2.6. RESIDENTIAL ZONING DISTRICTS — Sacramento County Zoning Code

2.6.1. General Purpose ¶

The Residential Zoning Districts are established to promote and protect the public health, safety, and general welfare. Each is distinguished by minimum lot size and is adopted for the following purposes:

To provide sufficient space in appropriate locations for residential development to meet the housing needs of the County’s present and expected future population with due allowance for the need for a choice of sites.
To protect residential areas against fire, explosions, toxic and noxious matter, and other hazards, and against offensive noise, odorous matter, glare, and other objectionable influences.
To protect residential areas, as far as possible, against heavy and through traffic.
To protect residential areas against congestion by regulating the density of population, and the bulk of buildings in relation to the land around them and to one another; designing roadways that incorporate active transportation and encourage walking and bicycling through a network of interconnected streets, sidewalks and bike lanes; providing for off-street parking spaces to require the provisions of open space in residential areas wherever practicable, and thereby provide a more desirable, active environment for urban living in a metropolitan area.
To provide for access of light and air and for privacy, by controls over the spacing and height of buildings and other structures.
To provide appropriate space for those educational, religious, recreational, health, and similar facilities that serve the needs of the nearby residents, to generally perform their own activities more effectively in a residential environment, and do not create objectionable influences.
To encourage the development of desirable, active, more attractive and economic building forms.
To promote the most desirable use of land and direction of building development in accord with the General Plan; consider human health and design activity and sustainability in new developments and neighborhoods; to promote stability of residential development so as to protect the character of a district and its peculiar suitability for particular uses; to conserve the values of land and buildings; and to protect the County’s tax revenues.
To provide for the parking and storage of major recreational equipment within designated open spaces.
To comply with State law, provide for state authorized, certified, or licensed family care homes, foster homes, or group homes as a residential use of property.

2.6.2. Table of Residential Zoning Districts ¶

[AMENDED 09-09-2022]

TABLE 2.4 TABLE OF RESIDENTIAL ZONING DISTRICTS

Name of
Zoning
District
Abbreviation
Purpose and Zoning District Summary
Residential 1
RD-1
Low Density Single-Family Residential Zoning District. Similar to AR-1,
except general agricultural uses such as row crops, and gas wells are not
permitted in this zoning district. Incidental agricultural uses, including the
keeping of horses is permitted.
Residential 2
RD-2
Low Density Single-Family Residential Zoning District. Same as RD-1,
except a minimum lot size of 20,000 square feet, with minimum lot width
of 75 feet is permitted if a public sewer facility is in use or if a public
sewage facility and public water facility are both in use.
Residential 3
RD-3
Low Density Single-Family Residential Zoning District. Same as RD-1,
except a minimum lot size of 10,000 square feet, with minimum lot width
of 65 feet (single-family attached/detached) is permitted if a public sewer
facility is in use or if a public sewage facility and public water facility are
both in use. Keeping of horses is permitted only if the lot area is 20,000
square feet or larger.
Residential 4
RD-4
Low Density Single-Family Residential Zoning District. Same as RD-3,
except a minimum lot size of 8,500 square feet (single-family
attached/detached) is permitted if a public sewer facility is in use or if a
public sewage facility and public water facility are both in use.
Convenience centers are permitted, subject to issuance of a Use Permit.
Minimum lot width and public street frontage is 65 feet.
Residential 5
RD-5
Low Density Single-Family Residential Zoning District. Most widely used
single-family residential zoning district where public water supply and
public sewage facilities are both in use. Minimum interior lot sizes are
5,200 square feet and corner lots 6,200 square feet. Duplexes are
permitted with a minimum lot size of 8,500 square feet. Incidental
agricultural uses are permitted on lots of 20,000 square feet or larger.
Certain type of business and professional office uses when in scale and
oriented to neighborhood and convenience centers are subject to
issuance of a Use Permit.

Name of
Zoning
District
Abbreviation
Purpose and Zoning District Summary
Residential 7
RD-7
Low Density Single-Family Residential Zoning District with interior lot size
of 4,000 square feet and corner lots of 5,200 square feet. Zero lot lines
can be used in this zoning district. Duplexes are permitted on 8,500-
square-foot corner lots and on interior lots of 6,200 square feet, may
require issuance of a Use Permit.
Residential
10
RD-10
Low Density Single-Family Residential Zoning District, with a maximum
density of 10 dwelling units per net acre.
Multiple
Family
Residential
15
RD-15
High Density Multifamily Residential Zoning District with maximum
density of 15 dwelling units per acre; all multifamily zoning districts have
the same permitted uses.
Multiple
Family
Residential
20
RD-20
High Density Multifamily Residential Zoning District. Same as RD-15,
except allowing a density of 20 dwelling units per acre.
Multiple
Family
Residential
25
RD-25
High Density Multifamily Residential Zoning District. Same as RD-15,
except allowing a density of 25 dwelling units per acre.
Multiple
Family
Residential
30
RD-30
High Density Multifamily Residential Zoning District. Same as RD-15,
except allowing a density of 30 dwelling units per acre.
Multiple
Family
Residential
40
RD-40
High Density Multifamily Residential Zoning District. Same as RD-15,
except allowing a density of 40 dwelling units per acre.

Name of	Abbreviation	Purpose and Zoning District Summary
Zoning
District
Mobile	RM-2	Mobile home subdivision with a minimum lot size of 5,200 square feet.
Home		The primary permitted use is a mobile home on an individually-owned
Subdivision		parcel, similar in size to those found in typical single-family residential
		subdivisions. Yard requirements are 25 feet for front yard, 20 feet for
		rear yard, and 5, 7, or 10 feet for side yard. Minimum lot width and
		public street frontage is 52 feet.