Palm Desert · Zoning · SI
Palm Desert SI zoning: height, setbacks and lot size
In Palm Desert's SI zone, generally buildings can be up to 40 ft (3 stories) tall, the front setback is 20 ft and the minimum lot size is 20,000 sq ft, with the conditions listed below (Palm Desert code, read October 2026).
Key points
- Maximum building height: 40 ft (Single-use)
- Maximum number of stories: 3 stories (Single-use)
- Minimum front setback: 20 ft
- Minimum side setback: 0 ft (Interior side yard, when not next to or across the street from residentially zoned property (note 5).)
- Minimum rear setback: 0 ft (not next to, or across the street from, residentially zoned property)
- Minimum lot size: 20,000 sq ft
- Maximum floor area ratio (FAR): 0.75
SI (Service Industrial) is a zoning district in Palm Desert. Every value below was read from the Palm Desert 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 SI
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 | 40 ft Applies: Single-use § 25.16.050 · code textTable row “Height, max (single-use)”, column “SI”: 40′, 3 stories |
|---|---|
| Maximum number of stories | 3 stories Applies: Single-use § 25.16.050 · code textTable row “Height, max (single-use)”, column “SI”: 40′, 3 stories |
| Minimum front setback | 20 ft § 25.16.050 · code textTable row “Front yard, min”, column “SI”: 20′ |
| Minimum side setback | 0 ft Applies: Interior side yard, when not next to or across the street from residentially zoned property (note 5). § 25.16.050 · code textTable row “Side yard, min (interior/exterior)”, column “SI”: 0′/10′ 5 |
| Minimum rear setback | 0 ft Applies: not next to, or across the street from, residentially zoned property § 25.16.050 · code textTable row “Rear yard, min”, column “SI”: 0′/25′ 5 |
| Minimum lot size | 20,000 sq ft § 25.16.050 · code textTable row “Lot size, min”, column “SI”: 20,000 sf |
| Maximum floor area ratio (FAR) | 0.75 § 25.16.050 · code textTable row “Floor area ratio”, column “SI”: 0.75 |
Uses in SI
Uses the code's use tables allow in SI, or allow with a permit. Each links to its page with the code section.
- Duplex — Needs a conditional use permit
- Church or place of worship — Needs a conditional use permit
- Kennel — Needs an administrative use permit
- Emergency shelter — Allowed
When a different number applies
The code sets other values for particular lots, buildings or locations in SI:
- Minimum side setback: 10 ft — Exterior side yard, or any side next to or across the street from residentially zoned property (note 5). § 25.16.050
- Minimum rear setback: 25 ft — When adjacent to or across the street from residentially zoned property § 25.16.050
Not on this page
We did not find a general lot coverage, density limit for SI in the zoning tables we read. The code may still set one elsewhere — check the Palm Desert Municipal Code.
Other Palm Desert zoning districts
Who this affects
Frequently asked questions
What is the maximum building height in Palm Desert's SI zone?
40 ft (single-use) — Palm Desert Municipal Code § 25.16.050.
What is the maximum number of stories in Palm Desert's SI zone?
3 stories (single-use) — Palm Desert Municipal Code § 25.16.050.
What is the minimum front setback in Palm Desert's SI zone?
20 ft — Palm Desert Municipal Code § 25.16.050.
What is the minimum side setback in Palm Desert's SI zone?
0 ft (interior side yard, when not next to or across the street from residentially zoned property (note 5)) — Palm Desert Municipal Code § 25.16.050.
What is the minimum rear setback in Palm Desert's SI zone?
0 ft (not next to, or across the street from, residentially zoned property) — Palm Desert Municipal Code § 25.16.050.
General information, not legal advice.
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