The Land Development Code (LDC) contains regulations for the development and use of property, including zoning, subdivisions and other related land use activities. The City Planning Department monitors and continually updates the code to simplify and streamline the permitting processes, assure compliance with state and federal regulations, eliminate unnecessary barriers, redundancies and contradictions, and align the code with the City's climate, equity, and housing goals.

For questions about LDC updates, please email developmentcode@sandiego.gov.

Current Single-Issue Updates

The City Planning Department processes single-issue updates and amendments to the LDC as needed. For various reasons, including time sensitivity and/or complexity, single-issue updates may be processed separately from a comprehensive code update.

Accessory Dwelling Unit Regulations Amendment

The City Planning Department is preparing amendments to the City’s ADU regulations that implement state legislation, include clarifications and corrections, and reform the City’s ADU Home Density Bonus Program (ADU Density Program). The proposed reforms to the ADU Density Program include the following: 

• Address Infrastructure Needs: Propose options to collect opt-in fees from ADU Density Bonus home builders to fund needed infrastructure, such as parks and libraries.
• Development Scale: Amend the applicability of the ADU Density Bonus Program by applying base zone height and overall allowable building area of a property in a manner that ensures ADU Density Bonus homes are similar in scale to the surrounding neighborhood.
• Parking: Apply parking requirements to ADU Density Bonus Program development outside of the Transit Priority Area. State law prevents the City from requiring parking inside the Transit Priority Area.
• Compliance: Increase fines for violations of the deed restriction for affordable rents on homes created through the ADU Density Bonus Program.
• Adequate Evacuation Routes: Eliminate the ADU Density Bonus Program’s applicability in High and Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones unless adequate emergency and evacuation routes exist.
• Fire Code: Apply fire code requirements for multifamily buildings to ADU Density Bonus Program developments, including fire sprinkler requirements.  
• Setbacks: Align all ADU home setbacks to be consistent with fire code regulations related to brush management.  

Other ADU amendments are also anticipated to be included as necessary to comply with state law and to implement AB 1033, allowing for ADU homes to be available for homeownership. 

Tentative Schedule

• Planning Commission: May 1, 2025
• Land Use & Housing Committee: May 2025
• City Council: June 2025

Proposed draft amendments will be posted soon. Sign up below to receive updates and email developmentcode@sandiego.gov with feedback. 

2025 Land Development Code Update

The 2025 LDC Update is currently in the drafting phase. Please sign up for updates below to be notified when draft documents are released, and public workshops are scheduled. 

Public Outreach

Office Hours

The City Planning Department hosted in-person and virtual office hours on August  20 and 22, 2024, for the 2025 LDC Update. These office hours allowed participants to meet with staff to discuss their potential code update submissions and ask questions about the LDC Update process.

Planning for the Next LDC Update

If you want to submit a code amendment request for the 2026 LDC Update, the submission portal is open until August 15, 2025. Please visit the Code Update Request webpage to submit your idea.