Hollister — Land Use

Last reviewed: July 2, 2026

Overview

This page summarizes what Hollister’s local zoning ordinance (Title 17) actually says about permissible land uses, where particular uses are permitted or require discretionary review, and the key land‑use development standards you must check before proposing a project. It interprets Hollister’s district-specific use tables and the principal development/overlay rules so you can find the controlling code citations quickly. See the City's main zoning index at Hollister Zoning for the map and district list and consult the cited sections directly for parcel-specific verification .

Each time the page mentions a procedure or related technical topic, link to the applicable guidance:

• development standards: Hollister Development Standards
• parking rules: Hollister Parking
• design review: Hollister Design Review
• overlay rules: Hollister Overlay Districts
• accessory dwelling units: Hollister ADUs
• Title 24 / state code: California Building Standards Code

(Those links appear the first time the topic is mentioned in the text above and below.)

District-by-district breakdown (what the code actually says)

Note: Hollister structures the land‑use rules as base zoning Districts (residential, commercial, industrial, special purpose) plus overlays (Performance, Airport Safety, Old Town, Planned Development, etc.). The zoning tables in each chapter specify whether a use is P (permitted), APR (administrative permit review), CUP (conditional use permit), NP (not permitted) and add supplemental standards. These permit keys and their meaning are stated in the land‑use tables (see Key/Permit Requirements) .

Residential districts — R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4 (Chapter 17.04)

• Purpose: Provide single‑family to high‑density residential development consistent with General Plan densities and neighborhood character (§ 17.02.030, § 17.04.030) .
• Typical permitted uses: single‑family detached and attached units, duplexes/multiplexes per district standards, accessory dwelling units (subject to ADU rules), customary accessory structures (see Chapter 17.04 and Chapter 17.68 for definitions) (§ 17.04.020 references throughout; ADU rules cross‑referenced) .
• Key dimensional standards (examples from the code):
  • Lot area/depth/width and density ranges are tabulated in Table 17.04‑2 and related tables; the code requires conformance with those tables and identifies minimum setbacks and height limits in Table 17.04‑3/4 (§ 17.04.030) .
  • For two‑unit developments and urban lot splits, minimum interior side yard 4 ft, rear yard 4 ft, street side yard 10 ft, and minimum unit size 800 sq ft for a primary dwelling in certain circumstances (see § 17.26.050) .
• Where it applies: Residential map areas and where the General Plan designates LDR/MDR/HDR; Performance Overlay may modify the standards (R1‑L/PZ, R3‑M/PZ, R4‑H/PZ) (§ 17.14.010) .

Practical guidance: If your project is residential, start at the parcel's base district and then check for overlays (Airport Safety, Performance Overlay, Old Town). The code explicitly requires development to meet district tables before building permits are issued (§ 17.02.040) .

Home Office / Old Town — Home Office (HO) and Old Town (M) (Chapter 17.06)

• Purpose: Allow small‑scale mixed residential/business uses that retain the Old Town character (§ 17.06.020–.030) .
• Typical permitted uses: residences, small professional offices, apartments/condos, live/work with conditions; many non‑residential uses require APR or CUP per Table 17.06‑1 (§ 17.06.020) .
• Key dimensional/operational standards: Home Office residential development follows Old Town (M) development standards; business uses must meet Old Town setbacks, lot coverage and signage rules; parking minimums and driveway dimensions are specified and cross‑ref to the parking chapter (§ 17.06.030, § 17.18 references) .
• Where it applies: Old Town area and identified Home Office parcels on the zoning map.

Practical guidance: Home‑businesses often need an Administrative Permit Review or, if they exceed size/staff limits, a CUP — consult Table 17.06‑1 and the “home occupation” criteria (see § 17.06 text) .

Commercial and Mixed‑Use — CO, GC, NG, Mixed‑Use (Chapter 17.08)

• Purpose: Range from office/service (CO) to neighborhood retail (GC) to large boulevard retail (NG) and mixed‑use to encourage housing + commercial (§ 17.08.010) .
• Typical permitted uses: professional offices, restaurants, smaller retail, hotels/motels often CUP or P depending on subdistrict; mixed‑use projects are required to include residential in many cases (§ 17.08.020, Table 17.08‑1) .
• Key dimensional/urban design standards: commercial design criteria emphasize pedestrian scale, façade articulation, open space minimums (e.g., 40% of lot area for commercial office projects), and parking location/back‑of‑lot preference (§ 17.08.030, signage/parking cross‑refs) .
• Where it applies: Downtown, neighborhood corridors, North Gateway along Highway 25/San Felipe Road (NG designed for large retail/auto‑oriented uses) (§ 17.08.010) .

