San Juan Bautista Zoning, Planning & Building Codes

Last reviewed: July 4, 2026

Overview

San Juan Bautista’s land-use rules are codified in the City’s zoning ordinance (the municipal zoning Title), organized into chapters that begin with the Chapter 11 numbering used in the code text. The ordinance establishes the City’s zoning districts and overlay districts, sets citywide development standards (coverage, setbacks, heights, parking), and creates the discretionary and ministerial permit tracks (design review, planned unit developments, site-specific permits). For residents and applicants, accessory dwelling unit (ADU/JADU) rules are consolidated in a single ADU chapter and are treated largely as ministerial when they meet the objective standards. The ordinance text and chapter layout are the primary source for black‑and‑white rules and the local process: see the City’s zoning menu for the ordinance topics described below (§ 11-01-010; § 11-02-010) .

How San Juan Bautista’s code is organized

• The City identifies the zoning code as the “zoning ordinance” codified in the municipal code; the Title’s general provisions and purposes are in § 11-01-010 through related sections (citation: § 11-01-010) .
• District definitions and the zoning map rules are in Chapter 11-02 (see § 11-02-010 establishing district names and § 11-02-040 on the zoning map) .
• Development standards are grouped under Chapter 11-04 (residential, mixed-use, commercial/industrial standards and required yards) and also in targeted chapters (for example, ADUs in Chapter 11-04.5) — see § 11-04-010 and the ADU sections (11-04.5-xxx) for the detailed rules) .
• Discretionary procedures, land‑use permits, design review and hearing/notice rules appear in Chapters 11-16, 11-17 and 11-18 (Planning Commission/City Manager powers, permit submittal and site plan & design review procedures) — see § 11-16-060, § 11-17-010, and § 11-18-030/11-18-040 for responsibilities and findings) .
• Specialized topics live in their own chapters: Planned Unit Development (PUD) in Chapter 11-05 (§ 11-05-010 et seq.), Historic Resources Preservation in Chapter 11-06, Hillside overlay standards in Chapter 11-08, and parking and landscaping referenced in Chapters such as 11-11 and 11-12 (§ 11-05-030; § 11-08-020) .

This structure means: start at Chapter 11-02 for where your parcel sits (district/overlay), read the applicable development standards in Chapter 11-04 (and any special chapters like 11-04.5 for ADUs), then check process/permit chapters (11-17/11-18) for application steps and noticing.

Zoning district families

San Juan Bautista’s zoning districts are listed expressly in § 11-02-010. The ordinance establishes the following district families (exact labels in the code; bolded here for scanning):

• R-1 — Low Density Residential (includes subdesignations R-1-7, R-1-6, R-1-5) (§ 11-02-010; § 11-04-010-C) .
• R-2 — Medium Density Residential (§ 11-02-010) .
• R-3 — High Density Residential (§ 11-02-010) .
• C — Commercial (downtown/neighborhood retail emphasis) (§ 11-02-020(B)) .
• MU — Mixed Use (pedestrian-oriented, downtown and gateway areas; vertical/horizontal mix allowed) (§ 11-02-020(C)) .
• I — Industrial (light/agricultural service emphasis) (§ 11-02-020(D)) .
• P — Park; PF — Public Facilities; A — Agricultural (§ 11-02-010) .

Overlay and special district designations:

• HD — City‑Designated Historic District and NRHD — National Register Third Street Historic District are the named overlays in § 11-02-030; historic preservation policy and procedures are codified in Chapter 11-06 (§ 11-02-030; Chapter 11-06) .
• Hillside overlay regulations and requirements are in Chapter 11-08, which defines applicability (slopes, view‑shed areas) and mandatory findings for hillside permits (§ 11-08-020; § 11-08-030) .

(For a quick table of district labels and intents, start at the City land use menu then read § 11-02-010 and § 11-02-020) .

Citywide development standards

High-level, citywide standards are implemented across Chapter 11-04 and related sections. Below are the practical rules you will use most often — all quoted numbers are local code limits with the controlling section cited.

