Chowchilla Zoning, Planning & Building Codes

Last reviewed: July 1, 2026

Overview

Chowchilla's land-use rules are codified in Title 18 — ZONING, the city's zoning ordinance and the primary tool for implementing the General Plan (§ 18.02.030; § 18.02.060) . The code sets a map of base and overlay districts, a set of use tables, and citywide development and design standards; specific chapters govern permits, site plan and design review, planned developments, and housing incentives (§ 18.06.030; § 18.50.010; Chapter 18.72; Chapter 18.82; Chapter 18.58) . Use this page as the city-level orientation — for parcel-specific questions consult the official zoning map kept by the Community Development Department (§ 18.06.040) .

How Chowchilla's code is organized

• The zoning ordinance is presented as a Title in the municipal code and declares its scope and purposes in § 18.02.010–§ 18.02.050 (adoption, purposes, components, authority) .
• The ordinance divides material into chapters that (a) define terms and construction rules, (b) establish zoning districts and the official zoning map, (c) set development standards, and (d) create permit and review procedures (see the table of contents in Title 18) (§ 18.02.040; § 18.02.110; Chapter 18.04; Chapter 18.06; Chapter 18.50; Chapter 18.70) .
• Where specific plans exist, the city applies them through a Specific Plan Overlay; the code states that specific-plan provisions supersede the base zoning where they conflict (§ 18.42.010–§ 18.42.040) .
• Design guidance is separate from the zoning regulations — design guidelines supplement but do not override the ordinance; when conflict exists the ordinance controls (§ 18.02.080) .

(First mention links: this page links to the city's Chowchilla Zoning, to the Chowchilla Development Standards, and to the California Building Standards Code inline as they appear in the text above and below.)

Zoning district families

The code establishes the city's base and overlay districts explicitly in § 18.06.030; the base district families are:

• Residential

  • R-L (Low Density Residential)
  • R-M (Medium Density Residential) — subtypes R-M-5 and R-M-6 for 5,000 and 6,000 sq ft lot standards
  • R-MH (Medium High Density Residential)
  • R-H (High Density Residential) (§ 18.06.030)

• Commercial / Mixed Use

  • C-N (Neighborhood Commercial)
  • C-S (Service Commercial)
  • C-H (Highway Commercial)
  • MX-D (Downtown Mixed Use)
  • MX (Mixed Use)
  • O (Office) (§ 18.06.030)

• Industrial / Public / Open

  • I-L (Light Industrial)
  • I-H (Heavy Industrial)
  • PF (Public Facilities)
  • OS (Open Space) (§ 18.06.030; Chapters 18.36 & 18.38)

Overlay districts (applied on top of base zones) include:

• AO — Airport Overlay (applies airport-compatibility and obstacle limitations in addition to base rules) (§ 18.40.010–§ 18.40.020)
• SPO — Specific Plan Overlay (used where an adopted specific plan applies and its rules take precedence) (§ 18.42.020–§ 18.42.040)

Specific-zone chapters give detailed permitted uses, minimum lot/site rules and special standards; for example the Downtown Mixed Use MX‑D chapter requires buildings at or near the front lot line and allows taller heights downtown subject to adjacency limits (§ 18.26.060; § 18.26.080) .

Citywide development standards

Chowchilla separates general development rules (in Chapter 18.50) from per-zone standards and specific-use rules. Key, citywide high-level rules you should know:

