Pismo Beach Municipal Code Ch. 17.08 Residential Zoning

17.08.010 Purpose of chapter.¶

This chapter provides regulations applicable to development and new land uses in the residential zoning districts established by Section 17.06.020 (Zoning Districts Established).

Exceptions & meaning →

17.08.020 Purposes of residential zoning districts.¶

The purposes of the individual residential zoning districts and the manner in which they are applied are as follows:

A. RSL (Single-Family Low Density Residential) District. The RSL zoning district is intended for areas appropriate for neighborhoods of detached, single family homes. Allowable densities range from one to eight dwelling units per acre. This district is intended for areas where site characteristics, access, and available public services and utilities are suitable for single family development. The RSL zoning district is consistent with the low density residential land use classification of the general plan/local coastal plan.

B. RSM (Single-Family Medium Density Residential) District. The RSM zoning district is intended for areas appropriate for single-family and multi-family residential uses. Allowable densities range from five to ten dwelling units per acre. The RSM zoning district is consistent with the medium density land use classification of the general plan/local coastal plan.

C. RR (Resort Residential) Districts. The RR zoning district is intended for areas appropriate for hotels and medium and high density multi-family dwellings. The RR zoning district shall be applied on the zoning map as either RR-L (Resort Residential--Low Density) or RR-H (Resort Residential--High Density). Allowable densities range from five to ten units per acre in the RR-L district; and from eleven to thirty units per acre in the RR-H district. The RR zoning districts are consistent with the medium density and high density land use classifications of the general plan/local coastal plan. (Ord. 03-04 § 2 (Exh. B (part)), 2003)

Exceptions & meaning →

17.08.030 Residential district land uses and permit requirements.¶

Table 2-2 identifies the uses of land allowed by this Zoning Code in each residential zoning district, and the land use permit required to establish each use, in compliance with Section 17.06.040(B) (Zoning District Regulations).

Note: where the last column in the tables ("See Standards in Section") includes a section number, the regulations in the referenced section apply to the use; however, provisions in other Sections of this Zoning Code may also apply.

TABLE 2-2 ALLOWED USES AND PERMIT REQUIREMENTS FOR RESIDENTIAL ZONING DISTRICTS

PERMIT REQUIREMENT BY DISTRICT
LAND USE (1)	RSL	RSM	RR	See standards in Section:
AGRICULTURE, RESOURCE & OPEN SPACE USES

PERMIT REQUIREMENT BY DISTRICT
LAND USE (1)	RSL	RSM	RR	See standards in Section:
AGRICULTURE, RESOURCE & OPEN SPACE USES
Crop production, tree farming--Non-commercial	P	P	P
Greenhouses, private	P	P	P
RECREATION, EDUCATION & PUBLIC ASSEMBLY USES
Community centers	CUP	CUP	CUP
Equestrian facilities	CUP		CUP
Golf courses/country clubs	CUP	CUP	CUP
Parks and playgrounds	CUP	CUP	CUP
Private residential recreational facilities	CUP	CUP	CUP
Religious places of worship	CUP	CUP	CUP
Schools	CUP	CUP	CUP
RESIDENTIAL USES
Accessory dwelling units (7)	P	P	P	17.38.155
Condominiums		P	CUP
Duplexes			P
Emergency shelters		CUP
Employee housing			CUP(5)
Home occupations	P	P	P	17.38.070
Mobile home parks	CUP	CUP	CUP	17.38.100
Mobile homes	P	P	P	17.38.110
Multi-family dwellings			P	17.38.120
Residential accessory uses and structures	P	P	P	17.38.150
Rooming and boarding houses			CUP
Short-term rentals and homestays	P	P		17.09
Senior residential projects		P	P
Single-family dwellings	P	P	P
SERVICE / COMMERCIAL USES
Adult day care facilities	CUP	CUP	CUP
Bed and breakfast inns		CUP	CUP
Child day care centers		CUP		17.38.050
Child day care--Large family day care homes	MUP	MUP	MUP	17.38.050
Child day care--Small family day care homes	P	P	P	17.38.050
Conversion of visitor-serving lodging to non-visitor serving use			CUP	17.08.050
Medical services	CUP	CUP
Hotels and motels			CUP(7)	17.38.080
Public utility or safety facilities	CUP	CUP
Residential care homes--6 or fewer clients	P	P	P
Residential care homes--7 or more clients	CUP	CUP	CUP
Storage yard for recreational vehicles/equipment		CUP(6)	CUP(6)	17.38.170
Telecommunications facilities	CUP	CUP	CUP	17.38.040
Vacation rentals

