Part II — BASE DISTRICT REGULATIONS
Article 14 — Open Space/Recreation District (O-S-R)
Walnut Creek Zoning Code · 2026-06 edition · ingested 2026-07-07 · Walnut Creek
10-2.2.1401 Purpose and Intent. ¶
The purpose of the Open Space/Recreation District is to identify the existing publicly owned open space, parks and golf courses. The intent is to provide land for public parks, recreation areas, wildlife preserves, watershed areas and scenic vistas.
10-2.2.1402 Land Use Regulations. Revised 4/25 ¶
In the following table, the letters in the "Use Regulation" column are defined as follows:
P = A permitted use.
| L | = | A use permitted subject to certain limitations prescribed by the "Use Regulations" that immediately follow the table. |
|---|---|---|
| U | = | A use permitted on approval of a Conditional Use Permit. |
Letters in parentheses in the "Additional Regulations" column are described in the "Additional Regulations" section following the "Use Regulations." Where a Use Regulation or a letter in parentheses is opposite a use classification heading, the referenced regulations shall apply to all use classifications under the heading. Land uses not listed (indicated by strikeout) are not permitted.
| LAND USE | USE REGULATIONS | ADDITIONAL REGULATIONS |
|---|---|---|
| A. Residential Use Classifcations | (C) | |
| 1. Adult Day Care Home | ||
| 2. Congregate Living Facility | ||
| 3. Family Day Care Home | ||
| a. Small Family Day Care Center | P | (F) |
| b. Large Family Day Care Home | P | (F) |
| 4. Group Residential | ||
| 5. Multiple Family Residential | ||
| 6. Residential Care Home | ||
| 7. Accessory Dwelling Units | ||
| a. Accessory Dwelling Unit | P | (E) |
| LAND USE | USE REGULATIONS | ADDITIONAL REGULATIONS |
| --- | --- | --- |
| b. Junior Accessory Dwelling Unit | P | (E) |
| 8. Single Family Residential | L(1) | |
| B. Commercial Use Classifcations | (A) | |
| 1. Ambulance Services | ||
| 2. Animal Sales and Service | ||
| a. Animal Hospital | ||
| b. Animal: Retail Sales and Grooming | ||
| c. Horse Stables | U | |
| d. Kennel | ||
| 3. Artist Studio | ||
| 4. Banks and Savings and Loans | ||
| a. Banks and Savings and Loans | ||
| (1) With Drive-up Service | ||
| (2) With Automated Teller Machine | ||
| 5. Catering Services | ||
| LAND USE | USE REGULATIONS | ADDITIONAL REGULATIONS |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 6. Commercial Cannabis Business | ||
| a. Commercial Cannabis Cultivation | ||
| b. Commercial Cannabis Distribution | ||
| c. Commercial Cannabis Manufacturing | ||
| d. Commercial Cannabis Retail Dispensary | ||
| (1) With Cannabis Delivery | ||
| e. Nonstorefront Delivery-Only Operation | ||
| f. Commercial Cannabis Testing Laboratory | ||
| 7. Communication Facilities | ||
| 8. Custom Manufacturing | ||
| 9. Eating and/or Drinking Establishments | (D) | |
| a. Eating and/or Drinking Establishments | L(2) | |
| (1) With Wine and Beer Service Ending at or Before 11:00 p.m. |
L(2) | |
| (2) With Wine and Beer Service Ending After 11:00 p.m. |
L(3) | |
| LAND USE | USE REGULATIONS | ADDITIONAL REGULATIONS |
| --- | --- | --- |
| (3) With Full Alcoholic Beverage Service Ending at or Before 11:00 p.m. |
L(2) | |
| (4) With Full Alcoholic Beverage Service Ending After 11:00 p.m. |
L(3) | |
| (5) With Live Entertainment | P | (D) |
| (6) With Dancing | P | (D) |
| (7) With Take-out Service | ||
| (a) Drive-up | ||
| (8) With Permanent Outdoor Seating | L(3) | |
| (9) With Of-site Distribution | ||
| (a) Micro-brewery | ||
| 10. Food and Beverage Sales | ||
| a. Food and Beverage Sales | ||
| b. Convenience Market | ||
| (1) With Gasoline Sales | ||
| c. Specialty Food Shops | ||
| LAND USE | USE REGULATIONS | ADDITIONAL REGULATIONS |
| --- | --- | --- |
| (1) With Of-site Distribution | ||
| 11. Funeral and Interment Services | ||
| 12. Health Clubs | ||
| 13. Home Improvement Sales and Service | ||
