Overview
Worth knowing
- FAR is the sole density control — no lot coverage standard, no du/ac standard. All other bulk controls regulate form, not density.
- Height controlled by sky exposure plane (diagonal setback), not flat height limit — actual buildable height depends on footprint and setback compliance. R10 has no height cap.
- Manhattan Core parking prohibition: most of Manhattan south of 96th St / 110th St prohibits residential parking entirely (ZR §25-03). Exception: Hudson Yards requires parking.
+ 6 more in Quirks & notes
Districts
res_mf 6res_sf 5com 2ind 2
| Code | Name | Category | Min lot | Height | Coverage | FAR | Du/ac | Parking | Setbacks F/S/R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R1-1 | Single-Family Detached | res_sf | 9,500 sf | 35 ft | — | 0.5 | — | 1 | 20[1] / 5[2] / 30 |
| R2 | Single-Family Detached | res_sf | 3,800 sf | 35 ft | — | 0.5 | — | 1 | 15[3] / 5[4] / 30 |
| R3A | Low-Density Contextual | res_sf | 2,375 sf | 35 ft | — | 0.5 | — | 1 | 15[5] / 5[6] / 30 |
| R3-1 | Low-Density General | res_sf | 1,700 sf | 35 ft | — | 0.5 | — | 1 | — / — / 30 |
| R5 | Low-Density Residential | res_sf | 1,700 sf | 40 ft | — | 1.25 | — | 1 | — / — / 30 |
| R6 | Medium-Density Residential | res_mf | — | 70 ft | — | 2.43 | — | 0.5 | — / — / 30 |
| R7-1 | Medium-Density Residential | res_mf | — | 80 ft | — | 3.44 | — | 0.5 | — / — / 30 |
| R7-2 | Medium-Density Residential | res_mf | — | 95 ft | — | 4 | — | 0.5 | — / — / 30 |
| R8 | High-Density Residential | res_mf | — | 120 ft | — | 6.02 | — | 0.4[7] | — / — / 30 |
| R9 | High-Density Residential | res_mf | — | 145 ft | — | 7.52 | — | 0.4[8] | — / — / 30 |
| R10 | Highest-Density Residential | res_mf | — | -1 ft | — | 10 | — | 0 | — / — / 30 |
| C4-4 | Regional Commercial | com | — | — | — | 3.4 | — | — | — / — / — |
| C6-2 | High-Density Commercial | com | — | — | — | 6.5 | — | — | — / — / — |
| M1-1 | Light Manufacturing | ind | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — / — / — |
| M3-1 | Heavy Manufacturing | ind | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — / — / — |
Confidence: confirmed partial under review not found
Overlays
HD
Historic Districts
HP120+ designated historic districts citywide; 1,600+ individual landmarks
| review | Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) review required |
|---|---|
| scope | Exterior alterations, new construction, demolition |
| far_bonus | 5-20% FAR bonus available for landmark preservation |
MIH
Mandatory Inclusionary Housing (MIH)
AHAreas rezoned since 2016; mapped MIH areas
| option_1 | 25% affordable at 60% AMI |
|---|---|
| option_2 | 30% affordable at 80% AMI |
| option_3_workforce | 30% at 115% AMI |
| uap_bonus | +20% FAR via Universal Affordability Preference (City of Yes, Dec 2024) |
SPD
Special Purpose Districts
SPD70+ special purpose districts overlay base zoning with custom rules
| major_districts | Hudson Yards, Special Downtown Brooklyn, East Midtown, West Chelsea, Theater District |
|---|---|
| effect | Custom FAR, height, use, public space, and design requirements per district |
C1/C2
Commercial Overlay Districts
CORC1 and C2 overlays mapped over residential districts to allow local commercial
| c1 | Local retail (grocery, restaurant, barber); 1-2 stories commercial |
|---|---|
| c2 | Broader local service commercial; slightly larger scale |
| commercial_far | Up to 2.0 depending on overlay variant |
MCPP
Manhattan Core Parking Prohibition
SPDMost of Manhattan south of 96th St (East) / 110th St (West)
| effect | Parking prohibited for residential; limited commercial parking |
|---|---|
| exception | Hudson Yards Special District requires parking |
FP
Coastal Flood Zone
FPFEMA-mapped flood hazard areas; extensive waterfront zones in all boroughs
| standard | Flood-resistant construction required; BFE + freeboard |
|---|---|
| resilience | NYC Flood Resilience Zoning Text Amendment (2013, updated) |
Adopted building codes
Statewide except NYC
Click a code label to open its state-by-state adoption atlas.
