Building Setbacks & Zoning in Santa Rosa, CA (2026)
3 verified building setbacks & zoning rules for Santa Rosa, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Setback Rules
Santa Rosa's RR and R-1 zoning districts each carry their own minimum yard setbacks under City Code Section 20-22.050, Table 2-4. Rural RR-40 and RR-20 lots need a 20-foot front setback, while the compact R-1-6 district drops to 15 feet. Interior side setbacks run 5 feet for one-story walls but jump to 10 feet once a second story is added.
Santa Rosa Residential Yard Setback Minimums
Some RestrictionsSanta Rosa City Code § 20-22.050, Table 2-4 (RR and R-1 District Development Standards)
TABLE 2-4—RR AND R-1 DISTRICT DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS ... RR-40 RR-20 R-1-6 R-1-7.5 R-1-9 R-1-15 Setbacks, primary structures (1) Minimum setbacks required. See Section 20-30.110 for setback measurement instructions, and exceptions to these requirements. Front 20 ft 20 ft 15 ft 20 ft 20 ft 20 ft Side—Interior 5 ft 5 ft 5 ft for 1-story parts of structures 10 ft for 2-story parts of structures 5 f...
Structure Height Limits
Table 2-4 of Santa Rosa's Zoning Code caps primary residential structures at 35 feet and accessory structures at 16 feet in the RR and R-1 districts, measured under Section 20-30.070 from natural grade to a parallel plane at the allowed height.
Santa Rosa Residential Building Height Limits
Some RestrictionsSanta Rosa City Code § 20-22.050, Table 2-4 (RR and R-1 District Development Standards)
Height limit Maximum allowable height of structures. See Sections 20-30.070 (Height Limits and Exceptions) for height measurement requirement and height limit exception and 20-52.060 (Minor Adjustments, Minor Variances and Variances). Primary structures 35 ft 35 ft [RR-40 / RR-20] ... Accessory structures 16 ft 16 ft
Lot Coverage Limits
Santa Rosa caps the share of a residential lot that structures can cover under City Code Section 20-22.050, Tables 2-4 and 2-5. RR and R-1 single-family lots max out at 40 percent lot coverage, while R-2 and R-3 multi-family districts scale from 50 percent up to 100 percent depending on density.
Santa Rosa Lot Coverage Limits by Zoning District
Some RestrictionsSanta Rosa City Code § 20-22.050, Table 2-4
Lot coverage. Maximum percentage of total lot area that may be covered by structures. See Section 20-22.040 (Residential District Subdivision and Density Standards). Residential structures 40%. Meeting facility Determined through Conditional Use Permit approval, to a maximum of 75%.
Looking for Sonoma County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Santa Rosa city rules.
Building Setbacks & Zoning in Sonoma County →