Pomona | Zoning Districts

Pomona Zoning Districts: The 2024 Form-Based Code and Where Homes Are Allowed

Pomona replaced its old zoning ordinance in 2024 with the Pomona Zoning and Development Code, a form-based code. A form-based code regulates mainly the shape and placement of buildings, and only second the uses inside them. Pomona's version has 32 districts and no homes-per-acre limits in its text. This page explains how the district names work, which districts allow homes, and where specific plans and overlays take over. The Pomona overview gives the short version.

Which Text Is in Force

The City Council adopted the new code at second reading on July 1, 2024, as Ordinance No. 4345. The staff report for that meeting says the Planning Commission held 26 discussions over 36 months, that the new code "will replace the City's existing 'base' zoning code, but will not replace the majority of the City's specific plans," and that it was expected to take effect on July 31, 2024. The text adopted that night is Exhibit A to Ordinance No. 4345.

The code has been amended since. Ordinance No. 4363, adopted February 2, 2026, rewrote Section 830.A on accessory dwelling units. Ordinance No. 4365, adopted June 15, 2026 by a 5 to 0 vote with two members absent, made "more than 45 revisions" to design standards, use rules and administration, and took effect on July 15, 2026. The marked copy attached to Ordinance No. 4365 shows each 2026 change with added text underlined and removed text struck through. This guide reads the 2024 text and checks every section the City's index of 2026 revisions lists against that marked copy.

The Pomona City Code on Municode does not print the zoning text. Its Subpart C (Zoning) holds only an editor's note: "The City of Pomona has a new zoning code that is hosted externally." The City's website copy of the code could not be opened for this guide, so the Council record is the source on every Pomona page here.

How a District Name Works

Every district name stands for a "bracket" of three modules. Section 300.A writes the first bracket as [ FORM - FRONTAGE - USE ] and calls the form module "a separate and independent component of each zoning district."

• Form module (Part 3). Lot width, coverage, setbacks, outdoor amenity space, and building height, width and depth. A setback is the distance a building must keep from a lot line.
• Frontage module (Part 4). How the building meets the street: how far back it may sit, how much of the front yard must be planted, windows, entrances and where parking may go.
• Use module (Part 5). Which uses are permitted, need a conditional use permit, or are barred. A conditional use permit is an approval the Planning Commission grants after a public hearing.

The form module names follow a pattern. House modules (HN, HM, HB) "must not exceed 2.5 stories in height," and the letter gives the widest building allowed: Narrow is 40 feet or less, Medium is 41 to 60 feet, and Broad is 61 to 80 feet. Low-rise modules (LM) run from 2.5 to 4 stories and mid-rise modules (MM, MB) from 5 to 12 stories. A second bracket may follow the first to show a historic district or overlay; Section 800.D gives the example 'NE2-H = [LM2-G1-CX2] [WHHD]', for a lot in the Wilton Heights Historic District.

The 32 Districts and Where Homes Fit

Section 200.A establishes 32 districts in eight groups and says they "do not include Specific Plans, historic designations, or overlay districts." The table lists each district's first bracket, its height in stories from Part 2, and how the use table treats a dwelling unit in its use module.

Source: Pomona Zoning and Development Code, Sec. 200.B to 200.I and Sec. 520.C, as adopted July 1, 2024; neither section is on the City's list of 2026 revisions.

The Residential Neighborhood Districts are the ones most house lots fall in. Section 200.B describes them as "a walkable neighborhood environment intended to accommodate a variety of lower-intensity housing options," up to 2.5 stories, "including single-unit homes, cottage courts, duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, and other small multifamily development." RND2 uses the narrow House Narrow 1 module with shallow front yards; RND4 uses the broad House Broad 1 module; RND3 uses the Low-Rise Medium 1 module, which allows wider buildings at the same 2.5 stories; RND5 adds limited office uses through the RX1 module.

The Neighborhood Edge Districts allow up to 3 stories and "typically transition" between the RND districts and busier areas, with townhouses, live-work units and small apartment buildings. The Urban Neighborhood Districts allow up to 4 stories, the Activity Center Districts up to 6, and the Transit Oriented Districts, described as "the most active and walkable zoning districts in the city," up to 6. Each group carries out a place type of the General Plan; for example, Section 200.B says the RND districts "implement the Residential Neighborhood Place Type established in the General Plan."

Part 2 has one count that does not match itself. Section 200.H says "There are 2 Special Campus Districts (SCD)," while Section 200.A and the table under 200.H list three: SCD1 for Cal Poly Pomona, SCD2 for the Civic Center and SCD3 for Fairplex. The total of 32 districts only works with three. The marked 2026 copy still says "There are 2."

The Use Modules That Allow Homes

Section 510.A says the R1 module is meant "to accommodate a wide variety of housing types for a variety of housing needs in a predominantly residential setting." RX1 adds "limited office uses." The use table in Section 520.C then sets a permission for each use. Section 520.B explains the letters: "P" means "permitted by-right," "C" needs a conditional use permit from the Planning Commission, a dash means "permitted under no circumstances," and an asterisk means specific use standards apply.

