San Bernardino Zoning, Planning & Building Codes

Last reviewed: July 3, 2026

Overview

San Bernardino’s land-use and development rules are codified in the City’s Municipal Code and implemented through the Community and Economic Development Department, the Building Official, and decision-makers (Planning Commission, City Council). The city enforces the California Building Standards (Title 24) locally and directs planning/zoning rules through the municipal zoning title referenced throughout the code as Title 19 (the city’s zoning rules) — applicants needing a land-use entitlement must show consistency with Title 19. See the city’s code-adoption and building-code adoption rules at § 1.01.010 and § 15.04.020 for how state and local building standards are adopted and enforced.

How San Bernardino’s code is organized

• The San Bernardino Municipal Code is arranged by Title → Chapter → § (section). The code adoption and cross‑references are in § 1.01.010 and following; building-standards adoption is in § 15.04.020.
• The city’s zoning rules are referenced as Title 19 throughout the Municipal Code (many program chapters (cannabis, temporary events, sidewalk vending, etc.) require consistency with Title 19 as the controlling zoning rules). Example: commercial cannabis rules require a site to meet “all of the requirements of Title 19.” § 5.10.230.
• Building construction, permits, inspections and on-site improvement procedures are implemented through the Building Code chapters (adopting Title 24) and local building rules in Chapter 15.04 (e.g., § 15.04.130 on on-site improvement permits; § 15.04.170 on plan review/fees).

(If you want to read the city’s zoning menu, start at the San Bernardino Zoning page linked below.)

Zoning district families (what the Municipal Code actually names)

The Municipal Code excerpts retrieved explicitly identify the city’s commercial and industrial district names used in local location- and use‑lists. Where the code text below lists permitted zones, it is naming the actual local zone codes:

• Commercial / Central-city designations: CG, CG-2, CG-3, CR-2, CR-3, CCS-1, CCS-2, CH. These appear in the code as the commercial districts in which certain uses (for example, commercial cannabis) may be located. § 5.10.250 (listing permitted cannabis zone types).
• Industrial / office designations: IL, IH, OIP (Industrial Light, Industrial Heavy, Office Industrial Park) — also listed as allowed zones for specific regulated uses (example: cannabis). § 5.10.250.

Bold note: the retrieved materials explicitly list those commercial/industrial zone codes above; a full, canonical list of all residential zone names (for example R‑1, R‑2, etc.) and the full Title 19 table of zoning districts and maps was not present in the files supplied here. For verification of any residential district label or a complete district table, consult Title 19 in the complete municipal code or contact the City’s Planning division (see “Information gaps” below). § 5.10.250 shows Title 19 is the zoning authority for permitted locations.

Citywide development standards (where the rules live and the code you’ll actually use)

At a city‑wide level San Bernardino handles standards in two, complementary places: the Municipal Code (Title/Chapters) and the adopted California building codes.

• Building & technical standards — the City adopts the state model codes (the California Building Standards Code, Title 24) for construction, fire, plumbing, electrical, energy and green building requirements. See § 15.04.020 (adoption of 2022 CBC and Title 24 parts). Link to the state building-code reference: California Building Standards Code. § 15.04.020.
• On-site improvements, grading and inspection — routine development controls that affect setbacks/driveways/landscape/parking infrastructure are processed through building/engineering plan review: § 15.04.130 (on-site improvement permit), § 15.04.140 (grading plan threshold), and § 15.04.170 (on-site improvement plan review and fees).
• Parking rules — parking for uses and vehicle restrictions appear in the Municipal Code (e.g., off‑street parking definitions and vehicle parking prohibitions for commercial vehicles). See the city’s parking rules (example: § 10.04.095 defines “off-street parking facility”; § 10.16.120 restricts commercial vehicle parking on residential streets). Link: San Bernardino Parking. § 10.04.095; § 10.16.120.
• Development‑standards (setbacks / heights / lot coverage / FAR / parking counts / landscaping) — these are implemented in Title 19 (the zoning title). Many program chapters (for example cannabis rules) require conformity with Title 19 design standards and any applicable specific plans and design requirements: § 5.10.250(C)(1) (cannabis projects must conform with the general plan, specific plans, master plans and design requirements). Use the city’s Development Standards menu to locate the numeric tables for setbacks, height limits, FAR and parking ratios. Link: San Bernardino Development Standards. § 5.10.250(C)(1).

