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

Lot coverage, the share of a parcel that may be covered by buildings and structures, is regulated in unincorporated San Benito County through the development-standard tables in Chapter 25.03 of the Zoning Code. Those tables set the basic development standards, including coverage limits where applicable, for each zoning district group, including the agricultural and rural districts addressed in Section 25.03.004 (Table 25.03-C) and the other district groups. Because the county includes large agricultural and rural-residential parcels where buildings occupy only a small fraction of the site as well as smaller residential lots, the maximum coverage figure differs from district to district, and the controlling number for any property is the one in the table for that parcel's zone rather than a single countywide percentage. Coverage limits work together with the minimum-yard (setback) and maximum-height standards in the same tables to define a buildable envelope, and Section 25.07.004 supplies the general rules of measurement. Owners planning new structures or additions should confirm the exact maximum lot coverage, along with setbacks and height, for their zoning district with the San Benito County Resource Management Agency, since these standards are zone-specific and subject to amendment.