Zoning & entitlements
Floor area ratio (FAR)
Gross building floor area divided by lot area — the intensity metric that, with height and coverage, sets how much building fits on a site.
Definition
Floor area ratio is total building floor area divided by lot area: FAR 1.0 on a 10,000-square-foot lot allows 10,000 square feet of building. Districts set it in the zoning ordinance, and together with height and lot coverage it defines the massing envelope.
Two state overrides matter for housing: SB 478 floors the minimum FAR a city may impose on small (3–10 unit) projects, and an FAR cap that physically precludes a density-bonus project's awarded unit count is waivable under § 65915(e).
Why it matters in an underwrite
FAR often binds before density does — a site can permit 30 units on paper that will not fit inside the allowed floor area at market unit sizes. Test the envelope both ways: units-by-density and units-by-FAR at your average unit square footage. When FAR is the binding constraint, the FAR waiver is typically the single highest-value line in a density-bonus application.
Sources & related guides
See also
See the term in the law itself
Read the controlling text in the Code Library, or ask the AI how it applies to your project.
Last reviewed 2026-07-29. General information, not legal advice.