Practical orientation: the local code typically uses the Title 19 zoning districts to set base allowed uses and numeric standards, and the Title 15 building chapters and plan‑check process to enforce technical construction rules (engineering, grading, and inspections). Examples: building inspection required before use for regulated businesses (commercial cannabis must obtain required building permits and inspections — § 5.10.220).

Specific plans & overlays

• Specific plans and area‑level plans are referenced as controlling layers that projects must comply with; the code requires projects to conform with “the city’s general plan, any applicable specific plans, master plans and design requirements” (see § 5.10.250(C)(1)). The Municipal Code therefore expects specific plans to carry their own standards.
• Overlay districts / special overlays — the Municipal Code contains overlay-type controls referenced elsewhere (the code calls them specific plans, master plans or overlay chapters), but the supplied excerpts did not include a complete index of overlay district names or the overlay chapters themselves. For the list of overlays and historic/downtown overlays consult the city’s overlay menu: San Bernardino Overlay Districts and San Bernardino Historic Preservation. Not found in retrieved materials: the exact § numbers for each overlay chapter.

Building permits & review — the typical San Bernardino path (high level)

1. Early entitlement check: Confirm base zone and whether a use is allowed by Title 19; many discretionary programs require certification by the Director of Community Development and Housing (example: cannabis uses must have certification the site meets Title 19 requirements — § 5.10.230).
2. Planning review & discretionary approvals: If a discretionary entitlement (conditional use permit, design review, variance) is required by Title 19, that is processed through Community Development; appeals and administrative review procedures follow the hearing rules and Planning Commission process (appeal timings and judicial review references appear in the Municipal Code and administrative-appeal chapters — see § 9.94.010 and related hearing/appeal rules).
3. Permits and plan check: After entitlement, building permits and on-site improvement permits (parking lot work, private sewer, landscaping, grading >50 cy) are pulled through the Building Official using the adopted CBC and local rules (§ 15.04.020, § 15.04.130, § 15.04.140). Plan review fees and inspection schedules are set by § 15.04.170.
4. Inspections & certificates: Inspections by the Building Official or delegated officials; Board of Building Commissioners serves as the Board of Appeals for building-code disputes (§ 15.04.060). Permits may expire if work does not commence or progress (permit-expiration rules in permit chapters; encroachment permit § 12.03.160).

If you need the exact discretionary checklists, the city posts objective checklist items in the entitlement and building permit intake — contact the Development Services permit counter.

Design & discretionary review

• The Municipal Code creates administrative/appeals processes and delegates decision‑making to administrative officers, the Planning Commission and the City Council depending on the entitlement. Appeals and hearing procedures are set out in Chapter 9.94 and related chapters; the Planning Commission’s decisions are subject to judicial review under Code of Civil Procedure procedures referenced in the code. See § 9.94.010 and the appeals procedures embedded in licensing chapters (example appeal timelines in § 5.14.130 and related).
• For design review specifics, the reader should consult the city’s design-review chapter in Title 19 (not included in the retrieved excerpts). For the city’s Design Review menu: San Bernardino Design Review.

State housing law in San Bernardino — ADUs, SB9, density bonus, tenant protections (summary)

• San Bernardino enforces state construction rules through local adoption of the California Building Standards Code: § 15.04.020. That is the code the Building Official enforces for construction of housing and ADUs.
• ADUs / JADUs — the city must comply with state ADU laws. The uploaded ADU materials explain state ADU rules and how local practice is constrained by state law (permit timing, objective standards, parking, minimum unit sizes, etc.). Local ADU approvals must still comply with local zoning where allowed; but the Municipal Code excerpts do not contain a stand‑alone San Bernardino ADU ordinance in the retrieved materials. See the state ADU summary in the supplied ADU handbook for the statewide rules (permitting timing, four‑foot rear/side setbacks minimum, ministerial review mandates). Link: San Bernardino ADUs and state ADU law overview.
• SB 9 / lot splits & duplexes — not expressly quoted in the retrieved Municipal Code excerpts. For SB 9 and duplex/lot‑split implementation, check Title 19 zoning text (not found in supplied excerpt). Verify with the City for local objective procedures that implement SB 9. Not found in retrieved materials — verify with the jurisdiction and Title 19.
• Density bonus (State Density Bonus Law) — the city must follow state density‑bonus requirements; the local code references state law where applicable, but a dedicated local density‑bonus procedure is not present in the retrieved excerpts. Verify Title 19 or the planning department. Not found in retrieved materials.
• Rent control / tenant protections — nothing in the retrieved Municipal Code excerpts imposes city rent‑control rules. Use “Not found in retrieved materials; verify with city” if you need a definitive answer.

