Santa Clara County, CA Building Setbacks & Zoning: Lot Coverage Limits (2026)

Zoning Ordinance Table 2.30-3 sets property development standards for the county's urban residential base districts. Its 'Lot coverage, buildings' row shows a dash, meaning no applicable standard, for R1, R1E, RHS, R1S, R3S and R2, so single-family and duplex lots are limited only by setback and height rules, not a coverage percentage. The R3 multi-family district is the exception, capping building footprint at 50 percent of net lot area. 'Lot coverage' itself is defined at § 1.30.030 as the footprint of all buildings and structures over 30 inches tall, including covered patios, carports and arbors; eaves projecting less than two and a half feet don't count toward it.