The short answer
When are story poles required? You need them for a home addition or a new house if your town’s design review policy says so, and in California’s design review towns the usual triggers are a second story, a new home, an addition above a size threshold, a height increase, or a lot on a hillside or in a view corridor. Some towns require them on every design review application; a few exempt modest projects or accept a rendering instead. The planner tells you at intake, and the policy is public. Here is what the policies actually say.
When Are Story Poles Required? The Five Common Triggers
1. A second story
The most consistent trigger. Hillsborough requires poles for new two-story houses and second-story additions; Monte Sereno for any second story addition; Los Altos Hills for second story additions; Los Gatos for a two-story house or second-story addition when both adjacent homes on the same side of the street are single-story, or in the Hillside Area or on a historic property. If your addition adds a floor, plan on poles.
2. A new house
New primary structures trigger poles almost everywhere they are used, covering Los Altos Hills (“new buildings”), Hillsborough (22 feet or taller), Tiburon (every design review application), Malibu (every Coastal Development Permit), Calabasas (new projects in overlay zones or on ridgelines), Santa Barbara (new single-unit homes that hit one of its size, height or visibility tests).
3. Size thresholds
Towns set a square-footage line above which an addition needs poles. That line is 500 square feet in Monte Sereno (new structures or additions) and Calabasas (additions on ridgeline and overlay lots); 900 square feet in Los Altos Hills; 20 percent of existing floor area for non-residential additions in Los Gatos. Santa Barbara uses ratios instead, with a floor-to-lot-area ratio over 0.40, or a project exceeding 85 percent of the maximum floor area.
4. Height
Hillsborough’s line is 22 feet regardless of stories. Los Altos Hills triggers on “increases in roof height.” Santa Barbara triggers when a building’s height substantially exceeds its neighbors’ or when it sits on or projects above a topographic ridgeline. Any project asking for a height variance or exception needs poles in Los Gatos and Calabasas.
5. Hillsides, ridgelines and views
Burbank requires poles only for Hillside Development Permits, as the view study. Calabasas requires them in the Old Topanga, Calabasas Highlands and Scenic Corridor overlay zones and on significant ridgelines. Malibu requires them to protect public and private views under its coastal program. Santa Barbara triggers on projects that would block or reduce important public scenic views or that are highly visible from a street, park or beach. If your lot has a view or is in a view, expect poles.
The exemptions
Policies also say who does not need them.
- Small, low or administrative projects. Hillsborough may review second-story additions under 500 square feet that do not face a street administratively, without poles. Los Altos Hills, in its September 2025 update, exempts single-family homes no taller than 19 feet and no larger than 4,000 square feet (with no variances) if the owner posts a 3D rendering at least 24 x 36 inches beside the hearing notice (Town of Los Altos Hills, Story Pole Policy).
- Projects consistent with the neighborhood. Santa Barbara lets staff or the design review body waive poles where the structure is clearly consistent in size, bulk and scale, no taller than existing buildings, not blocking a public view and not on a ridgeline (City of Santa Barbara, Visual Aids and Story Poles).
- Ridgeline additions already exempt from a setback variance in Calabasas.
- Alternatives. Los Gatos allows video renderings instead of poles for affordable housing projects, buildings over 55 feet and, optionally, multi-family and mixed-use projects. Santa Barbara accepts photo simulations or models where the site cannot take poles.
- No policy at all. The City of Los Altos does not require poles for single-family design review (it does for multi-family and commercial), and the City of Los Angeles has no citywide policy; in Pacific Palisades the requirement comes from HOAs.
Where to look, and what to send us
Every trigger above comes from a published policy, and our town-by-town requirements guide links to each one. Our city pages go deeper: Los Altos and Los Altos Hills, Hillsborough, Los Gatos, Santa Barbara and more.
If you are still not sure, send the plan set and the address to hello@AllAmericanStoryPoles.com. We will tell you whether the project we see on the sheets crosses your town’s line, and if it does, we draft the plan and install to the policy. Call or text (650) 613-1721 in Northern California or (310) 980-2543 in Southern California.
Frequently asked questions
Do all projects require story poles?
No. Requirements vary by jurisdiction. Many towns require them for new homes, second-story additions and larger additions; some require them only for commercial or multi-family projects; a few exempt modest projects or accept a rendering instead.
Does a single-story addition need story poles?
Usually only if it crosses a size threshold (500 or 900 square feet in some towns), raises the roof, sits on a ridgeline or in a view corridor, or the town requires poles on every design review application, as Tiburon does.
Can I use a rendering instead of story poles?
In some towns and for some projects, yes. Los Altos Hills (small single-family homes), Los Gatos (affordable housing, tall buildings, optionally multi-family), Santa Barbara (where poles are infeasible). Most towns still require the poles.
Who decides whether my project needs poles?
The planning department, applying the town’s policy at intake, or the design review body at conceptual review. The policy is public, so you can usually tell in advance.
Story pole requirements are set by each city, town, county or review board and change from time to time. Town details in this guide reflect published policies as of September 2026. Confirm current requirements with the planning department before your submittal.
