Jurupa Valley | Zoning Districts

Jurupa Valley, California Zoning Districts: Residential, Agricultural and Multi-Family Zones

Jurupa Valley sorts every lot into a zone, a district with its own list of allowed uses and its own rules for lot size, height and yards. The zones live in Title 9 of the Jurupa Valley Municipal Code, which the code calls the city of Jurupa Valley Land Use Ordinance. A City staff report of May 7, 2026 counts 21,752 parcels in zones that allow animal keeping, and a smaller set of zones allows duplexes and apartments. This page explains each residential zone and how many homes it allows. The Jurupa Valley overview has the summary.

Where the Zoning Code Comes From

The preface of the Municipal Code says the source material was "the Riverside County Code as it existed on July 1, 2011," which the City adopted by Ordinance No. 2011-01. In 2017 the City Council passed Ordinance No. 2017-17, which adopted the Jurupa Valley Municipal Code and repealed the county ordinances that had been adopted by reference. The ordinance says the changes were non-substantive, such as changing "County of Riverside" to "City of Jurupa Valley." So Title 9 is the City's own law today, but its wording and many of its zones still follow the county ordinance it came from.

That history explains some odd parts of the code. Section 9.40.010 still lists dozens of mapped zoning districts named for places across Riverside County, such as the Whitewater District, Cathedral City District, Idyllwild District and Blythe. Section 9.35.010 lists an R-1A Mountain Resort zone that has no chapter of its own. The City code is published on Municode; the copy read for this guide is Supplement 27, whose Supplement History Table includes ordinances through Ordinance No. 2026-04, adopted May 21, 2026.

The 37 Zone Classifications

Section 9.35.010 lists 37 zone classifications. Fourteen are residential: R-R, R-R-O, R-1, R-1A, R-A, R-2, R-2A, R-3, R-3A, R-T, R-T-R, R-4, R-5 and R-6. The rest are commercial zones (C-1 and C-P, C-T, C-P-S, C-R and C-O), the S-P Specific Plan zone, industrial and mining zones (I-P, M-SC, M-M, M-H, M-R and M-R-A), agricultural zones (A-1, A-P, A-2 and A-D), and a group of special zones: W-2 Controlled Development Areas, R-D Regulated Development Areas, N-A Natural Assets, W-2-M, W-1 Watercourse, W-E Wind Energy and AIR Airport.

The list in Section 9.35.010 is shorter than Title 9 itself. Title 9 also has chapters for a B-P Business Park zone, a C-N Commercial-Neighborhood zone, an R-VC Rubidoux-Village Commercial zone and a Planned Unit Development zone (PUD), none of which appears in the list. Large new neighborhoods are often built under a specific plan, a detailed plan for one area that sets its own uses and standards. The City's Specific Plans page says there are 11 specific plans in the city, including Vernola Ranch, Rio Vista, Emerald Meadow Ranch and the District at Jurupa Valley.

Residential Zones at a Glance

Sources: Jurupa Valley Municipal Code Secs. 9.45.010 and 9.45.020, 9.50.010, 9.55.010 and 9.55.020, 9.65.040, 9.70.020 to 9.70.110, 9.75.020, 9.80.020 and 9.80.030, 9.100.020 to 9.100.040, 9.110.040, 9.175.020 and 9.175.030 and 9.210.020 (Supplement 27).

House Zones: R-R, R-R-O, R-1 and R-A

Four zones hold most single houses. Each allows one family dwellings by right, and each now lists an "SB 9 development project" as a permitted use. SB 9 is the 2021 state law that lets an owner build two main homes on a single-family lot, split the lot in two, or both, with staff approval and no hearing.

• R-R Rural Residential. Section 9.45.020 sets the minimum lot at "One-half (½) acre, with a minimum average width of eighty (80) feet." Houses may be 40 feet tall. The use list allows farm crops, the grazing of farm animals at up to five animals per acre, and small animal farms, so many R-R lots are mini farms as well as homes.
• R-R-O Rural Residential, Outdoor Advertising. Section 9.50.010 says "Any use permitted in the R-R Zone is permitted in the R-R-O Zone," under the R-R rules. The O stands for outdoor advertising, a sign use, and the home rules are those of R-R.
• R-1 One Family Dwellings. Section 9.55.020 sets a lot of at least 7,200 square feet, an average width of 60 feet and depth of 100 feet, a height of three stories and 40 feet, and lot coverage by the house of no more than 50 percent. Horses are allowed on R-1 lots of 20,000 square feet or more.
• R-A Residential Agricultural. Section 9.65.040 sets a lot of at least 20,000 square feet, 100 feet wide and 150 feet deep, and says "No animals or fowl, other than domestic pets and poultry and rabbits," may be kept on smaller lots. R-A also allows one mobilehome as a principal home, and one extra mobilehome for each ten acres being farmed.

Every house zone also lets the owner add accessory dwelling units (ADUs), second homes on the same lot, under Section 9.240.290 and state law. The ADUs and SB 9 page covers those rules, and the animals and rural lots page covers the animal rules in these zones.

Zones That Allow Duplexes and Apartments

Six zones allow buildings with more than one home. Section 9.240.545 says "Multiple family dwellings may be erected in the R-2, R-2A, R-3, R-4, R-6 and R-D Zones" under its design standards. In most of them the owner needs a site development permit, a City review of the site plan, buildings and parking against the zone's standards, before building.

