Vallejo | Zoning Districts
Vallejo Zoning Districts: Residential, Mixed-Use and Specific Plan Areas
A zoning district is the label the City puts on each lot to say which uses are allowed there and how much can be built. Vallejo's districts are set in Title 16 of the Vallejo Municipal Code, the Zoning Code. The City Council adopted the current Zoning Code and a new Zoning Map on June 22, 2021, by Ordinance No. 1855 N.C.(2d), which repealed the old Title 16 in full. This page lists the districts that allow homes, how many homes each allows on a lot, and the overlays and specific plans that change those numbers. The Vallejo overview has the summary.
Vallejo zoning in six facts
- Vallejo's Zoning Code is Title 16 of its Municipal Code, adopted by Ordinance No. 1855 N.C.(2d) on June 22, 2021 together with a new Zoning Map. Source: VMC Code Comparative Table
- Four residential districts set the base: RR and RLD at a maximum of 9 homes per net acre, RMD at 25 and RHD at 40. Source: VMC Tables 16.202-A and 16.202-B
- A duplex is permitted in the RLD, RMD and RHD districts, and buildings of three or more homes are permitted in RMD and RHD. Source: VMC Table 16.301-A
- Projects of 2 to 10 homes are decided by the Director; 50 or more need a Planning Commission decision. Source: VMC Table 16.301-A, Note 1
- The Downtown and Waterfront mixed-use districts allow 30 to 90 homes per net acre where the General Plan designation is District-Downtown/Waterfront. Source: VMC Table 16.203-A
- Where the General Plan and the zoning disagree on boundaries, density or intensity, the General Plan prevails. Source: VMC Table 16.102-A
The Districts That Allow Homes
| District | Density | Minimum lot | Typical homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| RR, Rural Residential | Up to 9 per net acre | 2.5 acres (5, 10 or 15 acres with a -5, -10 or -15 suffix) | One house, an ADU and a guest house |
| RLD, Residential Low Density | Up to 9 per net acre, ADUs not counted | 5,000 sq ft, 50 ft wide | House, townhouse or duplex; small lot development with a minor use permit |
| RMD, Residential Medium Density | Up to 25 per net acre; 1,740 sq ft of lot per home | 5,000 sq ft, 50 ft wide | House, duplex, triplex, fourplex, small apartments |
| RHD, Residential High Density | Up to 40 per net acre (50 where the General Plan says Business/Limited Residential); 1,100 sq ft of lot per home | 5,000 sq ft, 50 ft wide | Duplex to apartment building |
| NMX, Neighborhood Mixed Use | 16 to 30, or 25 to 50, per net acre, by General Plan designation | 5,000 sq ft, 50 ft wide | Three or more homes, often over shops |
| DMX, Downtown Mixed Use | 30 to 90, or 16 to 50, per net acre | None set | Three or more homes |
| WMX, Waterfront Mixed Use | 30 to 90, or 16 to 50, per net acre; the Waterfront PDMP controls | None set | House or three or more homes |
Sources: Vallejo Municipal Code Table 16.202-A, Table 16.202-B, Table 16.203-A and Table 16.301-A. "Net acre" counts the lot without streets.
The Zoning Map, called "The Zoning Map of the City of Vallejo," is kept in the office of the Planning Division and is part of the Zoning Code under Section 16.102.02. Each district carries a short map symbol. Table 16.102-A pairs every district with the General Plan land use designation it carries out, and a note under the table sets the order of priority: "Whenever there is a conflict in the General Plan and Zoning District boundaries, density or development intensity, the General Plan shall prevail." Section 16.201 repeats the rule for development standards. So the first step for any lot is to read both the Zoning Map and the General Plan map.
The Four Residential Districts
Section 16.202.01 gives each residential district its purpose. The purposes explain how the Planning Division reads a project that sits between two categories.
- RR, Rural Residential, is for rural homes, farming and open space. Its minimum lot is 2.5 acres, or 5, 10 or 15 acres where the map adds a -5, -10 or -15 suffix. Front setbacks are 30 feet and side and rear setbacks 20 feet.
- RLD, Residential Low Density, is for areas where "permanent single unit residences, including detached and attached (duplexes and townhouses) units, are the primary use." It allows "cottages and bungalows around courts" and small neighborhood shops. Density is capped at nine homes per acre, "excluding accessory dwelling units."
- RMD, Residential Medium Density, allows "a mix of housing types, including attached and detached, and small apartment buildings" at up to 25 homes per acre. In established neighborhoods the stated intent is "to maintain the existing pattern of single-family residences, including attached units and duplexes." In undeveloped areas it is to "encourage the creation of multi-unit residential neighborhoods."
- RHD, Residential High Density, allows "a mix of housing types" at up to 40 homes per acre, and mixed-use buildings with small shops.
A duplex, in the words of Section 16.701.02, is "a single building that contains two dwelling units or two single unit dwellings on a single lot." Multi-unit residential means "three or more dwelling units within a single building or within two or more buildings on a site or lot(s), including a triplex or fourplex." A townhouse is an attached home that shares a common party wall "having no doors, windows, or other provisions for human passage or visibility." A bungalow court is "a series of small detached structures arranged around a shared court."