KEY TO PERMIT REQUIREMENTS

Symbol	Permit Requirement	Procedure is in Section:
P	Permitted use--Zoning Clearance required (2) (3)	17.42.020
MUP	Minor Use Permit required (2) (3)	17.42.050
CUP	Conditional Use Permit required (2)	17.42.050
	Use not allowed. See 17.02.020.D regarding uses not listed.

Notes:

(1) See Article VI for definitions of each listed land use.

(2) Site plan and architectural review may also be required; see Section 17.42.030.

(3) Conditional use permit approval may be required for hillside development; see Chapter 17.28.

(4) Only allowed accessory to a hotel, and where the housing is for hotel employees only.

(5) Allowed only within a mobile home park.

(6) Hotels and motels are allowed only in the RR-H zoning district.

(7) Accessory dwelling units not permitted in the Pismo Heights planning area.

(Ord. O-2018-011 § 4, 2018: Ord. O-2018-007 § 2, 2018; Ord. O-2010-001 § 2 (part), 2010; Ord. 03-04 § 2 (Exh. B (part)), 2003; Ord. 03-03 § 2 (Exh. B (part)), 2003)

Exceptions & meaning →

17.08.040 Residential district general development standards.¶

A. General Standards--Use of Table. Subdivisions, new land uses and structures, and alterations to existing land uses and structures, shall be designed, constructed, and/or established in compliance with the requirements in Table 2-3, in addition to the applicable standards in Article III (Site Planning and General Development Standards).

B. Standards Within Specific Plan Areas. Subdivisions, new land uses and structures, and alterations to existing land uses and structures within an area subject to a Specific Plan shall comply with the requirements in Table 2-4, in addition to the requirements of Subsection A above. In the event of any conflict between the requirements of Tables 2-3 and 2-4, including any references to other sections of this chapter that are noted in Table 2-3, the requirements of Table 2-4 shall control within the applicable specific plan area.

TABLE 2-3 RESIDENTIAL DISTRICT GENERAL DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS

