Dixon — Development Standards

Last reviewed: July 2, 2026

Overview

This page summarizes the Dixon Zoning Code (Title 18) rules that directly control development standards — setbacks, heights, lot coverage, density and FAR — so applicants can see the rules that physically constrain site layout and building massing. For background on allowed uses and mapping consult the city’s Dixon zoning & planning overview and the Dixon Zoning pages. All standards below are drawn from the City’s zoning code tables and measuring rules; where the Code delegates measurement rules or exceptions those exact controlling sections are cited.

Key rules common to every district (how the Code measures things)

• How FAR and floor area are calculated: see § 18.02.030.F for the Code’s method of determining floor area ratio (FAR) and exclusions (e.g., certain parking/utility areas) .
• How lot coverage is calculated and what is excluded (eaves, small accessory structures, pools): § 18.02.030.G (Determining Lot Coverage) .
• How height is measured and the baseline height rules: § 18.02.030.C (Measuring Height) and height exceptions § 18.11.070 (Height Limitation Exceptions) .
• How setbacks are measured and allowed encroachments (porches, eaves, decks): § 18.02.030.I and § 18.11.050 (Encroachments into Required Setbacks) .
• Accessory structures and special setback relaxations: § 18.11.020 (Accessory Structures) .
• Note: specific plan or PD overlays can replace base-district standards where adopted — see the PD and Specific Plan overlay chapters Chapter 18.09 and Chapter 18.10 .

District-by-district development standards

Note: for permitted-use detail consult the Dixon Land Use resource and the respective district land-use tables in Title 18.

RL — Residential Low (single-family focus)

• Purpose & typical uses: intended for low-density single-family development; allows limited two-unit opportunities consistent with state SB9 rules where the Code permits it in § 18.04.040.B (SB9 Two Unit Development, RL District) .
• Typical dimensional controls (Table 18.04.030 / § 18.04.030): Maximum height 30 ft, minimum front setback 20 ft, side setbacks 12 ft on one side and 5 ft on the other (with exceptions for narrow/corner lots), minimum lot size 7,000 sf, maximum lot coverage 45% and maximum density up to 9 dwelling units/acre where applicable (§ 18.04.030) .
• Where it applies: low-density neighborhoods mapped RL; check parcel zoning on the Dixon Zoning map.
• Practical note: RL contains explicit SB9 two-unit and urban lot split standards; see § 18.04.040.B–C for the allowed reduced setbacks (4 ft interior for SB9 units), maximum height for added units (16 ft in SB9 subsection), and parking relaxations when near transit .

RM — Residential Medium (multifamily focus)

• Purpose & typical uses: designed for duplexes, small multi-family and medium-density residential projects.
• Dimensional controls (Table 18.04.030 / § 18.04.030): Maximum height 38 ft, minimum lot size 8,000 sf, maximum lot coverage 60%, maximum density 22 du/acre, front setback 20 ft, side and rear setbacks as noted in the table (see § 18.04.030) .
• Practical note: ADUs must follow district setbacks but the Code imposes a specific ADU standard that establishes a minimum 4 ft interior side/rear setback for ADUs; see § 18.19.040 and related ADU rules (and the city’s ADU guidance) .

DMX / CMX / CN / CR / CS — Commercial & Mixed-Use Districts

• Purpose & typical uses: ranges from Downtown Mixed-Use (DMX) and Community Mixed-Use (CMX) to neighborhood commercial (CN), regional commercial (CR), and service commercial (CS). The Code requires mixed-use on larger sites in some districts (see Table 18.05.030) and sets different minimums for residential density in mixed-use districts (§ 18.05.030) .
• Key numeric standards (Table 18.05.030 / § 18.05.030): sample controls: DMX max height 50 ft, CMX max height 40 ft (plus potential +10 ft where >50 ft from an R district with a CUP), CN max height 30 ft; FAR: DMX up to 3.0, CMX up to 2.0–2.40 (single vs multi-use), CN max FAR 0.6, CR 0.8, CS 0.4; setbacks are district-specific and often allow 0 ft front setbacks in pedestrian areas while increasing setbacks adjacent to Residential Districts (§ 18.05.030) .
• Practical note: commercial/mixed-use projects typically trigger design review and downtown projects must reconcile FAR and active-frontage rules for larger sites (§ 18.05.030 & design standards) .

IL / IG — Industrial (Light and General)

• Purpose & typical uses: light industrial, warehousing (IL) and general industrial (IG). See Table 18.06.030.
• Key numeric standards (Table 18.06.030 / § 18.06.030): Maximum FAR 0.6, minimum lot sizes 20,000 sf (IL) and 40,000 sf (IG), maximum height 40 ft (IL), IG 40 ft within 200 ft of an R district, otherwise up to 75 ft; setbacks are more restrictive when adjacent to Residential Districts (front/setback/street-side/interior side/rear setback rules in the table) .
• Practical note: industrial parcels adjacent to residential must meet substantial buffer setbacks (often 50 ft interior/rear adjacent to R districts) — check § 18.06.030 for the adjacency rules .

PF / PR — Public & Park/Recreation Districts

• Purpose & typical uses: civic, educational, park and recreation uses. See Chapter 18.07 and Table 18.07.030 (§ 18.07.030).
• Standards: Maximum FAR for PF = 1.0; height and setback requirements default to the most restrictive surrounding district where applicable (see § 18.07.030 and the measuring rules at § 18.02.030.C/I) .
• Practical note: municipal or institutional projects should also review the City’s public-works/site design standards and any specific plan that covers the parcel (see Dixon Overlay Districts) .