• Organization and cross-reference: The code declares that the development standards chapter applies to all districts unless otherwise stated (§ 18.50.010–§ 18.50.020) .
• Setbacks and lot coverage: The code defines how setback measurements are made and contains base setback minima and lot coverage rules in the per-zone chapters; a common baseline for many neighborhoods is a 15 ft front setback, 15 ft rear setback, and 5 ft interior side setback with variations by zone (§ 18.30.060; § 18.30.050) . For example, the OS zone has a larger front/rear/side setback pattern (typically 25 ft in many OS subsections) (§ 18.38.060) . The MX‑D downtown chapter intentionally allows 0 ft side or rear setbacks in many locations and requires buildings close to the sidewalk (§ 18.26.060) .
• Height: The general maximum height for most zones is 35 ft; downtown mixed-use can go higher (up to 50 ft in MX‑D) but is limited where it abuts lower-density residential to 35 ft (§ 18.30.080; § 18.26.080) . Public Facilities and some special zones allow taller structures (e.g., 50 ft in PF) (§ 18.36.080) .
• Floor area ratio / lot coverage: Lot coverage is controlled by a combination of the required setback/landscaping/parking provisions rather than a single citywide FAR number; the code expresses coverage as "determined by combined setback area requirements, open space requirements, and off-street parking requirements" in many zone chapters (§ 18.30.050; see zone-specific coverage rules) .
• Parking: Off-street parking minimums and design are centralized in Chapter 18.54; many zone chapters point to that chapter for required parking and loading standards and dimension rules are repeated (e.g., 9 ft × 18.5 ft stall minimum) (§ 18.30.100; § 18.16.130) . The first natural mention of the city's parking rules above links to the parking menu for deeper detail.
• Landscaping, screening and fences: Landscaping standards and screening cross‑reference Chapters 18.52 and 18.50; block walls and seven‑foot screening are addressed where industrial/commercial uses abut residential neighborhoods (§ 18.50; § 18.24.140; § 18.24.150) .
• Signs, nonconforming uses, variances: The code has dedicated chapters for signs (Chapter 18.56), nonconforming uses, and variances/appeals; sign allowances differ by zone and downtown has its own sign expectations (§ 18.56.; § 18.26.) .

(First natural mention of development standards above links to Chowchilla Development Standards. For design-related review and process topics see the Chowchilla Design Review and the Chowchilla Overlay Districts pages referenced below.)

Specific plans & overlays

• The code creates a formal Specific Plan Overlay (SPO) and explains that an adopted specific plan's development regulations and design guidelines take precedence over the underlying zone where they conflict (§ 18.42.010–§ 18.42.040) .
• The Airport Overlay (AO) imposes airport‑safety and compatibility restrictions and references the Madera Countywide Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan and FAA rules; airport overlay requirements are applied in addition to base zoning and may be controlling where conflicts exist (§ 18.40.010–§ 18.40.020) .
• The code also contains a Heritage Preservation chapter (Chapter 18.48) that creates local historic-resource review and permitting for designated heritage resources (§ 18.48.010) .

(For overlays see the inline Chowchilla Overlay Districts link above.)

Building permits & review

This is the practical workflow to expect in Chowchilla:

• Permit governance and hierarchy: The zoning ordinance directs that permits, certificates and licenses be issued consistent with the Title and that no permit conflicts with this Title (§ 18.02.130) . Building permits are issued by the building official under the California Building Standards Code (Title 24) — the city code cross‑references state building requirements; the code also defines a zoning certificate of occupancy issued by Community Development for lawful occupancy (§ 18.02.130; definition of Zoning certificate of occupancy) .
• Levels of land‑use review:
  • Ministerial / Staff approvals and building‑permit reviews are handled by the Community Development Department and building official for projects that conform to the code (§ 18.72.050–§ 18.72.060) .
  • Site Plan Review (Chapter 18.72) is required for many multifamily, nonresidential and commercial projects; a Site Plan Review Permit is issued by the director after review by a Site Plan Review Committee and may be appealed (§ 18.72.010–§ 18.72.070) .
  • Administrative Use Permits (Chapter 18.74) are used for uses that need director‑level discretionary approval (§ 18.74.010–§ 18.74.060) .
  • Conditional Use Permits (CUPs) (Chapter 18.80) and Planned Unit Developments (PUDs) (Chapter 18.82) are discretionary and require findings and public notice; appeals are handled under Chapter 18.70 (§ 18.80.060–§ 18.80.090; § 18.82.020–§ 18.82.090) .
• Decision timelines and appeals: The director generally has short decision windows for site plan review (e.g., 15 days to act on a complete site plan, otherwise deemed approved) and decisions by the director can be appealed per Chapter 18.70 procedures (§ 18.72.050–§ 18.72.060; Chapter 18.70) .
• Practical path: small single‑family accessory work normally proceeds straight to building permit (one‑family dwellings often exempt from site plan review), but multifamily, commercial and substantial exterior projects will require site plan review and possibly CUP/PUD and environmental review (§ 18.72.030; § 18.72.020) .

(First natural mention of the California Building Standards Code is linked above.)

State housing law in Chowchilla

The local code integrates state housing law in several explicit ways; where the city defers to state law the code says so and provides local process language.

