Cities | Chino

Chino, California Multiplex Rules 2026: the New Zoning Code, Lot Sizes, ADUs, SB 9, Three or More Homes, Measure M and the Housing Overlays, Permits and Fees

This guide covers the City of Chino, California, a city of 96,957 people in San Bernardino County. Chino Hills is a separate city with its own code and is not covered here. Three facts shape a project in Chino. The City replaced its zoning code in 2026: Ordinance 2026-008, adopted July 21, 2026, rewrote Title 20, and the online Municode copy still shows the older text. Apartments are permitted by right in the RD 12, RD 14 and RD 20 districts, which now also have minimum densities. And Measure M, a 1988 voter initiative, still caps densities and bars turning nonresidential land into housing land, except on sites voters have since approved and a few other listed cases. The seven guide pages below cover each topic in depth.

Chino Guide Pages

Start With State Law

Five state laws set the minimum Chino must allow. SB 9 (2021) allows two main homes on a lot in a single-family zone, a split into two lots, or both, approved by staff with no hearing. ADU law sets the accessory dwelling units (ADUs), second homes on a lot, and junior ADUs a city must allow. SB 684 and SB 1123 allow maps of up to 10 lots with 10 homes. The state density bonus gives extra homes to projects that include affordable homes. And SB 79, the 2025 law on housing near transit, does not reach Chino yet: HCD, the state housing department, says in its advisory that it "will take effect on July 1, 2026, in Alameda, Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and San Diego Counties."

Chino writes each of the first four into its own code. SB 9 two-unit projects are in Section 20.201.050 and SB 9 lot splits in Section 19.04.110, both from Ordinance 2022-010 of July 2022. ADUs are in Chapter 20.503, starter homes under SB 684 and SB 1123 in Chapter 20.506, and the density bonus in Chapter 20.512. The SB 9 statutes define a local agency as a city "whether general law or chartered", so they apply in Chino either way. Several City rules are stricter than today's statutes, and the guide pages name each case and note that the statute controls.

Chino in Numbers

The US Census Bureau's Vintage 2025 city file estimates 96,957 people in the City of Chino on July 1, 2025. The 2020 estimates base is 91,850, so the city grew by 5,107 people, or 5.6 percent (VanPlex arithmetic), and the 2024 estimate is 95,310. In that file Chino is the 80th largest city in California, after Norwalk (97,104) and ahead of Manteca (96,693). San Bernardino County has 2,224,091 people, so the City holds 4.4 percent of them (VanPlex arithmetic: 96,957 divided by 2,224,091). Chino Hills, a separate city, has 77,519.

The Ways to More Homes Compared

Sources: Chino Zoning Ordinance Chapters 20.201, 20.202, 20.306, 20.503, 20.505, 20.506 and 20.512; Chino Municipal Code 19.04.110; Government Code 65852.21, 66411.7 and 65915.

Zones That Allow Homes

Chino has seven residential districts named for their density: RD 1, RD 2, RD 4.5, RD 8, RD 12, RD 14 and RD 20, from one home per net acre to 20. RD 8 to RD 20 now also have minimum densities. Multiple-family dwellings are permitted by right in RD 12, RD 14 and RD 20 and in the BMU and MU 20 mixed use districts. The 2026 code's two use tables disagree on RD 8. See the zoning districts page.

Lot Sizes and Dividing Land

New lots need one acre in RD 1, 20,000 square feet in RD 2, 7,200 in RD 4.5, 4,500 in RD 8 and 10,000 in RD 12 to RD 20. SB 9 lot splits follow Section 19.04.110, which limits applicants to individual owners and adds other rules beyond the statute. Small lot subdivisions need a conditional use permit; starter home maps of up to ten lots are decided by the Director within 60 days. See the lot size and subdivisions page.

House Lots: ADUs and SB 9

Chapter 20.503 allows one ADU and one junior ADU on a house lot, decided within 60 days. A detached ADU may have 1,200 square feet, or 1,600 in RD 1 and RD 2, and be 16 feet tall with four-foot side and rear setbacks. Section 20.201.050 caps SB 9 second units at 800 square feet and one story, which state law limits. See the ADUs and SB 9 page.

Three or More Homes

Apartments in RD 12 to RD 20 may be 35 feet tall, or 45 feet in RD 20, with 40 percent of the net lot area as open space and recreation facilities from five units. Parking depends on units per acre and bedrooms. The density bonus follows state law, with a required preliminary review. See the three or more homes page.

Parking, Setbacks and Height

Houses may be 2.5 stories and 35 feet tall. RD 4.5 has a 25-foot front setback, side setbacks of 10 and 5 feet and 60 percent lot coverage. A new house needs two garage spaces and guest spaces above 2,250 square feet. Second stories next to single-story homes need an exception. See the parking, setbacks and height page.

Measure M and the Housing Overlays

Measure M caps residential density at the 1988 zoning and bars turning nonresidential land into housing, with 15 voter authorizations for named sites. The last one lets the AHO and MUO overlays add apartments at 26 to 30 units per acre with 9 to 13 percent low-income units. Homes are "Clearly Unacceptable" in the inner safety zones of Chino Airport. See the Measure M and overlays page.

