Sacramento County Zoning, Planning & Building Codes

Last reviewed: July 6, 2026

Overview

Sacramento County’s zoning rules apply only in the County’s unincorporated areas; incorporated cities adopt and enforce their own land-use codes. The County’s adopted Sacramento Zoning Code (SZC) implements the General Plan and governs land use, development standards, review procedures, and special area regulations across these unincorporated communities. Applicability is explicit: the SZC covers “all land, buildings, structures, and uses thereof” outside incorporated municipalities, unless an exemption applies (see § 1.4.1).
At a high level, the SZC is organized by chapters for districts, allowed uses, development standards, and administration, and by “project‑specific” titles for special plans and overlays that can supplement or supersede base rules.

Most projects in unincorporated Sacramento County are controlled first by the base zoning district, then by any applicable combining/overlay or project‑specific ordinance; where an SPA/specific plan conflicts with the SZC, it controls—except for state‑driven items like ADUs and SB 9, where the SZC expressly defers to state law (§ 1.7.3.A.1–2).

How Sacramento County’s code is organized

• Core chapters orient you to the path from “what’s allowed” to “how it’s reviewed”:
  • Chapter 2 establishes base zoning districts and explains how Chapter 3 (use regulations), Chapter 4 (special/combining districts), and Chapter 5 (development standards) interrelate (§ 2.1.1).
  • Chapter 5 compiles countywide development standards by topic and district—general rules; agricultural; residential; commercial; industrial; mixed‑use; plus parking in § 5.9 and signage in § 5.10 (§ 5.1.2).
  • Chapter 6 sets the administrative framework—zoning amendments (§ 6.2), design review (§ 6.3), special permits (§ 6.4), other applications (including density bonus) (§ 6.5), enforcement (§ 6.6), the Fair Oaks Boulevard Corridor Plan (§ 6.7), and a compendium of state housing legislation applied locally (§ 6.8) (§ 6.1.1).
• “Project‑specific” ordinances live in the SZC titles and can override base rules within their mapped areas:
  • Title IV (Interim zones), Title V (Special Planning Areas/Neighborhood Preservation Areas), and Title VI (Specific Plans/Corridor Plans). Where these titles are silent, the SZC controls; where they conflict, the project‑specific ordinance controls—except that the SZC expressly supersedes for ADUs/JADUs, SB 9, and § 6.8 state legislation (§ 1.7.3.A–E).

Use the County’s Sacramento County Zoning and Sacramento County Development Standards pages as your map to these chapters and titles.

Zoning district families

Sacramento County organizes districts by intensity “sequences” and allows “intermediate” rezones between adjacent categories in a sequence (§ 2.1.4.A). Key families include:

• Agricultural: AG‑160, AG‑80, AG‑40, AG‑20.
• Agricultural‑Residential: AR‑10, AR‑5, AR‑2, AR‑1.
• Residential: RD‑1, RD‑2, RD‑3, RD‑4, RD‑5, RD‑7, RD‑10, RD‑15, RD‑20, RD‑25, RD‑30, RD‑40; plus RM‑2 (mobile home subdivision).
• Commercial: BP (Business Professional), LC (Limited Commercial), GC (General Commercial), C‑O (Commercial Office).
• Industrial: M‑1 (Light), M‑2 (Heavy), MP (Industrial Office Park).
• Mixed‑Use: NMC, CMC, CMZ (corridor- and center‑oriented mixed‑use sequences).

Allowed uses are in Chapter 3’s use tables (see Table 3.1 in § 3.2.5, as referenced throughout zone articles like § 402‑21), which you should check alongside district‑specific standards in Chapter 5.

Citywide development standards

Where to find the numbers:

• Chapter 5 is your “one stop” for setbacks, heights, lot coverage/FAR, site design, parking, signage, and landscaping and screening (§ 5.1.2).
• Setback measurement uses the County’s PUPF easement framework; standards are shown with and without PUPF in all district tables (§ 5.2.1.A).
• Industrial benchmarks (Table 5.14):
  • M‑1/M‑2: 50 ft front/side street yard without PUPF (56 ft with PUPF), adjacencies to single‑family can trigger up to 100 ft rear/side yard for 2–3 stories, and 100 ft max height.
  • MP: 25 ft front/side street yard without PUPF (31 ft with PUPF) and 40 ft max height. Landscaping is per § 5.2.4. (Table 5.14; § 5.2.4)
• Commercial siting: in legacy C‑2 areas, front yard depth may follow the block’s established average when at least 50% of frontage is already built shallower than the Table 5.9 standard (§ 409‑34 referencing Table 5.9).
• Off‑street parking is centralized in § 5.9, and Countywide sign controls are in § 5.10 (with commercial/industrial sign rules at § 5.10.3).
• Flood safety: before entitlements or permits for homes in the Flood Hazard Zone, the County must make Urban Level of Flood Protection or FEMA protection findings (ULOP) (§ 5.11.1–5.11.4). Title IX is the separate Floodplain Management Ordinance.

For specifics by district, start at Sacramento County Development Standards. If your site is nonconforming, see Sacramento County Nonconforming Uses; as one example, older off‑site signs face abatement rules and special remedies (§ 1.9.5.G–H).

