Fremont | Zoning districts

Fremont, California Zoning Districts: R-1, R-2, R-3, R-G, Mixed-Use Districts, Planned Districts and Overlays

Fremont's zoning rules are Title 18 of the Fremont Municipal Code. Chapter 18.90 holds the four residential districts, and each district name carries a number: the lot size in R-1 and the density in R-3. Two rules matter most on a house lot and an apartment site. A duplex is a permitted use on an R-1 corner lot, and every R-3 district has a lowest density as well as a highest one. This page lists the districts that allow homes and how many homes each allows on a lot. The Fremont overview has the summary.

Districts That Allow Homes

Sources: Fremont Municipal Code 18.90.040, 18.90.050, 18.90.070, 18.90.080, 18.45.020, 18.45.060, 18.47.080, 18.43.090 to 18.43.120 and 18.49.070 (current through Ordinance 02-2026).

Section 18.30.010 lists the districts "into which the city is divided": 25 base districts, from R-1 to P, and 6 combining or overlay districts whose names are written in brackets, such as (H-I) for hillsides and (TOD) for land near transit stations. A combining or overlay district adds its rules to the base district under it. The use tables use four letters. "P" means permitted. "Z" means a use that needs a zoning administrator permit, decided by a City staff officer after a hearing. "C" means a conditional use permit, decided by the Planning Commission. "A" means an accessory use, one that serves the main use of the lot.

R-1: One House, or a Duplex on a Corner Lot

Section 18.90.010 gives the purpose of R-1: "To promote and maintain predominantly single-family home neighborhoods together with compatible accessory and supporting uses." The district has five standard sizes. The number in the name matches the minimum lot area for a house in thousands of square feet.

Source: Fremont Municipal Code, Table 18.90.040, R-1 and R-2 District Development Standards. In R-1 the duplex figures apply on corner lots only.

• Duplexes. The use table lists "Duplex or two-family dwelling" in R-1 as "P on corner lots." A note to the standards table repeats it: "Duplexes are only permitted on corner lots." The code defines a corner lot as one "abutting upon two streets at their intersections, or abutting upon a curvature of a single street, where such streets or curvature form an interior angle of less than 135 degrees."
• Other permitted and accessory uses. A single-family dwelling is permitted. Accessory dwelling units, junior accessory dwelling units and guesthouses are accessory uses. "Two-unit developments and/or urban lot splits," the City's name for SB 9 projects, are permitted in R-1 and in no other residential district.
• Dwelling groups. A dwelling group is "a group of two or more dwellings, either detached or attached, located on a parcel of land in one ownership and having any yard or court in common." It needs a zoning administrator permit in R-1 and R-2. Under Section 18.190.130 the lot area must be "at least equal to the aggregate of the minimum lot areas otherwise required for the individual dwellings in the group," so two houses in R-1-6 need 12,000 square feet (VanPlex arithmetic: 6,000 times 2).
• Apartments. Multiple dwellings and duet dwellings are prohibited in R-1.
• Named neighborhoods. Section 18.90.045 sets up three designated neighborhoods with their own columns in the table: Glenmoor Gardens (R-1-6-GG) and Mission Ranch (R-1-8-MR), both "established October 7, 2010," and Mission Palms (R-1-8-MP), "established September 13, 2016." New construction and remodeling there need a design review permit. Glenmoor Gardens has no two-story height figure in the table.
• R-1-X. Standards for the older R-1-X districts "were specified at the time of district establishment," and the same note says "No new R-1-X zones are permitted."
• Lots under 6,000 square feet. A note added to the lot area row says new homes on lots smaller than 6,000 square feet may use the objective standards in the City's design guidelines for small-lot single-family developments, "To allow for densities permitted by the general plan."

R-2: Duplexes and Duets

The purpose of R-2 is "To promote and maintain duplex/two-family home neighborhoods in order to increase housing opportunities for both ownership and rental homes." A duplex and a duet dwelling are both permitted. The two differ in ownership. A duplex is one structure "with both the structure and the underlying land being under a single ownership." A duet is a two-family building where each half is held with "separate fee title ownership of both structure and underlying land."

• Lot size. A duplex needs 8,000 square feet, with a lot width of 70 feet, or 80 feet on a corner. A house needs 6,000 square feet.
• Houses on R-2 lots. The table note reads: "Standards listed are for development of duplex units. Single-family residences may utilize R-1-6 standards; however, this may preclude subsequent duplex development."
• Other uses. Dwelling groups need a zoning administrator permit. Multiple dwellings are prohibited. Rooming and boarding houses of up to six persons need a conditional use permit.
• SB 9. The use table shows two-unit developments and urban lot splits as prohibited in R-2. The City's SB 9 section applies in "a single-family residential zone or a planned district that allows single-family residential units."

