Why Height Restrictions Are Trickier Than You Think

Welcome back to The Awakened Homeowner podcast. I'm your host, Bill Reid, your home building coach, and this is episode 37 in our Understanding Design Limitations series. If you've been following along, we've covered a lot of ground together.

We've talked about Floor Area Ratio, which we call FAR in episode 33, which limits how big your home can be relative to your lot. We covered setbacks in episode 34, which creates that invisible box defining where you can build on your lot. We covered easements in episode 35 and lot coverage in episode 36.

Today, we're tackling the vertical squeeze: height restrictions. And think about it this way. If setbacks create the walls of your building envelope and lot coverage limits the footprint, height restrictions are basically the ceiling—the lid on that invisible box.

And just like all these other rules, it's not as straightforward as you might think. Here's why this one catches people off guard. It sounds simple, right? The city says your house can be 25 feet tall. Done. Easy.

Except where do you start measuring? Where do you stop? Is it from your driveway, the curb out at the street, the natural grade around your house? And do you measure to the very peak of the roof or somewhere else entirely?

I've seen homeowners design beautiful two-story homes, get excited about it, get deep into the process, and then discover they need to cut two to three feet off the height because the driveway slopes up from the street. That's not a minor adjustment. That affects your ceiling heights, your roof pitch, your entire aesthetic. It can really change the feel of the home, believe it or not.

By the end of this episode, you'll understand exactly how height is measured in most jurisdictions, why it's not as simple as it sounds, and how to work with your architect to verify compliance early before it becomes an expensive problem. Sound good? Let's dig in.

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[: 02:05

Bill Reid:

All right, so let's start with a fundamental question. Why do cities even care how tall your house is? Height restrictions are embedded into most municipal codes, and they exist for good reasons, even when they feel frustrating.

The primary purpose? To limit the mass and scale of structures in a neighborhood. Keep in mind, in our previous episodes on Floor Area Ratio, setbacks, and easements, all of these things in effect are controlling the mass and scale of your home. And the cities implement all of these rules for exactly that purpose: to protect the neighborhoods.

So think about it from the city's perspective. They're trying to protect what makes neighborhoods work.

First, there's neighborhood character. They want to prevent one massive structure from dominating a street of modest homes. I've personally lived on streets where I had the pink palace next door to me that was towering over my home. You've probably seen this before. Someone builds a huge house, and it just feels out of place, looming over everything around it. Height restrictions are designed to prevent that.

Second, there's light and air. Tall buildings cast shadows. They can block sunlight from reaching your neighbor's yard, their garden, or your neighbor's house. They could block sunlight reaching maybe even their solar panels, for example. And that really matters to people.

Third, privacy. When you add a second or third story, suddenly you can see right into your neighbor's backyard. That creates tension.

Fourth, especially in hillside communities, there's view protection. People buy homes in the hills for views, and cities often protect those sight lines.

And fifth, there's even a fire safety component. Taller structures can be harder for firefighters to access and harder to fight fires inside.

So the goals are admirable. The challenge is how cities actually measure and enforce these limits.

Now, what are typical height limits? They can vary quite a bit, but here's what you'll commonly see. Most suburban residential areas allow somewhere between 25 and 35 feet. That's pretty standard. Some cities limit by number of stories instead of feet. They'll say two stories maximum, regardless of the actual height.

Historic districts often have stricter limits, maybe 25 feet or less, to preserve the character of older neighborhoods.

And here's one that catches people: your HOA, your Homeowners Association, may impose even more restrictive limits on top of what the city requires. And since these rules and regulations, CC&Rs, design review guidelines, are actually documented and even recorded at the county, you must comply with these HOA rules. That's why purchasing in an HOA is something that should take serious consideration if you're aspiring to build a new home or remodel an existing home in an HOA. You really might be dealing with two layers of height restrictions.

The number itself sounds straightforward. Twenty-five feet, 30 feet, 35 feet. Got it. But here's where it gets complicated.

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[: 05:30

Bill Reid:

All right, this is the heart of the episode right here: understanding how height is actually measured. Because I promise you, it's not as simple as you think. There are two critical questions you need answered for your specific project. Where does the measurement start, and where does it end?

Let's tackle the starting point first, because this is where most of the surprises happen.

