Menlo Park · Zoning · M-2
Menlo Park M-2 zoning: height, setbacks and lot size
In Menlo Park's M-2 zone, generally buildings can be up to 35 ft tall, the front setback is 20 ft and the minimum lot size is 25,000 sq ft, with the conditions listed below (Menlo Park code, read October 2026).
Key points
- Maximum building height: 35 ft (A conditional development permit may allow additional height.)
- Minimum front setback: 20 ft
- Minimum side setback: 10 ft (may be reduced to 0 ft if the side yard is correspondingly increased)
- Minimum rear setback: None required (20 ft where abutting residential districts)
- Minimum lot size: 25,000 sq ft
- Maximum lot coverage: 50%
- Maximum floor area ratio (FAR): 55% (General industrial uses, such as warehousing, manufacturing and printing. Offices: 45%.)
M-2 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 M-2
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: A conditional development permit may allow additional height. § 16.46.030 · code text(5) Height of structures shall not exceed thirty-five feet (35); however, additional height may be permitted subject to obtaining a conditional development permit; |
|---|---|
| Minimum front setback | 20 ft § 16.46.030 · code text(3) Required minimum yards—Twenty feet (20) front; rear, none except twenty feet (20) where abutting residential districts; side, ten feet (10), except that side yard may be reduced to zero feet (0) provided the side yard is correspondingly increased; |
| Minimum side setback | 10 ft Applies: may be reduced to 0 ft if the side yard is correspondingly increased § 16.46.030 · code text(3) Required minimum yards—Twenty feet (20) front; rear, none except twenty feet (20) where abutting residential districts; side, ten feet (10), except that side yard may be reduced to zero feet (0) provided the side yard is correspondingly increased; |
| Minimum rear setback | None required Applies: 20 ft where abutting residential districts § 16.46.030 · code text(3) Required minimum yards—Twenty feet (20) front; rear, none except twenty feet (20) where abutting residential districts; side, ten feet (10), except that side yard may be reduced to zero feet (0) provided the side yard is correspondingly increased; |
| Minimum lot size | 25,000 sq ft § 16.46.030 · code text(1) Minimum lot area—Twenty-five thousand (25,000) square feet; |
| Maximum lot coverage | 50% § 16.46.030 · code text(4) Land cover by all structures shall not exceed fifty percent (50%) of building site; |
| Maximum floor area ratio (FAR) | 55% Applies: General industrial uses, such as warehousing, manufacturing and printing. Offices: 45%. § 16.46.030 · code text(7) The floor area ratio shall not exceed fifty-five percent (55%) for general industrial uses, including but not limited to, warehousing, manufacturing, printing, assembling, related office and laboratory uses, and shipping and receiving, and forty-five percent (45%) for offices. |
When a different number applies
The code sets other values for particular lots, buildings or locations in M-2:
- Minimum side setback: None required — side yard may be reduced to zero feet provided the side yard is correspondingly increased § 16.46.030
- Minimum rear setback: 20 ft — where abutting residential districts § 16.46.030
Not on this page
We did not find a general stories, density limit for M-2 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 M-2 zone?
35 ft (a conditional development permit may allow additional height) — Menlo Park Municipal Code § 16.46.030.
What is the minimum front setback in Menlo Park's M-2 zone?
20 ft — Menlo Park Municipal Code § 16.46.030.
What is the minimum side setback in Menlo Park's M-2 zone?
10 ft (may be reduced to 0 ft if the side yard is correspondingly increased) — Menlo Park Municipal Code § 16.46.030.
What is the minimum rear setback in Menlo Park's M-2 zone?
None required (20 ft where abutting residential districts) — Menlo Park Municipal Code § 16.46.030.
What is the minimum lot size in Menlo Park's M-2 zone?
25,000 sq ft — Menlo Park Municipal Code § 16.46.030.
General information, not legal advice.
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