• R-2 Multiple Family Dwellings. One family dwellings are permitted. "Two (2) family dwellings, multiple-family dwellings, bungalow courts and apartment houses" need a site development permit. The density rule in Section 9.70.110 is 2,500 square feet of lot for each home, on lots of at least 7,200 square feet, with buildings of up to three stories and 40 feet and lot coverage of no more than 60 percent.
• R-2A Limited Multiple-Family Dwellings. The same uses with a site development permit, on 7,200 square foot lots, but buildings may not exceed "two (2) stories of thirty (30) feet." Coverage is 60 percent. The R-2A chapter has no area-per-home rule of its own.
• R-3 General Residential. Every use listed in subsection A of Section 9.80.020, even a one family dwelling, needs a site development permit. Buildings may be 50 feet tall, cover 50 percent of the net lot area and reach a floor area ratio of two to one. A floor area ratio compares a building's floor space with its lot area, so 2:1 allows 14,400 square feet of floors on a 7,200 square foot lot (VanPlex arithmetic).
• R-4 Planned Residential. A zone for whole subdivisions with shared open space. The zone may not be applied to an area under nine acres without a City Council waiver, and the overall area for each home must be at least 6,000 square feet, with house lots of at least 3,500 square feet.
• R-6 Residential Incentive. A zone for affordable housing, applied only with an approved plan. Density must exceed four homes per gross acre, and apartment projects must contain at least four homes.
• R-D Regulated Development Areas. One family dwellings are permitted, and two family dwellings, multiple-family dwellings, bungalow courts and apartment houses are allowed with a site development permit.

The three or more homes page covers the design standards for these buildings, the inclusionary rule and the 2026 by-right approval.

Agricultural and Special Zones

Large parts of the city carry agricultural zoning. The A-1 Light Agriculture zone allows one family dwellings on lots of at least 20,000 square feet, 100 feet wide and 150 feet deep, under Section 9.175.030. With a site development permit, A-1 allows "An additional one (1) family dwelling (including mobilehomes)" for each ten acres being farmed, for the owner, operator or an employee of the farm, up to four per farm. The A-P Light Agriculture with Poultry zone requires lots of five acres. The W-2 Controlled Development Areas zone sets 20,000 square foot lots and allows no animals on existing lots under 20,000 square feet.

The R-T and R-T-R zones are for mobilehome subdivisions and mobilehome parks. Mobilehome parks are also allowed in several residential zones with a conditional use permit. A conditional use permit is a permit decided at a public hearing, where the City can add conditions or say no.

Housing Element Sites and the 2026 By-Right Rule

The Housing Element is the part of the General Plan that shows where the city can fit its share of the region's new homes. Ordinance No. 2026-06 recites that on May 16, 2024 the City Council adopted Ordinance No. 2024-10 and Resolution No. 2024-29, changing the land use designation of certain Housing Element sites to Highest Density Residential and rezoning them R-3 "to allow the development of housing development projects up to 25 dwelling units per acre."

The City Council adopted Ordinance No. 2026-06 on June 4, 2026, according to the minutes of that meeting. It amends the R-3 use list so that projects on those sites "where twenty percent (20%) of the total number of housing units in the project are proposed to be available to lower-income households shall be considered a use 'by-right'." A by-right project is approved by staff against fixed written standards, with no hearing and no discretionary vote. Supplement 27 of the code does not yet print this change, because the Supplement History Table ends with Ordinance No. 2026-04.

Rules That Apply in Every Zone

• No short-term rentals. Section 9.35.070 says short-term rentals are prohibited "in all zone classifications and no permit of any type shall be issued therefor." The rule matters for anyone planning an ADU or SB 9 home as a vacation rental.
• Minimum home size. Section 9.240.110 says no dwelling shall be built unless it has "a minimum floor living area of not less than seven hundred and fifty (750) square feet," not counting porches, garages and patios. The ADU section sets its own smaller floor of an efficiency unit.
• Front on a street. Section 9.240.100 says every dwelling, except in multiple dwelling developments, "shall face or front upon a street or permanent means of access to a street," and never on an alley.
• Selling part of a lot. Section 9.240.130 says that when part of a lot is sold off and the buildings no longer meet the lot area rules, both parts "shall be considered as one parcel only" for the number of buildings allowed.

Where the Code Disagrees With Itself

• R-D. The SB 9 chapter, Section 9.305.030, treats R-D as a single-family zone, while the R-D use list allows duplexes and apartments with a site development permit. State SB 9 law applies in "a single-family residential zone." Ask the Planning Division how it classes your R-D lot before you file.
• Zone list. Section 9.35.010 names an R-1A zone that has no chapter, and leaves out the B-P, C-N, R-VC and PUD zones that do have chapters.
• District maps. Section 9.40.010 lists Riverside County district maps, such as Cathedral City and Idyllwild, that lie outside the city.

In each case the Planning Division applies the zone shown on the City's zoning map to your lot. The Planning Division page links the Community Development Department GIS View, which shows parcels, zoning, land use and overlays.

Where to Go Next

Related on VanPlex: the Jurupa Valley overview, the SB 9 page and the duplex to fourplex guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Official sources (checked October 2026)