Can You Add a Pool to a Certified Wildlife Habitat Home in the Hollywood Hills?

I got this question recently about a home in the hills above Hollywood, and it's a good one. The listing said the backyard was a certified wildlife sanctuary, and the buyer's first thought was, does that mean I can't put in a pool?

The short answer is no. The certification itself won't stop you. But in the Hollywood Hills, the things that can stop a pool are very real, and they're worth knowing before you write an offer.

What a wildlife habitat certification actually is

Most of the time this means the National Wildlife Federation's Certified Wildlife Habitat program, or a local version of it. The homeowner fills out a short form confirming the yard has food, water, shelter and a place for wildlife to raise young, pays a small fee, and gets a certificate and usually a yard sign.

It's voluntary. It isn't recorded on title, it isn't a deed restriction, and it doesn't carry over to the next owner. If you buy the home and put in a pool, the certification just doesn't apply anymore. Nobody comes after you.

What it does tell you is that the yard probably has mature native plants, a water feature, and a lot of care put into it. That's a selling point.

What can actually limit a pool in the hills

I grew up in Laurel Canyon and I've done construction up here myself, so this is the part I always walk buyers through.

The slope and grading rules. Most homes in 90046 and 90068 are in a designated Hillside Area under the City of Los Angeles Baseline Hillside Ordinance. Digging a pool means moving a lot of soil, and the city limits how much you can grade and haul away. Expect a soils or geology report and grading review with the city building department (LADBS). On a steep lot, this is usually what drives the cost.

Protected native trees. Los Angeles protects native oaks, western sycamores, California black walnuts and California bays, along with Mexican elderberry and toyon shrubs. A wildlife-friendly yard is exactly where you'll find them. Removing one, or digging within its root zone, needs a permit from the city's Urban Forestry Division and usually requires planting several replacements. This is often what decides where a pool can go.

The proposed Wildlife Ordinance. The city has been working on a Wildlife Ordinance for part of the Santa Monica Mountains, including the Hollywood Hills and Laurel Canyon. It would add rules for new development about grading, lot coverage, fencing and lighting. Check its current status and whether the property falls inside the boundary.

Fire zone, easements and access. Much of the hills is a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, which adds brush clearance and building requirements. The title report can show easements running through the yard. And on a hillside lot, just getting equipment into the backyard can be a project of its own.

What I recommend before you buy

Look the parcel up on ZIMAS, the city's zoning map, to see the zoning, hillside status, fire zone and any overlays. Then write your offer with an investigation contingency, and during escrow bring out an arborist and a pool contractor who knows hillside work. That way you know whether a pool works, roughly where it would go, and what it would cost, before you're committed.

If you're looking at a home in the Hills and want a second set of eyes on what's possible, I'm happy to help.

Paula Present · REALTOR® · DRE #02224124 · eXp Realty of Greater Los Angeles, Inc · 323-487-0345 · paulapresenthomes.com