City of Pomona Zoning Code: Zones, ADUs, SB 9, and Permits

The Pomona Zoning Code is now the Zoning and Development Code adopted on July 31, 2024, with a sign-code update that followed in May 2025.¹ It sorts every parcel in the city into a residential, commercial, industrial, or special-purpose district, and each district fixes what you can build, how big, and what you can do inside. The city’s power to set these rules comes from Article XI, Section 7 of the California Constitution, which lets any city enforce local ordinances that don’t conflict with state law.² Because the 2024 code replaced the city’s older framework wholesale, older online references to the former “Chapter 06” structure may no longer line up with the current text.

Look Up Your Parcel First

The quickest way to find a property’s zoning is the city’s interactive GIS map on the Development Services pages. Search by address or click a parcel to see its zoning district and General Plan designation. For an official written confirmation, which a lender or buyer may ask for, submit a Zoning Information Request form to the Planning Division with payment. The form lives on the city’s Applications and Fees page, and completed requests go to the Planning Division at 505 South Garey Avenue.³ You’ll need the Assessor’s Parcel Number, searchable through the Los Angeles County Assessor’s portal.

Residential Zones

Single-family zones all carry the R-1 prefix, but Pomona splits them by minimum lot size: R-1-6,000, R-1-7,200, R-1-7,500, R-1-10,000, and R-1-20,000. The number after the second dash is the minimum lot area in square feet.⁴ An R-1-6,000 block is denser than an R-1-20,000 block, and setbacks, height, and lot coverage shift with it.

Multi-family districts step up: R-2 is low-density, R-3 medium, R-4 high. Additional residential labels include R-MHD for manufactured housing developments, PRD for planned residential developments, and a Small Lot Residential zone.⁴

Commercial, Industrial, and Overlay Zones

Commercial districts are tiered to keep neighborhood retail separate from larger regional shopping and office uses. Industrial zones are set aside for manufacturing and warehousing. The A-P (Administrative and Professional Office) district sits between residential and commercial and typically holds professional offices on the edges of neighborhoods.

Overlay districts layer added rules on top of a base zone. Pomona uses the PD (Planned Development), S (Supplemental Use), and R-1-E (Single Family Residential) overlays, any of which can modify allowed uses or add design standards for the underlying zone.⁴

Development Standards

Each district carries dimensional rules that control the physical shape of what gets built. A project that ignores them won’t clear plan check.

Setbacks. The minimum distance a structure must sit from front, side, and rear property lines. Values vary by zone.
Height limits. Caps on building height. Higher-density residential and commercial zones generally allow taller structures.
Lot coverage. A limit on the share of a lot that buildings or impermeable surfaces can occupy. The rest stays open for landscaping, drainage, and access.
Floor area ratio. A ratio of total building floor area to lot size. A FAR of 0.5 on a 10,000-square-foot lot caps the building at 5,000 square feet of floor space, no matter the story count.

Because the 2024 code reorganized the whole framework, confirm the specific numbers against the current code text rather than older summaries.¹

Off-Street Parking

The code sets minimum parking ratios by use type. Residential projects generally require one to two spaces per unit; commercial and office uses calculate from gross floor area. Medical uses tend to run higher, industrial lower. If a project falls short, you may need a parking reduction through a discretionary approval, or a shared-parking arrangement that covers the demand.

ADUs: State Law Does Most of the Work

California state law largely controls accessory dwelling units, and any local ordinance that conflicts is preempted. The statutes were renumbered in 2024 from Government Code 65852.2 to sections 66310 through 66342, and the rules have only grown more permissive.⁵

State law requires a local ordinance to allow at least an 850-square-foot ADU, or 1,000 square feet for a unit with more than one bedroom. For cities without a compliant ordinance, the default maximum is 1,200 square feet for a detached ADU. Side and rear setbacks cannot exceed four feet. A city cannot require replacement parking when a garage or carport is torn down or converted to build an ADU.⁵

Pomona’s own ordinance adds local layers. No ADU or junior ADU can be rented for fewer than 30 days, which rules out short-term vacation rentals. ADUs created on or after January 1, 2025 are subject to an owner-occupancy requirement unless state law says otherwise, and before a certificate of occupancy is issued, the owner must record a deed restriction with the county recorder.⁶ ADUs are allowed in any residential or mixed-use zone, and approval is ministerial: staff decides against objective standards with no public hearing.