What Each District Permits
| Use | Permitted in |
|---|---|
| Single-unit, detached | RR, RLD, RMD, RHD, WMX |
| Single-unit, attached (townhouse) | RLD, RMD, RHD, NMX, DMX, WMX, NC, CC, RC |
| Duplex | RLD, RMD, RHD, NC, CC, RC |
| Multi-unit residential (three or more homes) | RMD, RHD, NMX, DMX, WMX, NC, CC; minor use permit in RC, O and M |
| Small lot development | Minor use permit in RLD and RMD |
| Accessory dwelling unit | RR, RLD, RMD, RHD, NMX, DMX, WMX, NC, CC, RC |
| Guest house (no kitchen) | RR, RLD, RMD |
Source: Vallejo Municipal Code Section 16.301.01, Table 16.301-A, as amended by Ordinance Nos. 1875, 1877 and 1879 N.C.(2d).
In Table 16.301-A, "P" means permitted, and the key adds that a permitted use "may be subject to Zoning Compliance Review determination." Zoning compliance review is a staff check that plans meet the code. "MNP" means a minor use permit, which the Director decides with public notice, and "MJP" a major use permit, which the Planning Commission decides at a hearing. Every row for houses, duplexes and apartments carries Note 1, which sets who decides:
- 2 to 10 homes: a Director decision.
- 11 to 49 homes: a Director decision with a Design Review Board recommendation.
- 50 or more homes: a Design Review Board recommendation and a Planning Commission decision.
- A project that complies with Government Code 65589.4 skips Design Review Board and Planning Commission review.
The table also says that development review under Section 16.605 "is required for new construction," so even a permitted duplex gets a design check. The permits and fees page explains those reviews.
How the Code Counts Homes on a Lot
Section 16.104.05 says the maximum number of homes "is determined by dividing the area of the site in square feet by the minimum number of square feet of lot area required for each residential dwelling unit." Section 16.104.02 then rounds: a fraction of one-half or more goes up to the next whole number, and less than one-half goes down. Density bonus projects round the way state law says instead.
- RMD, 5,000 square foot lot: 5,000 divided by 1,740 is 2.87, which rounds to 3 homes (VanPlex arithmetic).
- RHD, 5,000 square foot lot: 5,000 divided by 1,100 is 4.55, which rounds to 5 homes (VanPlex arithmetic).
- RLD: Table 16.202-A sets no lot area per home, only a maximum of 9 homes per net acre. An acre is 43,560 square feet, so that is one home for each 4,840 square feet of net lot area (VanPlex arithmetic). Ask the Planning Division how it counts a duplex on a smaller RLD lot.
Accessory dwelling units do not count. The ADU chapter in force since October 8, 2026 says an ADU or junior ADU that complies "shall not count toward the allowable density for the lot." So a 5,000 square foot RMD lot can carry three homes plus the ADUs allowed on the ADUs and SB 9 page.
The Mixed-Use Districts
Chapter 16.203, rewritten by Ordinance No. 1879 N.C.(2d) on March 11, 2025, sets three mixed-use districts where homes and shops share a building or a lot.
- NMX, Neighborhood Mixed Use, covers "the primary commercial corridors of Tennessee Street, Solano Avenue, Springs Road, Broadway, Sonoma Boulevard as well as other areas." Density is 16 to 30 homes per net acre where the General Plan says Neighborhood Commercial and 25 to 50 where it says Business/Limited Residential. Buildings may reach five stories and 75 feet.
- DMX, Downtown Mixed Use, carries out the Downtown Vallejo Specific Plan. It allows 30 to 90 homes per net acre where the General Plan says District-Downtown/Waterfront and 16 to 50 where it says Central Corridor, up to eight stories and 102 feet.
- WMX, Waterfront Mixed Use, carries out the Vallejo Waterfront Planned Development Master Plan (PDMP), which "supersedes these regulations in the event of a conflict unless preempted by state requirements." Height follows the PDMP.
These densities are a minimum and a maximum, so a project must reach the lower number. Section 16.203.03 asks that at least 15 percent of ground-floor space on a street frontage be non-residential. On sites with more than 100 feet of frontage, active commercial uses must fill 30 percent of the primary frontage in NMX and 40 percent in DMX. Each home needs 60 square feet of private open space and 150 square feet of common open space.
Both Downtown and Waterfront rules are being rewritten. The City's Downtown Vallejo Specific Plan page says the Council authorized consultant contracts on September 8, 2026, with work to start in October 2026, and that the plan area "could accommodate approximately 1,100 new housing units." The Waterfront Specific Plan page says a new specific plan will replace the Waterfront PDMP and gives "approximately 2,300 new housing units" for that area. Those are the City's own planning figures.
