Woodland Hills is part of the City of Los Angeles
Woodland Hills is a neighborhood of the City of Los Angeles, so 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. Nearby Calabasas and Hidden Hills are separate cities with their own building departments, so we confirm the jurisdiction of every lot before design.
Gross Design + Build designs and builds as one team, under our California general contractor license, CSL 1079184, from the first sketch through the final inspection.
The plans that shape Woodland Hills
Woodland Hills is in the Canoga Park-Winnetka-Woodland Hills-West Hills Community Plan, last updated in 1999 and now being rewritten in the Southwest Valley Community Plans Update, whose Draft Environmental Impact Report was released in October 2026. Several specific plans also apply in parts of the area:
- Warner Center 2035 Specific Plan (Ord. 182,766, 2013): the mixed-use regional center of about 1.5 square miles bounded by the LA River, the Ventura Freeway, De Soto Avenue, and Topanga Canyon Boulevard. Its southern edge is the freeway, so the hillside neighborhoods to the south are outside it.
- Mulholland Scenic Parkway Specific Plan: limits building heights near Mulholland Drive, most strictly within 500 feet of it, and sends single-family additions over 900 square feet of cumulative new floor area since 1992 to its Design Review Board.
- Ventura-Cahuenga Boulevard Corridor Specific Plan: governs the commercial frontage along Ventura Boulevard from Corbin Avenue west.
Hillsides and fire zones
South of the freeway, Woodland Hills rises into the Santa Monica Mountains. LAFD lists portions of Woodland Hills in the City's Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, where homes are built to wildland-urban interface standards for roofs, vents, windows, and walls, and owners keep brush clearance within 200 feet of structures. On lots in LA's designated Hillside Area, allowed floor area drops as slope rises and grading and street access have their own limits. Our hillside home construction page explains how we approach these lots.
Flat lots and ADUs
North of the hills, most single-family lots follow LA's citywide rules, with floor area capped at 45 percent of the lot on a typical R1 lot. Many have room for a detached ADU or a garage conversion. Our guides cover ADU size, height, and setbacks and how long LA ADU permits take.
Common questions
Is Woodland Hills part of Los Angeles?
Yes. Woodland Hills is a neighborhood of the City of Los Angeles, so LADBS issues permits and LA City Planning sets the zoning. Nearby Calabasas and Hidden Hills are separate cities with their own building departments.
Does the Warner Center plan affect my house?
The Warner Center 2035 Specific Plan covers the mixed-use center bounded by the LA River, the Ventura Freeway, De Soto Avenue, and Topanga Canyon Boulevard. Single-family neighborhoods south of the freeway are outside it.
Is Woodland Hills in a fire zone?
Portions of Woodland Hills 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, Encino, Hillside home construction.