Residential Development

Step 1

Determine zoning for your property. Zoning determines what is allowed and how much can be built on your property


To determine your Residential Zoning, you may do one of the following:

Step 2

Identify specific information about your lot that may impact development. This includes:

  • Property boundaries:
    • To be determined by a surveyor (may be estimated by parcel map)
  • Property easements:
    • Typically listed on the Preliminary Title Report
    • Certain easements will reduce the net site area for calculating floor area
  • Net site area:
    • The net site area is needed to determine lot coverage and floor area allowances
  • Site slope for lots with an average slope greater than 8%:
    • Site slope needs to be determined by a surveyor
    • Any average slope over 10% will reduce the net site area for calculating floor area

Step 3

Based on zoning, property boundaries, easements, net site area, and slope, determine allowable floor area, lot coverage, and setbacks for your zoning district.


Summary of floor area, lot coverage, and setbacks by residential district:

  1. R-1 10,000 (PDF)
  2. R-1 12,500 (PDF)
  3. R-1 15,000 (PDF)
  4. R-1 20,000 (PDF)
  5. R-1 40,000 (PDF)
  6. Hillside Residential (HR) (PDF)

Step 4

Determine whether your project needs Design Review approval.