Housing Element Sites Zoned by Right
A Housing Element is the part of the General Plan that shows where a city can fit its share of regional housing need. Ordinance No. 1877 N.C.(2d), adopted January 7, 2025, added Section 16.301.01.B. On inventory sites 41 (APN 0052110140), 42 (APN 0051250230) and 55 (APN 0069032240), "multifamily residential uses shall be permitted by right (without discretionary action)" for projects with at least 20 percent of units affordable to lower-income households. Such projects need only "design review based on objective standards."
A wider rezoning is pending. The City's May 2026 long-range project list describes an ordinance under Housing Element Program A 1.1.6 that "would establish a minimum density of 20 dwelling units per acre and require residential-only development on the affected sites." The Planning Commission took it up on December 15, 2025 and continued it to January 21, 2026, and the list marks it "On Hold." VanPlex found no adoption of it.
Planned Developments, Specific Plans and Overlays
Planned Development (PD) districts, under Chapter 16.209, let an approved plan set lot sizes, setbacks and heights. A PD needs at least four contiguous acres unless the City Council finds a smaller one gives greater public benefit. Property in Garthe Ranch, Glen Cove, Hiddenbrooke, Mare Island and Northgate (Residential) follows its existing master plan. Table 16.209-A lets the Planning Commission add density for public open space, trails and senior housing, for example "One dwelling unit per every 2 units provided" of senior housing.
A specific plan is a plan adopted for one area that can replace parts of the Zoning Code there. Table 16.210-A lists six: Hiddenbrooke (1987), White Slough (1995), Downtown Vallejo (2005), Mare Island (2005), Solano360 (2013) and Sonoma Boulevard (2017). Under Section 16.210.01, where a specific plan and the base district both apply, "the more restrictive provisions will govern." The May 2026 project list says a draft Mare Island Specific Plan "is estimated to generate up to 14,000 dwelling units"; the City sent comments on it on February 7, 2026.
Overlays add rules on top of the base district. Chapter 16.211 creates the "H" Historic District and "L" Landmark overlays, Chapter 16.213 the Residential View District, and Chapter 16.212 applies Hillside Development Standards to any parcel with an average slope of 15 percent or more. The historic districts and hillsides page covers all three.
Where the Code Disagrees With Itself
- Specific plan lists. Table 16.102-A names four specific plans (Hiddenbrooke, Mare Island, Solano360 and White Slough). Table 16.210-A names six, adding Downtown Vallejo and Sonoma Boulevard. Table 16.210-A is the list in the chapter that governs specific plans.
- A missing note. Table 16.301-A marks duplexes in RC as "P/27" and multi-unit homes in RC as "MNP/1,27," but the notes at the end of the table stop at Note 26. Ask the Planning Division what Note 27 requires.
- RR density. Table 16.202-A prints a maximum density of 9 homes per net acre for RR, the same as RLD, while RR lots must be at least 2.5 acres and RR is described as "very low-density."
- A wrong cross-reference. Table 16.202-B sends readers to "Section 16.202.04.A.5" for the parking setback, but the code has no Section 16.202.04; the RMD and RHD standards follow the table inside Section 16.202.03. The same table's accessory structure row speaks of "the RLD Zoning District."
Changes Since the Code Was Printed
The Municode copy is current through Ordinance No. 1885 N.C.(2d) of December 16, 2025. One zoning change came after it: Ordinance No. 1890 N.C.(2d), adopted September 8, 2026, replaced the ADU chapter from October 8, 2026. The City's project pages also show an Inclusionary Housing Ordinance set for a Council hearing on October 27, 2026, and a study of renter protections the Council asked for on September 29, 2026. Neither changes the districts above, but ask the Planning Division whether a newer ordinance applies to your lot.
Best For
- ✓ RMD lots of 5,000 square feet or more, for three homes plus ADUs.
- ✓ RHD lots near transit, at up to 40 homes per net acre.
- ✓ RLD lots wide enough for a duplex within 9 homes per net acre.
Usually Fails When
- ✕ The General Plan designation allows less than the zoning suggests.
- ✕ A specific plan or PD plan sets stricter rules than the base district.
- ✕ The lot sits in a historic district, view district or on a 15 percent slope.
What To Verify Before Spending Money
- → The district on the Zoning Map and the General Plan designation.
- → Any PD, specific plan, H, L or view district that covers the lot.
- → How the Planning Division counts density on your exact lot area.
Where to Go Next
Related on VanPlex: the Vallejo overview, the duplex to fourplex guide and the SB 79 page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What zoning districts allow homes in Vallejo?
Can I build a duplex on an RLD lot in Vallejo?
How many homes can I build on a 5,000 square foot RMD lot in Vallejo?
What is the difference between RMD and RHD in Vallejo?
Who approves a fourplex in Vallejo?
What does the Downtown Mixed Use district allow in Vallejo?
Which specific plans apply in Vallejo?
Does the General Plan or the zoning control in Vallejo?
Are any Vallejo sites zoned for apartments by right?
What is a Planned Development district in Vallejo?
Official sources (checked October 2026)
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