Danville — Zoning

Last reviewed: July 2, 2026

Overview

This page summarizes what the Town of Danville’s Planning and Land Use (zoning) ordinance actually establishes for zoning districts, district names, and where to look in the code for rules. It is grounded in the Town’s Municipal Code excerpts provided (Chapter XXXII, “Planning and Land Use”) and cites the controlling local code sections. For numeric dimension tables or parcel‑specific map interpretation not present in the retrieved materials, the entry notes that the information is not found and advises verification with the Town.

How to read this page

• Bolded words are the zoning district names and key standards a reader scans for.
• The first natural mention of related topics is linked to the Danville pages in this site (parking, development standards, design review, overlays, ADUs, etc.). Use those pages for procedure-level steps: e.g., parking calculations or design review process.
• All local code citations are shown using the § glyph and the code number from the retrieved ordinance; file citations to the uploaded municipal code are woven inline.

Districts (district‑by‑district)

Below are the districts that the Danville code establishes by name. Each subsection lists (A) the code citation that establishes the district, (B) the stated purpose where available in the retrieved materials, (C) typical permitted uses when the code text in the retrieved materials states them, (D) key dimensional standards if present in the retrieved excerpts, and (E) where the district generally applies (what to check next).

Note: many district sections are named and indexed in the code excerpts returned from the municipal code. Where the excerpts did not include full tables of permitted uses or numeric setbacks, the entry states "Not found in retrieved materials" and points to the code section to review.

Single‑Family Residential — § 32-22

• Purpose: establishes Single Family Residential Districts (naming only in the index). See the Danville Municipal Code listing that starts the residential districts at § 32-22.
• Permitted uses: Not found in retrieved materials (the single‑family permitted uses and accessory dwelling unit rules are not shown in the excerpts). Verify with the jurisdiction; see the code's residential sections.
• Dimensional standards (setbacks, lot coverage, height): Not found in retrieved materials. Check the Town’s Danville Development Standards.
• Where it applies: parcel mapping is on the Town zoning map (not included in the retrieved text). Verify with Planning staff.

D‑1 Two‑Family District — § 32-23

• Purpose: Two‑family (duplex) designation indicated by title.
• Permitted uses and standards: Not found in retrieved materials; look in § 32-23 in the municipal code.

Multifamily districts — § 32-24 through § 32-29 (e.g., M‑30, M‑25, M‑20, M‑13, M‑8, M‑35)

• Purpose: These sections create a range of multifamily residential districts by density designation (e.g., M‑30, M‑25, M‑20, etc.). The index shows the multifamily district series at § 32-24–§ 32-29.
• Example: Area 9 (Old Town Downtown divisions) — the code specifically describes Area 9: Multi‑Family Residential High/Medium Density with a stated purpose to permit multifamily consistent with the General Plan (20–25 du/ac) and lists specific permitted multifamily uses; group homes and intermediate care are explicitly mentioned. See § 32-45.19 for the Area 9 purpose and uses.
• Dimensional standards: Not found in retrieved materials for the numeric standards of the M‑series other than the Area 9 density note; verify in the specific M‑section (e.g., § 32-24) and Danville Development Standards.

Agricultural districts — § 32-36 to § 32-38 (A‑1, A‑2, A‑4)

• Purpose: The index shows A‑1 Light Agricultural, A‑2 General Agricultural, A‑4 Agricultural Preserve districts. These are intended to preserve agricultural uses and open space.
• Permitted uses and standards: Not found in retrieved materials. See the code sections cited for details.

