Dorris Zoning, Planning & Building Codes

Last reviewed: July 4, 2026

Overview

Dorris organizes land use and development rules in a single municipal zoning title: Title 18 — Zoning (the City of Dorris Zoning Code). The code divides the city into chapter-based zoning districts (residential, commercial, industrial, public, planned development, special provisions) and places citywide standards (setbacks, heights, parking) and discretionary procedures (use permits, variances, hearings) in dedicated chapters. This page explains the code’s actual structure, the district families and the principal dimensional and process rules a property owner or developer will run into in Dorris, with direct pointers to the controlling local sections. The practical orientation emphasizes where to look in the code and how state housing rules (ADU/density bonus/SB 9) currently connect to Dorris’s text.

How Dorris's code is organized

• Title and short name: the zoning ordinance is published as Title 18 Zoning and “The City of Dorris Zoning Code” is the short title of the ordinance; see § 18.04.020 .
• Top-level layout: the code is arranged by chapters for general provisions/definitions, one chapter per district (e.g., 18.20 for R‑1), and separate chapters for cross-cutting regulation like parking, signs, nonconforming uses, permits, appeals and enforcement — see the Title 18 chapter index and short chapter titles listed at the front of the code (for example § 18.04.030 and the Title 18 chapter list) .
• Where to find the big rules:
  • District rules (permitted uses, lot requirements, development standards) live in each district chapter (for example § 18.20.010–.060 for R‑1; § 18.24.010–.060 for R‑2; § 18.32.010–.060 for M‑U) .
  • Citywide parking rules are collected in § 18.68 (Off‑Street Parking) — see the Dorris Parking page for the topic.
  • Site plan/PLD/PD application, planned development process and findings are in § 18.56 and § 18.60 (P‑D and RPD) .
  • Discretionary procedures (use permits, variances) are in § 18.80; hearings/appeals in § 18.128; enforcement in § 18.132 .
  • Accessory dwelling units have a dedicated chapter at § 18.104; density bonus rules are in § 18.116 — and state ADU rules also apply (see the California ADU law link when reviewing local ADU standards).

Zoning district families (what Dorris actually uses)

Dorris uses standard, chapter‑named district chapters. Key district families and where they are written:

• Residential

  • R‑A (Residential Agriculture) — purpose & standards: § 18.16 (minimum parcel 1 acre, height 35 ft, lot coverage 20% residential) .
  • R‑1 (Low Density Residential) — purpose & standards: § 18.20 (minimum parcel 6,000 sq ft, front setback 20 ft, max residential lot coverage 35%, max height 35 ft) .
  • R‑2 (Medium Density Residential) — purpose & standards: § 18.24 (permitted duplexes and small multifamily; see accessory/ADU allowance) .
  • R‑3 (High Density Residential) — standards are contained in § 18.28 (dwelling density up to 20 units/acre, max lot coverage 75%, height up to 45 ft depending on use) .
  • Planned/residential special: Residential Planned Development (RPD) with its site‑specific acreage, density bands (R‑L/R‑M/R‑H) and tailored standards is in § 18.60 (RPD) and is applied to specific APNs described in the RPD chapter; see its tables for minimum parcel sizes, lot coverage and front/side/rear setbacks for each subzone (R‑L, R‑M, R‑H) .

• Mixed‑use & Commercial

  • M‑U (Mixed Use) — applied to central/collector corridors, mix of residential/commercial; rules in § 18.32 (setbacks allow nonresidential to have no front setback in some cases; heights up to 45 ft) .
  • C‑1 (Community Commercial) — chapter § 18.36 (broad retail, hotels, event centers; conditional uses listed) .
  • C‑2 (General Commercial) — chapter § 18.40 (similar to C‑1 but different lot/dimensional rules) .

• Industrial / Public / Open Space

  • M (Manufacturing/Industrial) — § 18.44 (permits heavier commercial/manufacturing uses subject to performance limits) .
  • P‑A (Public Agency) — § 18.52 (public hospitals, utilities; see relaxed parcel size and larger lot coverage allowances) .
  • O‑S (Open Space) — chapter § 18.48 is included in the code index; see that chapter for open‑space specific rules (chapter listed in Title 18 index) .

