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Is Toluca Lake in Burbank or Los Angeles? What Changes at the City Line
Toluca Lake is a neighborhood of the City of Los Angeles, and the name also covers a pocket of homes inside the City of Burbank. The Los Angeles side is a 1.22 square mile neighborhood of more than 8,000 residents, according to the Council District 2 office. The Burbank side takes in West Riverside Drive and nearby streets such as North Clybourn Avenue. Which side of the line a house sits on decides who issues its permits, who sells it water and power, whether a 9A report is required at sale, and whether the City of Los Angeles transfer tax applies. The county assessor's records settle the question for any address in about a minute.
Where does the city line run through Toluca Lake?
The Toluca Lake Chamber of Commerce puts it plainly: Toluca Lake is a district of the City of Los Angeles, and also a general neighborhood that spills over into Burbank. Every organization draws its own map. The Greater Toluca Lake Neighborhood Council, the homeowners association and the ZIP code all use different edges, and none of them is the legal city boundary.
The legal boundary is what the Los Angeles County Assessor records for each parcel. A sample from the Assessor Portal on September 2, 2026 shows the pattern. Parcels on Toluca Lake Avenue, the 4400 blocks of Forman Avenue and Ponca Avenue, and the 10000 block of Riverside Drive carry a Los Angeles situs with ZIP 91602. Parcels on North Clybourn Avenue, West National Avenue and the 4100 and 4200 blocks of West Riverside Drive carry a Burbank situs with ZIP 91505.
Riverside Drive itself gives the game away. House numbers run in the 10000s on the Los Angeles side and restart in the 4000s, with a "West" prefix, once the street crosses into Burbank. Two addresses on the same road, 10101 Riverside Drive and 4211 West Riverside Drive, answer to two different city halls.
How do I check which city a Toluca Lake address is in?
Open the Assessor Portal, search the address, and read the Tax Rate Area field on the parcel page. The parcels checked for this article fall into two areas. Los Angeles parcels show TRA 00013. Burbank parcels show TRA 02530. Paste either number into the Auditor-Controller's tax rate lookup, without the leading zeros, and the first taxing agency listed is the city: "CITY-LOS ANGELES" or "CITY-BURBANK".
The listing, the mailing address and the ZIP code are not proof of anything. A property can carry a Toluca Lake mailing address and still belong to whichever city the assessor says it does.
Do property tax rates differ between the two sides?
Yes, by a little under a tenth of a percent, and the difference comes entirely from voter-approved bond debt rather than the 1 percent base. The Auditor-Controller's published rates for fiscal year 2025/2026:
| Line on the bill | TRA 00013, Los Angeles side | TRA 02530, Burbank side |
|---|---|---|
| General levy | 1.000000 | 1.000000 |
| City bonds | 0.012232 | 0 |
| Community college bonds | 0.048543 | 0.048543 |
| Unified school district bonds | 0.119605 | 0.052359 |
| Metropolitan Water District | 0.007000 | 0.007000 |
| Total rate | 1.187380% | 1.107902% |
On an assessed value of $1,000,000 that is $11,874 a year on the Los Angeles side against $11,079 on the Burbank side, a gap of about $795. Direct assessments such as sewer and lighting charges sit below these lines and vary parcel by parcel. Rates are reset every year, and other tax rate areas exist on both sides, so pull the number for the specific parcel before you rely on it.
What does a Los Angeles seller owe that a Burbank seller does not?
Two things, and the first one is the one buyers notice.
Inside the City of Los Angeles, Section 96.300 of the Municipal Code requires the seller to order a Report of Residential Property Records, still called the 9A, from LADBS and deliver it to the buyer before the purchase agreement or before close of escrow. The same LADBS page lists the point-of-sale items that ride along with it: water conservation fixtures under Section 122.03, a seismic gas shut-off valve under Section 94.1217, smoke detectors under Section 91.8603, carbon monoxide alarms, impact glazing or film on sliding glass doors, and release mechanisms on any security bars over bedroom windows. The full list is walked through in retrofits required before selling in Los Angeles.
The second item is transfer tax. The Registrar-Recorder collects $1.10 per $1,000 for the county everywhere, and lists only five cities with their own additional tax: Culver City, Los Angeles, Pomona, Redondo Beach and Santa Monica. Burbank is not on that list. The City of Los Angeles adds $4.50 per $1,000, and for sales closing on or after July 1, 2026 the Measure ULA tax adds 4 percent of the whole price above $5,400,000 and 5.5 percent at or above $10,900,000. On a $2,000,000 sale the city line is worth $9,000 in transfer tax alone. Who customarily pays it is covered in who pays transfer tax in Los Angeles County.
