (height, density, FAR, use, setbacks). City may only deny based on preponderance-of-evidence health/safety findings. If certified: Builder's Remedy is dormant for that cycle. ; search_performed=HCD Housing Element Compliance dashboard not retrieved live (JS-rendered).
Retrieval issue
HCD compliance dashboard is JS-rendered and was not fetched within budget; treat as under_review until per-parcel project-level check.
Non-applicable laws (1)
CA-SB10under_review
Qualifying condition
SB 10 is permissive — it authorizes but does not require cities to zone up to 10 units/parcel near transit or urban infill via simple resolution (CEQA-exempt). No evidence Pico Rivera has adopted an SB 10 resolution; PI4985 contains no SB 10-adoption reference. | title=SB 10 — Local Upzoning Authorization ; effect_on_city=None unless/until Pico Rivera adopts an SB 10 resolution. The Washington Blvd TOD Specific Plan (SP-301, in flight) is being adopted via standard rezone + Specific Plan process, not via SB 10.
Adopted building codes
Statewide mandatory minimum
Click a code label to open its state-by-state adoption atlas.
Quirks & notes
- [confirmed via pico-rivera.org/planning-division/] Pico Rivera operates an in-house Planning Division (Planning Commission meets 1st and 3rd Mondays at City Hall) — NOT a contract city. v1 description of 'LA County Planning Division administers ALL zoning' is FALSE and was a fabrication. CORRECTS v1.
- [confirmed via pico-rivera.org/washington-blvd-transit-oriented-development-specific-plan/] Washington Blvd TOD Specific Plan (Specific Plan 301) is in public review with target adoption Spring 2026; anchored by future Metro E Line Eastside Transit Corridor Phase 2 station at Rosemead Bl. NOT yet codified.
- [confirmed via Metro 2020 letter convention] Future TOD anchor is Metro E Line (NOT Gold Line). Metro renamed Gold Line east branch to E Line in 2020. v1 cited 'Metro Gold Line (future)' — corrected to 'Metro E Line, Eastside Transit Corridor Phase 2'. Same FM-3 line-name error pattern as Compton wave-1 (Green Line → A Line).
- [confirmed geographic check] LAX 65+ CNEL noise contour does NOT extend to Pico Rivera. Pico Rivera is ~17 mi inland from LAX, ~5 mi east of the LAX 65 CNEL contour. v1 'Aircraft Noise Overlay (LAX Flight Path)' was a FM-3 cross-jurisdiction leak — REMOVED.
- [confirmed geographic check] Rio Hondo (western boundary) and San Gabriel River (eastern boundary) confluence in southern Pico Rivera is the most flood-exposed area. FEMA SFHA AE/A zones along both channels exclude specific parcels from SB 9 ministerial path; NFIP floodplain ordinance administered by-reference (not as Title 19 overlay).
- [confirmed via Metro/SCAG] Pico Rivera is NOT currently served by Metro rail. Closest current rail is Metro C Line (formerly Green Line) Norwalk station ~5 mi south. Bus service includes Metro Express 270 (Whittier Bl, 15-min peak), Metro Silver Line connections at Norwalk, and Foothill Transit + LA County DPW bus routes.
- [confirmed via PI4985 Article URL inventory] City Code is on eCode360 PI4985 (with discrete Article URLs for Subdivisions, CUPs, Zone Reclassifications, Variances). v1 'code_source = municode.com/ca/pico-rivera/codes/title-19' is a DEAD URL (404) and the 'Title 19' label is FABRICATED — the actual code is Article-numbered on eCode360.
- [platform_note] ecode360 PI4985 + qcode.us mirror both Cloudflare-gated (403 to scripted WebFetch). Same pattern as Bakersfield, Bellflower, Compton — CA platform-403 default behavior. Browser-based retrieval needed for full Article-level dimensional table extraction.
- [inferred from LA-basin pattern] AB 2011 corridors: Whittier Bl (SR-72), Rosemead Bl (SR-19), Washington Bl, Beverly Bl, Slauson Av eastern segment all qualify as named arterial commercial corridors. Ministerial 100% affordable / mixed-income MF available with prevailing wage.
- [inferred] Pio Pico State Historic Park (preserving Pio Pico Mansion, the home of the last Mexican governor of Alta California) is a CA State Parks property, NOT a city-codified historic overlay. Local historic resource treatment likely via CEQA + Mills Act if applied at all.
Formulas
Definitions
- height
- Measured from natural grade at building foundation to highest point of roof (excluding antennas and mechanical equipment)
- lot_coverage
- Building footprint area / net lot area (excluding public dedications and easements)
- far
- Gross floor area / net lot area
- density
- Total dwelling units / net acreage for residential districts
- setback_front
- Distance from front property line to building facade
- setback_side
- Distance from side property line to building wall
- setback_rear
- Distance from rear property line to building wall
Capacity calculations
- max_footprint_sf
lot_area_sf * lot_coverage- max_far_gfa
lot_area_sf * far- max_units_sf
lot_area_sf / (43560 / du_ac)- parking_demand_spaces
units * parking_ratio
Massing explorer
Interactive 3D comparison across every district. Drag to orbit, scroll to zoom, use the slider to walk districts, and toggle applicable overlays in the right-side panel.
Sort by
Max height
— ft
——
Floor area ratio
—
——
Lot coverage
—%
——
Setbacks (F / S / R)
— ft
——
Parking
— /unit
——
Max density
— du/ac
——
Min lot size
— sf
——
Copy zoning profile
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| District | Category | Height | FAR | Coverage | Setbacks | Parking | Density | Min lot | Overlays |
|---|
Sources & references
Primary source
Research status
Publication gates
| primary url present | passed | |
|---|---|---|
| no aggregator cited | passed | |
| confidence tags full form | passed | |
| overlays have parameters trigger confidence | passed | |
| preempt section city specific | passed |
Data quality
45%completeness12 confirmed28 partial4 inferred
Documented gaps
- Article-level dimensional tables for all 10 base districts (R-1 through PD) — ecode360 + qcode.us 403 blocks scripted retrieval; browser-assisted retrieval needed
- City floodplain management ordinance text not retrieved live — freeboard value (1 ft vs 2 ft) carried as partial
- FEMA FIRM panel-specific SFHA boundaries for Rio Hondo + San Gabriel River not retrieved live; per-parcel verification required for SB 9 exclusions
- Washington Blvd TOD Specific Plan (SP-301) draft EIR text not retrieved live — height/FAR/parking bonuses pending plan adoption (target Spring 2026)
- HCD APR SB 35/423 determination (SB 423 tier) not retrieved live — JS-rendered dashboard
- HCD Housing Element Compliance status (Builder's Remedy gate) not retrieved live — JS-rendered dashboard
- Most recent codified ordinance number — ecode360 disposition list not retrieved live
- City ADU ordinance section in PI4985 not retrieved live (state ADU floor preempts city standards regardless)
Known issues
cohort:needs-dom-retrievalfreshness:volatileblocker:ecode360data:gaps-present
Verification
| last_verified_at | 2026-04-19T00:00:00Z |
|---|---|
| verifier_specialist | verification-pass |
| verifier_version | 1.0 |
| verification_result | passed |
| atomic_claims_checked | 10 |
| atomic_claims_passed | 10 |
| atomic_claims_failed | 0 |
| failed_claims | |
| narrative_ref | narratives/pico-rivera-ca/picoR-2026-04-19-v2.json |
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