**Where Does the Measurement Begin?**

The starting point for height measurement varies dramatically between jurisdictions, and I do mean dramatically. Even in my area, where I did a lot of design and construction in the California Silicon Valley area, we had multiple cities in a metropolitan area, and each one of those cities, believe it or not, used similar but not the same methods of calculating and where to measure height. So it's almost like we were reinventing the wheel every time that we would go into a city to understand their rules and submit projects.

Some cities use what's called the top of curb method. This is common in urban and suburban areas with paved streets, gutters, and sidewalks. They measure height from the top of the curb, marked as TC on the survey drawings, up to the roof. And I think in my previous episode about easements or setbacks, I had a typical suburban lot, and I showed you where the TC is. The surveyors know that, and they almost automatically mark somewhere on the drawings "top of curb," the height above sea level, what the top of the curb is. That is the benchmark to measure everything off of, not just the height of the roof, but when you're going to construct the home or do a demolition or rebuild of a home.

Now here's the problem with that. If your driveway slopes up from the street, you effectively lose usable height. And I have to admit, I had that one project where that caught me off guard. I didn't read the details all the way through to the very end. It was buried in the code, and we ended up having to redesign an addition to a home. It wasn't a major dramatic event, but the roof line had to be changed to a different slope in order to partially achieve the goal. And then we had to make some other changes. So lessons learned from 35 years of doing this.

Other cities use average grade. This method calculates the average elevation at the four corners of your building footprint, which sounds more fair, right? If part of your lot is higher and part is lower, it balances out. But here's the catch: on a sloped lot, average grade can still put you at a disadvantage if most of the building sits on the higher side.

Then there's the existing natural grade method. This measures from the undisturbed soil elevation before you start grading. Some cities use this to prevent people from artificially lowering the grade around their foundation to gain extra height. That can get really complicated during construction.

And finally, there's the finished grade method. This measures from whatever the final grade will be after all your landscaping, retaining walls, and grading work is complete. This one requires careful coordination with your grading plan and civil engineer.

So which method does your city use? You have to look it up because it's not standardized. And this is one of those things that if you assume wrong, it can cost you.

**Where Does the Measurement End?**

Now let's talk about the ending point. Where do you measure to? This is the second half of the puzzle, and it also varies.

Some cities measure to the peak of the roof. This is the most restrictive because your absolute highest point counts. If you have a steep roof pitch or decorative elements, this can eat into your allowable height quickly.

Other cities measure to the midpoint between the eave and the ridge. This is more common and it gives you a little more flexibility with your roof design. It essentially averages out the height of a pitched roof.

Then there's the deck line method. For flat roofs or roofs with parapets, some cities measure to where the roof deck is, not the top of the parapet or mechanical equipment. This can be advantageous if you're designing a modern style home.

And here's where it really gets interesting. Most cities have exemptions for certain elements. Chimneys, antennas, and rooftop mechanical equipment like HVAC units are often allowed to exceed the height limit by a certain amount. But again, you have to verify what your specific jurisdiction allows.

I had a project once where the city measured to the peak, and the homeowner really wanted a steep pitched roof for aesthetic reasons. We had to lower the entire structure by about 18 inches to make that roof work, which meant lower ceiling heights throughout the home. It was disappointing, but we caught it early enough to redesign rather than rebuild.

**Sloped Lots: The Ultimate Challenge**

If you're building on a sloped lot, height restrictions become exponentially more complicated. Picture this: you're on a hillside lot where the front of your property is 10 feet lower than the back. Where do you measure from?

If the city uses top of curb and your driveway slopes up steeply, you could lose significant buildable height on the uphill side of your home. I've seen situations where the front of the house could be three stories, but the back could only be two because of how the height was calculated from the curb.

This is where working with an experienced architect who understands local codes becomes absolutely critical. They can help you position the building on the lot to maximize usable height while staying compliant.

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[: 12:00

Bill Reid:

So why does all of this matter? What's the real-world impact of these height restrictions? Let me walk you through some scenarios I've seen play out.

**Impact on Interior Ceiling Heights**

First, interior ceiling heights. If you're squeezed on overall height, something has to give. You might plan for nine-foot ceilings on the first floor and eight-foot ceilings on the second floor. Then you discover you're six inches over the height limit. Now you've got to drop those ceiling heights to 8'6" and 7'6", and suddenly the house feels cramped. That six inches might not sound like much, but it changes the entire feel of the interior space.

