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

Mariposa County has no cities, so lot coverage is controlled entirely by the County's Title 17 zoning ordinance and is set by zone. In the County's agricultural and resource zones, the development standards limit maximum structure coverage to roughly 10 percent of the parcel, consistent with the very large minimum parcel sizes in those zones (commonly 40 to 160 acres). Because rural parcels are large and coverage limits are modest, lot coverage is rarely the binding constraint on a single home, though it matters for ranch complexes, multiple outbuildings, and commercial agricultural facilities. Lot coverage interacts with the County's setback and height limits, so even where coverage allows additional building area, structures must still meet the applicable front, side, and rear setbacks and the 35-foot height maximum. Within adopted Town Planning Areas such as Mariposa, development is shaped less by a simple coverage percentage and more by the detailed setback, parking, and design-review standards in Mariposa County Code Chapter 17.336. Note that the County has a Development Code update in progress; the September 2024 preliminary draft of Title 17 also reflects an approximately 10 percent structure-coverage standard in the agricultural and resource zones, but draft figures are not yet adopted. Always confirm the lot-coverage standard for your specific zone with the Planning Department before designing.