• Flexible / Special

  • P‑D (Planned Development) — § 18.56 (flexible master‑planned development rules, findings and application checklist) .
  • RPD (Residential Planned Development) — site‑specific planned development rules and development table: § 18.60 (includes the R‑L / R‑M / R‑H breakdown and exact minimums and coverage limits) .

(Every district chapter lists permitted, accessory and conditional uses and the district’s lot and development standards; see the chapter for the district you are working in — e.g., § 18.20.020–.060 for R‑1) .

Citywide development standards (at a glance)

• Setbacks, heights, lot coverage and lot sizes are set in each district chapter; common examples:
  • R‑1: 20 ft front setback, rear 10 ft, side interior 5 ft, exterior side 15 ft, max residential lot coverage 35%, max height 35 ft — § 18.20.060 .
  • R‑3: densities up to 20 du/acre, max lot coverage 75%, heights up to 45 ft — § 18.28.060 .
  • M‑U: nonresidential or vertical mixed use may have no front setback in some contexts while residential requires 10 ft — § 18.32.060 .
  • Planned development chapters (P‑D and RPD) allow the city to set or adjust lot sizes, setbacks and coverage through the development plan and ordinance — see § 18.56.050 and § 18.60.060 for how standards are applied or varied by planned development approval .
• Floor‑area ratio (FAR) per se is not used widely in the residential chapters; Dorris uses lot coverage, maximum building height and dwelling units/acre to control intensity (see the district development tables, e.g., § 18.20.060, § 18.28.060) .
• Parking and loading are governed citywide in § 18.68 (Off‑Street Parking) and are referenced as the parking standard in nearly every district’s development standards; see Dorris Parking for the topic and the cross‑reference in district chapters (e.g., § 18.20.060 and § 18.32.060) .
• Other citywide special provisions live in dedicated chapters: signs (§ 18.72), fences & screening (§ 18.84.130), second dwellings rules (§ 18.84.040), nonconforming uses (§ 18.76) and objective design standards (§ 18.120) — these are codewide cross‑cutting rules that apply across districts .

Design and discretionary review

• Objective design standards are collected in § 18.120 (the code’s chapter titled Objective Design Standards); discretionary review uses the Use Permit / Variance process at § 18.80 and hearings/appeals at § 18.128 .
• Planned developments (P‑D and RPD) use a development plan and council findings; the P‑D processing checklist and findings, and the development‑plan content requirements (grading, drainage, open space, parking, connectivity) appear at § 18.56.070 and § 18.60.070 .
• Site plan approval and any ministerial review by staff are described inside the district and P‑D chapters; revisions and conditions are explicitly part of that approval language (see the site plan approval and revision authority in § 18.56.070 and the references to staff/council action) .

See Dorris Design Review for the subject in the site’s navigation.

Specific plans & overlays

• Dorris’s code does not show a separate Citywide “Specific Plan” chapter in the retrieved material, but it does include the Planned Development mechanism (§ 18.56) and a site‑specific Residential Planned Development (RPD) chapter (§ 18.60) that acts like a specific‑plan parcel overlay for the APNs it lists (the RPD ordinance applies to specific APNs and contains its own acreage/density tables) .
• There is no explicit “overlay districts” chapter title visible in the retrieved code index; if your project depends on an overlay (historic, floodplain, design overlay) search or confirmation with the planning department is advised — chapter listings do include a “Similar Use Determinations” chapter (§ 18.64) and several “special provisions” chapters, but a named overlay chapter was not present in the retrieved snippets (Not found in retrieved materials for a general overlays chapter) . See Dorris Overlay Districts for the site navigation entry.