Quirks & notes
- FAR is the sole density control — no lot coverage standard, no du/ac standard. All other bulk controls regulate form, not density.
- Height controlled by sky exposure plane (diagonal setback), not flat height limit — actual buildable height depends on footprint and setback compliance. R10 has no height cap.
- Manhattan Core parking prohibition: most of Manhattan south of 96th St / 110th St prohibits residential parking entirely (ZR §25-03). Exception: Hudson Yards requires parking.
- 70+ Special Purpose Districts overlay base zoning with fully custom rule sets — each is essentially its own mini-code.
- Contextual suffixes (A, B, D, X) impose flat height limits + street wall requirements but reduce FAR by 15-20% vs. standard districts.
- Tower regulations (ZR §23-737/738) in R9/R10/C5/C6: allow 50+ story slender towers with 100 ft setback from street, 100 ft minimum width, bypassing sky exposure plane.
- City of Yes for Housing Opportunity (enacted Dec 5, 2024): Universal Affordability Preference +20% FAR bonus; pre-1990 office-to-residential conversion citywide; R11/R12 districts created (mapping TBD).
- Bonus FAR mechanisms: public plaza +25% (C4-C6/R9-R10), subway station connection +10% (C5-C6), historic preservation 5-20%.
- Mandatory Inclusionary Housing (MIH) in rezoned areas since 2016: 25% at 60% AMI or 30% at 80% AMI — mandatory, not optional.
Formulas
Definitions
- height
- Sky exposure plane controls effective height — buildings rise to base height then must set back at specified angle from street line. Absolute max height varies by district. ZR §23-60, §23-692
- lot_coverage
- far
- Gross floor area (all enclosed conditioned floor area) / zoning lot area. Mechanical below-grade excluded; structured parking generally counts. Primary density control. ZR §23-10
- du_ac
- impervious_cover
- setback_front
- Street wall requirements vary by district and contextual suffix. ZR §23-60
- setback_side
- Varies by district; often governed by sky exposure plane rather than fixed distance.
- setback_rear
- 30 ft minimum rear yard typical for residential. ZR §23-47
- parking
- Varies by zone and geography. Manhattan Core: parking prohibited. Outer boroughs: 0.5-1.0 per unit typical. ZR §25-00
Capacity calculations
- max_gfa_sf
lot_area_sf * far- max_units_approx
max_gfa_sf / avg_unit_sf- parking_required
units * parking
Massing explorer
Interactive 3D comparison across every district. Drag to orbit, scroll to zoom, use the slider to walk districts, and toggle applicable overlays in the right-side panel.
Sort by
Max height
— ft
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Floor area ratio
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Lot coverage
—%
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Setbacks (F / S / R)
— ft
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Parking
— /unit
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Max density
— du/ac
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Min lot size
— sf
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Copy zoning profile
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| District | Category | Height | FAR | Coverage | Setbacks | Parking | Density | Min lot | Overlays |
|---|
Sources & references
Citations
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Research status
Data quality
55%completeness38 confirmed8 partial12 inferred
Documented gaps
- No lot coverage standards exist in NYC — this is by design, not a gap
- Special Purpose District individual rules (70+ districts) not enumerated
- Commercial districts beyond C4-4 and C6-2 not individually profiled
- Manufacturing district variants (M1-2 through M3-2) not individually profiled
- Sky exposure plane angles not encodable as static values
Known issues
schema:v1-legacypriority:lowdata:gaps-present
Other cities in this state
Nearest-alphabetical profiles. Click through to compare zoning patterns side-by-side.