R-3: Apartments and Townhomes by Density

R-3 is the multifamily district. Multiple dwellings, "including attached or detached townhome style units, and apartment efficiency or single room occupancy units," are a permitted use. Density is the number of homes per acre of land. Fremont measures it per net acre, which leaves out existing public streets and land to be dedicated as street. Each R-3 district has a range.

Source: Fremont Municipal Code, Table 18.90.050. Three older designations are left out of this table: R-3-10 (8.3 to 10), R-3-15 (13 to 15) and R-3-27 (25 to 27).

• The range has a floor. "Densities below the permitted density (except the minor deviations allowed by this section) shall only be allowed under special circumstances, detailed in the general plan land use and housing chapters." On a one-acre R-3-18 site the range is 15 to 18 homes after rounding (VanPlex arithmetic: 14.6 rounds up to 15).
• Rounding. "When the density calculation for a parcel results in a fraction of one-half or greater, the density shall be rounded up to the next whole unit." A fraction under one-half is rounded down, and "Minor deviations of no more than one dwelling above or below the permitted range may be allowed when rounding the density calculation."
• Larger deviations in three districts. Up to three homes below or above the range may be allowed in R-3-35, four in R-3-50 and five in R-3-70, "only if the project complies with any minimum number of units prescribed in the housing element."
• Small units. "each efficiency apartment or single room occupancy unit shall count as one-half of a dwelling unit." The code limits such a unit to 300 square feet of floor space.
• Older designations. R-3-10, R-3-15 and R-3-27 sites may keep their range "until such time as the property is rezoned. These zoning designations may not be applied to new properties as of January 1, 2014."
• Houses and duplexes in R-3. They are marked "P/Z." Additions to an existing house or duplex on an R-3 lot of 6,000 square feet or more need a zoning administrator permit, granted when the City's interest in more homes "is outweighed by the city's interest in promoting the improvement or preservation of the existing dwelling(s)."
• Mixing densities on one site. A project that averages out higher and lower densities across a site, which the code calls density redistribution, goes to the Planning Commission and then the City Council for the final decision.

The three or more homes page covers how R-3 projects are reviewed.

R-G: Garden Apartments From Before 2003

Section 18.90.060 explains the fourth residential district: "R-G zoning was utilized until the adoption of the new R-3 (multifamily residential) district on July 22, 2003." It is kept "to recognize developments built under R-G standards and to provide for limited changes to existing R-G zoned properties," and "No additional parcels may be zoned to the R-G district."

• Site area per home. Table 18.90.070 sets 4,000 square feet of building site per unit in R-G-40, 2,900 in R-G-29, 2,400 in R-G-24, 1,900 in R-G-19, 1,600 in R-G-16 and 1,500 in R-G-15. A 30,000 square foot R-G-15 site works out to 20 homes (VanPlex arithmetic: 30,000 divided by 1,500).
• Lot and coverage. The minimum lot is 7,500 square feet with 70 feet of width, and buildings may cover 50 percent of the lot. Common open space, shared outdoor area for residents, must be 25 percent of the site.
• Height. 45 feet for principal structures other than single- and two-family dwellings, which are held to two and one-half stories and 30 feet.
• Building spacing. 20 feet between two buildings in general, and 15 feet between a building and an interior side or rear property line.

Commercial and Mixed-Use Districts

Chapter 18.45 covers seven districts: C-O (office), C-N (neighborhood), C-G (general), C-R (regional), MX (mixed-use), and the two town center districts, TC-P (pedestrian) and TC-T (transitional). The code says the town center districts are "the established centers of the Centerville, Irvington, Mission San Jose, Niles and Warm Springs communities." Homes are allowed in one form. The use table lists "Residential, as component of mixed-use project only."

• The commercial share. Section 18.45.040: "A mixed-use development must include a commercial component. At least 50 percent of the total ground-floor building area that is located within 50 feet of the street frontage shall be designated for commercial and/or office uses." The commercial space must be at least 50 feet deep.
• A way to reduce it. The commercial share "can be reduced or waived if a concession is requested for such project" under the density bonus chapter.
• Floor area. Floor area ratio is the building floor area divided by the lot area. Table 18.45.020 allows 0.6 for mixed-use with housing in C-O and C-N, and 1.25 in MX, TC-P and TC-T. Outside the TOD overlay, the housing in a mixed-use project must reach at least 14.6 homes per acre.
• Homes behind the shops. For the parts of a project away from the commercial street frontage, the homes follow the objective standards of "the multifamily (R-3) residential district most similar in nature and function to the residential portion."
• The MX purpose. "Any project in the MX district in which a majority of the floor space is residential must include a substantial commercial component."

The staff report for Ordinance 02-2026 described its change to this use table as "Increasing the number of districts where mixed use is permitted by right in response to State law."

Downtown, City Center and Warm Springs

Three areas near the BART line have their own chapters, each tied to a community plan.

