There is another tool in the view rights arsenal: On April 6, 2011, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa signed new Baseline Hillside Ordinance (“BHO”) (also commonly referred to as the Hillside Mansionization Ordinance), which goes into effect on May 9, 2011. This Ordinance, along with the Baseline Mansionization Ordinance (“BMO”) that was adopted in June 2008, are part of the City of Los Angeles’ attempt to regulate “out-of-scale single-family development in the City of Los Angeles.” However, those seeking to build large homes generally dispute whether their home is “out-of-scale.”

The BHO regulate the size of new construction by addressing: Floor Area Ratios (FAR); Height; Stories; and Grading. This website will be providing more information on the BHO shortly.

The BHO applies to both sides of the Santa Monica Mountains: north of Sunset to south of Valley Vista. To determine if a property is subject to the BHO, check the 
L.A. Dept. of Planning’s Zoning Information and Map Access System (ZIMAS).

The City of Los Angeles – Department of City Planning has a two page summary of the Ordinance: BASELINE HILLSIDE ORDINANCE SUMMARY.

A copy of the adopted Ordinance can be found here.

The American Institute of Architects, Los Angeles Chapter’s website also information on the BHO web page.

There is also a BHO Facebook group.

This website will be providing more information on the BHO shortly.