Pacifica, CA Building Setbacks & Zoning: Structure Height Limits (2026)

402(j) sets the R-1 District's maximum building height at thirty-five feet for the primary structure, but caps a detached accessory building at twelve feet, a much lower ceiling meant to keep garages, workshops, and storage sheds subordinate to the main house. This height standard sits alongside the district's other development regulations in the same section, including the forty percent lot coverage cap and the front, side, and rear setback minimums, all of which the Planning Division reviews together when it processes a site development permit under Article 32.

Accessory dwelling units follow a different height table written specifically for them rather than the general R-1 limit. 453(c)(4), a detached accessory dwelling unit is capped at twenty-five feet or the height of the primary dwelling, whichever is less, dropping to sixteen feet if the primary dwelling is itself under sixteen feet or if the unit sits within five feet of a side lot line, ten feet of a street-side lot line, or twenty feet of the rear lot line. 453(d)(4). 402(j), contains further detail on how height is measured, including any exceptions for architectural features like chimneys or antennas that the base height figures do not by themselves resolve.