Biggs Zoning, Planning & Building Codes

Last reviewed: July 1, 2026

Overview

Biggs regulates land use through its municipal zoning ordinance, formally adopted as Title 14. Zoning of the Biggs Municipal Code. Title 14 lays out how districts are created, how uses are permitted or conditionally permitted, and the development standards that shape everyday projects. It also defines who decides what (city planner, planning commission, city council) and the steps for amendments, use permits and design review before you get a building permit. The framework is meant to implement the General Plan and to remain consistent with any adopted specific plans. See the city’s core zoning framework on Biggs Zoning and general policy direction under Biggs Land Use (BMC § 14.10.010; § 14.50.030).

How Biggs’s code is organized

• Title name and purpose. The zoning title is expressly “Title 14. Zoning,” stating purposes tied to public health, safety and implementation of the General Plan (BMC § 14.10.010–.020).
• Roles and authorities. The city planner administers day-to-day zoning, with discretionary calls reported to the planning commission; the commission and the council exercise hearing and decision authority as specified across Title 14 (BMC § 14.10.030).
• Map and districts. The official zoning map is incorporated, and district boundaries are interpreted by the city planner when uncertain (BMC § 14.190.030–.040).
• Amendments and prezoning. Zoning/text changes follow a planning commission hearing and a city council hearing; council may approve, modify, or deny. Prezoning of land in the sphere is allowed and becomes effective upon annexation (BMC § 14.40.020–.070).
• Plans. General and specific plans are adopted by council after commission recommendation; entitlements must be consistent with them (BMC § 14.50.010–.030).
• Decision procedures. Notice and hearing procedures are referenced in Chapter 14.30 “Procedures” and invoked in other chapters (e.g., BMC § 14.40.050 references Ch. 14.30).
• Design review. Most exterior work in residential and commercial districts requires design review before any building permit; exemptions and submittal/approval steps are in Chapter 14.100 (BMC § 14.100.020–.050). See Biggs Design Review.
• Use tables by “family.” Uses are organized into agricultural (Ch. 14.200), residential (Ch. 14.250), commercial (Ch. 14.300), and industrial (Ch. 14.350) tables (e.g., BMC § 14.200.010–.020; § 14.320.020; § 14.350.010).

Zoning district families

Biggs designates the following districts (BMC § 14.190.010). See mapped context on Biggs Zoning.

• Agricultural: A-G (General Agricultural), A-C (Agricultural Commercial), A-M (Agricultural Industrial). Uses and permit levels are in the agricultural use table (Ch. 14.200); development metrics for A-G appear in § 14.210.040 and for A-C in Ch. 14.220 (BMC § 14.200.010–.020; § 14.210.040; § 14.220.010).
• Residential: R-1 (Single-Family), R-2 (Medium Density), R-3 (High Density), R‑MU (Residential Mixed-Use). Allowed and conditional uses reference the residential use table (Ch. 14.250) (e.g., R‑1: BMC § 14.260.020–.030; R‑2: § 14.270.020–.030).
• Commercial and mixed-use: C-G (General Commercial), C-O (Office Commercial), D‑MU (Downtown/B Street Mixed-Use). Uses reference the commercial use table (Ch. 14.300) (e.g., C‑G § 14.320.020; C‑O § 14.330; D‑MU Ch. 14.310).
• Industrial: M-1 (Light Industrial), M-2 (General Industrial). Uses reference the industrial use table (Ch. 14.350) (BMC § 14.350.010).
• Civic/Open Space: P‑Q (Public/Quasi-Public), O‑S (Open Space). P‑Q’s purpose and baseline standards are detailed in Ch. 14.380 (e.g., permitted uses; min. lot area; lot coverage) (BMC § 14.380.020; § 14.380.050–.060).
• Combining district: PD (Planned Development) is applied in combination with a base zone to tailor standards and uses through a site development plan (BMC § 14.190.020; Ch. 14.390). See Biggs Overlay Districts.

Citywide development standards

Most dimensional rules live within each district chapter; parking, landscaping and design standards apply citywide or by district. For a practical entry point, see Biggs Development Standards.

