Vallejo | Lots and Subdivisions

Vallejo Lot Size and Subdivisions: Minimum Lots, Small Lots, Maps and SB 9 Lot Splits

To subdivide is to divide one piece of land into two or more lots that can be sold on their own. In Vallejo two sets of rules decide how small a lot can be and how a lot is divided. The Zoning Code, Title 16, sets the minimum lot size in each district and the special small lot rules. The subdivision rules, Title 15, set the maps, the deadlines and the conditions; they date from Ordinance No. 1056 N.C.(2d) of 1989 and carry 1990 and 1996 changes. State law adds two routes of its own, SB 9 and SB 684. This page covers all of them. The Vallejo overview has the summary.

Minimum Lot Sizes

Sources: Vallejo Municipal Code Table 16.202-A, Table 16.202-B, Table 16.203-A, Sec. 16.202.05 and Ch. 15.20; Gov. Code 66411.7 and 66499.41.

In RR and RLD, Section 16.202.02 adds a shape rule: "The ratio of lot depth to lot width shall not be greater than 4:1." So a 50 foot wide RLD lot may be up to 200 feet deep (VanPlex arithmetic). Title 15 adds design rules for any new lot in Section 15.06.100. The number of lots per acre must be "consistent with the designated density range of the general plan." Every lot needs "direct frontage on a street, or access to a street by way of an access easement," which is a recorded right to cross other land. No lot may be split by the city boundary, and no lot may be created that "cannot be put to a use permitted under the provisions of Title 16." Under Section 15.06.090, a block may be no more than 1,000 feet long.

Older and Smaller Lots

Many Vallejo lots were created before today's minimums. Section 16.501.04 says: "Any lot or parcel of land that was legally created through a recorded deed may be used as a building site even when consisting of less area, width, or depth than that required." No such lot "can be further reduced in area, width, or depth, unless such reduction is required as part of a public improvement."

Section 16.105.05 calls these legal non-conforming lots when the Solano County Recorder shows them as a lot of record under one ownership. In a residential district such a lot "shall conform to the maximum allowable density of that zoning district," but "at a minimum, one single-unit dwelling unit and customary accessory buildings may be established" on it. A narrow lot also gets narrower side yards: in RR and RLD, a lot with an average width of 45 feet or less needs a side setback of 10 percent of the width or three feet, whichever is greater.

Small Lot Development

Section 16.202.05 is Vallejo's own route to more, smaller lots. Its purpose is "to increase the supply of smaller dwelling units and potential rental housing units" by allowing homes on smaller lots. It applies in the RLD and RMD districts, and Table 16.301-A lists small lot development as needing a minor use permit in both.

• Permits. A minor use permit under Chapter 16.606 plus a small lot subdivision parcel map or tentative map under Title 15, which may be filed and decided together.
• Lot size. The Director or Planning Commission may approve lots "no less than two thousand square feet in area and twenty-five feet in width," on finding that the scale "will be similar to that of surrounding development" and "will contribute to underserved segments of the city's housing market."
• Where it is refused. It is not allowed where the Director finds it would not be compatible, where public utilities and services are inadequate, or where grading or view impacts make the landform wrong for it.
• Density. The project may not exceed the General Plan maximum.

Table 16.202-C sets the standards for three small lot types. A small lot single unit needs a lot 25 feet wide, a floor area ratio of 0.6 or less, and 300 square feet of open space per home. Floor area ratio is total floor area divided by lot area. A bungalow court site needs 75 feet of width and a central courtyard of 15 percent of the lot. A townhouse site needs 80 feet of width, allows a floor area ratio of 1.0 and buildings up to 125 feet long. All three may cover 65 percent of the lot, with a front setback of 10 feet (7 feet for porches and stoops) and a rear setback of 5 feet. Garages may be no wider than 20 feet.

Parcel Maps and Tentative Maps

Sources: Vallejo Municipal Code Sec. 15.04.210, Ch. 15.08 and Ch. 15.14; Master Fee Schedule FY 2026-2027, Planning Division lines 44, 46 and 47. Notice distances are for projects exempt from environmental review.

A tentative map shows the planned lots, streets and improvements before a final survey. Section 15.08.040 gives the Planning Division 30 days to tell the applicant whether the application is complete, then sets a Planning Commission hearing "so that the commission can approve or deny the application within fifty days" after it is accepted. For a project exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the state environmental review law, the hearing is published once in a newspaper at least ten working days before, and notice goes to owners within 500 feet. After approval, the subdivider records a final map under Chapter 15.12.

A parcel map is the shorter route. Section 15.04.210 uses it when "the subdivision contains less than five lots," among other cases. Under Section 15.14.070, notice goes to every property owner within 200 feet and every neighborhood group within 500 feet, at least ten working days before the decision for a project exempt from CEQA, and "within fifty days of the date the application was accepted as complete, the development services director shall approve, conditionally approve or deny the parcel map." The development services director or the Planning Commission may waive the parcel map when the division meets the Subdivision Map Act and Title 15.

