New Construction in Sunland-Tujunga
A new house in Sunland-Tujunga: how plan review treats the planting around the walls in a fire hazard area, and how an ADU joins the plan.
For a new Sunland-Tujunga house inside a mapped fire hazard area, the plan reviewer can look past the walls to what is planted beside them. Shrubs against the siding, wood mulch under a window and a tree limb over the roof all give an ember somewhere to catch. A landscape layout drawn with the house shows the reviewer the plantings were chosen with fire in mind.
What the planting layout shows
Plants close to the building are chosen for low fuel and spaced so fire cannot ladder from the ground to the roof. Gravel or pavers replace mulch beside the walls. Trees are placed clear of the eaves. These choices sit alongside the house's own ember-resistant details: roof class, vents, eaves, windows and siding. LADBS and the fire department review the exterior package together, and a clear drawing speeds the review. Irrigation lines are shown too, since they feed the plants that stay.
Water, access and the second unit
The fire department also looks at access and water supply, so the plan shows the entry width, the sprinkler line and the hydrant connection. An ADU on the lot appears on the same plan with its own ember-resistant details and its distance from the main house. A lot that slopes may need grading permits and retaining walls, which the same set must cover. All of it is easier to settle in the drawings than on site, where changes mean tearing out work already built.
New Construction in Sunland-Tujunga: common questions
Yes, where the zoning permits. In a fire hazard area the unit needs the same ember-resistant details as the house, and the access and water supply serve both. A single drawing set covers all of it. Whether a unit fits depends on the lot size and the zoning.
Survey work, soil and utility checks, and a review of fire access and water supply come first. Design covers structure, energy and the planting layout, and the set goes to LADBS and the fire department. Excavation begins after the permit issues.
A parcel that the fire maps cover brings the wildfire construction chapter into play, in addition to the state energy and residential codes. Hillside grading rules can apply if the lot slopes, and zoning limits height and yards.
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