Pavers Beverly Hills – Installation, Repair & Retaining Walls
Beverly Hills is one of the few cities around Los Angeles that limits how much of a front yard you can pave. If you’re planning a new driveway, motor court or front walk, those limits shape the design before material or color does. Backyards have more freedom, but still need permits for walls and careful drainage.
Beverly Hills properties
The flats between Santa Monica and Sunset Boulevards are full of 1920s and 1930s Spanish, Mediterranean, Tudor and Colonial homes on large lots, plus a lot of new construction. South of Santa Monica Boulevard, the lots are smaller and the streets denser. North of Sunset, the hillside areas and canyons have steeper lots, and Trousdale Estates is known for its mid-century homes with wide, flat motor courts.
Front-yard paving limits
Beverly Hills’ zoning code caps front-yard paving on single-family lots. In the central area north of Santa Monica Boulevard, paving is generally limited to about a third of the front yard, plus a walkway of limited width. South of Santa Monica Boulevard, the cap is a fixed square footage. The hillside areas and Trousdale have their own limits. Asphalt isn’t allowed, and the city requires a building permit for front-yard paving. The exact numbers and buffer requirements are in the city’s code and its front-yard paving handout, and they change from time to time, so confirm them with Community Development for your address before finalizing a design.
In practice, the limits push designs toward a narrower driveway, a defined motor court, and planting or permeable areas for the rest of the yard. Permeable pavers don’t automatically count as unpaved, so ask the city how they’re treated.
Driveway approaches
Work at the street, including the driveway approach and sidewalk, is in the public right-of-way and needs a Beverly Hills Public Works permit.
Backyards and pool decks
Most Beverly Hills backyard projects are pool decks, terraces and outdoor dining areas. Light travertine is the classic choice with Mediterranean architecture; large-format porcelain suits contemporary homes. Pool decks should slope away from the pool and the house, with coping planned as part of the design. See patio pavers.
Walls and hillside lots
North of Sunset, retaining walls are common. Walls over 4 feet from the bottom of the footing, or walls holding back a slope, driveway or structure, need a permit and engineering.
Matching the house
On a period home, tumbled stone, brick borders and traditional patterns usually look right. On a modern house, large-format porcelain or smooth concrete slabs with tight joints fit better. Whatever you pick, order extra for future repairs.
Beverly Hills paver questions
How much of my front yard can I pave?
It depends on where the lot is. North of Santa Monica Boulevard in the central area, roughly a third. South of it, a fixed square footage. Confirm with the city.
Do I need a permit to repave my driveway?
In Beverly Hills, front-yard paving requires a building permit. Work at the street needs a Public Works permit too.
Can I widen my driveway into a motor court?
Only within the front-yard paving limit. Measure the front yard first.
What does a driveway cost?
See our cost guide.
For a Beverly Hills estimate, call (213) 577-0727 or send photos through the form.