Residential highlights

• The R‑1 district sets a 15 ft front setback, 5 ft side setback, 10 ft street side setback, 15 ft rear setback, 5,445 sq ft minimum lot area with 50 ft minimum lot width, 50% lot coverage, and 35 ft maximum height; detached accessory structures are capped at 20 ft. A CUP can allow up to an additional 15% lot coverage (to 65%) and varied lot widths under constraints (BMC § 14.260.040; § 14.110.040 reference; additional R‑1 width/coverage notes; § 14.260.050 for ADU setbacks).
• The R‑2 district sets a 15 ft front setback, 5 ft side, 10 ft street side, 15 ft rear, 5,445 sq ft min. lot area with 50 ft min. width, 60% lot coverage, and 45 ft max height; an additional 5 ft setback applies for each floor above the first when adjacent to R‑1 (BMC § 14.270.040).

Commercial and mixed-use highlights

• The C‑O district requires a 20 ft front setback; no side/rear setback unless abutting a residential zone (then 10 ft); 10 ft street side; 5,000 sq ft min. lot area, 50 ft min. width; 75% lot coverage (up to 90% by CUP); 40 ft max height (up to 50 ft by exception under Ch. 14.180) (BMC § 14.330.040–.060).
• The C‑G district sets a 15 ft front setback; no side/rear setback unless abutting residential; 10 ft street side; 7,200 sq ft min. lot area, 65 ft min. width; 75% lot coverage; 55 ft max height (BMC § 14.320.040).
• The D‑MU (Downtown/B Street) district has no minimum front setback, and generally no side/rear setbacks unless abutting residential (10 ft side; 15 ft rear). Lot coverage/landscaping are set through project review; 55 ft max height, with any exception processed under Ch. 14.180 (BMC § 14.310.040–.050).

Industrial highlights

• The M‑1 district sets a 25 ft front setback (reducible to 20 ft with added landscaping), 25 ft side when abutting residential (10 ft if abutting commercial; otherwise none), 25 ft street side, and 15 ft rear when abutting residential or commercial; no minimum lot size/width, 65% lot coverage (to 80% by CUP), 45 ft max height (BMC § 14.360.040).
• The M‑2 district uses similar adjacency-sensitive setbacks, allows no minimum lot size, 90% lot coverage with CUP, and 60 ft max height overall (reduced to 30 ft/one story where contiguous to residential; exceptions up to 100 ft via Ch. 14.180) (BMC § 14.370.040–.060).

Agricultural highlights

• The A‑G district requires 20 ft front and street-side setbacks, 25 ft sides/rear, 20 acres minimum lot size, with 35 ft max height for residential and 50 ft for nonresidential; adjacency rules and exceptions under Ch. 14.180 apply as noted (BMC § 14.210.040).
• The A‑C district purpose is to accommodate ag-support commercial uses while protecting neighbors; standards and adjacency controls are provided in Ch. 14.220 (BMC § 14.220.010; see 14.210.040 cross-structure for setbacks/adjacency logic).

Civic/Open Space highlights

• The P‑Q district permits city facilities, parks/greenbelts and emergency shelters; minimum lot area is 7,200 sq ft and maximum impervious coverage is 25% (BMC § 14.380.020; § 14.380.050–.060).

Parking, landscaping and screening

• Citywide off-street parking standards apply with project timing and change-of-use rules; compliance is verified prior to any building permit, final inspection, or business license (BMC § 14.130.020–.040).
• Parking lot design/access/landscaping standards include paved surfacing, stall dimensions, avoidance of backing into streets, and shading at 50% within 10 years for lots with five or more spaces (BMC § 14.130.070–.090).
• The D‑MU district has a customized parking schedule recognizing alley-accessed shared lots and reduced on-site availability (BMC § 14.130.100).
• Landscaping and screening also appear in district chapters and through design review; for example, C‑O requires at least 10% of the lot as publicly accessible landscaped area, with wall/fence screening at residential interfaces (BMC § 14.330.050–.060). See Biggs Landscaping and Screening.

