Chapter 23.106 — RULES OF MEASUREMENT

Sections: 23.106.010 Chapter Purpose. 23.106.020 Lot Coverage. 23.106.030 Floor Area, Gross. 23.106.035 Floor Area, Gross Residential. 23.106.040 Floor Area, Leasable. 23.106.050 Floor Area Ratio. 23.106.060 Story. 23.106.070 Setbacks. 23.106.080 Building Separation. 23.106.090 Height. 23.106.100 Residential Density.

This chapter establishes rules for the measurement of standards contained in the Zoning Ordinance. (Ord. 7787-NS § 2 (Exh. A), 2021)

A. Lot Coverage Defined. Lot coverage means all the area of a lot, as projected on a horizontal plane, which is:

1. Enclosed by the exterior walls of buildings or enclosed accessory structures; or

2. Covered by decks, porches, stairs and/or landings which cover an enclosed space or paved ground area.

3. Covered by a pergola, trellises or similar horizontal features.

B. Exclusions. The lot coverage calculation excludes:

1. Uncovered porches, landings and stairs;

2. Uncovered decks, except that a deck on the roof of a building or accessory structure or over an enclosed space or paved ground area is included in the lot coverage calculation; and

3. The area of the roof of a subterranean structure, when such a structure is not more than 3 feet above finished grade.

4. The first 24 inches of eaves extending from a building or structure.

5. The area of any existing or proposed accessory dwelling unit or junior accessory dwelling unit, up to 800 square feet per lot. See 23.306 Accessory Dwelling Units.

C. Lot Coverage Standards. Number of stories of main building(s) shall be used to determine the allowable lot coverage where applicable. (Ord. 7955-NS § 1, 2025; Ord. 7888-NS § 4, 2023; Ord. 7787-NS § 2 (Exh. A), 2021)

A. Gross Floor Area Defined. Gross floor area means the total gross horizontal areas of all floors of a building or enclosed structure, below the roof and within the outer surface of the main walls of a main or accessory building (or the centerlines of party walls separating such buildings or portions of buildings); or areas within lines drawn parallel to and 2 feet within the roof line of any building or portion of a building; including:

1. Usable basements and cellars.

2. Access features in multi-story buildings. For a multi-story building with a covered or enclosed stairways,
stairwells, or elevator shaft, the horizontal area of these features is counted only once at the floor level of
their greatest area of horizontal extent.

3. Covered pedestrian access features for non-residential uses. For non-residential uses, gross floor area
includes pedestrian access interior walkways or corridors, or interior courtyards, walkways, paseos or
corridors covered by a roof or skylight.

4. Mezzanines.

B. Excluded Areas. The following areas are excluded from gross floor area calculation:

1. Covered or uncovered areas used for off-street parking or loading spaces.

2. Driveways ramps between floors and maneuvering aisles of a multi-level parking garage.

3. Mechanical, electrical, and telephone equipment rooms below finished grade.

4. Areas which qualify as usable open space.

5. Arcades, porticoes, and similar open areas for non-residential uses which are:

(a) Located at or near street level;

(b) Accessible to the general public; and

(c) Are not designed or used as sales, display, storage, service, or production areas.

6. The floor area associated with any existing or proposed accessory dwelling unit or junior accessory
dwelling unit, up to 800 square feet per lot. See 23.306 Accessory Dwelling Units. (Ord. 7981-NS § 2, 2025;
Ord. 7888-NS § 5, 2023; Ord. 7787-NS § 2 (Exh. A), 2021)

A. Gross Residential Floor Area Defined. Gross residential floor area means the total floor area of all of the following:

1. Residential units.

2. In a Group Living Accommodation (GLA), common rooms/lounges and supporting facilities such as
kitchens and restrooms.

3. Habitable attic.

4. Mezzanine or loft within a residential unit.

B. Residential Unit Defined. Residential unit means any Dwelling Unit, any Live/Work Unit, or any bedroom of a GLA except a GLA in a University-recognized fraternity, sorority or co-op; provided, however, that for purposes of this section, "residential unit" shall not include any Accessory Dwelling Unit or Junior Accessory Dwelling Unit. (Ord. 7890-NS § 1, 2023)

A. Leasable Floor Area Defined. Leasable floor area means the total interior floor area of a commercial lease space available for use by a single business.

B. Included Areas. Leasable floor area includes all sales, customer, display, shelving, assembly, seating, counter, kitchen, storage, and office areas.

C. Excluded Areas. Leasable floor area does not include stairs, restrooms, and unenclosed walkways and areas serving more than one lease space such as hallways, corridors, lobbies, maintenance areas, vestibules and other common areas. (Ord. 7787-NS § 2 (Exh. A), 2021)

A. Floor Area Ratio Defined. Floor area ratio (FAR) means the quotient resulting from division of the gross floor area of all buildings on a lot by the area of the lot. See Figure 23.106-1: Floor Area Ratio.

