Menlo Park · Zoning · C-MU
Menlo Park C-MU zoning: height, setbacks and lot size
In Menlo Park's C-MU zone, generally buildings can be up to 30 ft tall and the front setback is 10 ft, with the conditions listed below (Menlo Park code, read October 2026).
Key points
- Maximum building height: 30 ft
- Minimum front setback: 10 ft (20 ft where abutting a residential district)
- Minimum side setback: None required (20 ft where abutting a residential district)
- Minimum rear setback: None required (20 ft where abutting a residential district)
- Maximum lot coverage: 60%
- Maximum floor area ratio (FAR): 0.4 (For nonresidential uses)
- Maximum density: 30 units per acre
C-MU (Neighborhood Mixed Use District) 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-MU
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 | 30 ft § 16.40.030 · code text(7) Height of structures shall not exceed thirty (30) feet. For a mixed residential and nonresidential development, the maximum building height shall not exceed forty (40) feet; |
|---|---|
| Minimum front setback | 10 ft Applies: 20 ft where abutting a residential district § 16.40.030 · code text(4) Required minimum yards: front, ten (10) feet; side, none; corner side, ten (10) feet, rear, none; except when abutting a residential district where a twenty (20) foot yard shall be provided; |
| Minimum side setback | None required Applies: 20 ft where abutting a residential district § 16.40.030 · code text(4) Required minimum yards: front, ten (10) feet; side, none; corner side, ten (10) feet, rear, none; except when abutting a residential district where a twenty (20) foot yard shall be provided; |
| Minimum rear setback | None required Applies: 20 ft where abutting a residential district § 16.40.030 · code text(4) Required minimum yards: front, ten (10) feet; side, none; corner side, ten (10) feet, rear, none; except when abutting a residential district where a twenty (20) foot yard shall be provided; |
| Maximum lot coverage | 60% § 16.40.030 · code text(5) Land covered by all structures shall not exceed sixty percent (60%) of a building site; |
| Maximum floor area ratio (FAR) | 0.4 Applies: For nonresidential uses § 16.40.030 · code text(10) The floor area ratio for nonresidential uses shall not exceed forty percent (40%), except that fifty percent (50%) may be allowed with use permit approval and a minimum lot size of twenty thousand (20,000) square feet; |
| Maximum density | 30 units per acre § 16.40.030 · code text(11) The 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-MU:
- Maximum building height: 40 ft — For a mixed residential and nonresidential development § 16.40.030
- Minimum front setback: 20 ft — When abutting a residential district § 16.40.030
- Minimum side setback: 20 ft — When abutting a residential district § 16.40.030
- Minimum rear setback: 20 ft — When abutting a residential district § 16.40.030
- Maximum floor area ratio (FAR): 0.5 — For nonresidential uses, with use permit approval and a minimum lot size of 20,000 sq ft § 16.40.030
- Maximum floor area ratio (FAR): 0.9 — For multiple dwelling units, increasing on an even gradient up to 90% for 30 du/ac § 16.40.030
- Maximum floor area ratio (FAR): 1.1 — In a mixed residential and commercial development; combined maximum FAR § 16.40.030
- Maximum floor area ratio (FAR): 1.4 — In a mixed nonresidential and residential development that provides the maximum number of dwelling units; combined maximum FAR § 16.40.030
Not on this page
We did not find a general stories, lot size limit for C-MU 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-MU zone?
30 ft — Menlo Park Municipal Code § 16.40.030.
What is the minimum front setback in Menlo Park's C-MU zone?
10 ft (20 ft where abutting a residential district) — Menlo Park Municipal Code § 16.40.030.
What is the minimum side setback in Menlo Park's C-MU zone?
None required (20 ft where abutting a residential district) — Menlo Park Municipal Code § 16.40.030.
What is the minimum rear setback in Menlo Park's C-MU zone?
None required (20 ft where abutting a residential district) — Menlo Park Municipal Code § 16.40.030.
What is the maximum lot coverage in Menlo Park's C-MU zone?
60% — Menlo Park Municipal Code § 16.40.030.
General information, not legal advice.
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