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Chapter 18.15 — ZONING DISTRICTS AND ZONING MAP

Concord Zoning Code · 2026-06 edition · updated 2026-07-25 · Concord

Sections:

18.15.010 Purpose.

18.15.020 Zoning map and districts.

18.15.030 Zoning boundaries.

18.15.040 Lots divided by district boundaries.

18.15.010 Purpose.

This chapter establishes the zoning districts applied to property within the city and adopts the city’s zoning map. The zoning districts shown on Table 18.15.020 are hereby established and shall be shown on the zoning map. [Ord. 12-4. DC 2012 § 122-28].

18.15.020 Zoning map and districts.

The city council hereby adopts the “city of Concord zoning map” (hereinafter referred to as the “zoning map”) on file with the city. The zoning map is hereby incorporated into the development code by reference.

A. Zones Established. The city of Concord shall be divided into zoning districts that implement the Concord general plan, as shown on Table 18.15.020.

B. Zoning District Symbols. The districts established by this section are shown as symbols on the zoning map and consist of letters and numbers, organized as follows:

  1. General Land Use Indicator. Each district includes a letter or letters that indicate the primary land use type within the district. For example, “RS” means that the primary land use type is residential single-family.

  2. Residential Density or Subdistricts Indicator. The land use symbol for a particular district may include a number that identifies a subdistrict indicating a type of dwelling or use or minimum lot size. For example, “RS10” identifies a single-family residential district where the minimum lot size is 10,000 square feet.

  3. Overlay Zone Indicator. One or more overlay district indicators may be appended to the primary district to identify an overlay district that applies to a site. For example, “RS-12-H” would identify a single-family residential district where the minimum lot size is 12,000 square feet that is subject to the hillside overlay district requirements.

Table 18.15.020

Zoning Districts

Zoning
Districts
District Symbol Name of
District
General Plan Designation
Residential Districts –
dwelling units (du) per
net acre
(1)
RR-40, RR-20, RR-15 Rural Residential Rural Residential (< 2.5 du/net acre)
District Symbol Name of
District
General Plan Designation
RS-12, RS-10, RS-8,
RS-7.5, RS-7, RS-6,
RS-5
Single-Family Residential Low Density (2.5 – 10 du/net acre)
RL Low Density Residential Low Density (2.5 – 10 du/net acre)
RM Medium Density
Residential
Medium Density (11 – 32 du/net
acre)
RH High Density Residential High Density (33 – 100 du/net acre)
North Todos Santos
District
NTS North Todos Santos
District
North Todos Santos
Ofce and Commercial
Districts –
FAR (Floor Area Ratio)
CO Community Ofce Community Ofce (FAR 1.0)
CMX Commercial Mixed-Use Commercial Mixed-Use (FAR 1.0; 11
– 40 du/net acre)
NC Neighborhood
Commercial
Neighborhood Commercial (FAR
0.35; 11 – 24 du/net acre)
RC Regional Commercial Regional Commercial (FAR 0.5)
SC Service Commercial Service Commercial (FAR 0.8)
Downtown
Districts
District Symbol Name of
District
General Plan Designation
DP Downtown Pedestrian Downtown Pedestrian (FAR 4.0; 33
– 100 du/net acre)
DMX Downtown Mixed-Use Downtown Mixed-Use (FAR min.
1.0, max 6.0; 33 – 100 du/net acre)
WMX West Concord Mixed-Use West Concord Mixed-Use (FAR 4.0)
Business Park and Industrial
Districts
OBP Ofce Business Park Business Park (FAR 0.8)
IBP Industrial Business Park Business Park (FAR 0.8)
IMX Industrial Mixed-Use Industrial Mixed-Use (FAR 1.0)
HI Heavy Industrial Heavy Industrial (FAR 0.6)
Public/Quasi Public
Districts
PQP Public/Quasi Public Public/Quasi Public (FAR 1.5)
Community Land
Districts
OS Open Space Open Space
PR Parks and Recreation Parks
RLC Rural Land Rural Conservation
District Symbol Name of
District
General Plan Designation
WRC Wetlands and Resource
Conservation
Wetlands/Resource Conservation
Study
District
S Study
District
Reuse Area
Overlay
Districts
A Airport Overlay Buchanan Field Airport
TS Transit
Station Overlay
NA

