Fresno | Parking, Setbacks, Height

Fresno Parking, Setbacks and Height: RS and RM Standards, Transition Rules and Parking Tables

Three numbers decide the shape of a building on a Fresno lot. A setback is the required gap between a building and a lot line. The height limit caps how tall it may be. Lot coverage is the share of the lot that buildings may cover. This page gives those numbers for the single-unit (RS) and multi-unit (RM) districts, the rules for measuring them, what may stick out into a setback, and how many parking spaces each type of home needs.

Single-Unit District Standards

Table 15-903-2 sets the building limits for RE and RS-1 to RS-5, in feet unless marked.

Source: Fresno Municipal Code Table 15-903-2, as amended by Ordinance 2025-024. A dash means the table sets no figure.

VanPlex arithmetic for a common lot: on a 6,000 square foot RS-5 lot, 60 percent coverage allows 3,600 square feet of building footprint. On a 5,000 square foot RS-4 lot, 50 percent allows 2,500 square feet. Neither district sets a floor area ratio, building floor area divided by lot area, for houses; Section 15-309 applies that ratio to non-residential floor area.

How Fresno Measures

• Height. Section 15-305: "Building height is measured from the average level of the highest and lowest points where the vertical plane of the exterior walls would touch the natural grade level of the site to the highest point on the roof." A balcony or mezzanine counts as a full story if its floor area "exceeds one-third of the total area of the nearest full floor directly below it."
• Front setback. Section 15-313: "Front setbacks shall be measured from the back of the sidewalk (including instances where the back of the sidewalk lies within the project parcel)." With no sidewalk, from the back of the curb; with neither, from the front property line. That makes a Fresno front yard deeper on the ground than the setback number suggests where the sidewalk sits inside the lot.
• Garages. In the RS districts, "setbacks for garages shall be regulated and calculated separately from habitable space."
• Alleys. "no part of the width of the alley may be considered as part of the required yard."
• Easements. "in no instance shall a building be allowed to encroach within an easement unless an easement encroachment has been authorized and a covenant recorded."
• Coverage. Section 15-311 counts "The footprints of all principal and accessory structures, including garages, and carports," and leaves out uncovered decks, patios, porches, landings and balconies; eaves; trellises; pools and hot tubs; and "Up to one non-habitable accessory structure of less than 120 square feet in floor area and seven feet in height."

Setback Adjustments in the RS Districts

Section 15-904 changes the table numbers in several common cases:

• Built-up blocks. "Where 50 percent or more of the lots on the same blockface have been improved with buildings, the front setback for new structures shall not be greater than 110 percent of the average of the actual front setbacks of all improved lots on such blockface, nor shall it be less than 90 percent." On a block where homes average 20 feet back, a new home goes between 18 and 22 feet.
• Detached garages. Where half the homes on a block have detached garages inside the side or rear setback, a new detached garage may match their average, and the setback is zero if that average is under two feet. Where half the lots have detached garages, a new garage goes at least 10 feet behind the front facade.
• Water-efficient front yards. The front setback may shrink by up to 3 feet if the front yard meets the state Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance and cuts the water allowance by 10 percent, with a floor of 3 feet.
• Park strips. In a new subdivision with a planted strip between curb and sidewalk, the front setback shrinks by the strip's width, again to no less than 3 feet.
• Rear setback reduction. With a site plan under Article 52, the rear setback may drop to the district interior side setback but "in no instance shall the rear setback be less than 5 feet," and the space lost must be replaced elsewhere on the lot in a piece at least "five feet by eight feet."
• Attached homes. Side setbacks apply "only to the ends of rows of attached dwellings."

SB 9 homes and ADUs use their own setbacks. For an ADU, Section 15-2754 sets side and rear setbacks at the district figure "or four feet, whichever is less." For an SB 9 project, Government Code 65852.21 lets the City require "a setback of up to four feet from the side and rear lot lines," and none for an existing structure rebuilt in the same place.