• Downtown (D). Table 18.47.080 sets a minimum of 50 homes per net acre for residential projects in three of the four Downtown zones and a maximum height of 8 stories. The lot standards for the district are one acre of area and 200 feet of street frontage. "The subsequent rezoning to a planned district (P) zone is prohibited within the D district."
• City Center (CC). Chapter 18.43 is a form-based code, one that regulates the shape of buildings in place of homes per acre. It says "the city center code does not use or need standards related to dwellings per acre or standards for floor area ratio." Buildings may reach 12 stories and 145 feet in the Transit Neighborhood zone, 10 stories and 120 feet in Urban Office and 6 stories and 75 feet in Urban Neighborhood. Multifamily housing is permitted in all three, with "Detached units not allowed."
• Warm Springs Innovation (WSI). Table 18.49.070 sets a minimum of 50 homes per acre within one-quarter mile of BART and 30 in the rest of the plan area. The code describes the area as "in the vicinity of the Warm Springs/South Fremont BART station."

Planned Districts

A planned district, or P district, has a site plan adopted by ordinance for that land. The code notes that before the R-3 district existed, "most multifamily projects developed after the 1980s chose planned development zoning as the preferred zoning." Section 18.110.020 says the standards of a P district "shall be governed by the standards of the residential, commercial, industrial, public facility, and/or open space zoning district(s) most similar in nature and function to the proposed P district as adopted by ordinance of the city council."

• When the ordinance is silent. "In the absence of any specifically adopted P district zoning standards, the zoning standards of the most comparable conventional zoning district (e.g., R-1-6, C-G, MX) shall be utilized."
• ADUs. "Accessory dwelling units may be permitted, subject to the provisions set forth in Section 18.190.005."
• SB 9. The City's SB 9 section covers "a planned district that allows single-family residential units."
• Hill land. Where a P district conflicts with the rules that carry out the Hill Area Initiative of 2002, "the regulations implementing the Initiative shall apply."

To learn the rules of a P lot, ask the Planning Division for the ordinance and site plan that created it.

Combining and Overlay Districts

• (H-I) Hillside. Larger lots on sloping land, a 30-foot height limit and design standards. See the hill area and historic review page.
• (HOD) Historical Overlay. Review of new buildings and exterior changes by the Historical Architectural Review Board in mapped historic areas.
• (I) Irvington. Its purpose is "to identify areas within central Irvington for which special urban design plans and development guidelines have been prepared."
• (TOD) Transit-Oriented Development. Applies to commercial, industrial and urban residential parcels "generally within one-half mile of existing and planned transit stations." It sets a minimum of 50 homes per net acre on City Center and Urban Residential land and 30 on Town Center and General Commercial land.
• (HESI) Housing Element Sites Inventory. Chapter 18.137, added in December 2023, lets the uses of the R-3 district be approved on listed housing sites and gives staff-level approval to projects where at least 20 percent of the homes are for lower income households and no land is subdivided.
• (M-R) and (Q). Mineral resources and quarry districts, which cover mining and quarry land.

Where the Code Differs From Itself

• The HESI overlay is missing from the district list. Section 18.30.010 was last amended in December 2016 and lists six combining and overlay districts. Chapter 18.137, added by Ordinance 07-2023, creates a seventh, the HESI overlay. The chapter itself is in force.
• District names. Section 18.30.010 calls R-2 the "One- and Two-Family Residence District" and R-G the "Garden Apartment Residence District." Section 18.90.010 calls them the "Duplex and Two-family Residential" and "Garden Residential" districts. The standards are the same under either name.
• Mixed-use in C-G. The use table in Section 18.45.060 lists homes in a mixed-use project as permitted in C-G. The standards table in Section 18.45.020 still gives C-G and C-R a floor area ratio line that reads "0.3 nonresidential; no mixed-use permitted." Ordinance 02-2026 amended the use table in May 2026. Section 18.45.020 was last amended by Ordinance 01-2025 in January 2025. Ask the Planning Division which floor area ratio it applies to a C-G mixed-use project.
• R-2 and SB 9. The use table bars two-unit developments in R-2, where a single-family dwelling is a permitted use. The state statute applies to "a single-family residential zone." Ask the City how it treats an R-2 lot.

Limits of This Page

The code text was read from the publisher's site, which says it is current through Ordinance 02-2026, passed May 5, 2026. City Council and Planning Commission agendas were read through October 6, 2026 and show no later ordinance amending Title 18, other than one rezoning of a site on Osgood Road. The City website answered 403 to a script, so the zoning map, the General Plan land use map, the community plans, the Citywide Design Guidelines and the small-lot and multifamily design guidelines were not read. This page cannot tell you which district a lot is in. The industrial, open space and public facility districts are left out, except where the hill area page covers open space land. Ask the Planning Division to confirm the district, any overlay and any planned district ordinance for your lot.

Where to Go Next

Related on VanPlex: the Fremont overview, the Fremont ADUs and SB 9 page and the California duplex to fourplex page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Official sources (checked October 2026)