Menlo Park · Zoning · C-1
Menlo Park C-1 zoning: height, setbacks and lot size
In Menlo Park's C-1 zone, generally buildings can be up to 35 ft tall, the front setback is 30 ft and the minimum lot size is 2 acres, with the conditions listed below (Menlo Park code, read October 2026).
Key points
- Maximum building height: 35 ft (nonresidential structures)
- Minimum front setback: 30 ft
- Minimum side setback: 20 ft
- Minimum rear setback: 20 ft
- Minimum lot size: 2 acres
- Maximum lot coverage: 40% (nonresidential development)
- Maximum floor area ratio (FAR): 30% (nonresidential development)
- Maximum density: 30 dwelling units per acre
C-1 (Administrative and Professional District, Restrictive) is a zoning district in Menlo Park. Every value below was read from the Menlo Park Municipal Code and links to its section (read October 2026). State laws such as the ADU and SB 9 rules can allow more on a residential lot. General information, not legal advice — read the code text and check with the city before you build.
Development standards in C-1
The general rule for a typical lot in this zone. Zoning tables often attach notes, such as rules for corner lots, lots next to a residential zone, or new subdivisions only. Open “code text” under a value to see the table cell or sentence it was read from.
| Maximum building height | 35 ft Applies: nonresidential structures § 16.30.030 · code textHeight of nonresidential structures shall not exceed thirty-five (35) feet. |
|---|---|
| Minimum front setback | 30 ft § 16.30.030 · code textRequired minimum yards: thirty (30) feet front; twenty (20) feet rear; twenty (20) feet side; |
| Minimum side setback | 20 ft § 16.30.030 · code textRequired minimum yards: thirty (30) feet front; twenty (20) feet rear; twenty (20) feet side; |
| Minimum rear setback | 20 ft § 16.30.030 · code textRequired minimum yards: thirty (30) feet front; twenty (20) feet rear; twenty (20) feet side; |
| Minimum lot size | 2 acres § 16.30.030 · code textMinimum lot area: two (2) acres; |
| Maximum lot coverage | 40% Applies: nonresidential development § 16.30.030 · code textFor a nonresidential development, land covered by all structures shall not exceed forty percent (40%) of a building site. |
| Maximum floor area ratio (FAR) | 30% Applies: nonresidential development § 16.30.030 · code textFor a nonresidential development, the floor area ratio shall not exceed thirty percent (30%); |
| Maximum density | 30 dwelling units per acre § 16.30.030 · code textThe maximum density is thirty (30) dwelling units per acre (du/ac); |
When a different number applies
The code sets other values for particular lots, buildings or locations in C-1:
- Maximum building height: 40 ft — mixed nonresidential and residential structures or residential structures § 16.30.030
- Maximum lot coverage: 50% — one hundred percent residential development § 16.30.030
- Maximum lot coverage: 55% — mixed nonresidential and residential uses § 16.30.030
- Maximum floor area ratio (FAR): 90% — multiple dwelling units; maximum FAR allowed when the maximum number of dwelling units is proposed, even if less than 30 du/ac § 16.30.030
- Maximum floor area ratio (FAR): 120% — Mixed nonresidential and residential development that provides the maximum number of dwelling units. § 16.30.030
Not on this page
We did not find a general stories limit for C-1 in the zoning tables we read. The code may still set one elsewhere — check the Menlo Park Municipal Code.
Other Menlo Park zoning districts
Who this affects
Frequently asked questions
What is the maximum building height in Menlo Park's C-1 zone?
35 ft (nonresidential structures) — Menlo Park Municipal Code § 16.30.030.
What is the minimum front setback in Menlo Park's C-1 zone?
30 ft — Menlo Park Municipal Code § 16.30.030.
What is the minimum side setback in Menlo Park's C-1 zone?
20 ft — Menlo Park Municipal Code § 16.30.030.
What is the minimum rear setback in Menlo Park's C-1 zone?
20 ft — Menlo Park Municipal Code § 16.30.030.
What is the minimum lot size in Menlo Park's C-1 zone?
2 acres — Menlo Park Municipal Code § 16.30.030.
General information, not legal advice.
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