	Requirement by Zoning District

	Requirement by Zoning District
Development Feature	RSL	RSM
Minimum lot size	Minimum area and width for parcels proposed in new subdivisions.	Minimum area and width for parcels proposed in new subdivisions.
Lot area	5000 sq. ft.	5000 sq. ft.
Lot width	50 ft.	50 ft.
Maximum density (1)	1 to 8 units per acre	9 to 15 units per acre
Maximum number of dwelling units per parcel	1 unit per parcel	1 unit per parcel
Setbacks required	Minimum setbacks required. See Chapter 17.22 for setback measurement, allowed projections into setbacks, and exceptions to required setbacks.	Minimum setbacks required. See Chapter 17.22 for setback measurement, allowed projections into setbacks, and exceptions to required setbacks.
Front	Parcels of 4,000 sq. ft. or larger: 20 ft. for all structures.	Parcels of 4,000 sq. ft. or larger: 20 ft. for all structures.
	Parcels of less than 4,000 sq. ft.: 20% of the depth of the lot, with a minimum requirement of 10 ft.
	Accessory structures: 20 ft. minimum (See 17.38.150)
	See Section 17.10.040(A) for second floor setback requirements.
	See Section 17.34.070(A)(4) for garage setback requirements.
Front, blufftop lot	15 ft.	15 ft.
	Accessory structures: 20 ft. minimum (See 17.38.150)
Sides (each)	5 ft.	5 ft.
Street side	10 ft.	10 ft.
Rear	10 ft. on parcels with a depth of 70 ft. or more;	10 ft. on parcels with a depth of 70 ft. or more;
	5 ft. on parcels with a depth less than 70 ft.
	10 ft. for accessory structures (See 17.38.150)
Blufftop	25 ft. from the top of the bluff for parcels subdivided before 1-23-81; as determined by geologic study elsewhere. See Chapter 17.32 (Ocean Fronting Development).	25 ft. from the top of the bluff for parcels subdivided before 1-23-81; as determined by geologic study elsewhere. See Chapter 17.32 (Ocean Fronting Development).
Between buildings	Accessory structures must be separated from any other buildings by at least 6 ft. See Section 17.38.150.	Accessory structures must be separated from any other buildings by at least 6 ft. See Section 17.38.150.
Site coverage (2)	55%	55%
Floor area ratio (FAR)	0.86 maximum for parcels of 2,700 sq. ft. or less;	0.86 maximum for parcels of 2,700 sq. ft. or less;
	0.72 maximum for parcels larger than 2,700 sq. ft.
Height limit (3)	25 ft. from site grade	25 ft. from site grade in the Pismo Heights and the Motel District planning areas; 35 ft. from site grade elsewhere.
Landscaping required	20% of site area. See Chapter 17.30 (Landscaping).	20% of site area. See Chapter 17.30 (Landscaping).
Parking	As required by Chapter 17.34 (Parking and Loading).	As required by Chapter 17.34 (Parking and Loading).

	Requirement by Zoning District

	Requirement by Zoning District
Development Feature	RR-L	RR-H
Minimum lot size	Minimum area and width for parcels proposed in new subdivisions.	Minimum area and width for parcels proposed in new subdivisions.
Lot area	5,000 sq. ft.	5,000 sq. ft.
Lot width	50 ft.	50 ft.
Maximum density (1)	9 to 15 units per acre	16 to 30 units per acre
Maximum number of dwelling units per parcel	1 unit per each 2,000 sq. ft. of parcel area	1 unit per each 1,450 sq. ft. of parcel area
Setbacks required	Minimum setbacks required. See Chapter 17.34 for setback measurement, allowed projections into setbacks, and exceptions to required setbacks.	Minimum setbacks required. See Chapter 17.34 for setback measurement, allowed projections into setbacks, and exceptions to required setbacks.
Front	Parcels of 4,000 sq. ft. or larger: 20 ft. for all structures.	Parcels of 4,000 sq. ft. or larger: 20 ft. for all structures.
	Parcels of less than 4,000 sq. ft.: 15 ft. for all structures.
	See Section 17.10.040 for second floor setback requirements.
Front, blufftop lot	15 ft.	15 ft.
	Accessory structures: 20 ft. minimum (See 17.38.150)
Sides (each)	5 ft.	5 ft.
Street side	10 ft.	10 ft.
Rear	10 ft. on parcels with a depth of 70 ft. or more;	10 ft. on parcels with a depth of 70 ft. or more;
	5 ft. on parcels with a depth less than 70 ft.
Blufftop	25 ft. from the top of the bluff for parcels subdivided before 1-23-81; as determined by geologic study elsewhere. See Chapter 17.32 (Ocean Fronting Development).	25 ft. from the top of the bluff for parcels subdivided before 1-23-81; as determined by geologic study elsewhere. See Chapter 17.32 (Ocean Fronting Development).
Floor area ratio (FAR)	0.86 maximum for parcels of 2,700 sq. ft. or less; 0.72 maximum for parcels larger than 2,700 sq. ft.	0.86 maximum for parcels of 2,700 sq. ft. or less; 0.72 maximum for parcels larger than 2,700 sq. ft.
Site coverage (2)	55%	55%
Height limit (3)	35 ft. from site grade	35 ft. from site grade

	Requirement by Zoning District
Landscaping required	20% of site area. See Chapter 17.30 (Landscaping).	20% of site area. See Chapter 17.30 (Landscaping).
Parking	As required by Chapter 17.34 (Parking and Loading).	As required by Chapter 17.34 (Parking and Loading).

