Earlier editions: 2026-09
Title 18 — ZONING›Division 2 — ZONING DISTRICTS AND ALLOWABLE LAND USES
National City Municipal Code Ch. 18.26 Institutional Zone
National City Municipal Code · 2026-10 edition · updated 2026-10-04 · National City
Cite as: National City Municipal Code Chapter 18.26 · Text as of 2026-10-04
18.26.010 - Purpose.¶
The purpose of the institutional (I) zone is to provide for a wide range of institutional and accessory uses including public, quasi-public, and private facilities that address health, safety, educational, cultural, and welfare needs of the community and neighborhoods. Allowed uses include educational facilities, government offices and courts, community centers, libraries, museums and cultural centers, hospitals and medical centers, retirement communities, public safety facilities (i.e., fire and police stations), neighborhood gardens and community farms, public utilities, and similar uses.
(Ord. No. 2024-2529, 4-2-2024)
18.26.020 - Allowed land uses and permit requirements.¶
Table 18.26.020 identifies the uses of land allowed in the institutional zone.
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TABLE 18.26.020 Allowed Land Uses Institutional Zone
| Land Use | Permit Required | Specific Use Regulations |
|---|---|---|
| Adult day health care center | P | |
| Animal husbandry | P | Section 8.32 |
| Caretaker's residence (accessory) | M | |
| Cemetery/ |
P | |
| Child day care center | P | Section 18.30.070 |
| Children's home | C | |
| Civic, fraternal, community, and cultural facilities | P | |
| Commercial recreation, indoor (accessory) | P | |
| Convalescent/ |
P | |
| Detention facility | C | |
| Dormitory (accessory to school) | C | |
| Farmers' markets | C | |
| Fraternity or sorority house | C | |
| Government offices | P | |
| Guidance/ |
P | |
| Heliport/ |
C | |
| Hospital | P | |
| Maintenance buildings/ |
C | |
| Medical offices/ |
P | |
| Military installations | P | |
| Parking, structure/ |
P | |
| Private/ |
P | |
| Public assembly | C | |
| Public safety facilities | P | |
| Public utilities, minor | P | |
| Public utilities, major | C | |
| Renewable energy infrastructure (accessory) | P | Section 18.30.210/18.30.300; California Building Code |
| Social rehabilitation center and temporary residence for chronic drug users | C | |
| Storage yards and buildings (accessory) | P | Section 18.30.160 |
| Telecommunication facilities, commercial | C | Section 18.30.220 |
| Urban agriculture | P | Section 18.30.240 |
| P Permitted | P Permitted | P Permitted |
| C Conditional use permit | C Conditional use permit | C Conditional use permit |
| M Minor use permit (ministerial) | M Minor use permit (ministerial) | M Minor use permit (ministerial) |
| — Not permitted | — Not permitted | — Not permitted |
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(Ord. No. 2024-2529, 4-2-2024)
18.26.030 - General development standards.¶
Design regulations for the institutional zone are set out in Division 4, unless specified in this chapter.
TABLE 18.26.030 Development Standards Institutional Zone
_____
| Zone | Front Yard | Interior Side Yard | Rear Yard | Exterior Side Yard | Rear Yard Abutting Alley or Public Park | Minimum Lot Area | Maximum Building Height | FAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | 10' | 0' (a) | 0' (a) | 5' | 5' | 5,000 SF | 65' and 5 stories (b) | 3.0 |
| Notes: | Notes: | Notes: | Notes: | Notes: | Notes: | Notes: | Notes: | Notes: |
| (a) Or, when adjacent to a residential zone, the interior side or rear yard setback shall be the same as the interior side or rear year setback required in the residential zone. | ||||||||
| (b) When adjacent to a residential zone, the maximum height shall not exceed the maximum height in the adjacent zone within one hundred feet of the adjacent zone boundary. |
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(Ord. No. 2024-2529, 4-2-2024)
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