Lancaster | Three or More Homes
Three or More Homes in Lancaster: MDR, HDR, Mixed Use, Infill, the Density Bonus and SB 79
Lancaster's code calls a building with three or more homes a multiple-family project: "a building, or a portion of a building designed or used for occupancy by three or more families." A triplex has three homes and a fourplex four. This page shows where such buildings are allowed, how many homes a lot can hold, the building standards for small and large apartment projects, and how the density bonus and SB 79 apply. It draws on Title 17 of the Municipal Code. See the Lancaster overview for the whole guide.
Three or more homes in six facts
- Apartments, meaning buildings of three or more homes, are permitted with site plan review in the MDR and HDR zones. Source: LMC 17.08.050
- An apartment building of 3 to 15 homes needs a 6,000 square foot lot and may be 55 feet tall, or 35 feet within 100 feet of a house zone. Source: LMC 17.08.060
- A triplex or fourplex needs 2 enclosed garage spaces for each home, unless it is within one-half mile of a major transit stop. Source: LMC 17.08.100
- R-7,000 land that meets the infill tests can take up to eight homes per acre. Source: LMC 17.08.080
- Lancaster follows the state density bonus law, and state law prevails over any conflicting City text. Source: LMC 17.41.032
- SB 79 took effect in Los Angeles County on July 1, 2026, for sites near stops that meet its rail or bus tests. Source: HCD SB 79 advisory
Where Triplexes, Fourplexes and Apartments Are Allowed
- MDR and HDR zones. "Multi family" is P*, permitted with site plan review, in the Section 17.08.050 matrix.
- Rural and urban house zones. Multi-family homes are "N/A," not allowed. A duplex, an SB 9 project or ADUs are the routes there.
- MU-N, MU-C and MU-E. Condominiums, apartments, studios and lofts are permitted under Section 17.10.050.
- C, CPD and OP commercial zones. A multi-family project needs a conditional use permit, either on its own in the C zone or attached to a commercial building (Section 17.12.040).
- Residential planned development. On 5 acres or more in any residential zone, with a conditional use permit (Section 17.08.340).
Site plan review is a staff check of a scaled site plan and building elevations against the zoning code and the City's design guidelines, done before a grading or building permit. The Director may add conditions, and an approval lasts 2 years. Objective standards are rules that can be measured with no judgment. Section 17.08.070 says residential development that meets the objective design standards in Chapter 17.41 "shall be deemed to have met these measures," meaning the City's broader design measures for site layout, architecture and parking.
How Many Homes a Lot Can Hold
| Zone | Density | On a 6,000 sq ft lot | Land for a fourplex |
|---|---|---|---|
| MDR | 6.6 to 15 per acre | 0.91 to 2.07 homes | 11,616 sq ft |
| HDR | 15.1 to 30 per acre | 2.08 to 4.13 homes | 5,808 sq ft (6,000 lot minimum applies) |
| HDR with HD-O overlay | Up to 50 per acre | Up to 6.89 homes | 3,484.8 sq ft (6,000 lot minimum applies) |
| R-7,000 infill | Up to 8 per acre | Not an apartment zone | Small-lot houses only |
Densities: Lancaster Municipal Code 17.08.030, 17.08.080 and 17.20.750. Homes per lot and land per fourplex are VanPlex arithmetic at 43,560 square feet per acre.
The MDR zone allows "6.6 to fifteen (15) dwelling units per acre" and HDR "15.1 to thirty (30)." Both numbers bind: the table in Section 17.08.060 lists a "Minimum density" as well as a "Maximum density." ADUs may count toward the minimum if the applicant chooses, and never count toward the maximum. By VanPlex arithmetic a 6,000 square foot lot is 0.138 acre, so HDR gives 2.08 to 4.13 homes and MDR 0.91 to 2.07. Four homes need 5,808 square feet of HDR land, so the 6,000 square foot minimum lot is the smaller limit, and 11,616 square feet of MDR land. The code gives no rounding rule for density, so ask the Planning Division how a fraction such as 4.13 is counted.
