Title 22 — DEVELOPMENT CODE[[1]]

Marin County Development Code Introduction and User's Guide

A.

Introduction.

The Marin County Development Code consists of Title 22 of the Marin County Code, and contains the County's zoning and subdivision regulations. These provisions comprise most of the County's requirements for the development and use of private and public land, buildings and structures within the County. Additional requirements for building construction, and other aspects of development and land use can be found in other Titles of the County Code. (See Section "E" below.)

The Development Code is a reference document. It is not intended to be read from cover to cover, but is instead organized so you may look up only the specific information you need. The list of articles, chapters, and sections in the table of contents is thus very important, as are the chapter and section listings at the beginning of each article. Later portions of this guide explain two different methods to use the Development Code for commonly asked questions. There are many other ways to use the Development Code, depending on your objectives.

This Guide is intended to provide a basic orientation in the organization and use of the Development Code, and answers to some frequently asked questions. This User's Guide is not adopted as part of the Development Code, and information provided here does not supersede or replace any information in the Development Code. The Development Code itself and any other applicable Titles of the Marin County Code must be used to find any County requirements for land use and development.

The Marin County Community Development Agency should be contacted for answers to any questions about the County's requirements for land use and development, and about the use of the Development Code.

B.

Organization of the Development Code. The regulations of the Development Code that cover related topics have been grouped together into chapters, and then into eight articles. The contents of each article are summarized below:

Article I—Development Code Enactment and Applicability

Article I contains basic information on the legal framework of the Development Code, describes the land uses and development-related activities that are regulated by the Development Code, and provides information on how to use the Code.

Article II—Zoning Districts and Allowable Land Uses

Article II contains chapters on the different types of zoning districts (residential, commercial, etc.) that are applied to public and private land outside of the Coastal Zone. (Provisions covering the Coastal Zone are found in Article V.) These chapters list the specific types of land uses allowed in each zoning district, and the type of land use/development permit that must be obtained prior to initiating each use. They also provide basic development standards for each zoning district, among which are maximum height limits and setback/yard requirements for new structures.

Article III—Site Planning and General Development Regulations

Article III provides development standards that apply across zoning districts, including requirements for fencing and screening, landscaping, and signs. These chapters also contain regulations for specific land uses and development types that may be allowed in a variety of zoning districts (e.g., child day-care facilities, home occupations, mobile home parks, service stations with mini-markets, etc.). This article

provides consolidated information and less repetition in Code language. There are references in the zoning district chapters of Article II to the requirements in Article III, when applicable. The regulations in Article III generally supplement those in Article II.