Santa Cruz County, CA Building Setbacks & Zoning: Structure Height Limits (2026)

Table 13.10.323-1 in SCCC § 13.10.323(C) sets a maximum building height of 28 feet across nearly every single-family residential zone, from R-1-2.5 through R-1-16 and up through RR, RA, and R-1 parcels over one acre, each capped at two stories (three stories on RR/RA/R-1 over one acre). The RB Ocean Beach Residential District is the exception: it caps height at 25 feet generally, but drops to just 17 feet and one story for beach lots specifically. Multifamily zones follow a separate schedule in Table 13.10.323-2: the RF Residential Flex District allows 40 feet and three stories, while RM-1.5 through RM-9 districts step from 28 feet outside the urban services line up to 35 feet and three stories inside it, reflecting the county's push for denser housing near serviced areas.

Floor area ratio limits work alongside these height caps, ranging from 0.5 in most single-family zones up to 1.5 for higher-density RF development at 30 or more dwelling units per acre. The chart's footnotes clarify that these massing standards govern only primary dwellings; detached accessory structures are instead measured against SCCC § 13.10.611, and accessory dwelling units are measured against SCCC § 13.10.681, so a tall garage or ADU is not judged against the primary-dwelling height table. Any construction that would exceed the tabled height requires a site development permit under Chapter 18.10 SCCC, and in many single-family zones design review under SCCC § 13.11.040 through § 13.11.080 also applies before a building permit can issue.