Richmond | Parking, Setbacks and Height

Richmond, California Parking, Setbacks and Height: Residential Districts, Sloped Lots and Parking Near BART

Richmond, California sets the size and placement of homes through setbacks, the distance a building must keep from each lot line, height limits, lot coverage, the share of the lot that buildings may cover, and a cap on house size for single-family lots. Parking follows an unusual formula: the code estimates how many spaces each use needs and sets the minimum one third below that number. This page lists the figures in Municode's Supplement 74 and the 2026 changes it does not show. The Richmond overview has the summary.

RH, RL1 and RL2 Standards

Source: Richmond Municipal Code Table 15.04.201.030, Supplement 74. The RL2 side setback cell prints only "Ground floor: 5."

The notes under the table adjust these numbers:

• Front setback averaging. Where neighboring lots on the same block face are built, the front setback is "the average of the actual front setback of these abutting improved lots on such block face or 20 feet, whichever is less." On lots sloping 20 percent or more, it may drop to 10 feet if the garage door is 18 feet from the edge of the pavement.
• Narrow lots. On lots averaging 45 feet wide or less, the side setback is "10 percent of the lot width, or three feet, whichever is greater."
• Rear setback. "In the RL2 and RL1 districts the rear setback may be reduced to 10 feet if the combined front and rear setback is at least 40 feet."
• Porches. Covered walkways, porches and verandas may project 3.5 feet into a side setback for up to 10 feet of length.

House size is capped by a floor area ratio (FAR), the floor area divided by the lot area. Table 15.04.201.030-G allows 2,125 square feet on lots under 3,750 square feet; adds 0.3 FAR above 3,750 square feet on lots up to 6,000, 0.2 on lots up to 7,500 and 0.15 on lots up to 11,000; and caps lots above 11,000 square feet at 4,000 square feet. A 5,000 square foot lot therefore allows 2,125 + (1,250 x 0.3) = 2,500 square feet (VanPlex arithmetic). Detached garages at the rear, 40 feet from the front lot line with a driveway under 12 feet wide, are left out of the count.

RM1 and RM2 Standards

Source: Richmond Municipal Code Table 15.04.201.050, Supplement 74.

Where "75 percent or more of the lots in a block, on both sides of the street, have been improved with buildings," the front setback for the entry stoop or porch is the average of those lots or 10 feet, whichever is less. Next to an RH or RL district, the setback grows to 10 feet at the side and 20 feet at the rear. Underground parking may match the building setbacks, and a parking podium may show at most five feet above grade. Surface parking within 40 feet of the street needs an administrative use permit, granted only if the design puts living space near the sidewalk, screens the parking, or the site is too small for any other layout. Mixed-use buildings with only homes in them follow the RM2 setbacks.

Height on Sloped Lots

Section 15.04.201.060 applies to "All lots with a building footprint slope of 20 percent or more." On a downslope lot, the main building's wall height may be 32 feet where the slope is over 20 and up to 40 percent, 34 feet over 40 and up to 60 percent, and 36 feet above 60 percent, with pitched roofs 4 feet higher and taller walls by conditional use permit. Downslope buildings may rise no more than 18 feet above the edge of the pavement. On upslope lots, walls are capped at 32 feet and pitched roofs at 35, at 24 feet within 20 feet of the front lot line, and at 24 feet above the ground at the rear setback line. Detached accessory structures on these lots may be 15 feet tall.

How Richmond Counts Parking

Source: Richmond Municipal Code Table 15.04.607.040, Supplement 74. Worked minimums are VanPlex arithmetic: demand x 0.67, rounded under Sec. 15.04.103.030. ADUs: 1 per unit or bedroom, whichever is less, unless exempt.

Section 15.04.607.040 says "The minimum number of parking spaces required shall be 33 percent less than the estimated parking demand," and "The maximum number of private parking spaces allowed shall equal to the estimated peak period parking demand." Spaces above the maximum must be shared and open to the public, or need a conditional use permit; spaces below the minimum, including none at all, also need a conditional use permit with findings that demand will be managed and street parking not overloaded. For a duplex, demand is 2 x 1.5 = 3 spaces and the minimum 3 x 0.67 = 2.01, rounded to 2. For a fourplex of two-bedroom homes, demand is 6 and the minimum 4.02, rounded to 4 (VanPlex arithmetic).