(1) A net acre is the portion of a site that can be built on. Typically it is the gross lot area minus any land used for access, public or private streets, trails, open space, floodways or utility easements, except for high density residential, which assumes that sites identified in the housing element are net acres with existing improvements. A net acre is typically 20 to 25 percent less than the gross area.

[Ord. 12-4. DC 2012 § 122-29].

18.15.030 Zoning boundaries.

If there is any uncertainty about the location of any district boundary shown on the zoning map, the location of the boundary shall be determined as follows:

A. A boundary shown as approximately following a property line or a city limit line shall be construed to follow such line.

B. A boundary shown as approximately following the centerline of an alley, street, highway, stream, railroad, or similar boundary shall be construed to follow such centerline.

C. A boundary shown as approximately following the right-of-way line of a freeway, street, railroad, or other identifiable boundary shall be construed to follow the right-of-way line or boundary.

D. On unsubdivided land, or where a district boundary divides a lot, the location of the boundary shall be determined by using the scale on the zoning map.

E. If any uncertainty remains as to the location of a district boundary or other feature shown on the zoning map, the location shall be determined by the planning division.

F. When a public street or alley is officially vacated or abandoned, the district applicable to each adjacent parcel shall apply to the vacated or abandoned property. [Ord. 12-4. DC 2012 § 122-30].

18.15.040 Lots divided by district boundaries.

A. Generally. Where a lot is divided by a zoning boundary, the regulations applicable to each district shall be applied to the area within each district, and no use, other than parking serving a principal use on the site, shall be located in a district in which it is not a permitted or conditionally permitted use.

B. Accessory Facilities. Landscaping, fences, screening or retaining walls, and usable open space may be located on the lot without regard for district boundaries.

C. Density and Floor Area. The maximum permitted number of living units or maximum foor area, if any, shall be calculated according to the lot area within each district and the corresponding density and foor area ratio (FAR) for the district. The resulting maximum permitted number of living units or amount of foor area may be distributed on the lot without regard for district boundaries, as long as all portions of the project comply with the development standards of the district in which they are located (except as allowed by subsection (D) of this section) and all other provisions of this section.

D. Minimum Lot Area, Width, and Frontage. The minimum lot area, width, and frontage requirements of the district that covers the greatest portion of the lot area shall apply to the entire lot. If the lot area is divided equally between two or more districts, the most restrictive requirements shall apply.

E. Exceptions. If more than 60 percent of a lot is located in one district, the planning commission may grant a use permit that allows an exception to the provisions of this section, according to the procedures in Chapter 18.435 CDC (Minor Use Permits and Use Permits). [Ord. 12-4. DC 2012 § 122-31].

18.15.050 General authority.

A. The position of zoning administrator is hereby established for the city. The zoning administrator shall hear and decide applications for minor use permits, minor subdivisions, variances, appeals to minor exceptions, and appeals to administrative permits, according to the procedures set forth in Division VIII of this title (Administration). The zoning administrator shall perform other such duties as may be prescribed by laws, resolutions, and motions of the city council.

B. The zoning administrator shall be that person designated from time to time by the manager of the planning division or by the city of Concord community and economic development director.

C. The zoning administrator may refer any application directly to the planning commission for a hearing instead of holding a zoning administrator hearing.

D. The planning division shall adopt rules and regulations for the zoning administrator for the transaction of business meetings and the conduct of meetings. [Ord. 13-5; Ord. 12-4. DC 2012 § 122-32].

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The Concord Municipal Code is current through Ordinance 26-1, passed February 10, 2026.