Notes:

(1) Maximum number of dwelling units allowed per net buildable acre in a single-family subdivision or a multi-family project. The actual number of units allowed is determined through the subdivision or land use permit process, as applicable. See Section 17.38.080 for maximum density requirements applicable to hotels and motels.

(2) Maximum percentage of site area that may be covered with structures. See the definition of site coverage in Article VI (Definitions).

(3) Maximum allowed height of structures, except where a height limitation (HL), or view considerations (V) overlay district applies (Sections 17.18.040, and 17.18.060, respectively). The HL overlay applies in the following planning areas established by the general plan: Dinosaur Caves, Freeway Foothills, North Spyglass, Motel District, Shell Beach, Spyglass, South Palisades, and Ontario Ridge/Sunset Palisades. See also Chapter 17.20 (Height Measurement and Exceptions).

(4) See Section 17.10.040(A).

TABLE 2-4 SPECIFIC PLAN AREA RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS

	Requirement by Specific Plan Area

	Requirement by Specific Plan Area
Development Feature	Bay Cliff Village	Mattie Road	Pacific Estates	Pismo Oaks
Coastal access	Not applicable	Not applicable	Not applicable	Not applicable
Maximum density (1)	8 units per acre	3 to 10 units per acre	4.5 units per acre	4.5 units per acre
Setbacks required	Minimum setbacks required. See Chapter 17.22 for setback measurement, allowed projections into setbacks, and exceptions to required setbacks.	Minimum setbacks required. See Chapter 17.22 for setback measurement, allowed projections into setbacks, and exceptions to required setbacks.	Minimum setbacks required. See Chapter 17.22 for setback measurement, allowed projections into setbacks, and exceptions to required setbacks.	Minimum setbacks required. See Chapter 17.22 for setback measurement, allowed projections into setbacks, and exceptions to required setbacks.
Front	The lesser of: 20 ft.; or 20% of average lot depth with 10 ft. minimum.	15 ft. from back of sidewalk	The lesser of: 20 ft.; or 20% of average lot depth with 10 ft. minimum.	15 ft.
	15 ft. for garage.		15 ft. for garage.
Sides (each)	10% of lot width, with a 4 ft. minimum and a maximum requirement of 5 ft. (4)	10% of lot width, with a 4 ft. minimum and a maximum requirement of 5 ft. (4)	10% of lot width, with a 4 ft. minimum and a maximum requirement of 5 ft. (4)	10% of lot width, with a 4 ft. minimum and a maximum requirement of 5 ft. (4)
Street side	20% of lot width, with a 7 ft. minimum and a maximum requirement of 10 ft. (4)	20% of lot width, with a 7 ft. minimum and a maximum requirement of 10 ft. (4)	20% of lot width, with a 7 ft. minimum and a maximum requirement of 10 ft. (4)	20% of lot width, with a 7 ft. minimum and a maximum requirement of 10 ft. (4)
Rear	10% of average lot depth, with a 5 ft. minimum and a maximum requirement of 10 ft. (4)	10% of average lot depth, with a 5 ft. minimum and a maximum requirement of 10 ft. (4)	10% of average lot depth, with a 5 ft. minimum and a maximum requirement of 10 ft. (4)	10% of average lot depth, with a 5 ft. minimum and a maximum requirement of 10 ft. (4)
Blufftop	N.A.	N.A.	N.A.	N.A.
Highway 101	N.A.	50 ft.	5 ft., with solid wall	N.A.
Site coverage (2)	55%	55%	55%	55%
Floor area ratio (FAR)	0.80	0.80	0.80	0.80
Height limit (3)	25 ft., limited to 3 stories above site grade. Floors above the first shall be stepped back up the hillside to reduce the appearance of bulk.	25 ft. from site grade	25 ft. from site grade	25 ft. from site grade
Landscaping	20% of site area. See Chapter 17.30 (Landscaping)	20% of site area. See Chapter 17.30 (Landscaping)	20% of site area. See Chapter 17.30 (Landscaping)	20% of site area. See Chapter 17.30 (Landscaping)
Greenbreaks	Required	N.A.	N.A.	N.A.
Parking	As required by Chapter 17.34 (Parking and Loading)	As required by Chapter 17.34 (Parking and Loading)	As required by Chapter 17.34 (Parking and Loading)	As required by Chapter 17.34 (Parking and Loading)