Nonconforming and exceptions

• Existing lawful uses/structures may continue subject to the city’s nonconforming provisions; expansions are limited per Chapter 14.80 as referenced in applicability rules (BMC § 14.10.040(1)). See Biggs Nonconforming Uses.
• Height or similar departures may be processed as “exceptions” under Chapter 14.180, cited throughout district standards (e.g., C‑O, M‑1/M‑2, D‑MU) (BMC § 14.330.040 n.5; § 14.360.040 n.7; § 14.370.040 n.7; § 14.310.040 n.6). See Biggs Variances and Exceptions.

Specific plans & overlays

• Specific plans. Biggs may adopt specific plans to implement the General Plan; once adopted, no building permit may issue inconsistent with an applicable specific plan (BMC § 14.50.020). See Biggs Land Use.
• PD planned development (combining). The PD district overlays a base zone to allow a site development plan with tailored standards and uses. PDs must conform to the underlying land use designation; they may increase residential density for mixed residential consistent with the General Plan (still capped by GP unless state law allows more) and must provide at least 20% landscaped open space, including 10% consolidated for social/recreation (BMC § 14.190.020; § 14.390.040–.060). See Biggs Overlay Districts.

Building permits & review

• Design review before building permits. Except for listed exemptions, the city planner or planning commission must review and approve exterior plans in residential and commercial districts before any building permit issues. Submittals include site/architectural drawings and a landscape plan; approvals may be conditioned and partial permits may be issued pending full plan approval (BMC § 14.100.020; § 14.100.040–.050). See Biggs Design Review.
• Conformance and changes. Construction must match approved plans; any modification must be re‑approved by the planner/commission depending on who approved originally and the change’s scale (BMC § 14.100.060).
• Off-street parking compliance is checked prior to issuing building permits, final inspections or business licenses (BMC § 14.130.020).
• Building code interface. Parking accessibility standards explicitly reference Title 24 of the California Building Standards Code for disabled-accessible spaces (BMC § 14.130.040(2)).

State housing law in Biggs

• ADUs/JADUs. Biggs implements ministerial approval for ADUs and JADUs in all single-family and multifamily zoning districts, and in commercial districts when there is an existing or proposed dwelling, consistent with Government Code §§ 65852.2 and 65852.22. Local standards (e.g., sizing) apply per § 14.110.115; in R‑1, ADU setbacks track primary-unit setbacks (BMC § 14.110.115; § 14.260.050). See Biggs ADUs and the underlying California ADU law.
• Density and PDs. PD districts may not exceed General Plan maximum dwelling units “except as otherwise permitted by state law,” acknowledging state housing preemptions (BMC § 14.390.040). See California housing laws.
• SB 9 and density bonus. Not found in retrieved materials. Verify current local implementation or default to state law where Biggs has no adopted standards.
• Rent regulations. Not found in retrieved materials. Verify with the jurisdiction.

Information Gaps to verify with the City

• R‑3, R‑MU, A‑M and O‑S dimensional standards not surfaced in the retrieved excerpts; confirm district chapters. Not found in retrieved materials.
• Sign regulations. A dedicated signage chapter is referenced by practice in other cities; specific Biggs standards were not surfaced here. See Biggs Signage. Not found in retrieved materials.
• Historic preservation procedures or districts. See Biggs Historic Preservation. Not found in retrieved materials.

Source References

• Title 14 organization and authority: BMC § 14.10.010–.040; § 14.190.030–.040; § 14.40.020–.070; § 14.50.010–.030.
• Districts: BMC § 14.190.010–.020 (district list and PD combining).
• Residential standards: BMC § 14.260.040–.050 (R‑1); § 14.270.040 (R‑2); related R‑1 width/coverage notes.
• Commercial/mixed-use: BMC § 14.330.040–.060 (C‑O); § 14.320.040 (C‑G); § 14.310.040–.050 (D‑MU).
• Industrial: BMC § 14.360.040 (M‑1); § 14.370.040–.060 (M‑2).
• Agricultural/civic: BMC § 14.210.040 (A‑G); § 14.220.010 (A‑C); § 14.380.020; § 14.380.050–.060 (P‑Q).
• Design review and development process: BMC § 14.100.020; § 14.100.040–.060; § 14.100.070–.080.
• Parking and D‑MU parking: BMC § 14.130.020–.040; § 14.130.070–.100.
• ADUs/JADUs: BMC § 14.110.115; R‑1 ADU setbacks § 14.260.050.