Lemoore Zoning, Planning & Building Codes

Last reviewed: July 3, 2026

Overview

Lemoore’s land-use rules are codified in Title 9 (Zoning) of the Lemoore Municipal Code; the code sets the city’s district map, allowed uses, and the development and design standards that implement the General Plan (§ 9-1-1) . The ordinance groups districts into base district families (residential, special-purpose, mixed use, office/commercial/industrial, and specific-plan) and overlay districts, and it establishes permit pathways (zoning clearance, site plan & architectural review, conditional and administrative permits, variances, PUDs, and specific plans) (§ 9-3-2; § 9-2B-1–2) . This page explains where to find the rules in the code, the district families and important local standards (setbacks, height, FAR, coverage, and parking), how downtown and mixed‑use rules differ, how review and permit steps work, and how state housing laws (ADU, density bonus, SB 9) are applied in Lemoore.

How Lemoore's code is organized

• Title name and purpose: the city’s zoning rules are published as Title 9 ZONING and begin with the purpose and authority in § 9-1-1 .
• Administration and decision roles: the Planning Director, Planning Commission, and City Council responsibilities are set out in § 9-1-2, including the Planning Director’s role as administrative zoning body and record-keeper (§ 9-1-2) .
• District framework and map: the zoning map is adopted and interpreted under § 9-3-3, and the list of district symbols and groupings is in § 9-3-2 (see table 9-3-2) (§ 9-3-2; § 9-3-3) .
• Permits & procedures: planning permits and their processing (zoning clearance, site plan & architectural review, administrative use permits, variances, PUDs, specific plans, etc.) are organized in Article B of Chapter 2 (notably § 9-2B-3, § 9-2B-12, § 9-2B-16, § 9-2B-19–21) (§ 9-2B-3; § 9-2B-12; § 9-2B-16; § 9-2B-19; § 9-2B-21) .
• Design & development standards live in Chapter 5 (Article A = area/setback/height/coverage; Article B = standards by district; Article C = architectural/site design standards; Article G = density bonus rules) (§ 9-5A-1; § 9-5B; § 9-5C-1; § 9-5G-1) .

(Quick links as you read: the city’s top menu pages for zoning, land use, development standards and parking are helpful entry points.)

Zoning district families (citywide)

The code groups the city’s base zoning into families and assigns symbols (table 9-3-2). Key families and examples:

• Residential family — AR, RVLD, RLD, RN, RLMD, RMD, RHD (with explicit density/lot-size ranges by district) (§ 9-3-2) .
• Mixed‑use family — DMX‑1, DMX‑2, DMX‑3 (downtown mixed‑use subdistricts with form‑based rules), and MU for outside-downtown mixed use (§ 9-6-1; § 9-7-1) .
• Office / Commercial / Industrial — NC (neighborhood commercial), RC (regional commercial), PO (professional office), ML (light industrial), MH (heavy industrial) (§ 9-3-2) .
• Special-purpose / public / open space — CF, PR, AG, W, and other special districts (§ 9-3-2) .
• Specific plan district — SP (the code provides the specific‑plan mechanism; the city currently retains the SP tool for future master‑plan areas) (§ 9-3-2) .
• Overlay districts — e.g., PUD (Planned Unit Development overlay) and NASL (Naval Air Station Lemoore overlay) that modify or add rules to a base zone (§ 9-9B-1; § 9-9C-1) .

When an overlay conflicts with the base district, the overlay rules control (§ 9-9A-3) .

Citywide development standards (where they live and the big numbers)

