Burbank Floor Area Ratio: How Big a House the Lot Allows

A Burbank R-1 lot allows 0.4 square feet of counted floor area for every square foot of lot, for the first 7,500 square feet of lot. Above that the rate falls to 0.3, and above 15,000 square feet it falls again to 0.2. A 6,000 square foot lot therefore tops out at 2,400 square feet, and a 10,000 square foot lot at 3,750 square feet. The ceiling sits in Table 10-1-603(D) of the Burbank Municipal Code, and it decides whether a house has room to grow.

How much house does a Burbank lot allow?

The rate is tiered, which is why large lots do not scale the way people expect. Section 10-1-603(D) sets the table. The city's single family guide links to the same code section and lists the hillside permit triggers.

Lot size	Maximum gross floor area	Effective ratio
6,000 sq ft	2,400 sq ft	0.40
7,500 sq ft	3,000 sq ft	0.40
10,000 sq ft	3,750 sq ft	0.375
15,000 sq ft	5,250 sq ft	0.35
19,500 sq ft	6,150 sq ft	0.315

Sizes between rows interpolate proportionally. At 20,000 square feet and above the table stops printing numbers and applies the same formula.

A buyer paying a premium for a bigger lot is buying land rather than permitted square footage, because the marginal rate above 7,500 square feet is smaller than the rate below it. The figure that decides it is the legal lot. The Assessor's property portal is a first look, not an answer: it is a tax record, and it publishes a lot square footage and a usable lot square footage that do not always agree. Near a tier line, confirm the legal lot against the recorded map or deed before a valuation counts remaining floor area as an asset.

What counts toward the floor area ratio?

Subsection (D)(1) counts the gross floor area of all enclosed structures on the property. That includes the main dwelling, accessory structures, accessory dwelling units, enclosed patios even when open on one or more sides, and sheds. Floor area is measured for each story within the exterior finish face of the walls, then added together.

On accessory dwelling units the code argues with itself. Section 10-1-620.3(F)(1), in the ADU division of the same article, says new ADUs "are exempt from compliance with the Floor Area Ratio (FAR), lot coverage, open space, or minimum lot size requirements noted in this Code unless otherwise specified herein." Section 10-1-620.3(A) then requires them to comply with floor area ratio standards. Three provisions, two answers. Get a written determination from the Planning Division before counting an ADU against the cap; the Burbank ADU rules cover the size limits that apply either way.

Excluded from the calculation	Counted
Garage or carport up to 400 sq ft in front of the house or in the front half of the lot	Enclosed patios, even if open on a side
Garage or carport up to 500 sq ft in the rear half, attached or detached	Sheds and enclosed accessory structures
Garage or carport up to 600 sq ft with alley access	Attics with a floor and 5 ft of headroom
Front covered porch up to 250 sq ft, open on two sides, ground floor	Basements that fail either exemption test
Attached covered patios, balcony understory and overhangs without posts	Stair volume above 12 ft of height
Parking in an exempt basement; required underground parking	A third or later non-habitable structure under 120 sq ft
Detached accessory structures open on all sides
Two non-habitable accessory structures under 120 sq ft each
Stables, corrals and attached tack rooms
Trellis roofs at least 50 percent open, openings uniformly distributed

Does the garage count against the limit?

Position on the lot decides it, as the table shows. The rule people miss comes next: where a property has more than one garage, the code exempts the smaller of them and caps the total exemption at 600 square feet. A detached rear garage plus an attached front garage does not produce two exemptions.

Do basements and attics count?

A basement with usable floor area meeting the Building Code minimums for a habitable room counts, unless it satisfies both exemption tests: the finished floor of the first story sits no more than 24 inches above the adjoining ground surface for at least 50 percent of the basement perimeter, and the basement lies directly beneath an enclosed space that is itself counted. One test alone does not do it.

An attic counts wherever it has a floor surface and a ceiling height of five feet or more.