Two rules can raise the number. The Housing Density Overlay sets "fifty (50) dwelling units per acre" on HDR, C and CPD land where the City Council has applied it, which by VanPlex arithmetic is 6.89 homes on 6,000 square feet. And the zone maximum "may be exceeded on a specific site provided the overall density of the zone does not exceed the maximum," a Lancaster rule that lets one site go above 30 per acre if the HDR zone as a whole stays within it.
Apartment Standards in MDR and HDR
| Standard | 3 to 15 homes | 16 or more homes |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum lot | 6,000 sq ft, 60 ft wide, 100 ft deep | 6,000 sq ft, 60 ft wide, 100 ft deep |
| Front setback | 0 ft on a street with parking, 8 ft next to houses, 20 ft on an arterial | Same |
| Side and rear setbacks | Side 10 ft, street side 15 ft, rear 15 ft | Side 15 ft, street side 20 ft, rear 15 ft |
| Height | 55 ft; 35 ft within 100 ft of a house zone | 72 ft; 35 ft within 100 ft of a house zone |
| Lot coverage | 50 percent | 50 percent |
| Open space | 8 percent of the lot, at least 20 ft each way | 8 percent of the lot, at least 50 ft each way |
| Landscaping | 15 percent of the lot | 15 percent of the lot |
| Solar | 0.5 kW per home | 0.5 kW per home |
Source: Lancaster Municipal Code 17.08.060, subsections C and D, Supplement 10 - 2025.
The Section 17.08.060 tables split apartments into "Small Apartment/Condominium Building/Complex (3 to 15 units)" and "Large Apartment/Condominium Building/Complex (16 or more units)." Beyond the numbers in the table, a small project must provide "On-site management" for 4 or more homes and "in-unit laundry hook-ups." A large project must also provide security, with "cameras and alarms or active security guard surveillance" at a minimum, plus a community pool and recreation room. In both, the trash enclosure must be at least 165 square feet, hidden from the main entrances and streets, and covered with a non-combustible roof or trellis.
Parking sits behind the front of the building for 3 to 15 homes, and at least 40 feet from the front line for 16 or more. Under Section 17.08.100, a triplex or fourplex needs "2 parking spaces within an enclosed garage for each unit." Apartments of 5 or more homes need 1.5 covered spaces for each studio or one-bedroom home, 1.5 covered and 0.5 uncovered for each larger home, and "1 uncovered space for every 4 units" for guests. By VanPlex arithmetic a fourplex needs 8 garage spaces, while a five-home building of two-bedroom units needs 10 resident spaces plus 2 guest spaces, as fractions round up. Projects of 5 or more homes also follow the objective design standards for larger buildings, set out on the design standards and flood rules page.
Mixed Use Lots
In MU-N, MU-C and MU-E, Section 17.10.060 sets the size of an apartment lot by the number of homes. The minimum is 10,000 square feet with a front driveway or 6,000 with alley access, "increased by 1,600 sf per unit for each additional dwelling unit over 2." Height is counted in stories: 3 for 1 to 15 homes, 4 for 16 or more, and "Up to 5 stories permitted for buildings located on a major arterial." The front setback is 12 feet minimum and 18 feet maximum for 3 to 15 homes, with at least 65 percent of the frontage built close to the street. Open space is 10 percent of the lot and landscaping 8 percent. Garages for individual homes need their doors at least 40 feet from the front line, and sites with 4 or more homes need one guest space for every 4 homes. The mixed use zones list no density range.
