Buying in Silver Lake, Los Feliz or Northeast LA: Rules to Check Before You Renovate

by Andrei Rafols

Silver Lake, Los Feliz and the Northeast LA neighborhoods are all inside the City of Los Angeles. Many of their homes sit on hillsides or carry historic status, so a few city rules can shape what you can build and what you will pay. Check these before you remove contingencies.

Historic Preservation Overlay Zones (HPOZs)

Los Angeles has dozens of HPOZs, including Highland Park-Garvanza in Northeast LA. Exterior changes in an HPOZ go through design review. Some individual homes are also Historic-Cultural Monuments with their own review.

Mills Act

Qualifying historic properties may be eligible for a Mills Act contract, which can lower property taxes in exchange for preservation commitments. Ask whether a contract is already recorded.

Baseline Hillside Ordinance

Many lots in these areas are in designated Hillside Areas, where the city limits home size and grading. If you plan to add on, have an architect check the lot before you buy.

Fire hazard zones

Parts of these hillsides are in Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones. Expect brush clearance requirements and check insurance availability and cost early in escrow.

Rent Stabilization Ordinance

Buying a duplex or larger built before October 1978? The units are likely covered by the RSO.

Measure ULA

Sales in the City of Los Angeles above annually adjusted price thresholds pay the Measure ULA transfer tax. It affects your exit, not just the seller’s.

See current listings and market data on my Silver Lake, Los Feliz and Northeast LA pages, or call me to walk a property together.

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