San Anselmo Zoning, Planning & Building Codes

Last reviewed: July 3, 2026

Overview

San Anselmo's land-use rules are codified in the San Anselmo Municipal Code as a municipal zoning chapter (Chapter 3 of Title 10), which implements the General Plan and organizes district rules, development standards, and review procedures for the town (§ 10-3.101; § 10-3.102) . The code groups rules into discrete articles (district designation, land‑use tables, development standards, parking, procedures, and discretionary approvals) so you can find use rules, numeric standards, and process rules in different places (§ 10-3.801; § 10-3.702) . Read this page together with the town's zoning map and the linked topic pages for detailed checklists (links below).

How San Anselmo's code is organized

• The zoning ordinance is adopted as Chapter 3 of Title 10 of the San Anselmo Municipal Code (§ 10-3.101) and states its purpose to implement the General Plan (§ 10-3.102) . See the town-level zoning menu at San Anselmo Zoning.
• Major functional groupings are laid out in the code: district establishment (Article 2), land‑use regulations (Article 3), development standards (Article 4 / Table 4A), parking and loading (Article 5 / Table 5A), implementation procedures (Article 7), and special approvals (Articles 9–16) (§ 10-3.801; § 10-3.702) .
• Numeric standards (setbacks, heights, lot area, FAR, special slope tables) are collected in the Development Standards tables (referred to repeatedly as Table 4A and Table 4C for slope density) and are the primary place to look for a district’s dimensional rules (§ 10-3.406; § 10-3.409) .
• Process rules (which approvals are discretionary, noticing, appeal steps, and the order of review) live in Article 7: the code prescribes a review hierarchy and public‑hearing requirements (§ 10-3.702; § 10-3.1601) .

Zoning district families (what the town calls the districts)

San Anselmo divides land by district types in Article 2; the code defines residential, commercial, public and overlay zones in the ordinance text and on the official zoning map (§ 10-3.201; § 10-3.202) . Key, San Anselmo‑specific district names and short descriptions:

• R-1-H (Very Low Density Residential) — applied to primary ridge and hillside areas; very low density, special tiered review for hillside development; uses and lot limits are set by a Table of R‑1 H parcels (§ 10-3.201) .
• R-1-C (Single‑Family Residential‑Conservation) — conservation/low‑density lots with required design review in many cases; restricts density and emphasizes vegetation/landform protection (§ 10-3.201) .
• R-1 (Single‑Family Residential) — typical single‑family neighborhoods; density and minimum lots governed by the Slope Density/ Lot Area Table (Table 4C) (§ 10-3.201; § 10-3.409) .
• R-2 (Medium Density Residential) — allows duplex/triplex and small multiunit forms (6–12 units/acre range as reflected in the General Plan description) (§ 10-3.201) .
• R-3 (High Density Residential) — applied near commercial areas; higher density band (13–30 units/acre range) and allows apartment/condo forms (§ 10-3.201) .
• C-1 (Neighborhood Commercial) — small neighborhood retail/service areas; limited FAR and lower traffic impacts expected (§ 10-3.201) .
• C-2 (Downtown / Central Commercial) — downtown business district, higher FAR allowances to support pedestrian retail and mixed‑use (central commercial areas along San Anselmo Ave and Sir Francis Drake) (§ 10-3.201) .
• C-3 / C-L (General Commercial / Limited Commercial) — larger commercial parcels, shopping/retail corridors with specified allowed uses and FAR caps (§ 10-3.201; § 10-3.201 (C-L / C-3 discussions)) .
• P (Professional) — offices and uses intended to buffer residential and commercial areas; ADUs are allowed consistent with the General Plan (§ 10-3.201) .
• PF (Public Facilities), CF (Community Facilities), OS (Open Space) — public and institutional categories for town properties, parks, schools and preserved open space (§ 10-3.201; § 10-3.202) .
• Affordable Housing Overlay (AHO) — a local overlay zone that can be applied to R-3 and C-3 areas to allow increased densities and flexibility when at least 40% of units are deed‑restricted for low income; applicants may choose an objective design standard route in another code title or the standard entitlement path (§ 10-3.201; see Affordable Housing Overlay text) .

(For the official map and parcel‑level district assignment consult the town zoning map adopted by reference (§ 10-3.202) .)

