Zoning

The Planning and Community Preservation Department is responsible for the City’s Zoning, Advanced Planning, Historic Preservation, Code Enforcement, and Building and Safety services. The Department enforces the requirements of the Sierra Madre Municipal Code and carries out the rules, policies, and objectives of the General Plan, as it relates to land use and development.

Planning services include the processing of ministerial and discretionary development applications, conducting the required environmental review (CEQA), and zoning plan check review. The Department maintains the City’s list of historic landmark structures, manages Mills Act contracts, and reviews project applications for their compliance with the City’s historic preservation program.  The Department also manages the Code Enforcement program to address property maintenance nuisances, such as control of overgrown vegetation, unlawful accumulation of debris, vacant buildings, unlawful use of potable water, and a business license and building permit enforcement, etc.  The Department also oversees Building and Safety Services which response to inquiries relating to building development, building and structural plan check review, on-site inspections, and issuance of permits in compliance with adopted building and fire codes.