If you are considering a home or development site in El Monte, a proposed citywide zoning update could affect what may be built, how certain improvements are reviewed, and which uses appear as prohibited in the zoning tables. The proposal is not confirmed as an adopted rule.
Status as of November 3, 2026: the Council hearing date had not been posted, and the City Council’s September 23, October 14, and October 28, 2026 regular meetings were cancelled.
This is general information and not legal advice.
What is El Monte proposing?
El Monte is proposing a citywide update to Title 17, the Zoning Code, known as Code Amendment No. 4 of 2026.
The applicant is the City of El Monte. The Planning Commission heard the item on September 8, 2026. City staff recommended adoption of Resolution No. 3705, which would recommend that the City Council adopt an ordinance. The draft resolution says the Council will consider the amendment at a future public hearing.
The packet read does not show the Commission’s vote, and minutes confirming the hearing outcome had not been posted.
The staff report says the amendment has two purposes. It would modify existing language to demonstrate compliance with Program No. 1 of the 2021 to 2029 General Plan Housing Element Update. It would also simplify and clarify zoning information to improve readability.
The full staff report and meeting materials are available through the city’s Agenda Center.
Why is the zoning code being revisited?
The code is being revisited because the California Department of Housing and Community Development told the city that further rezoning was needed to implement two Housing Element programs.
The City Council approved the 2021 to 2029 General Plan Housing Element Update on February 1, 2022. Program No. 1 calls for an Urban Housing Zone along the Garvey Avenue Corridor and 5-Points Area. It includes residential densities up to 50 units per acre, building heights up to five or six stories, and approval of multiple-family projects by right without a Conditional Use Permit.
That program also calls for minimum densities for residential-only and mixed-use projects, along with reduced parking and open space requirements and more floor area for higher density residential development.
Ordinance No. 3023, adopted May 2, 2023, implemented Program No. 5. Ordinance No. 3053, adopted May 14, 2025, implemented Program No. 1.
After the California Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District published New Commune DTLA LLC v. City of Redondo Beach in 2025, HCD sent El Monte a Letter of Technical Assistance. According to the staff report, HCD said further rezoning was required to implement Programs No. 1 and No. 5 and satisfy Government Code section 65583.2, subdivisions (h) and (i). Staff developed the proposed amendments in consultation with HCD.
What would change for housing development?
The amendment would revise density, residential floor area, and by right development provisions for certain housing sites.
HCD asked that mixed-use sites permit entirely residential development. It also asked that vertical and horizontal mixed-use projects dedicate at least half of their floor area to residential use. The proposal would add that half floor area requirement to Table 17.30-1.
HCD also asked that sites identified for lower-income housing allow a minimum density of 20 dwelling units per acre. Table 17.30-2 would be changed by removing minimum floor area ratio criteria to allow 20 units per acre.
Chapter 17.104 and Table 17.104-1 would address owner-occupied and rental multifamily housing in commercial areas. Those uses would be allowed by right when a development includes the required share of lower-income affordable units.
The proposal does not say that every parcel could support the same project. A buyer or investor still needs to identify the applicable zone, use table, development standards, and any project-specific review before relying on a development concept. The Baldwin Park townhome rezoning article offers separate context on how a proposed land use change can relate to a specific housing project.
What would change for existing properties?
Existing properties could be affected by proposed changes involving residential additions, parking, pools, spas, and heavily damaged buildings.
For nonconforming residential uses, Section 17.16.040(C) would change the review requirement for residential additions from a Minor Use Permit to a Minor Design Review. The packet calls this a downgrade in the requirement, but it does not define Minor Design Review fees, timelines, or standards.
Table 17.70-1 would clarify the thresholds that determine when a residential expansion site shall comply with current parking requirements. The summary does not provide those thresholds, so the size and details of a planned expansion would need to be checked against the final code language if the amendment is adopted.
The staff-level zoning clearance section would remove language specific to accessory dwelling units, urban dwellings, and reconstruction or restoration of a heavily damaged building. Staff-level zoning clearances would also add review of exterior spas and swimming pools.
For broader accessory dwelling unit context, see the state ADU rules overview.
An El Monte property owner asked us whether Zoning Code Amendment 4-2026 had already changed what he could build. He had read a summary of the proposed language but had not seen a final effective ordinance. We checked where the amendment stood in the city process before applying it to his property plans.
How would short-term rentals be treated?
The proposed use tables would add Short-Term Rental as a prohibited use.
That language would be added to the citywide use table and the separate use tables for one-family, multiple-family, mixed and urban multiuse, commercial, and manufacturing zones. Because the change appears across those tables, buyers and investors considering rental income should check it before assigning value to a short-term rental plan.
The staff table says only that Short-Term Rental would be added to the use tables to prohibit the use. It does not say whether any short-term rental is allowed elsewhere in the code or banned elsewhere in the code. It also does not identify a fine or enforcement amount. Those details should not be assumed from this proposal.
Could permit approval periods change?
The amendment would let the director approve time extensions for several kinds of land use approvals.
The covered approvals would include design review, conditional and minor use permits, variances, and planned residential developments. The director would have discretion to escalate a time extension request to the Planning Commission for approval.
The same September 8, 2026 agenda provides useful context without confirming a broader rule. Item 8 concerned Time Extension No. 36 of 2026 for a previously approved five-story, 212-unit apartment complex at 10561 Santa Fe Drive. Staff recommended a one-year extension, but the outcome was not confirmed in the material reviewed.
An extension provision matters when evaluating an approved project, but the proposed language does not guarantee that any particular extension will be granted.
What remains pending?
The Council hearing, final ordinance language, adoption decision, and effective date all remain unconfirmed.
The city had published a hearing notice in a newspaper of general circulation. The staff report also treats the amendment as exempt under Public Resources Code section 21080.085 because it implements a Housing Element program.
Council cancellation notices were posted for the regular meetings scheduled on September 23, October 14, and October 28, 2026. Planning Commission meetings scheduled on September 22, October 13, and October 27, 2026 were also cancelled. None of that establishes when the Council will hear the amendment or what it will decide.
For other El Monte public actions, the EV charger permit ordinance article and Merced Avenue storm drain project article show why the exact document and status date matter.
The short version
El Monte Code Amendment No. 4 of 2026 is a proposal, not a confirmed rule in force.
If adopted, it would revise housing provisions, add Short-Term Rental as a prohibited use in multiple zoning tables, change the review path for additions to nonconforming residential uses, clarify parking triggers for residential expansions, require review of exterior pools and spas, and give the director authority over certain permit time extensions with discretion to send them to the Planning Commission.
Before relying on any proposed use or development path, check the parcel’s zoning, the final ordinance, and the Council hearing status.
To see what your El Monte property is worth today, use the home value tool.
Common questions
Is El Monte Code Amendment No. 4 of 2026 in effect?
No effective date was available. As of November 3, 2026, the City Council hearing date had not been posted, and the packet read does not say whether the ordinance will pass.
Would the amendment prohibit short-term rentals?
The proposed zoning use tables would add Short-Term Rental as a prohibited use. The packet read does not say whether any short-term rental is allowed elsewhere in the code or identify a fine.
Would mixed-use sites permit entirely residential development?
The proposed changes respond to HCD's request that mixed-use sites permit entirely residential development. Vertical and horizontal mixed-use projects would have to dedicate at least half of their floor area to residential use.
Would residential additions need a Minor Use Permit?
For nonconforming residential uses, the proposal would change the requirement for residential additions from a Minor Use Permit to a Minor Design Review. The packet does not define the fees, timeline, or standards for that review.