One cross rule catches people. A basement exempted from floor area is still added to total house square footage when the city counts required parking. Burbank requires two off-street spaces up to a main dwelling of 3,400 square feet and three above that, and the first two may not be tandem. A finished basement can leave the floor area budget untouched and still force a third parking space onto the site plan.

Why does a tall ceiling cost twice?

Subsection (D)(3) treats volume as area. Any portion of a structure over 12 feet in interior height, including the space above a staircase, counts as though a second story sat inside it, so the ground floor area underneath is counted twice. Height for this purpose is measured from grade, not from the finished floor.

A two-story entry or a vaulted living room in a house already close to the cap can consume several hundred square feet of allowance without adding a single usable room. It shows up in remodels rather than original construction, and it is worth checking on any house marketed as having room to expand, particularly in the Magnolia Park housing stock, where small houses sit on modest lots and the arithmetic is tight.

Can the city allow more than the table?

Yes, by ten percent, and only under narrow conditions. Subsection (D)(11) lets the Planning Commission grant a floor area ratio exception of up to 10 percent above the maximum for the lot. The code's own worked example takes a 6,000 square foot lot from 2,400 square feet to 2,640 square feet.

The gates are real:

• Only non-hillside houses on lots of 7,000 square feet or smaller are eligible.
• It must be an addition to a house that has already reached an FAR of .399.
• The addition has to be on the first story, of quality design, and consistent with the architectural character of the existing home.
• It cannot ask for a setback encroachment or any other exception.
• The added floor area must only increase habitability or function.
• A public hearing is required, with notice to owners within 300 feet, and the decision may be appealed to the City Council.

The city's fee table, effective 1 July 2026 for fiscal year 2026-2027, lists the Floor Area Ratio Exception at $3,987.68. A seller whose house is already at the cap should plan on a public hearing rather than a counter approval, and price the listing on what exists rather than on what a buyer might be allowed to add.

What changes on a hillside lot?

Slope reduces the base rate. Under subsection (D)(10) the 0.4 maximum drops to 0.35 on hillside lots with slopes of 15 to 29.99 percent, and to 0.30 at 30 percent or more. The applicant supplies a topographic map, and the city uses S = (I x L x 100) / A, where I is a contour interval of ten feet or less, L is the combined length of all contour lines on the lot, and A is the gross lot area.

Section 10-1-606(C) then lets the city cut the allowed floor area further as a condition of a Hillside Development Permit. Total counted floor area above 3,000 square feet is itself one of the permit triggers, described in the Burbank hillside permit rules. Findings and appeals for that permit run through section 10-1-607.

What to check before paying for room to add

Question	Where the answer lives
Legal lot size	Recorded map or deed, not the listing
Current counted floor area	City permit file
Which half of the lot holds the garage	Site plan
Any interior height over 12 feet	Field measurement from grade
Basement exempt, or counted	The two tests in (D)(4)
Inside the mapped hillside area	Planning Division

A buyer planning an addition should ask before removing a contingency. The gap between estimate and counted figure is where the money goes.

Q: My lot is 8,000 square feet. Why is the maximum 3,150 square feet and not 3,200? Because only the first 7,500 square feet earn 0.4. The remaining 500 square feet earn 0.3, which adds 150 square feet, not 200.

Q: Does a pool house count? Open on all sides, no, however many there are. Enclosed, yes, unless it is non-habitable, under 120 square feet, and one of the first two such structures on the property.

General information drawn from the Burbank Municipal Code, current through Ordinance 26-4,038 passed 24 February 2026, with section 10-1-603 last amended by Ordinance 22-3,983 effective 16 December 2022. Not legal or design advice. Confirm your own lot's zoning, slope and permit history with the Burbank Planning Division before relying on any of it. Call Alla at (818) 699-5367 or use the enquiry form.

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More on buying and selling in this city in the Burbank area guide.