We have built in Encino
Our work in Encino includes a home addition designed to look and feel original to the house, the kind of project many Encino owners consider before moving. Gross Design + Build designs and builds as one team, under our California general contractor license, CSL 1079184, so the people who draw your addition are the people who build it.
Encino is part of the City of Los Angeles
Encino is a neighborhood of the City of Los Angeles. Building permits come from the LA Department of Building and Safety, whose Valley office is at 6262 Van Nuys Blvd in Van Nuys, and zoning comes from LA City Planning. Encino falls under the Encino-Tarzana Community Plan, adopted in 1997. The City is rewriting it in the Southwest Valley Community Plans Update and released its Draft Environmental Impact Report in October 2026, with public comments due November 22, 2026. Until the new plan is adopted, today's zoning still applies.
How much you can add
Encino was not among the neighborhoods placed under the City's 2015 interim mansionization controls, and we have found no Encino-specific floor area zoning, so most flat single-family lots follow LA's citywide rules. On a typical R1 lot that means floor area capped at 45 percent of the lot, 5 foot side yards, and a 15 foot rear yard, with rooms over 14 feet tall counted twice. Larger RE and RA lots have their own limits. We confirm the zone and any overlays for your parcel on the City's zoning map before design. For more on adding space, see home additions.
The hills above Ventura Boulevard
LAFD lists portions of Encino in the City's Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, where homes are built to wildland-urban interface standards and need brush clearance within 200 feet of structures. Along the ridge, the Mulholland Scenic Parkway Specific Plan limits building heights near Mulholland Drive, most strictly within 500 feet of it, and single-family additions that exceed 900 square feet of cumulative new floor area since 1992 go to its Design Review Board. Ventura Boulevard itself is covered by the Ventura-Cahuenga Boulevard Corridor Specific Plan, which governs the commercial frontage between the 405 and Lindley Avenue.
ADUs in Encino
Encino's generous lots often have room for a detached ADU or guest house. Our guides cover ADU size, height, and setbacks and which LA permitting route fits your lot.
Common questions
Do you build in Encino?
Yes. We have completed an addition in Encino, and we design and build custom homes, additions, and ADUs there under our California general contractor license, CSL 1079184.
Does Encino have its own floor area limits?
Encino was not among the neighborhoods placed under the City's 2015 interim mansionization controls, and we have found no Encino-specific floor area zoning, so most flat R1 lots follow LA's citywide rules. We confirm your parcel's zoning before design.
Is Encino in a fire zone?
Portions of Encino are in the City's Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, according to LAFD. Homes there are built to wildland-urban interface standards and need brush clearance within 200 feet of structures.
Related: San Fernando Valley, Sherman Oaks, Home additions.