Most of Topanga Canyon is under the jurisdiction of the California Coastal Commission (http://www.coastal.ca.gov/), whose mission is "Protect, conserve, restore, and enhance environmental and human-based resources of the California coast and ocean for environmentally sustainable and prudent use by current and future generations.", in other words, to keep the area in harmony with the surrounding wildlife and natural environment by setting guidelines on use and development.

In many cases Coastal Commission approvals can take up to 2 years or more. Even parcels that are out of the Coastal Zone boundaries can be subject to the Santa Monica Mountains North Area Plan (http://planning.lacounty.gov/spSmmnap.htm) and its Grading & Ridgeline Ordinance (http://planning.lacounty.gov/doc/ord/drp_GradingAndRidgeline_ord.pdf)

Land loans can be more difficult to obtain than a home loans. In some cases, down payments of up to 50% of the purchase price are necessary to secure such loans. Some parcels for sale may have seller-financing options.

Not all of the parcels listed as available will be build-able. It is up to the prospective buyer to perform all investigations and inspections desired on any parcel they are considering purchasing.

Some steps in the process: