Zoning › New York › Monroe County › Rochester

Rochester, NY Zoning

8 districts. 5 overlays. 2 applicable state preemptions.

Overview

Worth knowing
  • R-2 is workhorse district — SF, two-family, and MF together with contextual front setback [c§120-23]
  • Attached garages must be set back 10 ft further than principal structure front (snout house prevention) [c§120-23]
  • Corner lots in R-2: both street yards = front yards [c§120-23]

+ 7 more in Quirks & notes

Districts

com 3res_sf 2res_mf 1ind 1spec 1
CodeNameCategory Min lotHeight CoverageFAR Du/acParking Setbacks F/S/R
R-1Low-Density Residentialres_sf5,000 sf[4]35 ft[5]————20[1] / 5[2] / 10[3]
R-2Medium-Density Residentialres_sf5,000 sf[9]35 ft[10]————20[6] / 5[7] / 10[8]
R-3High-Density Residentialres_mf5,000 sf[14]45 ft[15]————20[11] / 10[12] / 20[13]
C-1Neighborhood Centercom——[19]————2[16] / —[17] / —[18]
C-2Community Centercom—20 ft[23]—————[20] / —[21] / —[22]
C-3Regional Destinationcom——[27]————0[24] / 0[25] / 0[26]
M-1Industrialind——[31]—————[28] / —[29] / —[30]
O-SOpen Spacespec——————— / — / —

Confidence: confirmed partial under review not found

Overlays

O-LH
Overlay Limited-Height
CON
§120-118.1

Applied over C-1 or R-3 near sensitive areas (R-1/R-2 residential, Open Space, Preservation Districts, landmarks, historic properties, parks, critical environmental areas)

max_stories3
PD-HP
Preservation Districts
HP
§120-193

Locally designated historic preservation districts (East Avenue, Corn Hill, Maplewood, Park Avenue, and others)

reviewCertificate of Appropriateness required for exterior improvements
authorityPreservation Board per c§120-194
VC
Village Center Districts
COR
§120-189

Multiple designated village center nodes throughout the city

reviewCertificates of zoning compliance required for exterior improvements
CCD
Center City District
DT
Article IX, §120-57 through §120-77.2

Downtown Rochester core

sub_districts6
form_basedTrue
parking_min_exemptTrue
parking_maximums_applyTrue
article_xx_exemptTrue
marina_district_solar_pv_permitted_roofingTrue
PDD
Planned Development Districts
PD
§120-190

Site-specific properties rezoned to PDD status

approvalCity Council following Planning Commission recommendation
minor_adjustmentsManager of Zoning may approve

State preemptions

NY-EO30-PHCapplies
Effect
Eligible for DRI, NY Forward, Regional Council Capital Fund, NY Main Street, Market NY, MEP transit funding, and ESD Pro-Housing Community Supply Funds. Does not preempt local zoning.
NY-RPL-12Dapplies
Effect
No county-run STR registry in Monroe County. State STR sales tax (effective 2025-03-01) still applies. Rochester retains full local zoning authority over STRs via Ch 120.
Non-applicable laws (1)
NY-MDL-26-3not_applicable
Effect
No MDL FAR ceiling relief available. Standard MDL coverage applies to Rochester (cities >= 325k) but the >12 FAR pathway is NYC-exclusive.

Adopted building codes

Statewide except NYC

IBC
2018
IRC
2024
NEC
2020
IFC
2018
IECC (Residential)
2018
IECC (Commercial)
2018

Click a code label to open its state-by-state adoption atlas.

Quirks & notes

  • R-2 is workhorse district — SF, two-family, and MF together with contextual front setback [c§120-23]
  • Attached garages must be set back 10 ft further than principal structure front (snout house prevention) [c§120-23]
  • Corner lots in R-2: both street yards = front yards [c§120-23]
  • Center City District exempt from Article XX (Requirements Applying to All Districts) [c§120-150 intro]
  • Parking maximums (not just minimums) for nonresidential uses — advanced for 2003 adoption
  • All CCD uses exempt from minimum parking requirements [c§120-65]
  • O-LH creates selective 3-story cap on C-1 and R-3 near sensitive areas [c§120-118.1]
  • Zoning Alignment Project (ZAP) underway to update 2003 code aligned with Rochester 2034 Comp Plan; adoption timeline unconfirmed
  • Solar energy systems <= 1/2 story above roof exempt from max height [c§120-196]; collectors may be in required setbacks [c§120-197]
  • Hybrid code: Euclidean base districts + form-based CCD (downtown) + city-wide design guidelines (Article XIX)

Formulas

Definitions

height
Grade to highest point of structure. §120
lot_coverage
Building footprint / lot area. Repealed for commercial/industrial 2010.
far
du_ac
impervious_cover
setback_front
Front property line to nearest building face. Contextual average in R-1/R-2.
setback_side
Side property line to nearest building face.
setback_rear
Rear property line to nearest building face.
parking
Spaces per dwelling unit unless noted.

Capacity calculations

max_footprint_sf
lot_area_sf * lot_coverage
buildable_width_ft
lot_width_ft - setback_side_ft * 2
buildable_depth_ft
lot_depth_ft - setback_front_ft - setback_rear_ft
buildable_envelope_sf
buildable_width_ft * buildable_depth_ft
max_stories_approx
max_height_ft / 10

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 —
LOW
HIGH
drag to orbit · scroll to zoom
Max height
— ft
——
Floor area ratio
—
——
Lot coverage
—%
——
Setbacks (F / S / R)
— ft
——
Parking
— /unit
——
Max density
— du/ac
——
Min lot size
— sf
——
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District Category Height FAR Coverage Setbacks Parking Density Min lot Overlays

Sources & references

Citations
  1. [1] §120-19
  2. [2] §120-19
  3. [3] §120-19
  4. [4] §120-19
  5. [5] §120-19
  6. [6] §120-23
  7. [7] §120-23
  8. [8] §120-23
  9. [9] §120-23
  10. [10] §120-23
  11. [11] §120-30
  12. [12] §120-30
  13. [13] §120-30
  14. [14] §120-30
  15. [15] §120-30
  16. [16] §120-36
  17. [17] §120-36
  18. [18] §120-36
  19. [19] §120-36
  20. [20] §120-40
  21. [21] §120-40
  22. [22] §120-40
  23. [23] §120-40
  24. [24] §120-50
  25. [25] §120-50
  26. [26] §120-50
  27. [27] §120-50
  28. [28] §120-94
  29. [29] §120-94
  30. [30] §120-94
  31. [31] §120-94

Research status

Publication gates

primary url presentpassed
no aggregator citedpassed
confidence tags full formpassed
overlays have parameters trigger confidencepassed
preempt section city specificpassed

Data quality

60%completeness47 confirmed18 partial5 inferred
Documented gaps
  • C-1 side/rear setbacks and height not confirmed
  • C-2 setbacks not confirmed
  • C-3 height not specified in extracted source
  • M-1 side/rear setbacks and height not specified
  • CCD sub-district dimensional parameters not extracted
  • O-S dimensional standards not specified
  • Zoning Alignment Project replacement timeline unconfirmed

Known issues

data:gaps-present

Other cities in this state

Nearest-alphabetical profiles. Click through to compare zoning patterns side-by-side.

BuffaloGloversvilleJohnstownNew York CityYonkers