Quick reference — most decision-relevant numeric standards

(See the full district tables § 18.04.030, § 18.05.030, § 18.06.030, § 18.07.030 for more line-by-line dimensions and special notes.)

Practical guidance & crosswalks

• Always read the district table and the measurement rules together: the numeric maximum in a district table (for height, setbacks, FAR, lot coverage) must be measured following § 18.02.030.C/F/G/I and exceptions in § 18.11.070 and § 18.11.050 can change usable area or measured height .
• Overlay districts and adopted Specific Plans can replace the base standards (check Chapter 18.09 for PD overlay rules and Chapter 18.10 for Specific Plans) — when a PD or Specific Plan applies, the overlay controls where it is not silent (§ 18.09.040 and § 18.10.020) . See the Dixon Overlay Districts page for mapping.
• If you’re designing parking areas, coordinate the site layout with the Dixon Parking standards — off-street parking counts and drive aisle widths affect curb cut allowances and frontage use (for example RL curb-cut limits are in § 18.04.040.A) .
• For small-lot infill and ADUs: the Code includes an ADU chapter (§ 18.19.040) with size, setback and height rules (including 4 ft interior side/rear minimum for ADUs and 16 ft detached ADU height baseline with state-aligned exceptions) — these local ADU rules must be read against state ADU law; consult the City ADU page and California ADU law as needed .

Checklist — what an applicant must satisfy (site-plan focused)

• Confirm base zoning district and any overlay or Specific Plan that applies to the parcel (verify base table: § 18.04.030, § 18.05.030, § 18.06.030 as applicable) .
• Measure proposed building height using § 18.02.030.C rules and check § 18.11.070 for exceptions .
• Compute lot coverage per § 18.02.030.G to confirm permitted footprint (exclude allowed elements per that section) .
• Compute FAR per § 18.02.030.F and ensure compliance with district FAR (where applicable) .
• Confirm setback requirements in the district table and any allowed encroachments § 18.11.050; show dimensions on the site plan .
• If proposing ADUs or SB9 two-unit development, apply the special rules in § 18.19.040 and § 18.04.040.B–C (including minimum 4 ft side/rear for ADUs and SB9-specific height/parking rules) .
• Check for triggers for design review and required approvals (Dixon Design Review) and confirm off-street parking counts with Dixon Parking standards .

Risks & Ambiguities

Plain-English Summary

Dixon’s Zoning Code (Title 18) sets district-specific numeric limits for height, setbacks, lot coverage, density and FAR; those numbers must be measured using the Code’s measuring rules (height, lot coverage, FAR and setback determinations) and can be superseded by overlays or Specific Plans. The most-used references are § 18.04.030 (Residential tables), § 18.05.030 (Commercial/Mixed-Use), § 18.06.030 (Industrial), § 18.02.030 (measuring rules), and the ADU rules § 18.19.040 — always show measurements on the site plan and confirm overlays before final design.

Source References

• Dixon Zoning Code, Title 18 — Intro & applicability: § 18.01.010–.050
• Development Standards — Residential: § 18.04.030 (Table 18.04.030)
• Development Standards — Commercial & Mixed-Use: § 18.05.030 (Table 18.05.030)
• Development Standards — Industrial: § 18.06.030 (Table 18.06.030)
• Development Standards — Public & Semi-Public: § 18.07.030 (Table 18.07.030)
• Measuring rules (height, FAR, lot coverage, setbacks): § 18.02.030.C, .F, .G, .I
• Encroachments into required setbacks: § 18.11.050 (Encroachments table)
• Accessory structures and accessory-dwelling rules: § 18.11.020; § 18.19.040 (Accessory Dwelling Units)
• Planned Development and Specific Plan overlays: Chapter 18.09 and Chapter 18.10 (PD & SP rules)

Retrieved passages

• Dixon Zoning Code (§18.02.030.G) High relevance show source text
• Dixon Zoning Code (Section 21155) High relevance show source text
• Dixon Zoning Code (§18.02.030.F) High relevance show source text
• Dixon Zoning Code (§18.02.030.C) High relevance show source text
• Dixon Zoning Code High relevance show source text
• CBC § 348 High relevance show source text
• Dixon Zoning Code (§18.02.030.C) High relevance show source text
• Dixon Zoning Code (Chapter 18.12) High relevance show source text

Cited sections

• Dixon Zoning Code, Title 18 — Intro & applicability: **§ 18.01.010–.050** (Title 18)
• Development Standards — Residential: **§ 18.04.030** (Table 18.04.030) (§ 18.04.030)
• Development Standards — Commercial & Mixed-Use: **§ 18.05.030** (Table 18.05.030) (§ 18.05.030)
• Development Standards — Industrial: **§ 18.06.030** (Table 18.06.030) (§ 18.06.030)
• Development Standards — Public & Semi-Public: **§ 18.07.030** (Table 18.07.030) (§ 18.07.030)
• Measuring rules (height, FAR, lot coverage, setbacks): **§ 18.02.030.C, .F, .G, .I** (§ 18.02.030.C)
• Encroachments into required setbacks: **§ 18.11.050** (Encroachments table) (§ 18.11.050)
• Accessory structures and accessory-dwelling rules: **§ 18.11.020**; **§ 18.19.040 (Accessory Dwelling Units)** (§ 18.11.020)
• Planned Development and Specific Plan overlays: **Chapter 18.09** and **Chapter 18.10** (PD & SP rules) (Chapter 18.09)
• Dixon_ZoningCode.md

• Official Dixon code library