Corte Madera Zoning, Planning & Building Codes

Last reviewed: July 1, 2026

Overview

Corte Madera's zoning ordinance is codified as Title 18 (Zoning) of the Town Municipal Code and is the primary tool for implementing the General Plan; the code's purpose and authority are stated in § 18.02.010 and § 18.02.020. The ordinance is organized around a zoning map plus a set of district-specific chapters (residential, commercial, mixed‑use, industrial) and citywide chapters covering general provisions, parking, design review, appeals, and accessory dwelling unit rules; see the Town zoning root for navigation at Corte Madera Zoning. § 18.02.010, § 18.02.020, § 18.02.040

How Corte Madera's code is organized

• Title and purpose: The ordinance is titled the "Zoning Ordinance of the town of Corte Madera" and sets objectives to implement the General Plan § 18.02.010–§ 18.02.030.
• Structure (where major rules live):
  • District regulations: residential chapters and individual district sections live under Chapter 18.08 (residential districts), Chapter 18.12 (commercial districts), Chapter 18.13 (mixed‑use/MX districts), Chapter 18.14 (light industrial), and the public/flood/facilities districts in Chapter 18.16. Examples: § 18.08.110 (residential lot frontage rules), § 18.12.130 (commercial FAR), § 18.13.145 (MX FAR).
  • City‑wide technical chapters: off‑street parking and loading standards are in Chapter 18.20, signs in Chapter 18.22, general provisions/exceptions in Chapter 18.24, conditional uses in Chapter 18.26, and appeals in Chapter 18.34 (note these chapters are cross‑referenced throughout the district sections). The code places parking requirements in a single place — see Corte Madera Parking for the jurisdictional table.
  • Design review and discretionary controls are concentrated in Chapter 18.30 (scope, criteria, notices, lapse and enforcement) — this is the place to find the design and public‑notice rules. See Corte Madera Design Review.
  • ADUs/JADUs and ministerial ADU rules are in Chapter 18.31 and the newer Two‑Unit/Urban Lot Split rules implementing state law are in Chapter 18.31A. See Corte Madera ADUs.

Practical navigation tip: district chapters reference the city‑wide chapters (for example, most district pages end with "All uses shall be subject to Chapter 18.24, General Provisions and Exceptions"), so start at the district section for use permissions, then jump to the referenced city‑wide chapter for technical standards. § 18.24 cross‑references appear at the end of many district sections.

Zoning district families

Corte Madera uses named district families (actual local labels are shown below in bold) rather than generic placeholders. Key district families and where they live in Title 18:

• R‑1, R‑1‑A, R‑1‑B, R‑1‑C — single‑family / open residential variants (standards and lot creation rules appear in Chapter 18.08, e.g., § 18.08.500 for R‑1‑C).
• R‑2 and R‑3 — low‑density and higher‑density multiple dwelling districts with per‑unit site area, open‑space and lot frontage rules (Chapter 18.08; see § 18.08.120 for R‑2 per‑unit area and § 18.08.620 for R‑3 density rules).
• C‑2, C‑3, C‑4 — commercial districts and regional shopping/retail districts; purpose statements and FAR/height limits are in Chapter 18.12 (see § 18.12.200 and related sections).
• MX‑1 (mixed‑use) — a two‑zone mixed‑use district with separate Neighborhood and Highway subzones and detailed rules for FAR, height, upper‑story setbacks and open space (Chapter 18.13, e.g., § 18.13.145, § 18.13.165, § 18.13.170).
• M — light industrial district (Chapter 18.14, purpose and allowed uses are set out there).
• Special districts/functional zones: Public Facilities (PF) and FC (Flood Control and Drainage Facilities District) are separately regulated in Chapter 18.16 (site area, yards and height are spelled out there).

Every district chapter points to the city‑wide chapters for parking, signs, landscaping and general provisions; check the district's "General provisions and exceptions" line (for example, many conclude "All uses shall be subject to Chapter 18.24") to find those cross‑references.

Citywide development standards

At a city‑wide level Corte Madera sets framework rules in Title 18 and then augments or specifies them in district chapters.

