Zoning Change Will Allow More Hot Tubs

Going hot-tubbing in Agoura Hills just got a tad easier.

With a nod to residents who have a taste for spas but have tiny backyards, the City Council unanimously approved a zoning change Wednesday that allows people to place hot tubs closer to their homes, officials said.

Previously, above-ground hot tubs and pools, if they were taller than 2 1/2 feet, had to be set back 10 feet from the house and 10 feet from the rear property line, said Dave Anderson, director of planning and community development. The rule, however, posed a problem for folks with small yards.

“Some people want to place their above-ground spa underneath their trellis or on their patio,” Anderson said. “Sometimes their patio may only be 15 feet wide.”

The zoning change permits people to put the units five feet from their homes and rear property lines, adding yard space in which to plunk down a hot tub. The tubs are now permitted to be up to 4 1/2 feet tall. The change does not affect below-ground pools and tubs, which were always permitted within five feet of homes.

No outraged army of would-be hot-tubbers--or even any particular resident--pushed the council to adopt the change, officials said.

Rather, said Councilwoman Louise Rishoff, the move simply seemed to make sense, since tubs and pools do not make much noise or otherwise aggravate neighbors.

“There isn’t really any impact on neighbors,” she said.