Building permits & review (practical permit path)

• Ministerial vs discretionary: routine conforming work that meets objective standards is processed through building‑permit review in conjunction with business license and plan check; discretionary actions (conditional use permits, variances, planned development approvals) require the use permit/variance process § 18.80 and council or planning hearings § 18.128 .
• Pre‑application meeting recommended: the RPD/P‑D application language explicitly urges pre‑application meetings with planning staff to avoid errors and streamline the process (§ 18.60.070.A) .
• Application completeness & materials: planned developments require a full development plan (contours, utilities, streets, stormwater, parking, building heights, landscaping) and maps/tables and infrastructure statements; the checklist and required findings are in § 18.56.070 and § 18.60.070 .
• Building code integration: the code defers technical construction standards and separation/distances to the California Building Code (Title 24) and requires that building‑to‑building separations comply with that code (see references to the California Building Code in multiple district development standards and § 18.84.030) — see the California Building Standards Code link for the state standard.

State housing law in Dorris

Summary: Dorris adopts local ADU and density‑bonus chapters and uses district lot/dimension rules that will interact with state law. Specifics:

• ADUs / JADUs:

  • Dorris has a dedicated ADU chapter, § 18.104 (Accessory Dwelling Units), and many residential district chapters list ADUs/JADUs as permitted accessory units (for example R‑2 accessory uses reference ADUs pursuant to § 18.104) — see § 18.24.030 and the ADU chapter listing § 18.104 . Review the local ADU chapter in detail and compare to state law at California ADU law.
  • The code still references older “second dwelling units” provisions (e.g., § 18.84.040) with specific square footage and parking rules for earlier second‑unit rules; any conflict or supersession by state ADU law should be checked with planning staff during permitting because the code contains both the dedicated ADU chapter and the legacy second‑unit rules § 18.84.040 and § 18.104 .

• Density bonus:

  • Dorris has a local density bonus chapter § 18.116 (Residential Density Bonuses) that implements local rules on allowable bonuses and how they are applied; consult § 18.116 for the local process and findings (the chapter is part of the Title 18 index) .

• SB 9 / parcel‑split and ministerial duplex provisions:

  • The retrieved Dorris materials do not show a named SB 9‑implementation chapter or explicit local ministerial lot split/urban lot split rules called out as SB‑9 implementation (Not found in retrieved materials). Dorris's zoning still lists district minimum parcel sizes and minimum lot width/depths in each district (for example § 18.20.050 for R‑1 and § 18.24.050 for R‑2) — those local parcel‑size rules are the starting point to understand how SB 9 requests might be processed; but confirm SB 9 procedures with the planning department because no explicit SB 9 text was located in the retrieved snippets .

• Rent control / tenant protections:

  • The Title 18 index and retrieved chapters do not include municipal rent control or rent‑stabilization rules (Not found in retrieved materials). If you need landlord/tenant or rent‑control information, consult county/state resources or the city clerk/planning office for ordinances outside Title 18 (Title 18 focuses on land use) .

For state housing law context (density bonus, ADU floorplates and ministerial lot splits), consult the state resource hub at California housing laws and the ADU page California ADU law in parallel with the local chapters § 18.104 and § 18.116 .

Information Gaps / Things to verify with the city

• The retrieved Title 18 snippets show every chapter title and many internal sections, but the retrieved file does not include a named overlay‑district chapter (other than P‑D/RPD) or an explicit SB 9 implementation section. Verify with the Planning Department whether there are:
  • Any local overlay districts (e.g., historic, floodplain, design overlays) not contained in the Title 18 text provided (Not found in retrieved materials) .
  • Any formal local code updates implementing SB 9 (ministerial urban lot split / duplex ministerial approvals) beyond district minimums (Not found in retrieved materials).
  • Any local ordinances concerning rent control or tenant protections outside Title 18 (Not found in retrieved materials).

Source References

• City of Dorris, Title 18 — The City of Dorris Zoning Code (chapter index and Title 18 text excerpts) — see the Title 18 chapter index and chapter headings and chapters cited throughout the overview (e.g., § 18.04.020, § 18.20.060, § 18.24.030, § 18.28.060, § 18.32.060, § 18.56.070, § 18.60.060, § 18.68, § 18.104, § 18.116, § 18.120)