Chino | Lots and Subdivisions

Chino, California Lot Sizes and Subdivisions: Minimum Lots, Parcel Maps, SB 9 Urban Lot Splits, Small Lot Subdivisions and Starter Homes

This page covers how big a lot must be in Chino and how land is divided into more lots. To subdivide is to split one piece of land into two or more legal lots, each of which can be sold. Lot sizes are set in Title 20, the zoning code that Ordinance 2026-008 rewrote in July 2026. The map steps are in Title 19 of the Chino Municipal Code, which Municode publishes as Supplement 38. Chino has a local section for SB 9 urban lot splits and two new 2026 chapters for small lot subdivisions and starter homes. The Chino overview has the summary.

Minimum Lot Sizes

Tables 20.201-3 and 20.201-4 of the Zoning Ordinance set the smallest lot the City will approve in a new subdivision. Width is measured as the Rules of Measurement in Chapter 20.103 describe.

Source: Chino Zoning Ordinance Tables 20.201-3 and 20.201-4 (August 2026). Table 20.201-4 sets no minimum depth for RD 12 to RD 20.

Section 20.201.040(B) adds four rules for new lots. On a cul-de-sac or knuckle lot, "a minimum lot dimension of 35 feet shall be provided as measured along the street frontage of the lot." A corner lot needs five more feet of width where its side line meets a local or collector street, and 10 more feet where it meets a primary or secondary arterial street. On flag lots, which reach the street through a narrow strip of land, "the minimum width for an access corridor is 20 feet, and the maximum depth of the access corridor is 80 feet." And all of these minimums "apply only to the creation of new lots", so an existing lot that is smaller may still be built on.

Title 19 uses the same numbers. Section 19.06.030 says "Minimum parcel dimensions shall be as specified in Title 20", and each parcel needs the zone's minimum frontage on a public street or on a private street that connects to one. The only exception in that section is the SB 9 urban lot split, whose dimensions are set by Section 19.04.110.

The Ways to Divide Land in Chino

Sources: Chino Municipal Code Chapter 19.02, Chapter 19.04 and Section 19.04.110; Chino Zoning Ordinance Chapters 20.505 and 20.506 and Table 20.601-1.

Parcel Maps and Final Maps

A tentative map is the first drawing of a subdivision, showing the new lot lines, streets and utilities before any lot is created. Section 19.01.040 makes the Planning Commission the "advisory agency" that decides tentative maps and the City Council the appeal body. Table 20.601-1 of the zoning code says the same: the Planning Commission approves tentative tract and parcel maps, and the City Council approves final maps.

• Filing. Within 30 calendar days of receiving a tentative map and its data, the Director decides whether it is complete and accepts it for filing (Section 19.02.040).
• Review. Within 30 days of filing, the Director schedules a development review meeting with the City departments and outside agencies, and the City Engineer writes a report on the map (Section 19.02.050).
• Decision. Within 50 days after the environmental review is finished, the Planning Commission approves, conditionally approves or denies the tentative map (Section 19.02.060).
• Parcel map. For four or fewer parcels the final step is a parcel map; Section 19.04.040 gives the Planning Commission 50 days from acceptance to decide, and Section 19.04.070 has the Director and City Engineer approve it within ten days after notice to the City Council.
• Life of the map. A tentative map "shall expire twenty-four months from the date of its approval" unless the final or parcel map is approved first (Section 19.02.100). Extensions may add up to 36 months, never more than five years after the first approval (Section 19.02.110).
• Appeals. A Director decision may be appealed to the Planning Commission, and a Planning Commission decision to the City Council, within ten days (Section 19.01.110).

Section 19.04.030 lets the Director waive the parcel map when the land is already a legal parcel with full street improvements built and survey markers visible, and the division meets the code.

SB 9 Urban Lot Splits in Chino

SB 9 lets an owner split one lot in a single-family zone into two with staff approval and no hearing. Chino wrote its rules into Section 19.04.110 by Ordinance 2022-010 on July 19, 2022, to carry out Government Code 66411.7. The section says that where it "is in conflict with any other provision of Title 19, this section shall govern."

• Where. The lot must be in RD 1, RD 2 or RD 4.5, have at least one home on it and only residential uses, and avoid the hazard and resource sites listed in Government Code 65913.4, such as wetlands and flood zones without a FEMA map revision.
• Size. No more than two new lots of about equal area; neither below 40 percent of the original lot or 1,200 square feet; each with at least 40 percent of the street frontage; and "Flag lots are not permitted."
• Steps. A tentative map with the regular map application, then a ministerial decision by the City Engineer "without discretionary review or a hearing", then a parcel map. Neighbors next door get a courtesy notice at least ten days before the parcel map decision.
• Tenants. No split that removes rent-restricted housing, rent-controlled housing or housing "occupied by a tenant in the last three years", or on land withdrawn from rent under the Ellis Act in the last 15 years.
• Owner affidavit. The owner signs that they intend to live on one of the new lots "as their primary residence for a minimum of three years", unless the owner is a community land trust or qualified nonprofit.
• After the split. Residential uses only, no rental for less than 31 days, no second urban lot split, and "no more than two units are permitted on any parcel created by an urban lot split", counting ADUs and junior ADUs.
• What the City may not ask. No dedications of rights-of-way or offsite improvements, and no correction of nonconforming zoning conditions. The City may require easements for public services and access to a public street.

