San Bruno · Zoning · R-1
San Bruno R-1 zoning: height, setbacks and lot size
In San Bruno's R-1 zone, generally buildings can be up to 28 ft tall, the front setback is 15 ft and the minimum lot size is 5,000 sq ft, with the conditions listed below (San Bruno code, read October 2026).
Key points
- Maximum building height: 28 ft (Lots with an average slope under 20 percent front to rear, and lots that slope side to side.)
- Minimum front setback: 15 ft
- Minimum side setback: 5 ft
- Minimum rear setback: 10 ft
- Minimum lot size: 5,000 sq ft (interior lots)
- Maximum lot coverage: 80% of total floor area allowed by this section
- Maximum floor area ratio (FAR): 0.550 (average slope less than 10 percent or 10 percent; subject to Chart 1 lot-size adjustment)
R-1 is a zoning district in San Bruno. Every value below was read from the San Bruno 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-1
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: Lots with an average slope under 20 percent front to rear, and lots that slope side to side. § 12.200.030 · code textA height of twenty-six feet for downsloping lots (from front to rear) with an average slope of twenty percent or more; or |
|---|---|
| Minimum front setback | 15 ft § 12.200.030 · code textFront: fifteen feet, except the minimum setback from sidewalk to a garage shall be twenty feet. |
| Minimum side setback | 5 ft § 12.200.030 · code textInterior side: five feet. |
| Minimum rear setback | 10 ft § 12.200.030 · code textRear: ten feet. |
| Minimum lot size | 5,000 sq ft Applies: interior lots § 12.200.030 · code textFive thousand square feet for interior lots, six thousand square feet for corner lots. |
| Maximum lot coverage | 80% of total floor area allowed by this section § 12.200.030 · code textVaries, lot coverage of structures in the R-1 residential districts shall not exceed eighty percent of the total floor area allowed by this section, and structures in the R-2 residential district shall not exceed one hundred percent of the total floor area allowed by this section. |
| Maximum floor area ratio (FAR) | 0.550 Applies: average slope less than 10 percent or 10 percent; subject to Chart 1 lot-size adjustment § 12.200.030 · code textTable row “<10”, column “Floor Area Ratio (FAR)”: 0.550 |
When a different number applies
The code sets other values for particular lots, buildings or locations in R-1:
- Maximum building height: 26 ft — Downsloping lots (front to rear) with an average slope of 20 percent or more. § 12.200.030
- Maximum building height: 30 ft — upsloping lots from front to rear with average slope of 20% or more § 12.200.030
- Minimum front setback: 20 ft — setback from sidewalk to a garage § 12.200.030
- Minimum side setback: 10% of parcel width, min 3 ft — legal substandard lot qualifying as a building site; interior side setback § 12.200.030
- Minimum lot size: 6,000 sq ft — corner lots § 12.200.030
Not on this page
We did not find a general stories, density limit for R-1 in the zoning tables we read. The code may still set one elsewhere — check the San Bruno Municipal Code.
Other San Bruno zoning districts
Who this affects
Frequently asked questions
What is the maximum building height in San Bruno's R-1 zone?
28 ft (lots with an average slope under 20 percent front to rear, and lots that slope side to side) — San Bruno Municipal Code § 12.200.030.
What is the minimum front setback in San Bruno's R-1 zone?
15 ft — San Bruno Municipal Code § 12.200.030.
What is the minimum side setback in San Bruno's R-1 zone?
5 ft — San Bruno Municipal Code § 12.200.030.
What is the minimum rear setback in San Bruno's R-1 zone?
10 ft — San Bruno Municipal Code § 12.200.030.
What is the minimum lot size in San Bruno's R-1 zone?
5,000 sq ft (interior lots) — San Bruno Municipal Code § 12.200.030.
General information, not legal advice.
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