Multi-Unit District Standards

Source: Fresno Municipal Code Table 15-1003. The front maximum and the 50 percent frontage coverage minimum apply only inside the General Plan Priority Areas.

Frontage coverage is the share of the lot's street frontage that the building must fill, so buildings sit close to the street. RM lots also need on-site open space of 20 percent of lot area in RM-1, 15 in RM-2 and 10 in RM-3, cut by 25 percent within a quarter mile of a stop with scheduled peak-hour service, or within 400 feet of a public park that meets further conditions. At least half the homes need a private balcony, porch or patio of at least 32 square feet and 4 feet deep.

Section 15-1004(A) adds transition rules where an RM lot touches an RS district: "The maximum height within 40 feet of an RS District is limited to 30 feet. The maximum height within 50 feet of an RS District is 40 feet." The interior side setback becomes 10 feet, the rear setback 20 feet, and the RS front setback applies to buildings within 50 feet of the RS district. A second floor within 50 feet of a house lot's side or rear yard needs screening, such as high windows at least 6 feet above the floor, translucent glass or offset balconies.

Height Exceptions and Projections

Section 15-2012 lets some features rise above the limit: skylights by 1 foot, rooftop solar panels by 10 feet, parapets (low walls at the roof edge) by 4 feet, and chimneys, stair towers and rooftop trellises by 16 feet over no more than 10 percent of the roof. Decorative features such as cupolas may add 6 feet on homes. No space above the limit may be used for sleeping.

Table 15-2014 sets what may project into yards. "no projection may extend closer than three feet to an interior lot line or into a public utility easement." Eaves, cornices and chimneys may project 2 feet. Bay windows may project 3 feet into front and rear yards and 2 feet into side yards. Decks, porches and stairs under 18 inches tall may project 6 feet into the front yard and 8 feet into the rear yard if open on three sides.

Accessory buildings follow Section 15-2004. In the single-unit districts, a detached garage or shed "located six feet away or farther from the main building" may sit "on the interior or rear property line." Closer than 6 feet, it must meet the district setbacks. It may not sit in a front or street side yard, and one that takes car access from an alley sits at least 5 feet from it.

Parking

Source: Fresno Municipal Code Tables 15-2407 and 15-2409, Section 15-2754(E).

For a house or a duplex, Table 15-2409 asks for one space per home that "Must be within a garage." Driveway parking does not count: Section 15-2414 says "In single-unit districts it is appropriate to park vehicles on driveways, however this parking shall not count towards meeting the required parking." Required spaces may not sit in the front or street side setback.

Section 15-2411 sets the counting rules. Fractions under one-half are dropped and one-half or more adds a space. Bedrooms are counted broadly: "Offices or other rooms that have the ability of being converted into bedrooms shall be considered bedrooms for parking purposes." A fourplex of three-bedroom homes needs 1.5 x 4 = 6 spaces.

Reductions are narrow for small projects. Section 15-2413 allows a 30 percent cut within a quarter mile of a stop with service every 15 minutes or better from 7 to 9 a.m. and 5 to 7 p.m., "except residential single-unit, duplex, and triplex development." A Planned Development Permit, the permit for projects that fit no district's standard rules, can cut parking up to 20 percent with a parking study. Section 15-2412 exempts a change of use in older buildings from parking rules, but adds that such buildings "may not be altered when it would result in additional dwelling units without providing parking for the additional dwellings."

State law overrides these rules where it applies. Government Code 65863.2 says "A public agency shall not impose or enforce any minimum automobile parking requirement on a residential, commercial, or other development project if the project is located within one-half mile of public transit," meaning a major transit stop. The City may keep a minimum only with written findings "within 30 days of the receipt of a completed application." For SB 9 projects, the City may ask for "Offstreet parking of up to one space per unit," and none near high-quality transit or a car share vehicle. ADUs need no parking anywhere in Fresno under Section 15-2754(E).

Where to Go Next

Related on VanPlex: the Fresno overview, California ADU law and the lot eligibility guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Official sources (checked October 2026)