• Lot coverage and site coverage (residential): for single‑family lots the maximum building coverage is 45% and the maximum site coverage is 58% (§ 11-04-010(A)-(B)) .
• Residential lot size subcategories: R-1-7, R-1-6, R-1-5 correspond to lot sizing (7,000 / 6,000 / 5,000 sq ft designations) and are recognized in the R-1 standards (§ 11-04-010(C)) .
• Setbacks and required yards: required yards and setback rules are collected under Chapter 11-04 (see § 11-04-070 and the development standards table notes); PUDs may set design-based setbacks and require at least 10 ft from private street ROW where specified (§ 11-05-030(B); Chapter 11-04 notes) .
• Floor area ratios (FAR): the MU downtown historic area may allow higher FAR (example: 1.5 in downtown historic district) and other MU areas may default to 0.75 FAR unless modified by a conditional use permit (§ 11-04 table notes) .
• Heights: ADU-specific height caps and multifamily caps are specified in the ADU chapter (e.g., detached ADUs generally not to exceed 16 ft unless exceptions apply) — see § 11-04.5-060 and related ADU rules (§ 11-04.5-120 et seq.) .
• Parking: parking is regulated in a dedicated parking chapter and referenced where standards apply; PUD and other development standards point to Chapter 11-11 for the required parking calculations (§ 11-05-030(C); ADU parking rules in § 11-04.5-130(L)) — consult the City parking guidance and § 11-04.5-130(L) for ADU exceptions) .
• Landscaping, screening and open space: common open space minimums for PUDs (500 sq ft per dwelling unit) and landscaping requirements reference Chapter 11-12 (§ 11-05-030(G)-(H)) .

For the full array of required dimensions, setbacks, and coverage calculations, open the City’s development standards menu and read Chapter 11-04 and its tables (§ 11-04-010; § 11-04 table notes) .

Specific plans & overlays

• Planned Unit Development (PUD): the City’s PUD rules are in Chapter 11-05. A PUD may be allowed in any zoning district with City Council approval on recommendation of the Planning Commission; Chapter 11-05 lays out intent, required findings, and development standards (density, setbacks, common open space 500 sq ft/unit, landscaping, parking) (§ 11-05-010; § 11-05-020; § 11-05-030) .
• Historic overlays and preservation: the City designates an HD and an NRHD overlay (see § 11-02-030) and the Historic Resources Preservation program and review board are codified in Chapter 11-06 (see register, designation criteria, and Historic Resources Board duties) (§ 11-02-030; Chapter 11-06) .
• Hillside overlay: special hillside design and permit requirements (slope triggers, view-shed areas, required findings and submittal packages) are in Chapter 11-08 (applicability, design review, and required technical submissions are spelled out) (§ 11-08-020; § 11-08-030; § 11-08-060) .
• Other overlays: the code references overlay districts on the zoning map and treats them as part of the Title (see § 11-02-030 and § 11-02-040 for map rules) .

If your site lies within an overlay (historic, hillside), expect additional objective requirements, submittal materials (site and elevation cross‑sections for ridgeline review, landscaping, color palettes), and additional findings for approval (§ 11-08-060; § 11-08-070) .

Building permits & review

• Permit submission, fees and general procedure: permit rules and submittal requirements are in Chapter 11-17 (general submittal requirements, noticing, expiration and revocation) and Council‑set fees are referenced in § 11-01-090 (§ 11-17-010; § 11-01-090) .
• Who decides: the Planning Commission has the primary land‑use decision authority for conditional permits, design review, PUDs, subdivisions >4 lots, variances and appeals; the City Manager may be given administrative authority for some approvals and to run hearings (§ 11-16-060; § 11-16-010) .
• Design review thresholds and procedure: Site plan and design review requirements and findings are in Chapter 11-18; certain projects go to the Planning Commission while limited single-family projects in R-1 can be approved administratively by the City Manager if they are below the thresholds (e.g., less than 75% area increase, no second story) — see § 11-18-020 and § 11-18-030(B) for the two review streams and § 11-18-040 for required findings) .
• Building permits and ministerial reviews: once discretionary decisions (if any) are resolved, building permits follow normal building department rules and must comply with the California Building Standards (Title 24). The ADU chapter explicitly treats qualifying ADU/JADU applications as ministerial and requires building permits for construction (§ 11-04.5-180; § 11-04.5-180(A)-(C)) .

For procedural help check the City’s design review and the variances & exceptions menus; for the building code technical standards, refer to the California Building Standards Code.

State housing law in San Juan Bautista

San Juan Bautista’s code integrates California ADU/JADU rules and implements ministerial permit paths and objective standards for accessory units; other statewide laws (SB 9, density‑bonus) are not expressly found in the retrieved local text and should be verified with the City. Below is a concise, ordinance‑grounded orientation.

