What does Laguna Beach's design review overhaul mean for owners?

If you’re planning a remodel or buying a Laguna Beach house that needs one, the review route matters before you settle on the work. The City Council adopted Ordinance No. 1730, the Design Review Efficiency Ordinance, on July 21, 2026, to streamline design review and related permitting processes. It sets out three review tracks in Section 25.05.040 and reduces the design review criteria from 16 to 11.

This is general information, not legal or tax advice.

Start with the city’s Community Development Department: ask which track applies to the proposed work and whether a separate coastal permit is required.

What did the council change?

The council adopted actions to streamline design review and related permitting processes, with the ordinance setting out three tracks in Section 25.05.040 and reducing design review criteria from 16 to 11.

Ordinance No. 1730 amended Titles 21, 22, and 25 of the Laguna Beach Municipal Code, covering Subdivisions; Excavating, Grading, and Filling; and Zoning. The council also adopted Resolution No. 26.059, amending the Design Guidelines, A Guide to Residential Development.

The September 22, 2026 staff report identifies the adopted ordinance number. The ordinance text in the July 21 packet carries the working heading “Ord. XXXX” because it was presented for second reading. Both documents are available through the City of Laguna Beach’s agenda portal.

The ordinance text lists who approves each track and the design review criteria. It does not establish a change to residential height, setback or lot coverage standards. Nor do the documents give review times, fees or a count of projects changing tracks. A different review route isn’t a promised approval schedule.

Who decides under each review track?

The Design Review Board or Planning Commission, the Director of Community Development, or the Community Development Department decides, depending on the project.

Section 25.05.040 assigns authority this way:

• The Design Review Board or Planning Commission, as appropriate, approves Design Review projects.
• The Director of Community Development approves Administrative Design Review projects.
• The Community Development Department approves projects exempt from design review through zone clearance.

The Director also has sole discretion to refer an administrative or exempt project to the board or commission. The ordinance identifies considerations including significant physical changes in an unusually sensitive or highly visible area, impacts on surrounding properties, or other circumstances.

That referral power matters when you’re assessing a proposed remodel. Ask the department to identify the applicable track and explain whether the project’s circumstances raise a referral question.

What work qualifies for zone clearance?

The zone clearance list includes specified work exempt from design review, subject to the ordinance’s limits.

It includes demolition, alteration or addition that does not constitute a major remodel; improvements not over 15 feet high; in-kind replacement for repair and maintenance; and interior modifications that don’t change the exterior.

Roofing has a narrower description: re-roofing qualifies when it doesn’t result in white or light colored roofs and doesn’t change dimensions, square footage or roof pitch.

Other listed work includes:

• Grading of 20 cubic yards or less outside the building footprint, and retaining walls with exposed height of 5 feet or less.
• Decks, slabs, terraces or patios elevated 3 feet or less above adjacent legal ground.
• Fences, walls and hedges complying with Section 25.50.012.
• Annual weed abatement, fuel modification and accessory dwelling units only as set forth in Chapter 25.17.

Zone clearance shall not be used for projects in an environmentally sensitive area unless a licensed professional determines, subject to peer review, that the development doesn’t impact it.

Ask how the department applies “major remodel” to your scope. For raised outdoor surfaces, ask which adjacent legal ground establishes the measurement.

What goes to the Director for administrative review?

Administrative Design Review covers specified work such as taller landscaping, raised outdoor surfaces and certain roof changes.

The list includes landscaping at a maintained height of 15 feet or higher within the buildable area, 6 feet or higher in a rear or side yard, and 4 feet or higher in a front yard. Decks, slabs, terraces and patios elevated more than 3 feet above adjacent legal ground also appear here.

Roof alterations changing dimensions, square footage or roof pitch require this track. So does re-roofing that results in white or light colored roofs and may cause glare.

Additional administrative items include minor alterations to historic resources, additional covered or tandem parking, detached fireplaces, and skylights without operable automatic night shades. Mechanical equipment appears here when it doesn’t meet Section 7.25.130(C).

Administrative review isn’t available for environmentally sensitive area improvements.

Which design review criteria remain?

The ordinance replaces 16 design review criteria with 11 criteria in Municipal Code Section 25.05.040(H).

The remaining criteria are Access; Design Articulation; Environmental Context; General Plan Compliance; Historic Preservation; Landscaping; Lighting and Glare; Neighborhood Compatibility; Pedestrian Orientation; Privacy; and View Equity.

It removes Design Integrity; Public Art; Sign Quality; Sustainability; and Swimming Pools, Spas, and Water Features from that criteria list.

Removal from the list isn’t a statement that related work requires no permits. Ask the department to connect the proposed work to its review track and applicable requirements.

The Design Guidelines describe residential review as case by case. Existing guidance also says a proposal without variances has no presumptive entitlement to build to the maximum development standards.

Where does Coastal Commission review stand?

The sources document the city’s submission and follow-up, but don’t establish the California Coastal Commission’s decision.

The city submitted its local coastal program amendment on July 30, 2026, as Request No. LCP-5-LGB-26-0038-2. On August 13, the Commission notified the city that the submission was incomplete because the ordinance and resolution lacked a statement of intent to carry out the amendment fully in conformity with the Coastal Act.

On September 22, the council adopted Resolution No. 26.072 affirming that intent without modifying the previously adopted ordinance.

The city adopted Urgency Ordinance No. 1732 so it could start using the changes while the Commission reviews. On August 4, it adopted Urgency Ordinance No. 1733, extending that urgency ordinance for 22 months and 15 days. Ask the department which provisions govern your application.

A Coastal Development Permit remains a separate question under Chapter 25.07 for any review track. Coastal development permits are also covered in the Laguna Beach oceanfront emergency guide.

What should you ask before remodeling or buying?

Ask the Community Development Department to assess the actual proposed scope, including its review track, referral considerations and coastal permit requirements.

For roof work, identify color and changes to dimensions or pitch. For landscaping, identify maintained height and yard location. For patios and decks, establish elevation above adjacent legal ground. Ask whether an environmentally sensitive area affects the available process.

If the work involves a new primary dwelling, ask about Chapter 25.13. The June 23 staff report says exempt new primary dwelling provisions moved there and objective design standards were being drafted but had not yet been adopted.

For an existing house, keep proposed approvals separate from questions about earlier work. Use the California unpermitted work disclosure guide alongside the seller disclosure guide when reviewing that history.

I spoke with a Laguna Beach homeowner who had delayed a remodel because he expected design review to take a long time. When the city began changing the process, he wanted to know whether his project could now qualify for a simpler form of review. We looked at the proposed procedures with him rather than assuming every project would become faster or avoid public review.

The short version

Laguna Beach adopted Ordinance No. 1730 to streamline design review and related permitting processes; it sets out three tracks in Section 25.05.040 and reduces design review criteria from 16 to 11, with Director referral authority and coastal permit requirements still part of the process.

Before committing to a remodel, ask the Community Development Department which route applies to the work and which provisions govern the application.

If you’re preparing to buy or sell, another planning resource is the home value tool.