Specific plans & overlays

Expect area‑tailored rules that supplement or replace base zoning:

• Combining/overlay districts (Table 2.1) include F (Flood Combining), FP (Food Processing Combining), MHP (Mobile Home Park Combining), and NS (Natural Streams Combining). These layer on top of base districts to protect resources, manage hazards, or allow specific uses (§ 2.3; Table 2.1).
• Planned Development (PD) combining zone provides customized development programs and can mix uses when justified; it allows tailored standards and requires a listed set of uses and project‑specific yard/height/parking/landscaping/sign criteria (§ 408‑01, § 408‑23).
• Fair Oaks Boulevard Corridor Plan (Chapter 6.7): in mapped districts, certain uses need a Use Permit even if otherwise allowed, and all development is subject to County design review, with optional alternative standards in the Corridor Plan (§ 6.7.3.A–B).
• Title V SPAs/NPAs and Title VI Specific/Corridor Plans control within their boundaries unless overridden by state‑mandated topics noted below (§ 1.7.3.A–E).

See Sacramento County Overlay Districts and, where applicable, Sacramento County Historic Preservation.

Building permits & review

• Pathway overview:
  • Confirm your base district and allowed uses (Chapter 2 and Table 3.1 in § 3.2.5 as referenced in zone articles such as § 402‑21), then confirm any overlays/SPAs.
  • Apply the correct development standards (Chapter 5) and consult design review early for site and building design.
  • Projects undergo design review at incidental, minor, or major levels; non‑discretionary “major” includes new commercial/industrial/mixed‑use over 10,000 sf and multifamily over four units, with PRC review (§ 6.3.2.B). The Planning Director can waive design review for some interior‑only or out‑of‑view work (§ 6.3.2.C).
  • Design review authorities include the Design Review Administrator (DRA), DRAC (advisory), and hearing bodies; appeals are per § 6.1.3 (§ 6.3.2.E; § 6.1.3).
  • In PD/SPA/similar overlays, additional plan conformance is required; for example, PD areas require planning approval before building permits are issued (§ 408‑09).
• Deviations and relief:
  • The County’s flexible tool is the Special Development Permit (SDP), which can authorize deviations from development standards and certain road standards when findings are met (§ 6.4.6.A–D). Examples include height deviations for commercial/industrial or reduced 100‑ft buffers next to single‑family where justified (§ 6.4.6.D).
• Building code: Once planning approvals are in place, construction is permitted under the California Building Standards Code (Title 24), administered by County Building Permits & Inspection (referenced indirectly via § 6.1.3 appeals list).

State housing law in Sacramento County

State law is directly embedded in the SZC; the County consolidates many state‑mandated housing pathways in § 6.8 and explicitly supersedes SPA/specific plan limits for certain topics (§ 1.7.3.A.2).

• ADUs/JADUs:
  • Local ADU standards (e.g., size, setbacks, and height) appear in § 5.4.5, including common thresholds such as up to 1,200 sf detached maximum, front 20 ft and side street 12.5 ft yards per local tables, and 4‑ft side/rear yards consistent with state minimums; heights vary by context (e.g., 16–20 ft detached, 25 ft attached) (§ 5.4.5 & tables; footnotes confirm state minimums and minor deviation procedures).
  • The SZC does not allow project‑specific ordinances (SPAs/NPAs/Specific Plans) to undercut ADU/JADU provisions (§ 1.7.3.A.2). See also the County’s cross‑references to state mandates and California ADU law.
• SB 9 (urban lot splits and two primary units):
  • Implemented locally in § 5.4.7 with objective eligibility and development standards, including unit counts per parcel and parking allowances (e.g., one space per dwelling, with transit/car‑share exemptions noted) (§ 5.4.7; Table 5.12.C notes).
• Density Bonus (Gov. Code § 65915 et seq.):
  • The County’s Affordable Housing Incentive Program codifies bonus calculations, incentives/concessions, and waivers in § 6.5.4, with detailed definitions, thresholds, tables, and agreements (§§ 6.5.4.B, 6.5.4.D, 6.5.4.E, 6.5.4.J–L). Fractional density bonus units round up (§ 7.1.13.A).
• Additional streamlining statutes (ministerial multifamily in commercial/industrial zones; faith/higher‑ed lands; “Middle Class Housing Act,” “High Road Jobs Act”) are applied in § 6.8.2 as “use by right” where criteria are met.

For broader context on state‑local interaction, see California housing laws and Sacramento County Land Use.

Source References

• Applicability; purpose; relationship to plans and project‑specific ordinances: § 1.1, § 1.3, § 1.4.1; § 1.7.1–1.7.5; § 1.7.3.A–E.
• Code organization; districts/use/special districts/development standards: § 2.1.1; § 2.1.3; § 2.3/Table 2.1.
• District sequences: § 2.1.4.A–D.
• Development standards and measurement; parking; signs: § 5.1.2; § 5.2.1.A; § 5.9; § 5.10.
• Industrial standards: Table 5.14.
• Flood hazard/ULOP; Floodplain Ordinance: § 5.11.1–5.11.4; Title IX.
• Design review process, thresholds, authorities, appeals: § 6.3.2.B–G; § 6.1.3.
• Special Development Permits: § 6.4.6.A–E.
• Fair Oaks Boulevard Corridor Plan: § 6.7.3.A–B.
• ADUs/JADUs; SB 9; Density Bonus; state legislation: § 5.4.5 (tables/notes); § 5.4.7; § 6.5.4; § 6.8.2; § 7.1.13.A.