San Rafael, CA Building Setbacks & Zoning: Setback Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Front setback
- 20 ft in R2a/R1a/R20/R10; 15 ft in R7.5/R5
- Side/street side setback
- 6-15 ft, or 10% of lot width in R5
- Rear setback
- 25 ft in R2a/R1a; 10 ft in R20-R5
- Max structure height
- 30 feet in every single-family zone
- Max lot coverage
- 20% to 40% depending on zone
- Relief process
- Variance under Ch. 14.23 or exception under Ch. 14.24
- SB 9 projects
- Follow Section 14.16.282.C instead of this table
Summary
San Rafael's single-family residential zones set separate front, side and rear yard minimums under Table 14.04.030: front yards run 15 to 20 feet, side yards from 6 feet up to 15% of lot width, and rear yards 10 to 25 feet depending on the R2a through R5 zone, all capped at 30 feet in building height.
Table 14.04.030 | R2a | R1a | R20 | R10 | R7.5 | R5 | Additional Standards. Minimum lot area (sq. ft.) | 2 acres | 1 acre | 20,000 | 10,000 | 7,500 | 5,000/6,000 (corner) | (I). Minimum lot width (ft.) | 150 | 150 | 100 | 75 | 60 | 50/60 (corner) | (I). Minimum yards: Front (ft.) | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 15 | 15 | (A), (B). Side/street side (ft.) | 15 | 15 | 12'6" | 10 | 6 | 10% of lot width, min. 3', max. 5' | (C), (D), (H). Rear (ft.) | 25 | 25 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | (H). Maximum height of structure (ft.) | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 | (E), (H). Maximum lot coverage | 20% | 25% | 30% | 40% | 40% | 40%. (A) Where two (2) or more lots in a block have been improved with buildings, the minimum required shall be the average of improved lots on both sides of the street for the length of the block.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 37).
Full Breakdown
Table 14.04.030, in Chapter 14.04 (Single-Family Residential Districts) of Title 14 - ZONING, sets the minimum yard setbacks for San Rafael's six single-family zones: R2a (2-acre hillside resource residential), R1a (1-acre hillside residential), R20 (20,000-square-foot lot minimum), R10 (10,000 square feet), R7.5 (7,500 square feet) and R5 (5,000 square feet, 6,000 on a corner lot). Front yard setbacks are 20 feet in R2a, R1a, R20 and R10, dropping to 15 feet in R7.5 and R5. Side and street side setbacks scale with lot size: 15 feet in R2a and R1a, 12 feet 6 inches in R20, 10 feet in R10, 6 feet in R7.5, and in R5 a sliding 10 percent of lot width with a 3-foot minimum and 5-foot maximum.
Rear yards are 25 feet in R2a and R1a and 10 feet in the four smaller zones. Every zone caps structure height at 30 feet, and maximum lot coverage rises from 20 percent in R2a to 40 percent in R10, R7.5 and R5. Footnote (A) requires averaging with neighboring improved lots on the same block face where two or more lots are already built out; footnote (B) pushes a garage or carport back to a 20-foot setback where the driveway runs perpendicular to the street; footnote (C) adds a 15-foot setback on the rear 20 feet of a reverse corner lot's street side yard.
Footnote (H) carves out SB 9 two-unit and urban lot-split projects, which instead follow the state-driven standards at Section 14.16.282.C, reflecting that California's SB 9 (Gov. Code §§ 65852.21, 66411.7) overrides local setback minimums for qualifying projects; footnote (I) separately exempts parcels created through a Chapter 15.155 urban lot split from these tables entirely. Owners seeking relief from a listed setback apply for a variance under Chapter 14.23 or an exception under Chapter 14.24 rather than building nonconforming.
Violations & Fines
Section 14.30.040 makes it unlawful to build without complying with the terms of any permit or approval issued under Title 14, and Section 14.30.050 treats each day a structure remains out of compliance as a separate violation. Under Section 14.30.060 the code enforcement officer or planning director may revoke the permit, issue a citation with fees under Section 1.42.010, or pursue nuisance abatement under Chapters 1.16 and 1.20; the city attorney may also prosecute a Title 14 violation as a misdemeanor under Section 1.42.010.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the front yard setback in San Rafael's R5 zone?
Can I build closer to my rear property line for an ADU?
What happens if my house is closer to the property line than Table 14.04.030 allows?
Can I ask for a smaller setback than the table requires?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in San Rafael
California rules heatmap·Compare San Rafael to another location·View the California building setbacks & zoning overview
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