Brentwood · Zoning · C-3
Brentwood C-3 zoning: height, setbacks and lot size
In Brentwood's C-3 zone, generally buildings can be up to 40 ft (3 stories) tall, the front setback is 10 ft and the minimum lot size is 1 acre, with the conditions listed below (Brentwood code, read October 2026).
Key points
- Maximum building height: 40 ft
- Maximum number of stories: 3 stories
- Minimum front setback: 10 ft (where a residentially zoned parcel fronts the street in the same block: 75% of that residential setback, but not less than 10 ft)
- Minimum side setback: None required (where C-3 abuts a residential zone: 10 ft for structures up to two stories or 30 ft, 15 ft for three-story or 40 ft structures)
- Minimum lot size: 1 acre (lots in an approved master development plan may be reduced to 20,000 sq ft)
C-3 (Thoroughfare Commercial) is a zoning district in Brentwood. Every value below was read from the Brentwood Municipal Code and links to its section (read October 2026). State laws such as the ADU and SB 9 rules can allow more on a residential lot. General information, not legal advice — read the code text and check with the city before you build.
Development standards in C-3
The general rule for a typical lot in this zone. Zoning tables often attach notes, such as rules for corner lots, lots next to a residential zone, or new subdivisions only. Open “code text” under a value to see the table cell or sentence it was read from.
| Maximum building height | 40 ft § 17.270.004 · code textThe maximum building height permitted in the C-3 zone shall be three stories not to exceed forty feet, |
|---|---|
| Maximum number of stories | 3 stories § 17.270.004 · code textThe maximum building height permitted in the C-3 zone shall be three stories not to exceed forty feet, |
| Minimum front setback | 10 ft Applies: where a residentially zoned parcel fronts the street in the same block: 75% of that residential setback, but not less than 10 ft § 17.270.004 · code textMinimum street frontage yards: ten feet, except where there is a residentially zoned parcel fronting on the street within the same block, the minimum setback shall be seventy-five percent of the minimum setback for the residential zone, but not less than ten feet; |
| Minimum side setback | None required Applies: where C-3 abuts a residential zone: 10 ft for structures up to two stories or 30 ft, 15 ft for three-story or 40 ft structures § 17.270.004 · code textAll other C-3 properties except those described in subdivision (1) of this subsection shall have a setback of none except where the C-3 zone abuts a residential zone, the setback shall be ten feet for structures up to two stories or thirty feet and fifteen feet for three story or forty-foot high structures. |
| Minimum lot size | 1 acre Applies: lots in an approved master development plan may be reduced to 20,000 sq ft § 17.270.004 · code textMinimum parcel size: one acre except lots approved as part of an approved master development plan may be reduced to a minimum of twenty thousand square feet; |
When a different number applies
The code sets other values for particular lots, buildings or locations in C-3:
- Minimum front setback: 75% of the minimum setback for the residential zone, but not less than 10 ft — Where there is a residentially zoned parcel fronting on the street within the same block § 17.270.004
- Minimum side setback: 15 ft — C-3 zone between Chestnut and Fir Streets abutting Brentwood Blvd., where the C-3 zone abuts a residential zone, for three-story or forty-foot-high structures § 17.270.004
- Minimum side setback: 10 ft — All other C-3 properties, where the C-3 zone abuts a residential zone, for structures up to two stories or thirty feet § 17.270.004
- Minimum side setback: 15 ft — All other C-3 properties, where the C-3 zone abuts a residential zone, for three-story or forty-foot-high structures § 17.270.004
- Minimum lot size: 20,000 sq ft — Lots approved as part of an approved master development plan § 17.270.004
Not on this page
We did not find a general rear setback, lot coverage, FAR, density limit for C-3 in the zoning tables we read. The code may still set one elsewhere — check the Brentwood Municipal Code.
Other Brentwood zoning districts
Who this affects
Frequently asked questions
What is the maximum building height in Brentwood's C-3 zone?
40 ft — Brentwood Municipal Code § 17.270.004.
What is the maximum number of stories in Brentwood's C-3 zone?
3 stories — Brentwood Municipal Code § 17.270.004.
What is the minimum front setback in Brentwood's C-3 zone?
10 ft (where a residentially zoned parcel fronts the street in the same block: 75% of that residential setback, but not less than 10 ft) — Brentwood Municipal Code § 17.270.004.
What is the minimum side setback in Brentwood's C-3 zone?
None required (where C-3 abuts a residential zone: 10 ft for structures up to two stories or 30 ft, 15 ft for three-story or 40 ft structures) — Brentwood Municipal Code § 17.270.004.
What is the minimum lot size in Brentwood's C-3 zone?
1 acre (lots in an approved master development plan may be reduced to 20,000 sq ft) — Brentwood Municipal Code § 17.270.004.
General information, not legal advice.
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