• Near BART. "Within one-half mile of the Richmond BART/Intermodal Terminal, the El Cerrito Del Norte and El Cerrito Plaza BART Stations measured from the station platform and within one-quarter mile of an AC Transit bus stop, the minimum and maximum parking requirements shall be reduced to 50 percent."
• State law. Government Code 65863.2 says a public agency "shall not impose or enforce any minimum automobile parking requirement" on a project "within one-half mile of public transit," unless it makes written findings within 30 days of a complete application.
• Adding homes. "The creation of additional dwelling units through the alteration of an existing building or construction of an additional structure or structures requires the provision of on-site parking to serve the new dwelling units," unless enough parking already exists.
• Covered parking. Required parking in the front half of a lot, or within 25 feet of the side street on a corner lot, must be covered by a carport, garage or roof, and a single-family garage space must be at least 10 by 20 feet inside.
• Garage conversions. In RL1 and RL2, a garage converted to living space may drop covered parking with an administrative use permit if replacement surface parking, which may be tandem, sits in a front setback at least 18 feet deep, a side setback at least 10 feet wide, or the rear of the lot.
• On-street credit. Available street parking may count toward the minimum one for one, up to 50 percent of the street supply within a one block walk, if a parking study supports it.

In the form-based code's T4 Neighborhood zone, residential parking is one space per 1,000 square feet, with "No parking spaces required for affordable housing developments or first 2,000 sf of residential use." ADU and SB 9 parking rules are on the ADUs and SB 9 page.

Garages, Driveways and Paving on House Lots

Section 15.04.201.040 adds design rules for single-family homes in the RH, RL1 and RL2 districts that also shape where parking can go:

• Garage width. Where an attached garage sits on the front half of the lot and its doors face a street, "garage width shall not exceed 50 percent of the width of the front façade of the building (40 percent on lots wider than 100 feet)."
• Driveways. "A maximum of one driveway up to 20 feet wide is permitted to serve a single unit," and every driveway needs a planted strip at least one foot wide along a side or rear lot line.
• Paving. "The maximum amount of paving (impervious surface) in street-facing yards is 50 percent of the required yard." The RM districts set the same 50 percent limit.
• Alley garages. A detached garage or carport may open onto a paved alley if its entrance is at least four feet from the rear lot line, a 45-degree visibility triangle is kept on each side, and the door does not cross the property line.
• Entrances. The main entry faces the street with a porch or recess at least five feet deep.

Projections Into Setbacks

Table 15.04.601.020 lets some parts of a building reach into setbacks. "No projection may extend closer than three feet to an interior lot line or into a public utility easement." Bay windows and balconies may project 3 feet into a front yard and 2 feet into side and rear yards, over no more than one third of the wall. Decks and porches under 18 inches tall may project 6 feet into a front yard and 8 into a rear yard. In residential districts "the main residential building may project into a required rear yard up to, but not within, 10 feet of the rear lot line," if coverage and open space limits are met, over no more than half the average lot width.

2026 Changes and the Code's Own Gaps

• Ordinance No. 9-26 N.S. (June 16, 2026) amended Article 15.04.201 and Article 15.04.607, the parking article. Ordinance No. 11-26 N.S. (July 28, 2026) amended Sections 15.04.201.030 and 15.04.201.050, the two standards tables, for ADUs. VanPlex could not read either text.
• ADU height. The tables let an ADU reach 16 feet as an accessory building; Government Code 66321 protects 18 feet near transit and 25 feet for an attached ADU, and the statute controls.
• Cross reference. Table 15.04.201.030 points to "§ 15.04.601.060 Height Regulations for Sloped Lots"; that number is the fences section, and the sloped lot rules are Section 15.04.201.060.
• RM2 stories. The RM2 story limit of 3 carries note C, which regulates a fourth story.
• Parking findings. Section 15.04.607.040.I.2 refers to the maximum allowed "by subsection (G)," but the maximum is set in subsection (H).

Where to Go Next

Related on VanPlex: the Richmond overview, the duplex to fourplex guide and the California ADU law page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Official sources (checked October 2026)