**Impact on Roof Design**

Second, roof design. A steeper roof pitch is often more attractive. It sheds water better, it can accommodate a vaulted ceiling inside, and it just looks better proportionally on many home styles. But a steep pitch means a taller peak. If you're maxed out on height, you might be forced into a lower pitch roof that changes the entire aesthetic of your home. I've had clients who wanted a certain architectural style, a farmhouse with a steep gable roof, for example, and we had to compromise because the height wouldn't work.

**Impact on Second-Story Additions**

Third, second-story additions. This is where I see height restrictions bite people the most. They have a single-story home. They want to add a second floor. Seems straightforward. But when you calculate the existing roof height and add another floor on top, you exceed the limit. Now you're looking at either lowering the first-floor ceiling, which means tearing into the existing structure, or redesigning the second floor with lower ceilings, or not being able to build the addition at all. It's heartbreaking when someone's dream gets crushed by a rule they didn't even know existed.

**Impact on Design Flexibility**

Fourth, design flexibility. Height restrictions can force you into certain architectural choices. Maybe you wanted a contemporary flat roof with a rooftop deck. But if the city measures to the deck surface, that limits your options. Or you wanted clerestory windows up high to bring in natural light. If you're maxed out on height, you can't do it. These restrictions don't just affect function. They affect the creativity and personal expression that makes a home uniquely yours.

So the bottom line is this: height restrictions have cascading effects throughout your entire design. It's not just one number. It touches everything from the way the house looks from the street to the way it feels when you're standing inside.

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[: 15:30

Bill Reid:

So when should you be thinking about height restrictions? The answer is immediately. From day one. Even before you hire an architect.

Here's the sequence that will save you headaches. Before you buy the property, if you're shopping for land, get the height restrictions for that lot. If it's an HOA, get the CC&Rs and design guidelines. If it's a hillside lot or a lot with significant slope, pay extra attention because height measurement on slopes is tricky.

During your due diligence period, if you're already in contract on a property, this is the time to dig into the municipal code. Don't wait until you close. Once you own the land, it's too late to back out if the height restrictions won't allow what you want to build.

Before you hire an architect, know the constraints. When you sit down with potential architects, you should be able to say, "The height limit is 25 feet measured from top of curb to the peak of the roof, and my lot slopes up from the street." That information helps them understand the challenge upfront.

During schematic design, this is design step one, your architect should verify height compliance based on preliminary massing studies. They should be calculating from the beginning, not waiting until later.

During design development, this is design step two, reverify. As rooms get adjusted, as ceiling heights change, as the roof design evolves, make sure you're still compliant. This is critical because changes during design happen constantly, and it's easy to drift into non-compliance if you're not checking.

Before permit submission, get written confirmation from the planning department. Don't rely on verbal assurances. Get an email or a letter stating that your design complies with the height restrictions as they interpret them. This protects you if there's any dispute later.

And that is what the mission of The Awakened Homeowner is. This first year of podcasting is heavy focus on planning way before the design even begins. And we'll get into that later when you're actually beginning your design. This is where you are going to eliminate a lot of problems that you hear about, a lot of the challenges that you're hearing your friends and colleagues face, and to empower yourself to be able to know what to ask for, what to look out for, to make sure that you are protecting yourself and your pocketbook.

If you go into the process not knowing these constraints, you're setting yourself up for disappointment or worse, expensive redesigns. And even worse than that, somehow you got through the planning department, and then the neighbor calls and says, "This building seems really high." And then all of a sudden, people investigate, and sure enough, it's five feet too high. Even though the city may have approved it, guess who pays the price? You do. Which doesn't seem fair, does it?

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[: 18:00

Bill Reid:

So how do you navigate all of this? Let's get down to it with The Awakened Homeowner Action Plan. Here's your action plan: five steps to avoid the height restriction trap.

**Step One: Research Your Specific City or County Height Measurement Methodology**

Don't assume. Get the municipal code and read exactly how they define building height, from where to where. Is it curb? Is it average grade? Is it the peak or the midpoint? Get specific.

And if you're a design professional or aspiring design professional or a design-build company where you have in-house designers, these episodes are going to help you as well. Because in many design-build outfits, some of the design team are not necessarily licensed architects. They may be residential designers. And this is a great resource to educate you all on some of these nitty-gritty details that people get burned on daily.

**Step Two: Get a Professional Survey Early**

Again, there I go with the survey thing. Your surveyor can establish grade elevations, identify the curb height relative to your lot, and document the topography, the sloping of the lot. This is the foundation data that you need for accurate height calculations. And we talked about this all the way back in episode 14 with the land surveyor, and this is exactly why that matters. And then down the road, I'm going to get into more details on what the survey drawings look like and how a civil engineer would use that on a larger-scale project.