• Where the rules live: the area/height/setback/coverage rules are in Article A of Chapter 5 (notably § 9-5A-1, § 9-5A-2 for height measurement and exceptions, and § 9-5A-3 for setback measurement) (§ 9-5A-1; § 9-5A-2; § 9-5A-3) . District‑specific development standards (lot area, setbacks, separation, lot coverage, FAR, and maximum height) appear in the general zoning tables referenced in § 9-5A-4 and the district tables in Article B (§ 9-5A-4; § 9-5B) .
• Representative numeric rules (use the code’s tables for parcel‑specific answers): the code’s district tables show standards such as maximum lot coverage (examples: 80% and 65% in some residential/mixed zones), minimum FAR (e.g., 0.10) and maximum FAR (e.g., 0.60) and height caps (district-dependent — e.g., 35' in many low/mid residential zones; downtown DMX subdistricts have specific minima and maxima: DMX‑1 may have 16' min / 40' max floor/roof ranges) — see the zoning tables and notes in § 9-5A-4 and downtown tables (§ 9-5A-4; § 9-6-2) .
• Setbacks and measurement rules are defined in § 9-5A-3 (how front/side/rear setbacks and build‑to lines are measured) (§ 9-5A-3) .
• Parking: downtown has tailored parking and encroachment rules in the Downtown chapter; see the downtown parking design standards in § 9-6-3 (tables for setback from property lines, clearwalks and encroachments) and the city-wide parking provisions referenced elsewhere in Chapter 5 (§ 9-6-3; § 9-5B) . (If you’re thinking about site layout, consult the parking and development standards pages.)
• Landscaping, screening, and buffers: mandatory landscaped setbacks, parking-lot tree lists and buffers are in § 9-5D1-2 and screening rules are in § 9-5B-6 (§ 9-5D1-2; § 9-5B-6) .

Note: numeric values above are illustrative; always consult the specific district table for a parcel (the tables and notes in § 9-5A-4 and the district tables contain the authoritative numbers and footnotes) (§ 9-5A-4) .

Downtown, mixed‑use, and form-based zones

• Downtown has a form‑based approach and is broken into DMX‑1, DMX‑2, DMX‑3 with build‑to lines, zero or limited front setbacks (e.g., 0' build‑to in core areas), façade recess allowances, and special parking/encroachment rules in Chapter 6 (§ 9-6-1; § 9-6-2; § 9-6-3) . The downtown chapter governs building frontage types, first‑floor activation, and exemptions; nonresidential conversions and façade rules are in § 9-6-4 – 9-6-7 (§ 9-6-4; § 9-6-6) .
• Outside downtown, the MU (mixed use) chapter establishes conceptual plans, minimum/maximum residential densities for mixed‑use centers (e.g., 8–20 units/acre in mixed‑use centers), internal connectivity expectations, and a conceptual plan approval process (§ 9-7-1; § 9-7-4) .

Specific plans & overlays

• Specific plans: the code contains a specific‑plan mechanism and prescribes how specific plans are adopted and how they control when they exist (§ 9-2B-20; § 9-3-2); the code notes the SP tool is available for future master‑planning (§ 9-3-2) .
• Planned Unit Development (PUD): the PUD overlay provides project‑specific standards (yards, parking, landscaping, signs, phasing, infrastructure, master home plans) and is adopted by ordinance (§ 9-9B-1 – 9-9B-3) .
• Naval Air Station Lemoore (NASL) overlay: a locally established overlay recognizes military noise/accident potential and divides the overlay area into noise/APZ bands (Overlay I/II/III). NASL limits height (no structures/trees above 150') and requires noise attenuation for residences in higher‑noise overlays (§ 9-9C-1 – 9-9C-3) . See the overlay districts page for a guided map.

Building permits & the review path (practical orientation)

• Pre‑application and filing: optional preapplication conferences are available (§ 9-2A-4); formal applications follow the completeness and submittal rules in § 9-2A-5 (30‑day completeness check) (§ 9-2A-4; § 9-2A-5) .
• Zoning clearance and building permits: most building permits require a zoning clearance first; zoning clearance is ministerial and done by the Planning Director as part of building‑permit plan check (§ 9-2B-3) .
• Design / site plan review: site plan and architectural review is the ministerial design‑review step for most new nonresidential, mixed‑use, and larger residential projects; the review is conducted under § 9-2B-12 and the detailed design standards live in Chapter 5 and Chapter 6 for downtown (§ 9-2B-12; § 9-5C-1; § 9-6-1) . The Community Development Director is the designated approval authority for site plan and architectural review (§ 9-2B-12) .
• Discretionary permits (conditional, administrative, variances): conditional use permits, administrative use permits, variances, and other discretionary entitlements follow the processing rules in Article B; variances require findings (special circumstances and no increase in density) (§ 9-2B-14/16) .
• Expiration & appeals: site plan permits expire one year if not followed by building permit or related discretionary approvals (extensions possible); appeals follow the appeal procedures in Article A (§ 9-2B-12; § 9-2A-8) .
• Zoning map amendments, PUDs, development agreements, and specific plans proceed to the City Council and have public hearings (§ 9-2B-22; § 9-2B-19; § 9-2B-21) .