A 7,200 square foot RD 4.5 lot, the minimum for a new lot there, splits into two lots of 3,600 square feet each; 40 percent of 7,200 is 2,880, so a split may also be uneven down to that size (VanPlex arithmetic). A 20,000 square foot RD 2 lot splits into two of 10,000. With two homes on each new lot, the original lot can hold four homes.

Where Section 19.04.110 Goes Beyond State Law

Several City rules are stricter than Government Code 66411.7. The statute says a local agency "shall ministerially approve" a split that meets its list, and it allows local objective standards "related to the design or to improvements of a parcel." Where a City rule adds a condition the statute does not allow, the statute controls. Ask the City in writing how it applies each of these:

• Who may apply. "Only individual property owners may apply for an urban lot split", which excludes LLCs and corporations. The statute's only rule about the applicant is the owner occupancy affidavit of subdivision (g).
• Existing home. The City requires at least one home on the lot on the day of approval, a condition absent from the statute's list in subdivision (a).
• Grounds for denial. The City may deny for a specific adverse impact "upon public health and safety or the physical environment." The statute, 66411.7(d), lets a city deny only for an impact "upon public health and safety."
• RD 8. The City lists RD 1, RD 2 and RD 4.5 only, while the 2026 zoning code places RD 8 in its single-family table. The statute covers a parcel "located within a single-family residential zone."
• Historic land. The City excludes any lot "within a historic district." The statute bars splits only of landmark sites or where a split would demolish or alter a contributing structure or an exterior wall in a listed historic district.

Small Lot Residential Subdivisions

Chapter 20.505 allows "small lot detached homes, cluster homes, and courtyard homes" in RD 4.5, RD 8 and RD 12, with smaller lots than the base district. Section 20.505.030 requires "a Conditional Use Permit and a Tentative Map", so these projects go to the Planning Commission. In RD 4.5 the project area must be at least 15,000 square feet and each new lot 5,500 square feet; in RD 8 and RD 12 lots may be 2,500 square feet. Density stays at the district maximum: 4.5, 8 or 12 homes per acre. Buildings may be two stories and 35 feet tall.

Each home needs a two-car garage plus one guest space, and projects of five or more homes need "A total ratio of three spaces per unit, including both on and off-street parking", streets at least 36 feet wide, sidewalks on both sides, and a parking plan the Planning Commission approves. Garages must hold a 20-foot by 20-foot parking area. Each home needs 200 square feet of usable open space, and cluster and courtyard projects must keep 20 percent of the net project area as open space. Lots created this way may not be split again under SB 9.

Starter Homes Under SB 684 and SB 1123

SB 684 and SB 1123 require cities to approve small subdivisions of up to ten lots with ten homes through staff review. Chapter 20.506, new in 2026, says its purpose is to "Implement the Starter Home Revitalization Act, including Government Code Section 66499.41, as amended." The owner files a zoning clearance and a parcel or tentative map together. The Director reviews "without notice or public hearing" and must decide within the 60 days set in Government Code 66499.41(c). The Director's decision is final, and the City "may deny an application only on grounds authorized by Government Code Section 66499.41."

Sources: Chino Zoning Ordinance Sections 20.506.020 to 20.506.060; Government Code 66499.41, as amended by SB 1090 effective September 30, 2026.

Two City rules ask for more than the statute. For a site not named in the housing element, the City requires "at least as many units as the maximum allowable residential density", while the statute asks for 66 percent of it. And the City sets a 30-foot frontage, while Government Code 66499.41(b)(1) says a project need not meet "A minimum requirement on the size, width, depth, frontage, or dimensions of an individual parcel" beyond the minimum parcel size. The statute controls on both. The City is more generous on site size: 1.7 acres for a vacant RD 4.5 or RD 8 site, against 1.5 acres in the statute.

Homes built on starter lots get a 10-foot front setback, four-foot side and rear setbacks from the original lot lines, a floor area ratio of 1.0 for three to seven homes and 1.2 for eight to ten in RD 4.5 and RD 8, 1.25 in RD 12 to RD 20, and "No more than one space per unit" of parking. The database holds a second version of 66499.41, made operative on January 1, 2027 for applications received on or after that date, so check which version applies on the filing date.

Pending Changes to Title 19

The City Council introduced Ordinance 2026-005, a subdivision amendment, on July 7, 2026. Its Exhibit A changes only Section 19.06.040(A)(3) on private streets, allowing them in single-family zones of The Preserve Specific Plan where that plan permits them. The agenda system shows no vote to adopt it through the October 6, 2026 meeting. VanPlex found no other ordinance changing Title 19 among the agenda items introduced since January 2025.

Where to Go Next

Related on VanPlex: the Chino overview, the California SB 9 page and the California SB 684 and SB 1123 page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Official sources (checked October 2026)