Redwood City, CA Building Setbacks & Zoning: Structure Height Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Max house height (R-1, RH)
- 28 feet
- Max stories
- 2.5 stories
- Accessory building height
- 16 ft total / 9 ft wall near lot line
- Detached ADU height
- 20 ft flat roof / 24 ft pitched roof
- Statewide Exemption ADU height
- 16 feet
- Appeal window
- 15 days to Planning Commission (sec. 41.7)
Summary
Redwood City caps main houses in its R-1 and RH single-family districts at 28 feet and two and a half stories, with separate, lower height ceilings for detached accessory buildings and accessory dwelling units built on the same lot.
5.6 - Building Height. Maximum building height is twenty-eight (28) feet and structures shall not exceed two and one-half (2.5) stories. See Section 36.5 (Accessory Buildings) and Article 37 (Accessory Dwelling Units) for accessory building and accessory dwelling unit height regulations, respectively. See Article 2 (Definitions) for information on how "story" and "height of building" are measured.
Figure 5.6 Building Height (for illustrative purposes only)
(Ord. No. 1130-363, § 4, 6-22-15; Ord. No. 1130-366, § 4, 12-7-15)
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
6 sets the base standard for the R-1 and RH districts: maximum building height of 28 feet, and structures cannot exceed two and one-half stories. D, with a 9-foot wall limit on flat or shed roofs facing the side or rear line. B is limited to 16 feet. A single-family home that also exceeds 3,000 square feet of gross floor area and a 45 percent floor area ratio triggers the separate Planning Commission design review in Article 48, on top of, not instead of, the 28-foot base limit.
Article 2 supplies the technical definitions the City uses to measure "story" and "height of building" when checking a project against these numbers. 7, and a Planning Commission decision can be appealed on to the City Council.
Violations & Fines
A structure built above the 28-foot, two-and-one-half-story limit, or above the separate accessory-building or ADU height caps, is a zoning violation and public nuisance under Section 50.2, prosecuted as an infraction under Section 50.5 with fines up to $100, $200 and $500 for a first, second and later violation of the same rule within a year, each day counted as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
How tall can a house be in Redwood City's R-1 district?
Does the 28-foot height limit apply to garages and sheds?
How tall can a detached accessory dwelling unit be built?
Can I appeal a building height determination in Redwood City?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Redwood City
California rules heatmap·Compare Redwood City to another location·View the California building setbacks & zoning overview
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