State law exempts several categories of ADUs from off-street parking entirely:

ADUs within a half-mile walking distance of public transit
ADUs that are part of the existing primary residence or an accessory structure
ADUs in architecturally or historically significant districts
ADUs where on-street parking permits are required but not offered to the occupant

With Pomona’s Metrolink station and bus routes, many properties qualify on transit proximity alone.⁵

SB 9: Duplexes and Lot Splits in R-1

Senate Bill 9, effective since 2022, lets owners in single-family zones build up to two primary units on a lot, split a lot into two parcels, or do both, with ministerial approval. Each resulting unit must be allowed to reach at least 800 square feet, and side and rear setbacks cannot exceed four feet.⁷

A local agency can only deny a qualifying SB 9 project if a building official makes a written finding, backed by a preponderance of the evidence, that the project would create a specific adverse impact on public health, safety, or the physical environment with no feasible mitigation. A parcel can only be split once under SB 9, and the law does not reach properties where the project would demolish rent-controlled or tenant-occupied housing.⁷ For an R-1 property in Pomona, the theoretical maximum is now four units on a split lot: two primary units per parcel under SB 9, plus ADUs under state ADU law.

When the Base Rules Don’t Fit: Variances and CUPs

A variance is for cases where the property’s physical traits make strict compliance impractical. A conditional use permit is for uses the code allows in a zone only with special conditions attached. Both go through a Planning Commission public hearing.⁸

Variance Standards

California Government Code section 65906 sets the statewide floor. The applicant must show that special circumstances tied to the property, such as size, shape, topography, or location, cause the strict code to deny privileges other properties in the same zone enjoy. Any variance granted must include conditions keeping it from becoming a special privilege.⁹

One bright line: no use variances. You cannot get a variance to run a business in a residential zone or operate a factory in a commercial district. Variances apply to dimensional standards like setbacks, height, and lot coverage, not to the type of activity.⁹ If you need a different use, the tool is a zone change or a CUP.

Conditional Use Permits

A CUP permits an activity the code does not automatically allow in a zone, but that conditions can make compatible. California requires a public hearing with at least 10 days of advance notice. In Pomona the Planning Commission conducts the hearings.⁸ Conditions are binding and usually cover operating hours, noise, parking, and signage.

Nonconforming Uses

If your property was being used lawfully under the old rules but doesn’t fit the new code, that use is grandfathered as a legal nonconforming use. California law generally lets prior uses continue, since owners invested based on the rules then in effect. This matters in Pomona because the 2024 overhaul may have reclassified some existing uses.

The protection has limits. You generally cannot expand the use, intensify it, or swap it for a different nonconforming use. If the use is discontinued or abandoned for the period defined by the local ordinance, the grandfathered status disappears and future use must meet the current code. A nonconforming use that becomes a nuisance or safety hazard can be terminated outright. If you buy or inherit a property with a nonconforming use, the status generally runs with the land, but confirm with the Planning Division that the use has been continuous and properly documented.

Filing an Application

Any discretionary request, whether a CUP, variance, zone change, or tentative map, starts with paperwork. At a minimum, expect to provide:

Assessor’s Parcel Number. Searchable through the LA County Assessor by address.
Site plan. A scaled drawing showing existing and proposed structures, setback dimensions, parking layout, and landscaping.
Project description. A written narrative of what you want to do and why it fits the code or merits an exception.
Owner authorization. If you are not the owner, an affidavit or letter from the owner granting permission to file.

Incomplete applications come back without review. Inaccurate parcel data is a common cause of rejection, so check the APN against the assessor’s records before submitting.

Fees

Planning entitlement fees are set in the city’s Master Fee Schedule, updated periodically by the City Council. The schedule covers conditional use permits, variances, zone changes, environmental review, and other planning services.¹⁰ Fees vary with the type and complexity of the request. Checks go to the City of Pomona and can be submitted with the application at 505 South Garey Avenue.³ Once accepted, the application enters administrative review. Timelines depend on complexity and on whether CEQA review is triggered; straightforward requests move faster than projects that need an environmental impact report.

What a Violation Costs

The city’s Code Compliance Division handles zoning violations, starting with education and voluntary compliance and escalating from there.¹¹ If voluntary compliance fails, the city can issue citations, pursue abatement, and bring civil or criminal action.

Under the Pomona City Code, a violation that is not specifically declared an infraction is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $1,000, up to six months in jail, or both. Each day a violation continues counts as a separate offense, so penalties compound quickly. The city can also seek injunctive relief in court, and fines don’t preclude the city from revoking a permit or pursuing abatement at the same time.¹²

1
City of Pomona. Pomona Zoning and Development Code
2
California Legislative Information. California Constitution Article XI – Section 7
3
City of Pomona. Applications and Fees
4
City of Pomona. Ordinance No. 4281
5
California Department of Housing and Community Development. Accessory Dwelling Unit Handbook March 2026
6
California Department of Housing and Community Development. Review of Pomona Accessory Dwelling Unit Ordinance
7
California Department of Housing and Community Development. SB 9 Fact Sheet
8
City of Pomona. Planning Commission
9
California Legislative Information. California Government Code GOV 65906
10
City of Pomona. Master Fee Schedule
11
City of Pomona. Code Compliance Division
12
Municode Library. Pomona City Code