Citywide development standards (where to find numeric rules and the headline rules)

• The code relies on the Development Standards Table (Table 4A) to hold most lot‑by‑district numeric standards (setbacks, lot coverage, FAR, minimum lot area). If a project needs a minor intrusion the Planning Director may allow exceptions; larger exceptions require a variance (§ 10-3.406; § 10-3.407; § 10-3.408) .
• Hillside lots use a Slope Density / Lot Area Table (Table 4C) to set minimum lot sizes where average slope ≥ 15% (§ 10-3.409) .
• Setback and height exceptions: limited, intended for minor intrusions; Planning Director may require adherence to Table 4A or a variance if intrusion is not minor (§ 10-3.406) .
• Floor area ratio (FAR) caps and special FAR rules for particular commercial districts are spelled out in the district descriptions (for example C-1 FAR default and C-2 downtown FAR of 2.0) (§ 10-3.201) .
• Parking: minimums are in the Parking Standards Table (Table 5A); requirements for layout, dimensions, and siting are in the parking article (e.g., 10-3.507, 10-3.508, 10-3.509) and enlargement/conversion triggers for parking adjustments are in 10-3.503–10-3.504 (§ 10-3.503; § 10-3.507; § 10-3.508) . For quick help about parking see the San Anselmo Parking page.
• Design and objective standards: the code contains both discretionary design review (Article 15, findings such as 10-3.1506) and, in some programs, objective standards (for ADUs and other programs — see § 10-6.302 for ADU objective design standards) (§ 10-3.1506; § 10-6.302) . Consult the San Anselmo Design Review and San Anselmo Development Standards pages for practical checklists.

Specific plans & overlays

• San Anselmo uses overlay zones and special plan devices. The Affordable Housing Overlay (AHO) is a codified overlay that modifies density and standards where at least 40% of units are deed‑restricted (§ 10-3.201) .
• The code contains a Planned Development tool (Article 9; 10-3.901–10-3.906) that allows a Conditional Use Permit to create a planned development that can modify development standards and authorize uses consistent with the General Plan (§ 10-3.902; § 10-3.905) .
• Recent code additions also create objective‑standard tracks for housing programs (see ADU chapter and two‑unit / urban lot split chapters described below) — these are implemented as separate chapters or articles and can be used instead of the traditional discretionary path (§ 10-6.302; § 10-4.404) .
• For historic resources there is a specific historic preservation overlay and related rules; consult San Anselmo Historic Preservation and the local historic‑district design rules embedded in the zoning text (historic district references appear in ADU exemptions and other provisions) (§ 10-6.303 parking exemption for historic districts) . See San Anselmo Overlay Districts for mapping.

Building permits & review (the typical application path)

• For discretionary projects the code prescribes a hierarchy: amendments, planned development, R‑1‑H preliminary/precise plans, tentative maps, conditional use permits, variances, and design review — the order the town expects applications to be considered is in 10-3.702 (§ 10-3.702) .
• Typical steps:
  • Early pre‑application and design review consultations (R‑1‑H has a formal preliminary development plan process — 10-3.1001–1003) (§ 10-3.1001) .
  • Discretionary entitlements (CUPs, planned developments, variances) follow public hearings and findings spelled out in the relevant articles (e.g., conditional use permit purpose and initiation in 10-3.1301–1302) (§ 10-3.1301) .
  • Tentative and final maps are processed under Chapter 2 Title 10 and the zoning map rules; specific map steps for R‑1‑H are in 10-3.1201 (§ 10-3.1201) .
  • Building permits are issued only after required entitlements and conditions are satisfied; the Planned Development article states a CUP for a PD must be approved before issuing building, grading, or other construction permits for that PD (§ 10-3.902) .
• Public hearings: defined in 10-3.1601 (which lists the applications that require hearings) and the Planning Commission or Town Council performs discretionary review as prescribed (§ 10-3.1601) .

State housing law in San Anselmo (ADUs, two‑unit/SB9, density bonus)

San Anselmo has incorporated state housing laws into the local code in several places — the local text creates objective tracks and lists where state rules govern.

Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs and JADUs)

• ADU rules are codified in Title 10, Chapter 6 (ADU chapter). The code sets specific ADU numeric/objective standards (maximum sizes, setbacks, and objective design standards) and explicitly implements the state ADU guardrails (e.g., ADU sizes, four‑foot side/rear setbacks minimum, no minimum lot size requirement, and other state protections) (§ 10-6.301; § 10-6.302; § 10-6.303) .
• ADU parking: default is one (1) space per ADU with several statutory parking exemptions spelled out locally (e.g., within 1/2 mile of transit, in historic districts or attached ADUs up to 800 sq ft with 4‑ft setbacks) (§ 10-6.303) .
• ADU objective design standards exist so straightforward ADU permits can be processed against objective criteria; if the application cannot meet objective standards the discretionary Design Review route applies (§ 10-6.302) .
• The ADU chapter also adopts the state's approach that the town shall not require correction of unrelated nonconforming zoning conditions as a condition of ADU approval (local text mirrors state rules) (§ 10-6.302; § 10-6.303) . See quick ADU guidance on San Anselmo ADUs and the state's ADU law at California ADU law.