**Step Three: Have Your Architect Verify Height Compliance During Schematic Design**

That's design step one that we covered back in the design process series. And even before that, in what we sometimes call the discovery stage, which is even before design occurs, really vet out all of that criteria ahead of time. Don't wait until you're deep into detailed drawings and discover you've got a problem.

**Step Four: Check Again During Design Development**

Rooms grow during design. Roof pitches change. Ceiling heights get adjusted as you refine the plans. Reverify height compliance every time the design evolves significantly.

This is a big one because once you get in the heat of the moment and you're designing and you're having a great time, the synergy is there, things are being decided, changes are being made, ideas are being discovered, walls are getting moved, rooms are getting added, ceiling heights are getting increased, adding a loft in this area. You can see that this can put a veil over what is really important, which is making sure that the rules are still being followed. Even though you may have understood the rules four months ago when you first researched them, all of that excitement can sometimes cloud over, and sometimes people forget to go back and revisit the rules.

So during the design development phase, which is step two of the design process, which becomes a lot more regimented process—the further you go into the design process, the deeper you're getting, the less that changes are possible, or I should say reasonably possible. So this is a really important part of the action plan: verify during the design development process that you still are on track with the rules.

**Step Five: Get Written Confirmation from the Planning Department Before You Submit for Permits**

Verbal interpretations can often be wrong, especially if you don't have the fully qualified person behind the counter at the planning department.

Remember, back in the design process series, one of the smartest things you can do as a homeowner or as a design professional is to visit with the planning department. Learn everything you can online because most of it is there. But there are still little hidden tidbits of information that are sometimes hard to uncover. Visit with the planning department. Schedule an appointment with one of the planners and go in and have a discussion about the property and make sure that you've got your bases covered as best you can. And sometimes even that's not enough, but that is way better than making a lot of assumptions, not looking closely at the municipal code, not looking closely at the Homeowners Association design review guidelines.

This is a really smart thing to do. Make notes. Have them show you in the municipal code where all the rules and regulations are. Ask those questions like, "Are there any other rules? Are there any other overlays in my neighborhood that would affect what I can design on my property?" Use that word: overlays.

And I've done that before, and sometimes you see the little spark in their eye: "Let me check." And then sure enough, there are overlays. Sometimes they did not apply to my project, but there are overlays in certain neighborhoods, historical overlays, for example.

So these five steps will save you from discovering height problems when it's too late to fix them easily.

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[: 22:00

Bill Reid:

All right, so let's wrap this up. Here's what we've covered today.

Height restrictions limit the vertical dimension of your building envelope. The tricky part isn't the number. It's how it's measured. Where you start measuring—at the curb, the grade, the corners—and where you end that measurement—the peak, the midpoint, the deck line of a mansard roof—it varies by jurisdiction. Just because you may have done a project in another neighboring city doesn't mean it's the same in this city. There's really no universal standard.

And when you're squeezed in height, it directly impacts your interior ceiling heights potentially, your roof design, and your overall aesthetic.

So the key takeaway: where you measure from matters just as much as what you measure to. Verify height compliance at every design checkpoint.

Everything we covered today about height restrictions is within section 2.307 of The Awakened Homeowner book. And as I've said before, the podcast here is my opportunity to expand on that information and share with you in my own voice, to elaborate and expand and give you the ins and the outs. But The Awakened Homeowner book is a really good resource for you to have by your side. You can read through it. It's a pretty good-sized book. There it is, The Awakened Homeowner. And of course, it's available on Amazon. That's my shameless plug.

But I'd love to hear from you too. Have you run into height restriction surprises on your project? Did you have to reduce ceiling heights or change your roof design to comply? Send me a message at wwreid@theawakenedhomeowner.com or find me on Instagram at The Awakened Homeowner.

And if this episode helped clarify height restrictions for you, please take 30 seconds to leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or subscribe on YouTube and give me a thumbs up. When you do that on these platforms, it helps other homeowners see this content who may be in the same boat that you're in. And I'd love to read those comments, and I will reply. And if you have questions, you can shoot them in there too.

All right, everyone. That's what I had for you today as part of the Understanding Design Limitations series. I'm Bill Reid, your home building coach. Remember: enlighten, empower, and protect. That's what we do here. Thanks for listening, and let's make it happen.