Infill on R-7,000 Land
Section 17.08.080 carries out General Plan 2030 policy 18.2.1. Under it, "a developer may build up to eight residential units per net acre on land zoned R-7,000," as small-lot single-family homes, where the site meets one of four tests: it lies in "the area bounded by Avenue I, 20th Street East, Avenue L and 30th Street West"; it is surrounded by existing development on all sides; it borders commercial, office, mixed use or light industrial land; or it combines four or more parcels into at least five acres. Findings are needed that the project reduces land use fragmentation, uses existing infrastructure and fits its neighbors. Each small lot needs "a minimum of four hundred (400) square feet of usable private yard space," or 200 if a park lies within a quarter mile, and adjacent homes may differ by no more than one story. By VanPlex arithmetic, eight homes per acre is 5,445 square feet of land per home.
The Density Bonus
The density bonus is a state law that lets a project add homes above the zone limit, and ask for relief from standards, in exchange for income-restricted homes. Government Code 65915 applies to a "development project for five or more residential units." Lancaster carries it out in Chapter 17.41, Article II. Section 17.41.032 says "state law shall supersede this section" where the two conflict, and Section 17.41.036 says the City "shall grant" parking reductions under Section 65915(p). The request is filed with the project and decided by the Planning Commission or City Council with the project, or by the Community Development Director when neither of them reviews the project. The applicant must state the number of homes, the affordable homes, the bonus homes and the concessions sought, with "a base density study" in zones that rely on a form based code.
SB 79 and Parking Near Transit
SB 79 makes larger housing projects an allowed use near qualifying transit stops in an "urban transit county," which Government Code 65912.156 defines as "a county with more than 15 passenger rail stations." HCD's advisory lists Los Angeles County among the seven counties where it took effect on July 1, 2026, so it is in force in Lancaster. It applies only on sites zoned for residential, mixed or commercial use within one-half or one-quarter mile of a "transit-oriented development stop." Tier 1 stops are served by "heavy rail transit or very high frequency commuter rail," which means at least 72 trains a day. Tier 2 stops are served by light rail, by commuter rail with at least 48 trains a day, or by qualifying bus service. Projects must have at least five homes and at least 30 homes per acre. Each region's planning agency must publish a map of these stops, and the City code read for this guide names none, so check that map before you plan on SB 79.
Lancaster's own parking rule near transit is broader. Section 17.08.100 says "For sites located within one-half mile of a major transit stop as defined in Section 21155 of the Public Resources Code, no parking is required," with exceptions for hotels and for projects where the City finds, within 30 days of a complete application, a "substantially negative impact" on housing goals or nearby parking. That finding may not be used for projects with fewer than 20 homes or with at least 20 percent of homes for very low, low or moderate income households, students, the elderly or people with disabilities.
Best For
- ✓ HDR lots of 6,000 square feet or more, which can hold a fourplex.
- ✓ HDR, C and CPD land where the City will apply the 50 homes per acre overlay.
- ✓ Sites within one-half mile of a major transit stop, where no parking minimum applies.
Usually Fails When
- ✕ The lot is in a rural or urban house zone, where apartments are not allowed.
- ✕ An MDR lot is under 11,616 square feet and the plan needs four homes.
- ✕ A building over 35 feet is planned within 100 feet of a single-family zone.
What To Verify Before Spending Money
- → How the City rounds a fractional density such as 4.13 homes.
- → Whether the lot is near a stop on the regional SB 79 map.
- → Whether the R-7,000 lot meets one of the four infill tests.
Where to Go Next
Related on VanPlex: the Lancaster overview, the SB 79 page and the duplex to fourplex guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I build a fourplex in Lancaster?
How many homes fit on a 6,000 square foot HDR lot in Lancaster?
How tall can an apartment building be in Lancaster?
How much parking does a Lancaster triplex need?
What extra features must a small Lancaster apartment building have?
What is Lancaster's infill rule for R-7,000 land?
Does the density bonus apply in Lancaster?
Does SB 79 apply in Lancaster?
Can I build apartments on Lancaster commercial land?
What is a residential planned development in Lancaster?
Official sources (checked October 2026)
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