| 14. Horticultural Establishment | ||
| 15. Lumber and Building Material Yard | ||
| 16. Maintenance and Repair Service/Small Equip | ||
| 17. Mini Storage | ||
| 18. Nursery | ||
| 19. Ofces, Business and Professional | ||
| a. Ofces, Business and Professional | ||
| (1) Ofces, Medical | ||
| 20. Parking, Commercial Facility | ||
| 21. Pawn Shop | ||
| 22. Personal Improvement Services | ||
| LAND USE | USE REGULATIONS | ADDITIONAL REGULATIONS |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 23. Personal Services | ||
| 24. Recreation and Entertainment, Commercial | ||
| a. Within a Building | ||
| b. Outside a Building | L(3) | |
| 25. Research and Development Services | ||
| 26. Retail Sales/Rental | L(3) | |
| 27. Vehicle/Equipment Sales and Service | ||
| a. Automobile Sales/New and Used | ||
| b. Automobile Washing | ||
| c. Automobile Wrecking | ||
| d. Service Stations | ||
| (1) Automobile Washing | ||
| e. Vehicle/Equipment Repair | ||
| (1) Limited Vehicle Service | ||
| f. Vehicle/Equipment Sales and Rentals | ||
| LAND USE | USE REGULATIONS | ADDITIONAL REGULATIONS |
| --- | --- | --- |
| g. Vehicle Storage | ||
| 28. Visitor Accommodations | ||
| a. Bed and Breakfast Inns | ||
| b. Hotels | ||
| c. Motels | ||
| C. Industrial Use Classifcations | ||
| 1. General Industry | ||
| 2. Limited Industry | ||
| 3. Research Development Industry | ||
| 4. Wholesaling, Distribution and Storage | ||
| D. Agricultural Use Classifcations | ||
| 1. Animal Husbandry | ||
| 2. Crop Production | ||
| E. Community Facility Use Classifcations | ||
| 1. Adult Day Care Facility | ||
| LAND USE | USE REGULATIONS | ADDITIONAL REGULATIONS |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2. Child Day Care Facility (Day Care Center) | ||
| 3. Clubs and Lodges | ||
| 4. College, Public or Private | ||
| 5. Cultural Institutions | ||
| a. Cultural Institutions | P | |
| b. Natural History/Science Museum | P | |
| 6. Emergency Medical Care/No Inpatient | ||
| 7. Government Ofces | ||
| 8. Hazardous Waste Management Facility | ||
| 9. Heliports | ||
| 10. Housing for the Homeless/Emergency Shelters | ||
| 11. Hospitals | ||
| a. Acute Care | ||
| b. Other | ||
| 12. Maintenance and Service Facilities | ||
| LAND USE | USE REGULATIONS | ADDITIONAL REGULATIONS |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 13. Park and Recreation Facilities | P | |
| 14. Public Parking Facilities | ||
| 15. Public Safety Facilities | ||
| 16. Public Transit Terminals | ||
| 17. Recycling Facilities | ||
| a. Collection Facility | ||
| (1) Reverse Vending Machine | L(4) | (B) |
| (2) Small Collection Facility | L(4) | (B) |
| (3) Large Collection Facility | ||
| b. Processing Facility | ||
| 18. Religious Assembly | ||
| 19. Residential Care Facility | ||
| 20. Schools, Public or Private | ||
| 21. Skilled Nursing Facilities | ||
| 22. Utilities, Major | L(5) | |
| LAND USE | USE REGULATIONS | ADDITIONAL REGULATIONS |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 23. Utilities, Minor | P | |
| F. Accessory Uses | ||
| 1. Accessory Living Quarters | ||
| 2. Accessory Structure | ||
| 3. Accessory Uses | ||
| a. Accessory Uses | L(6) | |
| (1) Garage Sales | ||
| (2) Home Occupations | ||
| (3) Personal Cannabis Cultivation | ||
| G. Temporary Uses | (A) | |
| 1. Arts and Crafts Shows, Outdoor | L(7) | |
| 2. Christmas Tree Sales | L(7) | |
| 3. Civic/Community Events | L(7) | |
| 4. Farmers Markets | L(7) | |
| 5. Live Entertainment Events | L(7) | |
| LAND USE | LAND USE | USE REGULATIONS |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 6. Outdoor Seating/Eating and Drinking Estab | ||
| 7. Pumpkin Sales | L(7) | |
| 8. Retail Sales, Outdoor | ||
| 9. Swap Meets, Non-Recurring | ||
| 10. Swap Meets, Recurring | ||
| 11. Street Fairs | ||
| 12. Vendor Carts | L(7) | |
| USE REGULATIONS |
