Santa Clara Zoning Code § 8.2 Standards (CA)

A. Facade Composition. Facade elements shall be organized by a grid ( Figure 8-1 ) Patterns of openings within each individual facade or Building Increment—when required per Section 7.2 —shall be organized into a grid per the standards below

1. Horizontal alignment of elements. Rooflines, openings, and materials within each facade or facade module must align horizontally, and be generally consistent in style across the entire width

2. Vertical alignment of openings into bays. The entirety of a building’s facade or Massing Increment shall be clearly divided into vertical bays, subject to the following:

a. Facade bays shall extend from the ground to the top of the facade and are defined by vertical structure (solid portions of wall, piers, etc ) which extends from the ground to the top of the facade (See §8.2.F for more on expressing structure)
b. Each bay must be between 15’ and 30’ wide
c. Openings shall be stacked within bays as illustrated below Openings should typically be arranged symmetrically within bays
B. Buildings shall have a base, middle, and top ( Figure 8-2 ). The building base should read as visually supportive, with materials that appear solid and strong Building base heights are scaled to the size of the building; their height is regulated alongside building heights in Section 6.3 and Table 6-2.

1. The building base is the primary portion of the facade observed from the street, so it should feature details and materials which are pleasing to the pedestrian The building base should be differentiated from the rest of the facade—whether by a string course, change in material, change in type of openings, or a combination of these elements

2. The middle of the building features floors which should be generally repetitive, with only minor variations between each floor

3. The top of the building should feature some form of capping element(s), such as a cornice, enhanced ornamentation, or a decorative parapet In larger buildings, the upper most floor may be visually incorporated into the building design of the top

Text read from an image; its layout may differ:
Bay

FIGURE 8-1 | A GRID OF FLOORS & BAYS

Each bay in this example features a shopfront on the ground floor with 1 or 2 sets of upper floor windows stacked above. This pattern is especially appropriate for the Shopfront Overlay.

(Image not reproduced in this text.)

BAYS —Facades can be organized into bays, regardless of style.

Text read from an image; its layout may differ:
Top
Middle
Base

(Image not reproduced in this text.)

FIGURE 8-2 | BASE, MIDDLE, AND TOP

Building facades shall have a base, middle, and top.

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Publication, Apr 2026

SANTA CLARA CODE

37 | Chapter 8: Facade Design

C. Facade Fenestration.

1. Fenestration Area. Facades shall be designed with fenestration—openings on the facade, including windows and doors—in the amounts identified by Table 8-1

a. Fenestration amount is calculated as a percentage of openings—including all windows and doors on the facade—to an area of facade Each portion of the facade grid, as defined in Standard 8.2.A.3 , must have a fenestration percentage which falls within the range identified by Table 8-1 This is illustrated in the facade diagram to the right See Figure 8-3
b. Per Table 8-1 , the required fenestration amount varies by Zone and Overlay (where applicable) and by location on the facade

TABLE 8-1 | FENESTRATION

Facade Area	Shopfront	Retail-Ready	General

Ground Floor	75% - 95%	65% - 95%	40% - 95%
Upper Floors	25% - 70%

FIGURE 8-3 | APPLYING THE FENESTRATION STANDARDS

Each portion of the facade grid must meet the applicable fenestration requirement. This example displays Shopfront overlay requirements.

2. General to all floors:

a. Except for shopfront or bay windows, window jambs shall be set in a minimum of 4 inches from the main facade plane Trim/moldings on the facade do not count toward this recess depth
b. Opaque or fogged windows are prohibited Windows and glazing on doors should have an external reflectance of less than 15%, and a transparency higher than 80%
c. Non-operable shutters—known as ‘faux shutters’—are prohibited
d. The horizontal distance between wall openings should not exceed 15 feet within a facade or massing increment
e. On street-facing facades, utility penetrations are prohibited (e g , exhaust vents)

3. Specific to ground floors:

a. The ground floor facade area is determined by multiplying the ground floor height (as regulated by Table 6-2 ) by its width
b. Structural elements (e g , columns and piers) shall be visible on the facade exterior, and the front face of such structural elements shall align with the face of the facade above in order to visually convey that they support the facade and floors above This is especially critical for ground floor facades with over 90% glass (to avoid the illusion that the upper floors are resting on a glass box)
c. Bedroom and bathroom windows along any new or existing street is prohibited
d. Display windows which block views into interior spaces may only comprise up to 25% of the required fenestration area
e. Section 9 establishes further ground floor fenestration requirements, beyond the base standards in Table 8-1 , to create a balance between privacy and transparency according to frontage type

25–70% 25–70% 25–70% 75–95% 25–70% 25–70% 25–70% 75–95% 25–70% 25–70% 25–70% 75–95% 25–70% 25–70% 25–70% 75–95%

25–70%	25–70%	25–70%	25–70%
25–70%	25–70%	25–70%	25–70%
25–70%	25–70%	25–70%	25–70%
75–95%	75–95%	75–95%	75–95%

4. Specific to upper floors:

a. Wall openings should generally not span across stories (vertically) or bays (horizontally)
b. Upper-floor wall openings shall be square or taller than they are wide Individual vertically-proportioned windows can be grouped side by side to form a horizontal ensemble of windows

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ZONING

38 | City of Santa Clara Downtown Form-Base Code