Source: Pomona Zoning and Development Code, Sec. 520.C, Allowed Use Table, residential rows. P = permitted; C = conditional use permit; * = use standards apply.

A dwelling unit is "any housing accommodations serving as a primary residency or having a tenancy of 30 days or greater," and the definition in Section 530.B includes supportive and transitional housing. The use table has no separate row for a duplex, triplex or apartment building. A building with several homes is several dwelling units, and the number on a lot is limited by the form module, the parking table and the review steps described on the three or more homes page.

Two limits apply in the Commercial-Mixed 5 module used by ACD3. Section 540.A says household living uses "are not permitted on the ground story of any building," except for lobby, circulation or shared amenity space; they "cannot exceed 80% of the gross floor area developed on any site," and with their lobby and shared space they cannot exceed 90 percent.

The code also disagrees with itself on live/work units, which combine a home and a business. The definition in Section 530.B says a live/work unit "is permitted to be not greater than 3,000 square feet in area," while the use standard in Section 540.A says "A live-work unit cannot exceed 4,000 square feet in floor area." Both sentences are in the code as amended in 2026. Ask the Planning Division which figure it applies before you design a larger unit.

No Homes-per-Acre Number

The Pomona code text sets no cap on homes per acre. Its limits are physical: the lot width, the widest building, the share of the lot that buildings and paving may cover, setbacks, outdoor amenity space and height. On an RND1 lot, for example, the House Medium 1 module allows a building up to 60 feet wide and 2.5 stories, with 45 percent building coverage. How many homes fit inside that shape is a design question.

Two parts of the code point to the General Plan for density. The SB 330 Overlay District, Section 830.B, says its standards "shall be applied to facilitate and accommodate development at the density allowed on the site by the General Plan." Section 1010.A says each parcel or tract map "must also conform to all other elements of the General Plan." This guide did not read the 2014 General Plan, which the City publishes on its website, so it cannot say what density figure the General Plan sets for a given place type.

Specific Plans and Overlays

A specific plan is a separate set of rules the Council adopts for one area. Section 810.A says a specific plan "provides regulatory controls in-lieu of those provided in the zoning districts," and lists six, each with its map abbreviation: Downtown Pomona Specific Plan (2020), DTSP; Pomona Corridors Specific Plan (2020), COSP; Phillips Ranch Specific Plan (2016), PRSP; Mountain Meadows Specific Plan (2020), MMSP; Mission 71 Business Park Specific Plan (2005), 71SP; and Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center Specific Plan (2010), MCSP. Where a specific plan is silent, Section 810.B says "the Administrator will determine the applicability of similar development standards" from the code. This guide did not read the specific plan documents themselves.

Overlay districts add rules on top of a district. Section 820.A lists two: the Commercial Cannabis Permit Program Overlay District, with four sub-areas, and the Fairplex Overlay District. Historic districts and landmarks carry an "-H" on the zoning map; see the historic districts page. Section 830 adds two overlays tied to state law:

• SB 330 Overlay District (Sec. 830.B). For land where the General Plan standards "have not yet been implemented" in the zoning. There, "Single family dwellings shall be considered a permitted primary use," and so are multiple family dwellings; a housing project needs a Development Plan; and the General Plan's "Maximum number of floors and density standards" replace those of the underlying district.
• AB 2097 Overlay District (Sec. 830.C). For land within one-half mile of public transit, where state law bars a minimum parking requirement. Its procedures line reads "See Sec. 11XX (Review and Approval Procedures)," a section number that does not exist in the code.

The 2026 By-Right Rule for Housing Element Sites

Ordinance No. 4365 added a new first rule to Section 540.A. Housing developments "with 20 percent or more affordable to lower income households on nonvacant sites as identified in Appendix C of the City of Pomona Fifth Cycle Housing Element, certified on September 30, 2022, are permitted on a by-right basis." By-right means approval without a discretionary hearing when the project meets the written standards. The Housing Element is the General Plan chapter that lists sites for new homes.

The new rule cites "Government Code Section 655583.2(I)," a section number with an extra digit; the by-right rule for such sites is in Government Code 65583.2. The intent is clear from the words, but the citation in the code is wrong.

What This Means for a House Lot

For an owner of a house in an RND district, the code itself already allows more than one dwelling unit, subject to the form rules. The use table limits no district to one home per lot. State law still matters. SB 9 applies to a "single-family residential zone" under Government Code 65852.21, and the Pomona code names no district a single-family zone; whether the City treats RND land as one for SB 9 is a question for the Planning Division. ADUs are allowed in any residential or mixed-use zone under Section 830.A; see the ADUs and SB 9 page.

Before buying, find three things for the lot: its full zoning name with both brackets, whether a specific plan covers it, and whether it carries an "-H" historic tag. The zoning map was not read for any single lot in this guide.

Where to Go Next

Related on VanPlex: the Pomona overview, the duplex to fourplex guide and the SB 79 page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Official sources (checked October 2026)