ADUs and JADUs (local rules that reflect state law)

• The City’s ADU/JADU regulations are grouped in Chapter 11-04.5. ADUs and JADUs are permitted in R-1, R-2, R-3, and MU zones where a primary dwelling exists or is proposed (definitions and where permitted, see § 11-04.5-020; § 11-04.5-030) .
• Ministerial approval and timing: an ADU/JADU that meets the chapter’s objective standards is approved ministerially and the City must issue a building permit within 60 days of a complete application (see § 11-04.5-180(A)-(B)) .
• Size, setbacks, height and parking: typical qualifying limits include 800–850 sq ft range allowances depending on attached/detached/converted status, minimum 4 ft side/rear setbacks for many ADUs, and a typical detached ADU height limit of 16 ft (see § 11-04.5-060, § 11-04.5-070, § 11-04.5-120, and § 11-04.5-040) .
• Parking for ADUs: the City requires one off‑street parking space per ADU as a baseline, but allows multiple statutory exceptions (e.g., ADU < 1 BR, within 1/2 mile of transit, in historic district, conversion of existing space, replacement of demolished parking) — see § 11-04.5-130(L) for the details) .
• Nonconforming conditions and owner occupancy: the code explicitly permits establishing ADUs without requiring correction of unrelated nonconforming zoning conditions and clarifies that ADUs (other than JADUs) are not subject to owner‑occupancy requirements (see § 11-04.5-150(G) and § 11-04.5-150(K)) .

(Practical: consult the City’s ADU page ADUs for step‑by‑step submittal and check the ADU chapter 11-04.5 for the exact buildable envelopes and parking exceptions) .

SB 9 (two‑unit/lot split) and density bonus

• The retrieved municipal code text contains a comprehensive ADU chapter and other development rules, but it does not show an express local implementation or procedure for SB 9 lot splits or objective two‑unit urban lot split provisions in the excerpts reviewed here. Likewise, I did not find a local density‑bonus section in the retrieved materials. For any SB 9 / density bonus entitlement questions, use “Not found in retrieved materials — verify with the City” and contact planning staff or the Planning Commission because statewide law can impose mandatory approvals and the City may have implementing procedures not contained in the excerpt set I reviewed (§ references not found in the retrieved text) .
• Rent control / eviction limits: no local rent control or local tenant protection code language was located in the retrieved zoning chapters. If you need to know whether the City has local rent‑control ordinances, verify with the City Attorney or municipal code search (this code set did not show rent‑control text) (Not found in retrieved materials).

Practical navigation tips

• Start with the parcel’s zoning: look up the zoning map and the code’s district table (§ 11-02-040; § 11-02-050) to see permitted uses and the use matrix; then read the district‑specific standards in Chapter 11-04 (§ 11-02-010; § 11-04-010) .
• If you propose an ADU, read Chapter 11-04.5 start‑to‑finish (definitions, types, size/height, parking exceptions, and ministerial timing 60 days) — see § 11-04.5-040 and § 11-04.5-180 (§ 11-04.5-040; § 11-04.5-180) .
• For projects that affect the historic district or designated historic resources, consult Chapter 11-06 and the City Design Guidelines Chapters referenced in the ADU chapter (objective guidelines) (§ 11-04.5-170; Chapter 11-06) .
• For hillside or ridgeline sites, follow the Chapter 11-08 checklist early: site sections, geotechnical reports, color and landscape palettes, and other required materials are mandatory (§ 11-08-060; § 11-08-070) .

Information Gaps / Items to verify with the City

• Local implementation or objective standards specifically created to implement SB 9 (ministerial lot splits / two‑unit approvals) were not found in the retrieved materials — verify with Planning staff or the full municipal code online (Not found in retrieved materials).
• Local density‑bonus procedures were not located in the excerpts provided; check the full municipal code or Planning Department guidance for any City implementing ordinance (Not found in retrieved materials).
• Any more recent ordinance amendments after the version(s) in the retrieved materials (including emergency housing rules or new overlay designations) should be verified with the City Clerk or current municipal code website.

Source References

• San Juan Bautista Municipal Code — Zoning (the City’s zoning ordinance chapters used in this memo; see chapters and sections cited above) — primary source for all quoted sections: § 11-01-010; § 11-02-010; § 11-02-030; Chapter 11-04; Chapter 11-04.5; Chapter 11-05; Chapter 11-06; Chapter 11-08; Chapter 11-16; Chapter 11-17; Chapter 11-18. .