SB 9 / Two‑unit developments and Urban Lot Splits

• San Anselmo adopted a chapter to implement two‑unit developments and urban lot split rules consistent with SB 9 style state requirements (the code contains Chapter 4 two‑unit development and urban lot split rules). Objective standards for two‑unit developments are in 10-4.404–10-4.406; urban lot split conditions are in 10-4.306 and related sections (§ 10-4.404; § 10-4.306) .
• Local rules confirm where the town may still require certain safety and environmental permits (e.g., building, fire, and environmental agency permits) and restrict short‑term rental on lots created by an urban lot split (§ 10-4.405; § 10-4.308) .
• Where the two‑unit/urban lot split chapter is silent the applicant must still comply with applicable objective building, fire, and environmental regulations (the code cross-references Title 9 Building Regulations and other state/regional permit needs) (§ 10-4.405(e)) .

Density bonus and affordable housing programs

• San Anselmo implements the State Density Bonus Law in a local Density Bonus chapter (Chapter 11) that explicitly defers to State Government Code Sections 65915–65918, outlines application timing, and the town's process for reviewing requests (§ 10-11.01–10-11.04) .
• The town also has an Affordable Housing Requirements chapter that sets requirements, in‑lieu procedures, and enforcement for residential projects; this chapter cross‑references exemptions (for example ADUs are exempt from some inclusionary requirements) (§ 10-21-040 and related sections) .

What the code does NOT (in the retrieved materials) say

• I did not find a citywide local rent‑control ordinance or local Just Cause eviction program in the retrieved zoning materials; verify with the Town Clerk or municipal code search if you need a standing tenant protection ordinance (Not found in retrieved materials).

Link to state-level resources: California housing laws and the state's building standards for technical code compliance at California Building Standards Code.

Practical orientation & where to look first

• If you own a parcel, start with: (1) the zoning map to identify the district (§ 10-3.202) ; (2) the Development Standards Table (Table 4A) for setbacks/FAR/lot coverage (see § 10-3.406 for exceptions) ; (3) the Parking Standards Table (Table 5A) if your project adds units or commercial floor area (§ 10-3.503; § 10-3.507) ; (4) the ADU chapter (Title 10, Chapter 6) if you are planning an ADU (§ 10-6.301–10-6.305) ; and (5) the process hierarchy (Article 7, § 10-3.702) to understand discretionary steps and potential hearings .
• Early coordination: the code anticipates pre‑application meetings and voluntary preliminary plans (e.g., R‑1‑H Preliminary Development Plan § 10-3.1001) for hillside and complex projects (§ 10-3.1001) .

Source References

• San Anselmo Municipal Code — Zoning (Chapter 3 of Title 10): § 10-3.101, § 10-3.102, § 10-3.201, § 10-3.202, § 10-3.406, § 10-3.407, § 10-3.408, § 10-3.409, § 10-3.701–10-3.703, § 10-3.801 .
• District descriptions (R‑1, R‑1‑C, R‑1‑H, R‑2, R‑3, C‑1, C‑2, C‑3, P, PF, CF, OS and AHO) — Article 2 text and associated subsections (§ 10-3.201 and district notes) .
• Development standards, setbacks and exceptions (Development Standards Table references; Table 4A, Table 4C): § 10-3.406; § 10-3.409 .
• Parking: § 10-3.503, § 10-3.504, § 10-3.507, § 10-3.508, Table 5A references .
• Planned Development and Conditional Use Permit: Article 9 (§ 10-3.901–10-3.906) and Article 13 (§ 10-3.1301–10-3.1302) .
• Design review and discretionary findings (Article 15 references including § 10-3.1506 cited in ADU/parking rules) and public hearings § 10-3.1601 .
• ADUs and JADUs: Title 10, Chapter 6 — § 10-6.301 (standards), § 10-6.302 (objective design), § 10-6.303 (parking and exemptions), § 10-6.304–10-6.305 (JADU and exceptions) .
• SB9 / Two‑unit & Urban Lot Split chapter references: § 10-4.404–10-4.406, § 10-4.306–10-4.309 (two‑unit/urban lot split objective standards, parking, owner occupancy and ineligible parcels) .
• Density bonus: Title 10, Chapter 11 (local Density Bonus Ordinance) — § 10-11.01 and related sections; implements state Government Code §§ 65915–65918 .
• Building code reference in the local ADU rules (reference to California Building Code / Title 24) — ADU chapter text (§ 10-6.302 series) .