| LAND USE | USE REGULATIONS | ADDITIONAL REGULATIONS |
|---|---|---|
| L(1) | Single Family Residential uses shall be permitted for caretakers, docents, park rangers and watchmen. |
|
| L(2) | Permitted as an accessory use in Cultural Institutions and Park and Recreation Facilities upon approval of an Administrative Use Permit pursuant to Article 12 of Part III of the Zoning Ordinance. |
|
| L(3) | Permitted as an accessory use in Cultural Institutions and Park and Recreation Facilities upon approval of a Conditional Use Permit pursuant to Article 12 of Part III of the Zoning Ordinance. |
|
| L(4) | Permitted upon approval by the Community Development Director. | |
| USE REGULATIONS | ||
| --- | --- | |
| L(5) | Electrical substations, aboveground electrical transmission lines, water pumping stations and switching buildings are permitted uses. All other uses within this classifcation are not permitted. |
|
| L(6) | See the use regulations for the primary use classifcation. | |
| L(7) | Permitted subject to the approval of a Temporary Activity Permit. | |
| ADDITIONAL USE REGULATIONS | ||
| (A) | See Sec. 10-2.3.121.Regulations for Outdoor Sales, Service, Display. |
|
| (B) | See Part III, Article 7. Recycling Facilities. | |
| (C) | See Part III, Article 9. Inclusionary Housing. | |
| (D) | See Part III, Article 12. Alcoholic Beverage Sales. | |
| (E) | See Part III, Article 5. Accessory Dwelling Units. | |
| (F) | See Part III, Article 6. Child Day Care Facilities. |
(§§35, 36, 37, Ord. 2109, eff. 6/15/12; §18, Ord. 2129, eff. 7/3/14; §§7(1), (48), Ord. 2183, eff. 9/8/18; §3, Ord. 2188, eff. 3/8/19; §13, Ord. 2210, eff. 10/22/21; §5(1), Ord. 2216, eff. 7/2/22; §3(2), Ord. 2248, eff. 2/21/25)
10-2.2.1403 Property Development Regulations. ¶
The following schedule prescribes development regulations for the Open Space/Recreation District. The symbol "NA" indicates that there is no restriction for that particular development regulation or it is not applicable in this District. Letters in parentheses refer to the "Additional Development Regulations" following the schedule.
| CLASSIFICATION | DEVELOPMENT REGULATIONS |
ADDITIONAL REGULATIONS |
|---|---|---|
| A. Minimum Lot Area | NA | |
| B. Minimum Lot Width | NA | |
| C. Minimum Lot Frontage | NA | |
| D. Minimum Lot Depth | NA | |
| E. Minimum Setbacks | D(1) | |
| F. Maximum Height | D(2) | |
| G. Density | D(3) | |
| H. Maximum Lot Coverage | NA | |
| I. Maximum Floor Area Ratio | D(3) | |
| J. Design Review | See Sec. 10-2.4.1202. |
|
| K. Fences and Walls | See Sec. 10-2.3.104. |
|
| L. Antennas | See Sec. 10-2.3.120. |
|
| M. Non-Conforming Conditions | See Part III, Article 3. | |
| N. Recycling Facilities | See Part III, Article 7. | |
| O. Parking and Loading | See Part III, Article 2. | |
| CLASSIFICATION | CLASSIFICATION | DEVELOPMENT REGULATIONS |
| --- | --- | --- |
| P. Signs | See Title 10,Chapter 8. |
|
| Q. Preservation of Trees | See Title 3.Chapter 8. |
|
| R. Hillside Performance Standards | See Part III, Article 4. | |
| S. Stormwater Control | See Title 9,Chapter 16 |
|
| T. Landscaping | See Part III, Article 11. | |
| ADDITIONAL DEVELOPMENT REGULATIONS | ||
| D(1) | Minimum setback requirements shall be determined on a case by case basis in the approval of a site plan. |
|
| D(2) | The maximum height limitation shall be 25 feet unless otherwise shown on the Zoning Map. | |
| D(3) | The maximum density shall be determined on a case by case basis but in no case shall exceed .1 du/acre or a .1 FAR. |
(§2, Ord. 2037, eff. 12/17/04; §16, Ord. 2070, eff. 6/20/2008; §18, Ord. 2108, eff. 4/7/12)
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The Walnut Creek Municipal Code is current through Ordinance 2251, passed August 16, 2025.
Disclaimer: The City Clerk's Office has the official version of the Walnut Creek
10-2.2.1501
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