• Setbacks, lot creation and frontage: minimum lot sizes, frontage and lot‑width requirements are in the residential district sections (examples: minimum net site area/per unit in R‑2 and R‑3 are in § 18.08.110, § 18.08.120, and § 18.08.620).
  • ADU/JADU setback rules are in Chapter 18.31: typical side/rear minimums are 4 feet and the code allows reduced or adjusted front setbacks where needed to enable an 800‑sq‑ft ADU — see § 18.31.080(d). The ADU chapter implements state ADU sizing/setback limits directly. See Corte Madera Development Standards and Corte Madera ADUs.
• Height: many districts use a 30‑foot baseline (for example, § 18.12.135 for commercial) while MX and neighborhood zones have separate height/substory rules (see § 18.13.165). ADU height caps (detached ADUs often 16 ft base) are in § 18.31.080(e) and include state‑law‑aligned exceptions.
• FAR and lot coverage: commercial FAR caps (e.g., .34 FAR in several commercial/mixed‑use provisions) and MX FAR/density rules are in § 18.12.130 and § 18.13.145; district chapters may exclude parking area from FAR calculations (explicitly stated in some sections).
• Parking: off‑street parking and loading standards are centralized in Chapter 18.20 (district chapters refer to it for required spaces); mixed‑use and residential parking rates (including bicycle parking) are spelled out in district sections (for example, residential bicycle parking in MX is § 18.13.190). See Corte Madera Parking.
• Landscaping, screening and lot coverage: frontage/landscaped area minima and parking lot landscaping percentages are included in district rules (e.g., § 18.12.140 and district landscaping rules), and general screening/landscaping rules are cross‑referenced to Chapter 18.24 and Title 22 where applicable. See Corte Madera Landscaping and Screening.

Note: some districts (e.g., MX‑1) include special bonuses or exceptions (hotel FAR/height bonuses, subject to planning commission findings) — see § 18.13.040 for hotel bonus procedures and conditions.

Specific plans & overlays

• Special Purpose Overlay Districts are implemented under Chapter 18.18 and are referenced repeatedly in district chapters as modifiers to the base rules (district text frequently says "Except as modified by the provisions of Chapter 18.18, Special Purpose Overlay Districts"). For the Corte Madera map and special area rules, see Corte Madera Overlay Districts.
• The code also contains narrowly tailored overlays/capacity rules (for example, ADU capacity limits and Christmas Tree Hill ADU/JADU capacity references are integrated into the ADU chapter and cross‑referenced to overlay sections 18.18.405/18.18.410). See Corte Madera Historic Preservation for how overlays may interact with historic resources.
• Where the Town has created "zones within zones" (for instance MX Neighborhood vs Highway subzones), those subzone rules appear inside the corresponding chapter (e.g., Chapter 18.13 contains Neighborhood vs Highway provisions such as § 18.13.165 and §18.13.170).

Building permits & review

• Ministerial vs. discretionary: Corte Madera separates ministerial, objective review (e.g., ADUs in Chapter 18.31 and Two‑Unit/Urban Lot Split approvals in Chapter 18.31A) from discretionary design review and use permits found elsewhere. ADU permits are explicitly ministerial (§ 18.31.010, § 18.31.130), and Two‑Unit/Urban Lot Split approvals are processed ministerially in Chapter 18.31A consistent with state law. See Corte Madera ADUs and Corte Madera Land Use.
• Design review and discretionary path: projects that trigger design review must follow Chapter 18.30 (scope § 18.30.020, guidelines § 18.30.030, notice/time frames § 18.30.080, lapse rules § 18.30.090). Many district sections (for example § 18.12.150) state "Design review approval is prescribed…in accordance with Chapter 18.30." See Corte Madera Design Review.
• Timing and appeals: ministerial determinations for Two‑Unit/Urban Lot Split projects have statutory deadlines (zoning administrator decision within 40 days of completeness for Two‑Unit projects — § 18.31A.060(c)(3)), and design review decisions have notice and appeal windows as described in § 18.30.080 and the appeals chapter 18.34.
• Permit conditioning & lapse: design approvals may be conditioned and lapse if no active building permit is obtained within the stated period (see § 18.30.090). Building permits remain subject to Title 24 / California Building Standards Code compliance (see below).

For an easy read on how design review relates to building permits, see Corte Madera Design Review and consult the building department for timing of plan checks and Title 24 conformity. See California Building Standards Code for the statewide technical code.

State housing law in Corte Madera

Corte Madera's Title 18 explicitly implements and references key state housing laws rather than leaving them to implicit interpretation.

• Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU/JADU)
  • The ADU chapter states the Town's purpose to process ADUs ministerially in compliance with California Government Code §§ 66310–66342 and adopts state definitions by reference (§ 18.31.010, § 18.31.020). Ministerial ADU processing, permitted sizes, setbacks, and when parking/fire rules apply are detailed in § 18.31.080 and following subsections. See Corte Madera ADUs and California ADU law.
  • ADU height, setback, parking and conversion rules track state constraints: e.g., side/rear yard minimums of 4 feet for ADUs are expressly allowed and the code recognizes state limits on local modifications (§ 18.31.080(d)-(e)).
• Two‑Unit Development and Urban Lot Splits (SB‑9 / 65852.21 / 66411.7 implementations)
  • Corte Madera adopted Chapter 18.31A to create an objective, ministerial path for Two‑Unit Developments and Urban Lot Splits consistent with Government Code § 65852.21 and § 66411.7; see § 18.31A.010–§ 18.31A.060 for purpose, authority, definitions, eligibility criteria, objective standards, exceptions and the 40‑day decision timeline. See California housing laws.
  • The Two‑Unit/Urban Lot Split chapter includes objective safety, access, fire‑suppression, and affordable/rent protections (for example, conditions preventing demolition of rent‑restricted or rent‑controlled housing are explicitly reflected in eligibility criteria). See § 18.31A.050(b)(3) and § 18.31A.040(b)(5).
• Density bonus and incentives
  • Several district provisions state that density bonuses and incentives will be applied consistent with state law (see § 18.08.120(a)(2) and § 18.08.620(a)(2) and the cross‑reference to the density bonus rules in Chapter 18.24.125). This means applicants should expect the Town to apply state density bonus law within local review procedures.
• Rent rules and demolition protections
  • Title 18 contains specific non‑demolition protections for units subject to recorded affordability restrictions or rent control when evaluating Urban Lot Split and Two‑Unit applications (§ 18.31A.050(b)(3) and § 18.31A.040(b)(5)). The code does not itself establish a general municipal rent‑control program in Title 18 (no townwide rent‑control ordinance text was found in the retrieved Title 18 materials); verify rent‑control status with the Town Attorney or Housing element materials.

Practical summary: ADUs are processed ministerially and conform to state size/setback/parking limits in Chapter 18.31, while the Town's Chapter 18.31A provides a clear, objective ministerial path for Two‑Unit and Urban Lot Split projects that is tied to state code timelines and objective standards.

Information Gaps

• The Title 18 excerpts provided here are comprehensive for zoning rules, ADUs, Two‑Unit/Urban Lot Splits, design review and parking; however, some operational details — building‑department plan‑check forms, fee schedules, adopted objective standards in Title 22 (precise development standards referenced in the Two‑Unit chapter), and any separate town administrative guidelines (e.g., Affordable Housing Guidelines or specific plan maps) — are maintained outside Title 18. The code cross‑references Title 22 and Town resolutions for procedural details (see § 18.02.090 and references to Title 22 and adopted fee schedules). Verify those by checking the Town's planning and building department pages or Title 22 for objective design/subdivision standards.

Source References

• Corte Madera Municipal Code — Title 18 (Zoning): see the Town zoning root and chapter text in the uploaded municipal‑code extract.
• Chapter 18.02 (General: Title, authority, objectives, contents) — § 18.02.010, § 18.02.020, § 18.02.030, § 18.02.040.
• Residential district chapters and standards (Chapter 18.08; examples § 18.08.110, § 18.08.120, § 18.08.500).
• Commercial district chapters (Chapter 18.12 — FAR/height/landscaping/parking references; see § 18.12.130, § 18.12.135, § 18.12.140, § 18.12.145).
• Mixed‑use MX‑1 district (Chapter 18.13 — FAR/height/upper‑story setbacks/parking/bicycle parking e.g., § 18.13.145, § 18.13.165, § 18.13.170, § 18.13.185, § 18.13.190).
• Design review (Chapter 18.30 — scope § 18.30.020, guidelines § 18.30.030, notices and lapse § 18.30.080–§ 18.30.090). See Corte Madera Design Review.
• ADUs/JADUs (Chapter 18.31 — purpose/definitions § 18.31.010–§ 18.31.020, development standards § 18.31.080, ministerial review and review of record § 18.31.130). See Corte Madera ADUs and California ADU law.
• Two‑Unit Developments & Urban Lot Splits (Chapter 18.31A — purpose/authority/definitions § 18.31A.010–§ 18.31A.030, eligibility and objective standards § 18.31A.050, procedures § 18.31A.060).
• Parking and loading cross‑references — Chapter 18.20 referenced throughout district chapters (see district cross‑references such as § 18.12.145 and § 18.13.185 for specific rates). See Corte Madera Parking.