Zoning Overlays & Bonuses in San Francisco, CA (2026)
2 verified zoning overlays & bonuses rules for San Francisco, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Density Bonus Law
San Francisco offers density and height bonuses to projects that include affordable housing through the local HOME-SF program (Planning Code 206.3) and the California State Density Bonus Law, with stacked incentives possible.
HOME-SF and State Density Bonus Programs
Some RestrictionsCalifornia Government Code Sec. 65915 (State Density Bonus Law — Mandatory Bonus for Affordable Housing)
65915. (a) (1) When an applicant seeks a density bonus for a housing development within... the jurisdiction of a city, county, or city and county, that local government shall comply with this section. A city, county, or city and county shall adopt an ordinance that specifies how compliance with this section will be implemented... (b) (1) A city, county, or city and county shall grant one densit...
Downtown Design Guide
San Francisco requires upper-level setbacks and streetwall articulation on new buildings in C-3 downtown zoning districts to preserve street-level scale.
SF Downtown C-3 Streetwall Setback Rules
Some RestrictionsSan Francisco, CA, Planning Code § 132.1 (Setbacks and Streetwall Articulation: C-3 Districts)
(a) Upper-Level Setbacks. Setbacks of the upper parts of a building abutting a public sidewalk in any C-3 District may be required...(2) To maintain the continuity of a predominant street wall along the street... (b) Market Street Setback... structures on the southeast side of Market Street between the southerly extension of the easterly line of the Powell Street right-of-way and Tenth Street s...