Dear Wildlife Stakeholders and Interested Parties,

City Planning is pleased to announce the release of the Revised Draft Wildlife Ordinance for public review and feedback. The Revised Draft Wildlife Ordinance aims to promote wildlife habitat and connectivity within the Santa Monica Mountains between the 405 and 101 freeways, with the overall goal of maintaining essential habitat and wildlife corridors for animals and plants that are important to LA’s urban ecosystem.

The revised ordinance incorporates community feedback gathered over the last several years, including public comment that was received after the initial release of the ordinance. Among changes in the revised ordinance, City Planning determined that the most holistic way to protect ridgelines is to address them within the Wildlife Ordinance, rather than creating an independent Ridgeline Ordinance. By consolidating ridgeline protection efforts into the Wildlife Ordinance, City Planning has incorporated ecological, biological, and environmental resource considerations and will be applying them uniformly across ridgelines within the Wildlife Ordinance District.

The Revised Draft Wildlife Ordinance refines concepts developed in the previous draft (released in 2021) making the ordinance simpler and more straightforward to implement. The Revised Draft Wildlife Ordinance includes updated regulations to minimize grading and disturbance to soil and native vegetation and offers simplified standards for fencing, lighting, and setbacks, among other protections. Updated resource and ridgeline maps, as well as an address searchable interactive map, are now also available.

The Revised Draft Wildlife Ordinance is the product of extensive outreach and coordination with stakeholders, wildlife experts, and implementing Departments of the City of Los Angeles. The release of the revised draft will be followed by public hearings in the summer of 2022 and additional opportunities for public comment.

Please visit the project website planning4la.org/wildlife to view the Revised Draft Wildlife Ordinance, interactive maps, and Frequently Asked Questions. Learn more about the Wildlife Ordinance and sign up for updates or provide feedback by emailing OurLA2040@lacity.org.

Thank you for your continued engagement with Los Angeles City Planning.