In short: San Bernardino enforces the state building codes locally (so ADU construction follows Title 24 and state ADU limits) but the local zoning (Title 19) governs where units can be sited and whether ministerial vs discretionary review applies; however the exact City ADU ordinance language was not in the files provided. § 15.04.020 (building codes) and the ADU handbook (state law context) are the controlling references for construction and ADU statewide rules.

Practical pointers / where to look inside the code

• For zoning district maps and district lists: consult Title 19 (referred to repeatedly in the Municipal Code; e.g., cannabis rules require Title 19 conformance § 5.10.230). San Bernardino Zoning
• For building permits, plan-check and on‑site improvement requirements: Chapter 15.04 (see § 15.04.020, § 15.04.130, § 15.04.170).
• For parking rules and commercial vehicle restrictions: Chapter 10 (examples § 10.04.095, § 10.16.120). San Bernardino Parking
• For overlays and historic preservation: consult the overlays menu and the city’s historic chapters (not fully present in the uploaded excerpts). San Bernardino Overlay Districts San Bernardino Historic Preservation
• For signs, landscaping and exceptions/variances: consult the sign, landscaping and variances chapters in the Municipal Code and the menus: San Bernardino Signage, San Bernardino Landscaping and Screening, San Bernardino Variances and Exceptions.

Information gaps (what was NOT found in the uploaded excerpts)

• A complete Title 19 table of zoning districts, numeric development standards (setbacks, height limits, FAR, lot coverage, parking ratios) and the full list of residential zone codes (e.g., R‑1/R‑2 if used) — specific Title 19 chapters and the zoning map themselves were not included in the retrieved materials. The municipal excerpts reference Title 19 but do not include the full zoning tables. See § 5.10.230 and § 5.10.250 referencing Title 19.
• Local ADU ordinance text (the Municipal Code excerpts adopt building codes and reference state ADU law, but there was no stand‑alone San Bernardino ADU chapter in the supplied files). See the state ADU handbook excerpts for state rules.
• A list of named specific plans / area plans (the code says projects must comply with “specific plans” but the specific plan names and chapters were not part of the extracted material). § 5.10.250(C)(1) references them.

If you want, I can pull the Title 19 chapters (complete zoning tables, residential district definitions, setbacks, height, FAR, parking ratios and overlay names) if you upload the Title 19 zoning chapters or give permission to fetch the live municipal code.

Source References

• Adoption of the California Building Standards and local building rules — § 15.04.020.
• On‑site improvement permit; grading plan thresholds; plan review & inspection — § 15.04.130, § 15.04.140, § 15.04.170.
• Commercial cannabis location/zoning requirements (lists actual local zones used) — § 5.10.250 (lists CG, CG-2, CG-3, CR-2, CR-3, CCS-1, CCS-2, CH, IL, IH, OIP).
• Building‑permit and inspection requirement for regulated businesses (example: cannabis) — § 5.10.220.
• Off‑street parking definition and commercial‑vehicle parking restrictions — § 10.04.095, § 10.16.120.
• Sidewalk vending rules / temporary event permit reference to Title 19 uses (example of cross‑reference) — § 5.30.020 and § 5.30.040 (and note: temporary-event uses are permitted under Chapter 19.70).
• Appeals, hearings and administrative adjudications — § 9.94.010 and Chapters 9.92–9.94 (administrative hearings & appeals).
• State ADU law guidance and how it constrains local ADU rules — supplied ADU handbook (state guidance).