Downtown Business / Old Town — Article: 32-45 (Areas 1–13)

• Purpose: A dedicated Downtown Business District structure uses "Areas" rather than simple R/C labels: Area 1/2A: Old Town Retail; Area 2: Old Town Retail Transition; Area 3: Old Town Mixed Use; Area 4: Resident Serving Commercial; Area 5: Commercial/Residential Mixed Use; Area 6: Business & Professional Offices; Area 7: Retail; Area 8: Retail/Office; Area 9: Multi‑Family High/Medium; Area 10: Mixed Use; Area 11: Special Opportunity; Area 12 & 13: Multifamily High/High Special. These are established in § 32-45.10–§ 32-45.21.2.
• Permitted uses: For Area 9 the code lists permitted multifamily uses and calls out group homes and intermediate care explicitly (see § 32-45.19). Other area‑specific permitted uses are defined in the corresponding § 32-45.11–§ 32-45.21.2 sections (not all text was included in the retrieved snippets).
• Development standards and design controls: The Downtown division contains dedicated development and architectural standards and parking standards (e.g., 32-45.22 Architectural Development Standards, 32-45.23 Landscaping Development Standards, 32-45.24 Lot Area and Width, Division 3 Development Standards, Division 4 Parking Standards, Division 5 Development Plan Review Procedures). See the Town’s Design Review, Landscaping and Screening, and Parking pages for project-level processes; the code indexes these at § 32-45.xx.

Office / Commercial / Industrial series

• O‑1 Limited Office District — § 32-51 (establishes O‑1)
• G‑1 Interchange Transitional District — § 32-56 (establishes G‑1)
• R‑B Retail Business District — § 32-60 (establishes R‑B)
• C General Commercial District — § 32-61 (establishes C)
• L‑I Light Industrial District — § 32-62 (establishes L‑I)
• P‑1 Planned Unit District — § 32-63 (establishes P‑1)

For each of the above commercial/office/industrial districts:

• Purpose: basic purpose is implied by the district title in the index (e.g., office, retail, light industrial) and the code creates the district names at the sections cited.
• Permitted uses and standards: Not included in the provided excerpts; check the cited sections (e.g., § 32-60 for R‑B).

Planned Unit — § 32-63 (P‑1)

• Purpose: creates a Planned Unit District. The code index shows a P‑1 district entry at § 32-63. Standards for planned developments are typically in that section; not found in the retrieved excerpts.

Special topic districts and rules called out in the code excerpts

• Downtown Areas (Area 1–13) — see § 32-45.10–§ 32-45.21.2 for area‑by‑area rules.
• Special standards for certain uses (child care, gasoline stations, satellite antennas, adult entertainment) appear as separate articles/sections (for example, § 32-126 for Child Care Facilities, § 32-122 gas stations, § 32-130 satellite antennas, § 32-106.3 location limits for adult entertainment). Use the code indexes to find the full text.

Quick reference table — most decision‑relevant district citations and where to look

Practical guidance / synthesis (plain‑English, Danville‑specific)

• The Danville Municipal Code organizes zoning by explicit district sections: the residential series (including Single‑Family at § 32-22 and multiple M‑ multifamily levels at § 32-24–§ 32-29), a Downtown Business Article broken into Area 1–13 (see § 32-45.10–§ 32-45.21.2) that contains its own architectural, landscaping and parking standards, and a set of nonresidential districts (O‑1, R‑B, C, L‑I, P‑1) each indexed in the code. The code index and some area texts are included in the retrieved materials; for the full permitted‑use lists and numeric dimension tables you must read the specific § for the district referenced above.

• If your project is in Old Town (Downtown), consult the Downtown Article first; it contains discrete area‑by‑area rules and its own design and parking standards. The Downtown Areas are expressly organized under § 32-45.10–§ 32-45.21.2 and include development plan review procedures and architectural standards. For design process steps see the Town's Design Review page and the Downtown code sections noted.

• For accessory dwelling units (ADUs), the Danville code excerpts returned do not include a standalone ADU section; consult the Town's ADU page and the statewide ADU rules (California ADU law) for required concessions and limits. The uploaded 2025 ADU handbook explains state ADU limits and is a useful supplement.

• For parking calculations and exemptions, the municipal code indicates parking standards are located in the Downtown division and other district development standards; see § 32-45 Division 4 and the Town Parking page for procedural guidance.