Practical guidance: Check whether your commercial use is listed as P, APR, or CUP in Table 17.08‑1; if the use is not listed, the code allows review under Planned Development or a CUP depending on compatibility (§ 17.66.066) .

Industrial — M‑1, IBP (Chapter 17.10)

• Purpose: Industrial and business park uses with performance standards to limit impacts; additional airport compatibility rules where applicable (§ 17.10.030, § 17.10.040) .
• Typical permitted uses: light manufacturing, warehousing, some industrial services; specific heavy/ hazardous uses restricted or CUP/NP per table (see Chapter 17.10 tables) .
• Key dimensional standards (Table 17.10‑2):
  • Minimum lot width 75 ft, minimum lot depth 100 ft, minimum lot frontage 50 ft; front yard commonly 10 ft (but can be 0 in IBP); maximum height 75 ft; FAR 1 (see § 17.10.030 for table) .
• Where it applies: Established industrial areas and business parks; note many industrial parcels overlap the Hollister Airport Safety Overlay and must meet the Airport overlay standards (§ 17.12, § 17.14) .

Practical guidance: Industrial projects must meet performance standards (noise, emissions, glare, vibration) and may face additional restrictions in Airport Safety areas — see Airport Overlay rules below (§ 17.12.040 and § 17.14.020) .

Airport Support / Airport Safety Overlay — Airport Support, Airport Safety Overlay (Chapter 17.12, 17.14)

• Purpose: Protect airport operations and public safety by restricting incompatible uses, controlling height, noise, emissions, and electronic interference (§ 17.12.040, § 17.14.010) .
• Typical permitted uses: many airport‑related industrial/aviation uses are P or CUP depending on function (aircraft manufacturing, air freight, hangars often CUP) and some uses are NP (e.g., antennas within influence area per notes) (see Table 17.12‑2) .
• Key standards: no glare‑producing exteriors, no electronic interference, limits on ground vibration, building height tied to FAR Part 77 surfaces, interior noise attenuation targets for hotels/offices (≤ 55 dB CNEL), lot coverage and population density caps in Traffic Pattern Zone (§ 17.12.040) .
• Where it applies: Parcels identified on the zoning map as Airport Safety Overlay (supplemental application form required for discretionary permits in the overlay) (§ 17.14.020, § 17.12.050) .

Practical guidance: Any project within the Airport overlay must include FAR Part 77 elevation info and complete the supplemental airport application; some uses (e.g., child care centers >15 children) are explicitly restricted in certain safety zones — verify the overlay boundary before plan submission (§ 17.12.040, notes) .

Special purpose zones — OS, P, PF (Open Space / Parks / Public Facilities) (Chapter 17.12)

• Purpose: Parks, open space, and public institutional uses; many active uses allowed subject to park standards (§ 17.12.050) .
• Typical permitted uses: crop production, trails, recreational facilities, public safety facilities (some CUP), and other public/semi‑public uses per the special‑purpose land‑use table (§ 17.12.050) .
• Key standards: height and lot coverage exceptions, special population density limits for airport‑proximate public uses (see table notes), and landscape/parking cross‑references (§ 17.12.050) .

Planned Development — PD (Chapter 17.66)

• Purpose: Allow flexible standards when a project provides public benefit; PDs are established by rezone with an underlying zoning designation; PD allows any use permitted in the underlying district or not listed but compatible with the General Plan, subject to Planning Commission/City Council approval (§ 17.66.030, § 17.66.066) .
• Practical guidance: If your desired use is not listed in the base tables, a PD or CUP is the formal pathway; the PD process explicitly allows accessory uses or multi‑family inside single‑family zoning where overall density complies with the General Plan (§ 17.66.066) .

Quick reference table — most decision‑relevant disallow/permit pointers

Checklist (what an applicant must satisfy to establish a use in Hollister)

• Confirm parcel base zoning and any overlays on the City zoning map (verify Airport Safety, Performance Overlay, Old Town) — see § 17.02.030 and overlays (§ 17.14.010) .
• Check the applicable land‑use table for the District (e.g., Table 17.04‑2, 17.06‑1, 17.08‑1, 17.10‑2) to determine if the use is P, APR, CUP, or NP .
• Confirm dimensional/development standards (setbacks, height, lot coverage, density) in the District tables and Chapter 17.04/17.10/17.08 as applicable; consult Hollister Development Standards for cross‑references .
• Determine parking requirements and provide required spaces per Hollister Parking and Chapter 17.18; consider exceptions for downtown or shared parking arrangements .
• If project is within an overlay (especially Airport Safety), include the supplemental overlay application and any FAR Part 77 elevation data required (§ 17.12.040) .
• Identify discretionary permits required (CUP, PD, APR) and prepare materials for Design Review if required; consult Hollister Design Review and applicable sign/landscaping chapters .
• Verify Building Department requirements and Title 24 compliance for construction permits (consult California Building Standards Code) — permit issuance is contingent on zoning conformance (§ 17.02.040) .
• For uses not listed or for density/standard relief, evaluate PD or CUP pathways (see § 17.66.030, § 17.66.066) .