If you are preparing a permit package: request a preapplication meeting (optional), confirm the base zoning and overlays (check the zoning map § 9-3-3), prepare a zoning clearance submittal (site plan, elevations where required), and expect a site plan & architectural review before final building‑permit issuance when the project is nonresidential or multi‑family (§ 9-3-3; § 9-2B-3; § 9-2B-12; § 9-2A-5) .

State housing law in Lemoore (ADUs, density bonus, SB 9, and other state tools)

• ADUs / JADUs: Lemoore has a dedicated ADU/JADU article (§ 9-4D-12) that expressly implements State ADU law (Government Code § 65852.2 / 65852.22) and provides ministerial permitting, building and setback rules, fee treatment, cottage‑home and tiny‑house provisions, and design compatibility requirements. The code says ADUs/JADUs that comply are accessory uses and do not change density calculations (§ 9-4D-12) . For local ADU standards and how Lemoore treats setbacks, unit sizes, and parking exceptions, see § 9-4D-12 (and consult statewide guidance in the ADU handbook) (§ 9-4D-12) .
  • Link: read the city ADU entry at Lemoore ADUs and the state rules at California ADU law.
• Density bonus: the city’s density bonus program (to implement Gov. Code § 65915) is codified in § 9-5G-1 et seq. and explains eligibility, concessions/incentives, findings, and process (§ 9-5G-1; § 9-5G-2; § 9-5G-7) .
• SB 9 / lot splits / ministerial streamlining: the municipal code creates a menu of administrative and ministerial processes that can be used in tandem with State streamlining (see the code’s processing rules in Article A and Article B and the City’s SB 35 compliance provision (§ 9-2B-25)). For the latest interaction between city ordinance and recent state ADU and SB 9 changes, consult the City’s ADU section and the state summaries (the uploaded ADU handbook is a useful companion) (§ 9-4D-12; § 9-2B-25) .
• Building code & noise attenuation: where the code requires construction to meet indoor noise targets (e.g., NASL overlays), the City requires adherence to the city‑adopted building code for noise attenuation — see references to the adopted building code in § 9-9C-3 and definitions that point to the city’s adopted building/health codes (§ 9-9C-3; § 9-12-1) . The state code reference page California Building Standards Code is the primary technical reference for construction standards.

Practical summary: Lemoore’s code integrates state housing law by providing a ministerial ADU/JADU approval path (§ 9-4D-12), a locally codified density bonus process (§ 9-5G), and by offering ministerial site plan review and zoning clearance processes that are designed to coordinate with building permit plan check (§ 9-2B-12; § 9-2B-3) .

Source References

• Lemoore Municipal Code — Title 9 (Zoning): purpose & administration § 9-1-1
• Zoning districts & map: table and district list § 9-3-2; § 9-3-3
• Area/Setback/Height/Coverage standards: Article A, Chapter 5 § 9-5A-1; § 9-5A-2; § 9-5A-3; § 9-5A-4
• Downtown development & parking/encroachment tables: Chapter 6 § 9-6-1; § 9-6-2; § 9-6-3
• Site plan & architectural review (process, authority, exemptions): § 9-2B-12; § 9-5C-1–3
• Overlay & PUD rules: § 9-9B-1 – 9-9B-3; § 9-9C-1 – 9-9C-3 (NASL height/noise rules)
• ADU/JADU article: § 9-4D-12 (local ADU standards and ministerial permit process)
• Density bonus program (local implementation of Gov. Code § 65915): § 9-5G-1 et seq.
• Application completeness & preapplication: § 9-2A-4; § 9-2A-5
• State ADU handbook (uploaded reference): 2025/2026 ADU Handbook (state summaries and legislative changes) — ADU handbook addendum (uploaded file)