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Contents — Concord Zoning Code
Concord Zoning Code
  1. Chapter 18.10 — TITLE, PURPOSE, APPLICABILITY, AND INTERPRETAT…
  2. Chapter 18.100 — AIRPORT OVERLAY DISTRICT (A)
  3. Chapter 18.105 — TRANSIT STATION OVERLAY DISTRICT (TS)
  4. Chapter 18.110 — COMMERCIAL CANNABIS OVERLAY DISTRICT
  5. Chapter 18.115 — AFFORDABLE HOUSING OVERLAY DISTRICT
  6. Chapter 18.15 — ZONING DISTRICTS AND ZONING MAP
  7. Chapter 18.150 — GENERAL DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS
  8. Chapter 18.152 — OBJECTIVE DESIGN STANDARDS
  9. Chapter 18.155
  10. Chapter 18.160 — PARKING, LOADING, AND ACCESS
  11. Chapter 18.165 — LANDSCAPING
  12. Chapter 18.170
  13. Chapter 18.175 — STORMWATER MANAGEMENT
  14. Chapter 18.180 — SIGNS
  15. Chapter 18.185 — AFFORDABLE HOUSING
  16. Chapter 18.20 — GENERAL TERMS
  17. Chapter 18.200 — STANDARDS FOR SPECIFIC USES
  18. Chapter 18.205 — WIRELESS COMMUNICATION FACILITIES FOR NEW AND…
  19. Chapter 18.207
  20. Chapter 18.210 — ADULT-ORIENTED BUSINESSES
  21. Chapter 18.25 — DEVELOPMENT AND LAND USE APPROVALS
  22. Chapter 18.30
  23. Chapter 18.300 — HILLSIDE PROTECTION
  24. Chapter 18.305
  25. Chapter 18.310 — TREE PRESERVATION AND PROTECTION
  26. Chapter 18.35
  27. Chapter 18.40 — OFFICE AND COMMERCIAL DISTRICTS (CO, CMX, NC, …
  28. Chapter 18.400
  29. Chapter 18.402
  30. Chapter 18.405
  31. Chapter 18.410 — ZONING CLEARANCE
  32. Chapter 18.415 — DESIGN AND SITE REVIEW
  33. Chapter 18.420 — ADMINISTRATIVE PERMITS
  34. Chapter 18.425 — MINOR EXCEPTIONS
  35. Chapter 18.430 — VARIANCES
  36. Chapter 18.435 — MINOR USE PERMITS AND USE PERMITS
  37. Chapter 18.440 — PLANNED DEVELOPMENT USE PERMIT
  38. Chapter 18.445 — HILLSIDE DEVELOPMENT USE PERMIT
  39. Chapter 18.45 — DOWNTOWN DISTRICTS (DP, DMX, AND WMX)
  40. Chapter 18.455
  41. Chapter 18.460 — DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENTS
  42. Chapter 18.50
  43. Chapter 18.500 — PUBLIC HEARINGS
  44. Chapter 18.505
  45. Chapter 18.510 — APPEALS AND CALLS FOR REVIEW
  46. Chapter 18.515 — ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
  47. Chapter 18.520 — PERFORMANCE GUARANTEES AND PROPERTY MAINTENANCE
  48. Chapter 18.525 — COVENANTS OF EASEMENTS
  49. Chapter 18.530 — NONCONFORMING USES, STRUCTURES, AND PARCELS
  50. Chapter 18.535 — NONCONFORMING PHYSICAL IMPROVEMENTS/PROPERTY …
  51. Chapter 18.540 — ENFORCEMENT
  52. Chapter 18.55 — PUBLIC/QUASI-PUBLIC DISTRICT (PQP)
  53. Chapter 18.60 — COMMUNITY LAND DISTRICTS (OS, PR, RLC, WRC, AN…
  54. Chapter 18.65 — STUDY DISTRICT (S)

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