ADUs & JADUs

• Chowchilla has a dedicated ADU chapter. Accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and junior ADUs (JADUs) are expressly regulated in § 18.60.030: the section frames purpose, applicability and the application process and states that a building permit is required for ADUs; the section is written to conform with Government Code Sections 66310–66342 (state ADU statutes) (§ 18.60.030) .
• The city’s ADU rules are implemented to be consistent with state ADU law; for detailed state limitations on local ADU standards (setbacks, minimum sizes, parking waivers and detached ADU heights) consult the California ADU law and the state's Building Standards; the Chowchilla ADU chapter explicitly references the state statutory framework (§ 18.60.030) . (For a plain‑English rundown of state ADU changes see the linked California ADU law resources and the 2025 ADU handbook included in the files.) .

(First natural mention of the local Chowchilla ADUs page is the embedded link above.)

Density bonus and affordable housing

• Chowchilla implements State Density Bonus Law through Chapter 18.58; projects meeting state criteria are eligible for local density bonuses, incentives, waivers and parking reductions under the procedures and findings set out in § 18.58.010–§ 18.58.080; the city requires recorded regulatory agreements when state law requires deed restrictions for affordability (§ 18.58.010; § 18.58.030; § 18.58.050) . The code also says state law supersedes conflicting local language (§ 18.58.080) .

SB 9 / ministerial lot splits and other state actions

• The code addresses subdivisions and map processes via cross‑references to the Subdivision Map Act and Title chapters for map procedures (see the definition of "Development" and PUD/map cross‑references) (§ 18.04; 18.82.100 note referencing Title 17) . However, specific ministerial SB 9 (urban lot split / duplex‑by‑right) text is not explicit within the retrieved Chapter excerpts; SB 9 implementation often requires precise, updated administrative rules — verify with the Community Development Department whether Chowchilla has a dedicated SB 9/ministerial lot split procedure or local implementing ordinance (Not found in retrieved materials) (§ 18.02.110; definitions of "Development" and map references) .

Rent control and local tenant protections

• The municipal zoning code contains no rent‑control ordinance language in the zoning Title excerpts provided; rent control is typically adopted as a separate municipal ordinance, and no rent control provisions were found in the retrieved Title 18 materials (Not found in retrieved materials — verify with the city clerk or municipal code online) (§ 18.02.*) .

Practical orientation & tips

• Start at the zoning map: confirm your parcel’s base zone and any overlays with the Community Development Department; the map is the legal starting point (zoning map incorporation § 18.06.040) .
• For minor work to a single‑family home, check the ADU chapter if you plan an accessory unit (§ 18.60.030) and the accessory‑structure and setback rules in the applicable zone chapter (§ 18.30.060; zone‑specific chapters) .
• For new nonresidential buildings, or any multi‑unit development, expect Site Plan Review (Chapter 18.72) and referral to the site plan review committee; larger projects will move to CUP, PUD or Planning Commission review and are subject to density bonus rules if affordable units are included (§ 18.72.010; § 18.80; § 18.82; § 18.58) .
• When in doubt about conflicts between a specific plan, overlay, and the base code — the specific plan/allowed plan provisions control where they conflict (§ 18.42.040) .

Source References

• Chowchilla Municipal Code — Title 18 (Zoning). Key provisions cited above: § 18.02.010–§ 18.02.130 and related chapters (Definitions, Zone districts, Development Standards, Site Plan Review, ADUs, Density Bonus, Overlays) .
• Zone‑establishment and district list: § 18.06.030 (Base and Overlay district list) .
• Citywide development standards and setbacks/height examples: § 18.30.060; § 18.30.080; § 18.30.100 (general development standards) .
• Site Plan Review and permit process: Chapter 18.72 (§ 18.72.010–§ 18.72.060) .
• ADUs: § 18.60.030 (ADU & JADU purpose & application) .
• Density bonus: Chapter 18.58 (implementation of State Density Bonus Law; regulatory agreement requirements) .
• Overlays: Chapter 18.40 (AO) and Chapter 18.42 (SPO) (§ 18.40.010; § 18.42.010–§ 18.42.040) .
• Design guidelines relationship: § 18.02.080 (design guidelines are supplemental; ordinance controls if conflict) .
• Where the ordinance refers to or defers to state law: ADU Government Code cross‑references in § 18.60.030 and Density Bonus cross‑references in Chapter 18.58 (§ 18.60.030; § 18.58.010) .