Redwood City, CA Building Setbacks & Zoning: Setback Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- RH front setback
- 20 feet under 10,000 sq ft lots; 25 feet at 10,000 or more
- R-1 front setback
- 15 feet; 20 feet for garages and carports
- Rear setback
- 25 feet in RH; 20 feet in R-1
- RH side, first story
- 7 feet on one side, 15 feet total for both sides
- R-1 interior side, first story
- 6 feet or half the face height, whichever is greater
- R-1 street side, first story
- 15 feet; 12.5 to 15 feet on lots under 60 feet wide
- Parking front adjustment
- Director may allow garage 5 feet from the street line
Summary
Redwood City sets minimum setbacks for main buildings in its RH and R-1 single-family districts under Zoning Code Section 5.7. Front setbacks are 20 or 25 feet in RH and 15 feet in R-1, with 20 feet for R-1 garages and carports. Rear setbacks are 25 feet in RH and 20 feet in R-1. An R-1 interior side yard starts at 6 feet or half the building-face height, whichever is greater.
Front. In the R-1 and RH districts, structures shall be set back from the front property line as provided below or adjusted per Section 5.8D (Parking Front Setback Adjustment): 1. RH District. a. Lot area less than ten thousand (10,000) square feet: Twenty (20) feet. b. Lots area of ten thousand (10,000) square feet or more: Twenty-five (25) feet. 2. R-1 District. The minimum setback is fifteen (15) feet except as provided below. a. Garages and carports: Twenty (20) feet. ... First Story Interior: A minimum of six (6) feet or one-half (½) the height of the building face, whichever is greater. On lots less than sixty (60) feet wide, the interior side setback may be reduced to ten percent (10%) of the width of the lot, but not less than four (4) feet. ... Rear. In the RH and R-1 districts, structures shall be set back from the rear property line as provided below: 1. RH District: Twenty-five (25) feet. 2. R-1 District: Twenty (20) feet.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Zoning Code: Supplement 29 | City Code: Supplement 61 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
Section 5.7 of the Redwood City Zoning Code sets the minimum distance between a main building and the front, side and rear property lines in the city's two single-family districts: RH (Residential Hillside) and R-1 (Residential Single-Family). It covers main buildings only. SB 9 Projects and accessory dwelling units are carved out. SB 9 Projects follow Section 5.10, which requires 4 feet on the side and 4 feet at the rear, and fences, accessory buildings and similar improvements follow Article 36. How a setback is measured, and the modifications allowed to it, sit in Article 32 (Supplementary Provisions).
Front setback. In RH, a lot under 10,000 square feet needs 20 feet and a lot of 10,000 square feet or more needs 25 feet. In R-1 the minimum is 15 feet, but garages and carports need 20 feet, and so do lots whose existing side setbacks, measured from the existing building footprint, are less than normally required. Section 5.8D lets the Director, at the Director's discretion, allow required parking, including a private garage, as close as 5 feet to the street property line to reduce grading. The rest of the house must still meet the base district setback, and driveway aprons of 10 to 18 feet are prohibited because a car could protrude into the sidewalk or street.
Side setback, RH. First story: 7 feet on one side and a total of 15 feet for both sides. Upper stories: 7 feet for 25 percent of the lot depth or 35 feet, whichever is less, then one half the height of the building face for the remainder.
Side setback, R-1. First-story interior: 6 feet or one-half the height of the building face, whichever is greater, reduced on lots under 60 feet wide to 10 percent of lot width but never below 4 feet. First-story exterior (street side): 15 feet, reduced on lots under 60 feet wide to 25 percent of lot width but never below 12.5 feet or above 15 feet. Garages and carports facing an exterior side yard need 20 feet.
Rear setback. RH is 25 feet and R-1 is 20 feet. Section 5.7 was last amended by Ordinance No. 1130-892, adopted July 27, 2026.
Violations & Fines
Section 5.7 itself prints no fine schedule or penalty amount. A main building that sits inside a required front, side or rear setback does not meet the section. Lots with an average slope of 15 percent or more are sloping lots under Section 5.8 and go through the Article 45 architectural permit review. The Director's 5-foot parking adjustment is discretionary, not a right.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Section 5.7 apply to ADUs and SB 9 projects?
How far back must a garage sit from the front line in R-1?
Can the side setback shrink on a narrow R-1 lot?
What are the upper-story side setbacks?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Redwood City
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