Custom home planning resource · Los Angeles County and the South Bay
Planning a custom home in Monrovia
Monrovia adopted two sets of rules that shape new homes in established neighborhoods: Neighborhood Compatibility Design Review, which looks at how new construction fits neighborhood patterns, and Demolition Review for significant alteration or demolition of older main houses. On a replacement lot, both may come before building plan review.
KB Remodeling takes new-home inquiries from owners planning here. Share the lot and the project; KB reviews scope, licensing and location for each inquiry before suggesting a next step.
Planning sequence
01
Replacing an older house: check Demolition Review
The City says Demolition Review governs significant alterations or demolition of any main residential building 50 years or older. Its purpose is review, not a ban on all demolition. Related historical resources assessment requirements are listed on the Forms page.
Official resource: Monrovia · Neighborhood CompatibilityCity-wide guidance · Passage checked
02
Design for neighborhood compatibility
Municipal Code section 17.12.005 states the purpose: integrating new development into the context and character of existing neighborhoods, balancing the owner's goals with neighbors' concerns.
Official resource: Monrovia Municipal Code § 17.12.005City-wide guidance · Passage checked · passage read from a dated search-engine capture of the official page; confirm current instructions with the agency
03
Assemble the Planning package for your zone
The Forms page lists a Single Family Neighborhood Compatibility Worksheet and submittal requirements, Hillside Submittal Requirements, residential development guidelines by zone and the Development Review Committee application.
Official resource: Monrovia · Planning Forms and FeesCity-wide guidance · Passage checked · passage read from a dated search-engine capture of the official page; confirm current instructions with the agency
04
Plan the building-side certificates
Building & Safety lists a Plan Review Application together with building pad elevation, building location and rough and final grade certificates among its supporting documents.
Official resource: Monrovia · Building DivisionCity-wide guidance · Passage checked · passage read from a dated search-engine capture of the official page; confirm current instructions with the agency
Each step links to the official page it comes from. Requirements differ by parcel; confirm with the agency.
Who reviews a new home here
Monrovia is an incorporated city in Los Angeles County.
City of Monrovia — Community Development (Planning Division, Development Review Committee and Building & Safety).
Local planning journey
Which planning question to resolve first here, and why it shapes the brief. Each answer comes from the cited City page or stays a question for staff.
Question 1
Is the existing house 50 years or older?
Demolition Review applies to significant alteration or demolition of main residential buildings of that age; it is review, not a ban.
source: Monrovia · Neighborhood CompatibilityQuestion 2
How will the new house fit neighborhood patterns?
Neighborhood Compatibility regulates size and placement of new houses in established neighborhoods; complete the Single Family Neighborhood Compatibility Worksheet from the Forms page.
source: Monrovia · Planning Forms and FeesQuestion 3
What do neighbors tend to raise at hearings?
In the March 6, 2024 Development Review Committee minutes, neighbors raised privacy and height, and approvals carried conditions such as obscured glass. That is one meeting's record, not a rule.
source: Monrovia · Development Review Committee minutes, March 6, 2024
Finding the current official checklist
Use the Planning Forms and Fees page for the compatibility worksheet and, on hillside lots, the Hillside Submittal Requirements; Building & Safety lists pad, location and grade certificates.
Owner evidence to gather first
- Construction date of the existing house
- Neighbor windows and setbacks facing the new house
- Completed compatibility worksheet
Two Monrovia reviews to tell apart
| Review | Question it answers |
|---|---|
| Demolition Review | Can a 50-year-old main house be significantly altered or demolished, and how? |
| Neighborhood Compatibility Design Review | Does the new house's size and placement fit the neighborhood? |
Local issues and the budget lines they touch
| Local issue | Budget line it affects |
|---|---|
| Privacy conditions | Window glazing and placement changes |
| Grade certificates | Survey visits during construction |
No dollar amounts or local premiums are implied.
Hypothetical: owners replacing a 1950s house near Old Town draw side windows facing a neighbor's yard. Anticipating privacy comments, they show alternative window positions in the first submittal rather than after a hearing.
What shapes the budget here
- Historical resources assessment where Demolition Review applies
- Neighborhood compatibility drawings and worksheet
- Survey work for pad elevation, location and grade certificates
These items affect cost; none is a price. See how to build a realistic budget: Custom home budget guide
Parcel questions to answer first
- Is the existing main house 50 years or older, triggering Demolition Review?
- Which zone and residential guideline set applies, and is the lot subject to hillside submittal requirements?
- Does the house go to the Development Review Committee?
Gather before a first conversation
- Address or APN and recent site photos
- Survey, title report and prior permits if available
- Architect drawings, or a written list of rooms and priorities
- Target timing and how you plan to finance construction
Related guides: Buying land to build · Lot utility due diligence · Choosing a custom-home builder · 2025 Energy Code for new homes
Official sources
Each source shows what it covers and whether its passage was checked in our review.
- Monrovia · Neighborhood Compatibility
Neighborhood Compatibility Design Review and Demolition Review overview.
City-wide guidance · Passage checked - Monrovia Municipal Code § 17.12.005
Purpose and intent of Neighborhood Compatibility Design Review (City's official code publisher).
City-wide guidance · Passage checked · passage read from a dated search-engine capture of the official page; confirm current instructions with the agency - Monrovia · Planning Forms and Fees
Single-family compatibility worksheet, hillside requirements, zone guidelines.
City-wide guidance · Passage checked · passage read from a dated search-engine capture of the official page; confirm current instructions with the agency - Monrovia · Building Division
Plan Review Application and survey certificates.
City-wide guidance · Passage checked · passage read from a dated search-engine capture of the official page; confirm current instructions with the agency - Monrovia · Development Review Committee minutes, March 6, 2024
Example: neighbor comments on privacy and height; approvals with conditions.
One example case, not a rule for every lot · Passage checked
5 of 5 official source passages checked (latest October 13, 2026).
Page content last updated:
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