Approvals last 36 months. Section 15.08.110 says "An approved tentative map shall expire thirty-six months after its approval," and Section 15.14.090 applies the same time limits to tentative parcel maps. The Planning Commission may extend a map "for an additional period or periods not exceeding a total of thirty-six months," and a denial may be appealed to the City Council within 15 days. A decision of the planning manager may be appealed to the Planning Commission within ten days under Section 15.08.070.

Developed Small Lot Subdivisions

Chapter 15.20 is a 1989 rule for older neighborhoods. It lets "a lot developed as of January 1, 1989" be divided into lots "with areas less than five thousand square feet," so that each existing building can sit on its own lot. The stated intent is that owners "renovate and rehabilitate the structures on the property" and that owner occupancy rises. The chapter is "not intended to increase densities in residential areas, nor to create new vacant lots."

Section 15.20.030 lists the findings the development services director must make. The lot may have "no more than one dwelling unit for every two thousand five hundred square feet." Every structure must already exist, with "no more than two dwelling units." The building official must inspect, and all substandard conditions must be fixed. Each building needs R-30 ceiling insulation, a water heater blanket and water conservation devices. Each new lot needs its own water and sewer service and the open space required in the medium density district. Garages of at least 10 by 20 feet used for required parking may not be converted to living space. The owner deposits $1,000 for each new lot, returned when the owner proves 12 months of continuous occupancy and kept by the City if not claimed within three years.

SB 9 Lot Splits

SB 9 (2021) lets an owner split one house lot into two, approved by staff without a hearing. Vallejo has not written it into its code: a search of Titles 15 and 16 on Municode found no section that cites Government Code 66411.7. The City does take the applications. Its FY 2026-2027 Master Fee Schedule lists "SB-9 - Lot Split" at $1,737, "SB-9 - Two Unit Development" at $1,737, and both together at $3,081. So the rules come from Government Code 66411.7, explained on the SB 9 page:

• No more than two new lots, one of them at least 40 percent of the original lot, and "both newly created parcels are no smaller than 1,200 square feet."
• The lot must be "located within a single-family residential zone." Vallejo's code does not name which districts count. Table 16.102-A pairs RR and RLD with the "Primarily Single-Family" General Plan designation; confirm with the Planning Division.
• The applicant signs an affidavit to live in one of the homes "for a minimum of three years from the date of the approval of the urban lot split."

Vallejo's ADU chapter adds one local limit. Section 16.303.08.G, in force since October 8, 2026, says that on a lot from an urban lot split "no more than two total dwelling units shall be permitted, including any combination of primary dwellings, ADUs, or JADUs." The SB 9 rules for two homes on one lot are on the ADUs and SB 9 page.

SB 684 and SB 1123 Small-Lot Maps

Government Code 66499.41 requires a city to approve, without a hearing, a map of 10 or fewer lots with 10 or fewer homes on a lot "zoned to allow multifamily residential dwelling use" of up to five acres, or "a vacant lot zoned for single-family residential development" of up to one and one-half acres. New lots can be as small as 600 square feet, or 1,200 square feet where zoned single-family, unless the city adopts a smaller number. Vallejo has no local section on these maps, so the statute applies as written. In Vallejo the multifamily route fits RMD, RHD and the mixed-use districts, where Table 16.301-A permits three or more homes. The SB 684 and SB 1123 page covers the full conditions. The version in force until January 1, 2027 is the one summarized here.

Park Land and Fees

Section 15.06.220 requires "the dedication of land, the payment of fees in lieu thereof or a combination of both" for every residential subdivision, under Chapter 3.18. Section 3.18.050 sets the standard at "four and one-quarter acres of land for each one thousand persons." The City picks land, fee or both as a condition of the tentative map, and payment is due with the final map. ADUs are excepted. A separate park impact fee applies at building permit; the permits and fees page lists the amounts.

Where the Code Is Out of Date

• Section 15.20.030 cites "Section 16.04.550 of the zoning ordinance" and "Section 16.70.070" for street trees. Ordinance No. 1855 N.C.(2d) repealed that zoning ordinance in 2021, and the current Title 16 numbers its sections from 16.101 on.
• Section 15.20.030 also relies on the "Uniform Building Code" and "Uniform Fire Code," which California has replaced with the California Building Standards Code adopted in Title 12.
• Section 15.08.110 still extends map terms during certain lawsuits "until January 1, 1992."
• Title 15 does not mention SB 9 or SB 684. Where Title 15 and those statutes differ, the statutes control.

Where to Go Next

Related on VanPlex: the Vallejo overview, the SB 9 page and the SB 684 and SB 1123 page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Official sources (checked October 2026)