Permits and Fees

The Director decides zoning clearances and the Planning Commission decides site approvals, conditional use permits and tentative maps. Completeness is decided in 30 days and appeals are due in 10. Impact fees for Fiscal Year 2025-26 are $18,387.08 per detached low density home, and a new fee study is pending. See the permits and fees page.

How Current the Code Is

Municode's reader for Chino names the current edition "Supplement 38." Its supplement history table ends with Ordinance 2026-002 of March 24, 2026. That edition still prints the older Title 20, with residential rules in Chapter 20.04, ADUs in Section 20.11.020 and Measure M in Chapter 20.15. The City Council adopted Ordinance 2026-008 on July 21, 2026, and its Section 4 says it "shall be in full force and effect thirty (30) days after its second reading and adoption." The City's Zoning page says "there is legislation which has been enacted, but not yet codified" and links the new text as a file dated August 2026. VanPlex checked that file against the redline attached to the ordinance for the residential tables.

Sources: Supplement history table, Ordinance 2026-008, the July 21, 2026 agenda, the Zoning page and the October 6, 2026 agenda.

To find other changes, VanPlex listed every item since January 1, 2025 on the City's agenda system whose title names an ordinance: 31 items. Besides the 2026 code and map, the housing-related ones are Ordinance 2025-003, a Title 20 amendment adopted in 2025 and included in Supplement 38, and Ordinance 2026-005, a subdivision change on private streets that the system shows as introduced on July 7, 2026 with no adoption vote through October 6, 2026. Council minutes for these meetings are not posted on the system.

Recent City Council Actions

• June 17, 2025. Resolution 2025-030 adjusts impact fees for Fiscal Year 2025-26, effective August 18, 2025, and cuts the administrative fee from 12 to 3 percent.
• September 2, 2025. The City adopts the 2045 Chino General Plan (recital of Ordinance 2026-008).
• July 7, 2026. Introduction of Ordinances 2026-008 and 2026-009 (zoning code and zoning map) and Ordinance 2026-005 (subdivisions).
• July 21, 2026. Adoption of Ordinances 2026-008 and 2026-009 (item 7) and Resolution 2026-050 amending the Master Fee Schedule (item 17).
• October 6, 2026. The public hearing on the 2026 impact fee nexus study update is postponed and will be re-noticed.

Where the Code, City Documents and State Law Differ

• SB 9 unit size and height. Section 20.201.050(E) caps second units at 800 square feet and one story of 16 feet; Government Code 65852.21(b)(3) bars standards that do not apply uniformly in the zone.
• SB 9 denial grounds. Sections 20.201.050(B)(3) and 19.04.110(B)(5) add "or the physical environment"; the statutes allow denial only for an impact on public health and safety.
• SB 9 lot split applicants and zones. Section 19.04.110 limits applicants to individual owners, requires an existing home and lists only RD 1, RD 2 and RD 4.5; Government Code 66411.7 has none of these limits and covers single-family zones.
• ADU parking. One space per bedroom in Section 20.503.020(B)(3) and one per dwelling in Table 20.511-1; Government Code 66314 caps it at the lesser of one per unit or per bedroom.
• Junior ADU owner occupancy. Always required in Section 20.503.020(B)(6); Government Code 66333 requires it only with shared sanitation.
• ADU fee line. Waiver under 750 square feet in Section 20.503.030(D); Government Code 66311.5 covers 750 square feet or less.
• Starter homes. Section 20.506.030 requires full maximum density and a 30-foot frontage; Government Code 66499.41 asks 66 percent and bars frontage minimums.
• Impact fee timing. Due at building permit under Section 3.40.070; Government Code 66007(a) sets final inspection as the default.
• Within the code. RD 8 in both use tables with opposite answers on apartments; RD 4.5 at "3 to 4.5" or "2 and 4.5" units; SB 9 units in RD 8 allowed by Section 20.201.050 and not by Table 20.201-1; ADUs above detached garages allowed by Section 20.503.020(A)(1) and barred by note 4 of Table 20.503-1; SB 9 parking per unit or per bedroom; and overlay cross-references to a "Table 20.307-7" and "Chapter 20.510".

Limits of This Guide

Not read: the zoning map itself and the list of parcels rezoned by Ordinance 2026-009; the Sites Inventory Map of the housing element overlays; the 2045 General Plan and the housing element text; The Preserve, College Park and other specific plans; the Chino Airport land use plan maps; the overlay in-lieu fee amount; the draft 2026 impact fee nexus study; building permit, school, water and sewer fees; and the pre-approved ADU plans. Council minutes after the meetings listed are not posted, so the adoption of Ordinance 2026-005 is unconfirmed.

Ask the Planning Division at City Hall, 13220 Central Avenue, which zone, overlay and standards apply to your lot, which side of a code conflict it applies, and whether an ordinance newer than October 6, 2026 is in force.

Where to Go Next

Related on VanPlex: the California ADU law page, the California impact fees page and the California SB 684 and SB 1123 page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Official sources (checked October 2026)