	Requirement by Specific Plan Area
Development Feature	Spyglass Ridge	South Palisades	Sunset Palisades/ Ontario Ridge	Toucan Terrace
Coastal access		See Section 17.32.050	N.A.	N.A.
Maximum density (1)	8 units per acre	7 units per acre	1 unit per acre	8 units per acre
Setbacks required	Minimum setbacks required. See Chapter 17.22 for setback measurement, allowed projections into setbacks, and exceptions to required setbacks.	Minimum setbacks required. See Chapter 17.22 for setback measurement, allowed projections into setbacks, and exceptions to required setbacks.	Minimum setbacks required. See Chapter 17.22 for setback measurement, allowed projections into setbacks, and exceptions to required setbacks.	Minimum setbacks required. See Chapter 17.22 for setback measurement, allowed projections into setbacks, and exceptions to required setbacks.
Front	The lesser of: 20 ft.; or 20% of average lot depth with 10 ft. minimum.	20 ft.	Mfg. home area: 12.5 ft.; and 20 ft. for garage.	Mfg. home area: 12.5 ft.; and 20 ft. for garage.
	15 ft. for garage.
Sides (each)	10% of lot width, with a 4 ft. minimum and a maximum requirement of 5 ft.	1/2 of structure height to top plate	10 ft.	3 to 5 ft.
Street side	20% of lot width, with a 7 ft. minimum and a maximum requirement of 10 ft.	20 ft.	20% of lot width, with a 7 ft. minimum and a maximum requirement of 10 ft.	20% of lot width, with a 7 ft. minimum and a maximum requirement of 10 ft.
Rear	10% of average lot depth, with a 5 ft. minimum and a maximum requirement of 10 ft.	10% of average lot depth, with a 5 ft. minimum and a maximum requirement of 10 ft.	10% of average lot depth, with a 5 ft. minimum and a maximum requirement of 10 ft.	10% of average lot depth, with a 5 ft. minimum and a maximum requirement of 10 ft.
Blufftop	N.A.	25 ft. from the top of the bluff for parcels subdivided before 1-23-81; as determined by geologic study elsewhere. See Chapter 17.32 (Ocean Fronting Development).	N.A.	N.A.
Highway 101	50 ft.	N.A.	N.A.	N.A.
Site coverage (2)	55%	40%	55%	55%
Floor area ratio (FAR)	0.80	0.60	0.80	0.80

	Requirement by Specific Plan Area
Height limit (3)	25 ft. from site grade and 3 stories. Floors above the first shall be stepped back up the hillside.	15 ft. from site grade for first row of structures nearest bluff top park; Below nearest freeway lane elevation for structures between Shell Beach Road and freeway; 25 ft. elsewhere.	25 ft. from site grade	25 ft. from site grade
Landscaping (4)	20% of site area	40% of site area	20% of site area	20% of site area
Greenbreaks	Required	N.A.	N.A.	N.A.
Parking	As required by Chapter 17.34 (Parking and Loading).	As required by Chapter 17.34 (Parking and Loading).	As required by Chapter 17.34 (Parking and Loading).	As required by Chapter 17.34 (Parking and Loading).

Notes:

(2) Maximum percentage of site area that may be covered with structures. See the definition of site coverage in Article VI (Definitions).

(4) See also Chapter 17.30 (Landscaping).

(Ord. 03-04 § 2 (Exh. B (part)), 2003)

Exceptions & meaning →

17.08.050 RR district standards--Visitor serving conversions.¶

The conversion of visitor serving lodging in the RR zoning district to non-visitor serving uses shall require conditional use permit approval.

Exceptions & meaning →