Risks & Ambiguities

Plain‑English summary

Hollister’s Title 17 sets the allowed uses by zoning district: look up your parcel’s base zone and overlays, read the district’s land‑use table (P/APR/CUP/NP), and then confirm the dimensional and performance standards listed for that district — residential rules are in Chapter 17.04, home‑office and Old Town uses in 17.06, commercial in 17.08, industrial in 17.10, and airport/special purpose rules in 17.12. For uses that aren’t a clean fit, Planned Development or a Conditional Use Permit is the typical path; verify overlays like the Airport Safety Overlay early because they add strict limits (§ 17.02.040, § 17.66.066, § 17.12.040) .

Source References

• Hollister Municipal Code — Title 17 Zoning (general provisions and district list) — § 17.02.030, § 17.02.040. Source: Hollister Zoning (Title 17); code excerpts in provided file set . (Full code online via library.municode.com for Hollister Title 17.)
• Residential general standards — § 17.04.030 and related tables (Table 17.04‑2/3/4) .
• Home Office land uses and Table 17.06‑1 — § 17.06.020–.030 (Home Office District) .
• Commercial & Mixed‑Use uses — Table 17.08‑1, purposes for CO/GC/NG/Mixed‑Use — § 17.08.010–.020 .
• Industrial standards and Table 17.10‑2 — § 17.10.030–.040 (M‑1, IBP) .
• Airport Support and Airport Safety Overlay standards (height, noise, FAR Part 77) — § 17.12.030–.040; overlay procedures in § 17.14.010 .
• Planned Development rules (establishment and allowed PD uses) — § 17.66.030, § 17.66.066 .
• Key/Permit Requirements legend (P / APR / CUP / NP) — land‑use tables and key notes (multiple tables across Title 17) .
• Additional code excerpts and notes used above appear throughout the Hollister_ZoningCode.md extract set supplied by the user (see file citations in this page) .

(Full ordinance text and complete tables are available from the City of Hollister zoning code; confirm exact table rows for your parcel before application.)

Retrieved passages

• Hollister Zoning Code (Chapter 17.22) High relevance show source text
• CBC § 1 (§ 1) High relevance show source text
• Hollister Zoning Code (§ 1) High relevance show source text
• Hollister Zoning Code (§ 2) High relevance show source text
• CFC § 2 (Section 17.16.060) High relevance show source text
• Hollister Zoning Code High relevance show source text
• Hollister Zoning Code (§ 2) High relevance show source text
• Hollister Zoning Code (chapter may) High relevance show source text

Cited sections

• Hollister Municipal Code — Title 17 Zoning (general provisions and district list) — **§ 17.02.030**, **§ 17.02.040**. Source: Hollister Zoning (Title 17); code excerpts in provided file set . (Full code online via library.municode.com for Hollister Title 17.) (Title 17)
• Residential general standards — **§ 17.04.030** and related tables (Table 17.04‑2/3/4) . (§ 17.04.030)
• Home Office land uses and Table 17.06‑1 — **§ 17.06.020–.030** (Home Office District) . (§ 17.06.020)
• Commercial & Mixed‑Use uses — Table **17.08‑1**, purposes for **CO/GC/NG/Mixed‑Use** — **§ 17.08.010–.020** . (§ 17.08.010)
• Industrial standards and Table **17.10‑2** — **§ 17.10.030–.040** (M‑1, IBP) . (§ 17.10.030)
• Airport Support and Airport Safety Overlay standards (height, noise, FAR Part 77) — **§ 17.12.030–.040**; overlay procedures in **§ 17.14.010** . (§ 17.12.030)
• Planned Development rules (establishment and allowed PD uses) — **§ 17.66.030**, **§ 17.66.066** . (§ 17.66.030)
• Key/Permit Requirements legend (P / APR / CUP / NP) — land‑use tables and key notes (multiple tables across Title 17) . (Title 17)
• Additional code excerpts and notes used above appear throughout the Hollister_ZoningCode.md extract set supplied by the user (see file citations in this page) .
• Hollister_ZoningCode.md

• Official Hollister code library