1. Floor Area Ratio Defined in R-BMU: In the R-BMU district, FAR means the quotient resulting from division
of the Gross Floor Area of all buildings on a lot by the Lot Area. In a single integrated development on
contiguous lots, the permitted Floor Area Ratio shall be computed upon the basis of the total area of all such
lots.

Figure 23.106-1. FLOOR AREA RATIO

B. Development on Contiguous Lots. In a single integrated development on contiguous lots, the permitted floor area ratio is calculated using the total combined area of all such lots. (Ord. 7815-NS § 1, 2022; Ord. 7787-NS § 2 (Exh. A), 2021)

A. Story Defined. A story means the portion of a building included between the upper surface of any floor and the upper surface of the floor next above. See Figure 23.106-2: Story.

Figure 23.106-2. STORY

B. Topmost Story. The topmost story of a building is the portion of a building between the floor of the topmost floor and the ceiling or roof above.

C. Below Grade Spaces. If the finished floor level directly above the ceiling of a basement, garage structure, cellar, or unused underfloor space is more than 6 feet above existing grade at any point, such basement, cellar, or unused underfloor space is considered a story.

D. Penthouses. A penthouse used for purposes other than shelter of mechanical equipment or shelter of vertical shaft openings in the roof is considered a story.

E. Mezzanines. When the total floor area of a mezzanine exceeds 33.3 percent of the total floor area in that room, it constitutes an additional story. (Ord. 7787-NS § 2 (Exh. A), 2021)

A. Measurement. A required setback is measured as the distance between the surface of a building’s outer wall and the applicable lot line.

B. Setback Areas. As shown in Figure 23.106-3: Setbacks, a setback area means the required open area on a lot that is between a lot line and a setback line. A setback area must be unoccupied and unobstructed from the ground upward by any portion of a building or structure except as otherwise permitted by the Zoning Ordinance. Required setback areas are defined as follows:

1. Front Setback Area: The area extending across the full width of the front of a lot from the front lot line to
the front setback line.

2. Rear Setback Area: The area extending across the full width of the lot between the rear lot line and the
rear setback line.

3. Interior Side Setback Area: The area between an interior side lot line and the side setback line, and
extending from the front lot line to the rear lot line.

4. Street Side Setback Area: The area between a street side lot line and the side setback line, and extending
from the front lot line to the rear lot line.

Figure 23.106-3. SETBACKS

(Ord. 7787-NS § 2 (Exh. A), 2021)

A. Measurement. Building separation is measured as the distance between the surface of a main building or ADU’s outer wall and the outer wall surface of the closest main building or ADU on the same lot.

B. Main Buildings with Different Height. The required building separation between two or more main buildings which are of different heights is that required for the number of stories in the tallest building. (Ord. 7955-NS § 2, 2025; Ord. 7888-NS § 6, 2023; Ord. 7787-NS § 2 (Exh. A), 2021)

A. Average Building Height.

1. Average Building Height: The vertical distance from the average level of the highest and lowest point of
that portion of the lot covered by the building (or, in the case of residential additions, that portion of the lot
covered by the addition) to the roof features shown in Table 23.106-1: Average Building Height Measurement.
See Figure 23.106-4: Average Building Height.

2. Dormers are not included in the average building height calculation.

3. Attached accessory dwelling units are not included in the average building height calculation.

Table 23.106-1. AVERAGE BUILDING HEIGHT MEASUREMENT

ROOF TYPE AVERAGE BUILDING HEIGHT MEASURED TO:

Sloped, hipped, gabled roofs The average height of the roof between the ridge and where the eave meets the plate

Roof with parapet walls The top of the parapet wall

Gambrel roof The average height of the roof between the ridge and the point where the uppermost change in the roof’s slope occurs

Mansard roof The height of the deck

Shed roof The height of the roof ridge

Figure 23.106-4. AVERAGE BUILDING HEIGHT

B. Maximum Building Height: The vertical distance of a building at any point, within a given plane, from finished grade to the top of the roof or parapet walls. See Figure 23.106-5: Maximum Building Height.

Figure 23.106-5. MAXIMUM BUILDING HEIGHT

(Ord. 7888-NS § 7, 2023; Ord. 7787-NS § 2 (Exh. A), 2021)

A. Residential Density Defined. The ratio of the number of dwelling units on a lot to the lot area as measured in acres.

B. Measurement. Residential density shall be calculated by dividing the total number of dwelling units on a lot by the total lot area in acres, rounded to the nearest whole number. Accessory Dwelling Units and Junior Accessory Dwelling Units are not included in the minimum or maximum density established by the underlying zoning district (see Section 23.306.020). (Ord. 7890-NS § 2, 2023)