Menlo Park · Zoning · R-2
Menlo Park R-2 zoning: height, setbacks and lot size
In Menlo Park's R-2 zone, generally buildings can be up to 28 ft tall, the front setback is 20 ft and the minimum lot size is 7,000 sq ft, with the conditions listed below (Menlo Park code, read October 2026).
Key points
- Maximum building height: 28 ft (the lower of 28 ft from average grade or 28 ft from the grade directly beneath any part of the building)
- Minimum front setback: 20 ft
- Minimum side setback: 10% of lot width, min 5 ft, max 10 ft (Interior sides)
- Minimum rear setback: 20 ft
- Minimum lot size: 7,000 sq ft
- Maximum lot coverage: 35%
- Maximum floor area ratio (FAR): 40% (Second-story floor area is also limited to 15% of the lot area.)
- Maximum density: 1 unit per 3,500 sq ft
R-2 (R-2 LOW DENSITY APARTMENT 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 R-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 | 28 ft Applies: the lower of 28 ft from average grade or 28 ft from the grade directly beneath any part of the building § 16.18.030 · code text(6) The maximum building height at any one point on the property shall be the lower of either twenty-eight feet (28') from the average grade or twenty-eight feet (28') from the grade directly beneath any portion of the building. |
|---|---|
| Minimum front setback | 20 ft § 16.18.030 · code text(4) Required minimum yards—Twenty feet front; twenty feet rear; interior sides ten percent of lot width but not less than five or more than ten feet; street side of corner lots twelve feet; |
| Minimum side setback | 10% of lot width, min 5 ft, max 10 ft Applies: Interior sides § 16.18.030 · code text(4) Required minimum yards—Twenty feet front; twenty feet rear; interior sides ten percent of lot width but not less than five or more than ten feet; street side of corner lots twelve feet; |
| Minimum rear setback | 20 ft § 16.18.030 · code text(4) Required minimum yards—Twenty feet front; twenty feet rear; interior sides ten percent of lot width but not less than five or more than ten feet; street side of corner lots twelve feet; |
| Minimum lot size | 7,000 sq ft § 16.18.030 · code text(1) Minimum lot area—Seven thousand square feet; |
| Maximum lot coverage | 35% § 16.18.030 · code text(5) Land cover by all structures shall not exceed thirty-five percent of building site; |
| Maximum floor area ratio (FAR) | 40% Applies: Second-story floor area is also limited to 15% of the lot area. § 16.18.030 · code text(7) Floor area—The floor area of all buildings on the lot shall not exceed forty percent of the square footage of the lot. |
| Maximum density | 1 unit per 3,500 sq ft § 16.18.030 · code text(2) Minimum land area per dwelling unit—Three thousand five hundred square feet; |
When a different number applies
The code sets other values for particular lots, buildings or locations in R-2:
- Minimum side setback: 12 ft — street side of corner lots § 16.18.030
Not on this page
We did not find a general stories limit for R-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 R-2 zone?
28 ft (the lower of 28 ft from average grade or 28 ft from the grade directly beneath any part of the building) — Menlo Park Municipal Code § 16.18.030.
What is the minimum front setback in Menlo Park's R-2 zone?
20 ft — Menlo Park Municipal Code § 16.18.030.
What is the minimum side setback in Menlo Park's R-2 zone?
10% of lot width, min 5 ft, max 10 ft (interior sides) — Menlo Park Municipal Code § 16.18.030.
What is the minimum rear setback in Menlo Park's R-2 zone?
20 ft — Menlo Park Municipal Code § 16.18.030.
What is the minimum lot size in Menlo Park's R-2 zone?
7,000 sq ft — Menlo Park Municipal Code § 16.18.030.
General information, not legal advice.
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