Checklist (what an applicant must satisfy; general Danville checklist)

• Confirm the parcel’s mapped zoning district on the Town’s official Zoning Map (verify with Planning). (Zoning districts are established in the code entries such as § 32-22, § 32-60, § 32-45.10–§ 32-45.21.2.)
• Read the specific district section for permitted uses and development standards (e.g., § 32-24 for M‑districts; § 32-60 for R‑B).
• For Old Town projects, follow the Downtown Article development standards and the specific Area rules (see § 32-45.22–§ 32-45.24).
• Check parking requirements in the applicable district and Division 4 (Downtown parking standards) and the Town Parking guidance.
• Confirm whether the project triggers Design Review and follow the Town Design Review steps.
• Verify any overlay district or special land‑use rules that might apply; see Overlay Districts and the code indexing for special articles (e.g., flood, agricultural preserves).
• For ADU proposals, consult the Town ADU page and state ADU law; local ADU-specific text was not found in the retrieved excerpts.

Risks & Ambiguities

Plain‑English Summary

Danville’s zoning code names a set of residential, multifamily, downtown area, office/commercial, industrial and planned‑unit districts (indexed at sections such as § 32-22, § 32-24–§ 32-29, § 32-45.10–§ 32-45.21.2, and § 32-60–§ 32-63). The code excerpts returned show district names and the Downtown Areas framework with some permitted‑use language (e.g., § 32-45.19 for Area 9), but the captured material did not include complete numeric setbacks, lot coverage, or the official zoning map — so you must check the specific cited sections or confirm with Town Planning for parcel‑level rules.

Source References

• Danville Municipal Code, Chapter XXXII, Planning and Land Use (index and multiple district entries). See the retrieved code excerpts that list the district sections (example index entries include § 32-22, § 32-24–§ 32-29, § 32-45.10–§ 32-45.21.2, § 32-51, § 32-60, § 32-61, § 32-62, § 32-63).
• Downtown Areas and Area 9 (Multi‑Family High/Medium density) text: § 32-45.19 as included in the code excerpts.
• Child Care Facilities and related special‑use entries (index and some provisions): § 32-126 and related sub‑sections (index excerpts).
• Adult entertainment location limits and related text index (example: § 32-106.3).
• State ADU reference (uploaded handbook): 2025 California ADU handbook — use for state ADU rules that constrain local ADU regulation.

If you need full text for a single district (for example the complete text of § 32-22 or § 32-60) or the Town’s official Zoning Map image, tell me the parcel APN or the district you want and I will pull the specific section text from the uploaded file (or advise you to contact Danville Planning if the text or map isn’t in the materials you supplied). Verify any parcel-specific interpretation with the Town of Danville.

Retrieved passages

• Danville Zoning Code (section selection) High relevance show source text
• Danville Zoning Code (§8-4839) High relevance show source text
• Danville Zoning Code (ARTICLE VII) Medium relevance show source text
• Danville Zoning Code (CHAPTER XXX) Medium relevance show source text
• CBC § 66321 (§ 66321) Medium relevance show source text
• Danville Zoning Code (CHAPTER XXX) Medium relevance show source text
• Danville Zoning Code (section selection) Medium relevance show source text
• Danville Zoning Code (article is) Medium relevance show source text

Cited sections

• Danville Municipal Code, Chapter XXXII, Planning and Land Use (index and multiple district entries). See the retrieved code excerpts that list the district sections (example index entries include **§ 32-22**, **§ 32-24**–**§ 32-29**, **§ 32-45.10**–**§ 32-45.21.2**, **§ 32-51**, **§ 32-60**, **§ 32-61**, **§ 32-62**, **§ 32-63**). (Chapter XXXII)
• Downtown Areas and Area 9 (Multi‑Family High/Medium density) text: **§ 32-45.19** as included in the code excerpts. (§ 32-45.19)
• Child Care Facilities and related special‑use entries (index and some provisions): **§ 32-126** and related sub‑sections (index excerpts). (§ 32-126)
• Adult entertainment location limits and related text index (example: **§ 32-106.3**). (§ 32-106.3)
• State ADU reference (uploaded handbook): 2025 California ADU handbook — use for state ADU rules that constrain local ADU regulation.
• Danville_ZoningCode.md
• 2025 California ADU handbook.md

• Official Danville code library