What does Burbank require at sale?
A Burbank parcel sits outside Section 96.300, so no 9A is ordered, and it sits outside the city transfer tax list, so none is charged. What Burbank does have is a water fixture rule with teeth. Under Ordinance No. 3786, for every sale after December 13, 2022, both the seller and the buyer certify that toilets use no more than 1.28 gallons per flush, showerheads no more than 1.8 gallons per minute, kitchen aerators no more than 1.8 and bathroom aerators no more than 1.2. The Retrofit Upon Resale Certificate of Compliance is filed with Burbank Water and Power, carries no fee, and is a condition of escrow. Los Angeles has its own fixture rule inside Section 122.03, so on this one point the two sides differ mainly in paperwork.
Who runs the permits, water and power on each side?
| Service | Los Angeles side | Burbank side |
|---|---|---|
| Water and electricity | LADWP | Burbank Water and Power, a city department |
| Building permits | LADBS | Burbank Building & Safety, 150 N. Third Street |
| Building code in force | California Building Code with Los Angeles amendments | 2025 California Building Code with Burbank amendments, Title 9, effective January 1, 2026 |
| Police | LAPD North Hollywood station | Burbank Police Department |
| Fire | LAFD Station 86, Vineland Avenue | Burbank Fire Department |
| Elected voice | Council District 2 and the Greater Toluca Lake Neighborhood Council | Burbank City Council, 275 E. Olive Avenue |
The utility line matters more than it looks. Rates, watering schedules, rebates and outage response all follow the city line, and the comparison is laid out in Burbank Water and Power vs LADWP. Anyone planning an accessory dwelling unit on the Burbank side should read the Burbank ADU rules first, because the counter at 150 North Third Street applies Burbank's standards, not LADBS's.
Can I rent a Toluca Lake house short-term?
Only on the Los Angeles side, and only within limits. The city's Home-Sharing Ordinance, No. 185,931, allows short-term rental of a host's primary residence for up to 120 days a year under a standard registration, with an extended registration available above that. The registration number has to appear on every listing, and the property cannot be under the Rent Stabilization Ordinance. Enforcement began November 1, 2019, per Los Angeles City Planning.
Across the line, the answer is no. Burbank's Code Enforcement FAQ states that short-term rentals of less than 30 days are not permitted in the city.
Which rent rules apply to a duplex or a rented house?
On the Los Angeles side, the Rent Stabilization Ordinance covers rental property built on or before October 1, 1978, and the city's Just Cause Ordinance reaches much of what the RSO does not. The neighborhood was developed from 1923 on, so an older duplex there is likely to fall under the RSO.
On the Burbank side the rent cap is the statewide one under the Tenant Protection Act, and Burbank layered its own Tenant Protection Ordinance on top of it, effective August 31, 2024, with anti-harassment rules added in March 2025 that apply to every tenant in the city.
Q: Is the lake itself in Burbank or Los Angeles?
The Council District 2 office describes the lake as part of the Los Angeles neighborhood, given an asphalt bottom in the 1930s during the channelization of the Los Angeles River. The homes the assessor lists on Toluca Lake Avenue carry Los Angeles tax rate area 00013.
Q: Does a Burbank address with a Toluca Lake listing get a 9A report?
No. Section 96.300 applies to residential property within the City of Los Angeles. A Burbank parcel gets the Retrofit Upon Resale certificate instead, and no city transfer tax.
Q: Which side has the airport noise?
Both sides sit south of Hollywood Burbank Airport, and the noise contours do not follow the city line. What a seller must disclose is covered in buying a home near Hollywood Burbank Airport.
Q: Where do I confirm all of this for one specific parcel?
The Assessor Portal for the tax rate area, the Auditor-Controller for the rate, LADBS or Burbank Building & Safety for permit history, and the Registrar-Recorder for transfer tax. Each is linked above.
This article is general information about city boundaries, taxes and municipal rules, not legal or tax advice. Rates and ordinances change; verify each item for the specific parcel and closing date before you rely on it. Call Alla at (818) 699-5367 or use the enquiry form.
More on the Burbank side of the line in the Burbank area guide, on the Los Angeles side in the North Hollywood area guide, and on what a sale involves on the selling page.