Last reviewed October 2026.
Where Burbank's hillside area begins
Burbank doesn't use a hillside zone letter. BMC 10-1-606 defines the hillside area as everything between the city lines with Glendale and Los Angeles and a line of streets: Sunset Canyon Drive, Walnut Avenue, Bel Aire Drive, Cambridge Drive, Kenneth Road and Scott Road. That takes in the streets climbing toward Wildwood and Stough Canyons and the Verdugo foothills in the northeast of the city.
Two easy mix-ups: R-1-H in Burbank means horsekeeping, the Burbank Rancho near Griffith Park, not hillside. And the ground changes as the streets climb: USDA maps the hillside streets as Vista soils over weathered bedrock from about 26 inches down, and the mountain slopes above them as Vista-Cieneba on 30 to 85 percent grades. The Burbank soil, faults and flood map guide has the details.
Retaining walls on a hillside lot
Outside the front yard, a Burbank retaining wall can show up to 4 feet; past that, a second wall steps back. In the hillside area, two retaining walls need at least 8 feet between them (6 with the Director's approval), walls facing downhill must be screened with plants, and an 18 inch planting strip runs along a front or street-side lot line. Only two walls are allowed in the front setback.
Projects that don't fit go through a Hillside Development Permit, handled through Burbank's Administrative Use Permit process with a mailed notice to neighbors within 300 feet. It can approve exceptions, or require a tall wall to be shortened, split into shorter walls or stepped with the slope. Wall limits and the permit line are on the retaining wall contractor in Burbank page; prices are on retaining wall cost in Burbank.
Grading: when moving dirt needs a permit
| Work | Exempt when | Otherwise |
|---|---|---|
| Excavation | 2 ft deep or less, no cut slope over 5 ft high and steeper than 1.5:1, 100 cubic yards or less | Grading permit from the Community Development Director |
| Fill | 1 ft or less (or under 3 ft and not supporting structures), 50 cubic yards or less, drainage unchanged | Grading permit |
| Footings for a building, pool or retaining wall | Dug under a valid building permit | Grading permit for the extra digging |
| Importing or exporting earth | Within the limits above | Written permit first |
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Burbank Municipal Code 7-1-104, read October 2026. Grading plans usually need an engineering geological report unless the Director waives it (BMC 7-1-105(C)).
A driveway replacement on a slope rarely gets near those numbers; cutting a new parking pad or terrace into a hillside often does. A 20 by 20 foot pad cut 2 feet deep is about 30 cubic yards, under the volume limit, but a deeper cut or a larger terrace can pass it quickly.
Fire zone rules and hardscape
CAL FIRE's Office of the State Fire Marshal updated the fire hazard severity zone map on March 24, 2025. Burbank's General Plan describes two Mountain Fire Zones, one along the Verdugo foothills in the northeast of the city and one in the southwest beside the Warner Bros. lot. The June 10, 2025 Bethany Fire, near Amherst Drive and Bethany Road, closed the Wildwood and Stough Canyon trails until the next day.
- Clearance letters go out in May; work is due by the end of June; inspections start in July
- Within 100 feet of a structure: dead trees out, weeds under 3 inches, vegetation within 10 feet kept maintained
- Burbank Fire requires 200 feet of clearance in total
- ADUs in the Mountain Fire Zone are capped at 800 sq ft, one ADU or one junior ADU per lot
Concrete doesn't burn, so a patio, a walk or a slab along the house is one way to keep the 10 foot strip free of fuel. It also changes where rain goes, so a slab beside the house is pitched away from the foundation.
What a hillside lot adds to a concrete price
| Item | Range |
|---|---|
| Flatwork, flat valley lot | $8 to $12 per sq ft |
| Flatwork, moderate slope | $10 to $15 per sq ft |
| Flatwork, steep hillside | $13 to $20+ per sq ft |
| Old concrete removal, wheeled out by hand on a hillside | $2.50 to $4.00 per sq ft (standard lot $1.40 to $2.30) |
| Concrete pump | $500 to $900 |
| Soils report, hillside lot | $600 to $1,500 |
| Extra grading on slopes | +$2 to $5 per sq ft |
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Source: constructlytools, How Much Does a Concrete Slab Cost in Los Angeles in 2026? (updated May 19, 2026), which also suggests a 15 percent contingency on hillside work. Quotes vary by site.
Before hillside concrete work
- Confirm whether the lot is inside the hillside street boundary
- Estimate the dig and fill volume against the 2 ft, 100 and 50 cubic yard limits
- Ask Building and Safety (818-238-5220) whether a soils or geology report is needed
- Check the fire hazard zone before planning an ADU or new structure
- Plan where water leaves the new concrete before the forms go in
Hillside lots also shape concrete steps and walkways and ADU foundations. For any other job, see the concrete contractor in Burbank page.
