Brisbane, California Zoning Map
Zoning, overlays and hazards on every parcel — and an answer to what the code actually lets you build. Compiled from current zoning data for all 18 districts.
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What's in the Brisbane dataset
Every field below is available for any Brisbane parcel, on the map and through the AI.
Zoning
- District code & full name
- Parcel boundary & APN
- All 18 districts mapped
Building controls
- Maximum building height
- Floor area ratio (FAR)
- Front setback
- Side setback
Overlays, hazards & AI
- Flood hazard & environmental layers
- Ask the AI about any parcel
- Powered by live parcel data
Where uses are permitted in Brisbane
Share of Brisbane's zoned land where each use is permitted.
- Single-family
- 17.16%
- Multi-family
- 2.12%
- ADU
- 17.67%
- Two-family
- 2.12%
- Retail
- 37.12%
- Eating & drinking
- 22.36%
- Office
- 24.72%
- Hotel / motel
- 6.18%
- Industrial
- 2.17%
- Storage & warehouses
- 20.10%
Brisbane, California Zoning Districts: What Do They Mean?
Zoning districts are areas regulated by specific laws that determine land use, building types, and development rules. Each district below shows its zone type and which uses it permits.
| Zone Code | Category | Area | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
C-1 Commercial Mixed Use | - | 565.7 ac | Standards & uses → |
C/P-U Northwest Bayshore Commercial Public Utilities | - | 32.9 ac | Standards & uses → |
HC Beatty Heavy Commercial District | - | 36.6 ac | Standards & uses → |
M-1 Manufacturing District | - | 18.1 ac | Standards & uses → |
Showing 4 of 18 districts
Start from what you're trying to build
Each one runs against the live Brisbane dataset and returns the districts, standards and approvals involved.
What should developers know about Brisbane zoning?
Brisbane is a small bayfront city wedged between San Bruno Mountain and San Francisco Bay, and its 18 zoning districts are weighted heavily toward commercial and bayshore land rather than housing. The single largest district is Commercial Mixed Use (C-1) at roughly 566 acres, followed by the Crocker Park Trade Commercial District (TC-1) at about 263 acres and the Marsh Lagoon Bayfront District (MLB) near 240 acres. That ordering signals a community whose economic base and biggest redevelopment plays sit on commercial, trade-commercial, and bayfront acreage - not in its residential neighborhoods.
The residential side is comparatively compact and tiered. The R-1, R-2, and R-3 residential zones cover the conventional housing range, the Brisbane Acres Residential District (R-BA) at about 137 acres reflects the hillside large-lot character on the mountain side, and a dedicated Mobile Home Park district (R-MHP) rounds out the housing types. Open Space (O-S) at roughly 171 acres and the Planned Development (PD) district shape the rest, while the Manufacturing (M-1) and Beatty Heavy Commercial (HC) zones provide the industrial component. Several named commercial districts - Sierra Point (SP-CRO), Southwest and Southeast Bayshore (SCRO-1, TC-2), and the two Brisbane Village/Downtown neighborhood commercial zones (NCRO-1, NCRO-2) - finely segment the commercial corridors.
For a developer or investor, Brisbane's profile points toward commercial, mixed-use, and bayfront repositioning as the dominant opportunity, with constrained, hillside-influenced residential pockets. The recorded building controls span FAR, density, coverage, lot width, height, and setbacks, but bayfront and mountain-adjacent parcels in particular tend to carry environmental and geographic constraints worth front-loading in diligence. This is pre-development intelligence, not legal advice - verify with the local planning department before acquisition.
Brisbane zoning: frequently asked questions
What kind of development does Brisbane's zoning favor?
The map is commercially weighted. Commercial Mixed Use (C-1) is the largest district at roughly 566 acres, and trade-commercial and bayfront districts like Crocker Park (TC-1) and Marsh Lagoon Bayfront (MLB) follow. That concentration points to commercial, mixed-use, and bayshore repositioning as the dominant opportunity rather than large-scale residential subdivision.
How is residential land organized in Brisbane?
Housing is tiered across the R-1, R-2, and R-3 residential zones, with the Brisbane Acres Residential District (R-BA) covering larger hillside lots near San Bruno Mountain and a dedicated Mobile Home Park district (R-MHP). The residential footprint is modest relative to the commercial and bayfront land, so housing opportunity tends to be infill and small-scale within existing neighborhoods.
What is the development picture along Brisbane's bayfront?
Bayfront and bayshore land is a defining feature, spanning the Marsh Lagoon Bayfront (MLB), Sierra Point (SP-CRO), and Southeast and Southwest Bayshore commercial districts. These are among the city's larger reinvestment areas, but bay-adjacent sites commonly carry environmental, flooding, and habitat considerations. Front-load those constraints in diligence before committing to a bayfront play.
Does Brisbane have a walkable downtown or village commercial core?
Yes - the city distinguishes a Brisbane Village Neighborhood Commercial district (NCRO-1) and a Downtown Brisbane Neighborhood Commercial district (NCRO-2), both relatively small in acreage. These zones target pedestrian-scale retail and services in the village center, separate from the larger trade and bayshore commercial areas, making them the focus for fine-grained downtown infill.
Can hillside lots in the Brisbane Acres area be developed or split under state housing law?
The R-BA Brisbane Acres district covers larger hillside parcels on the mountain side, and California's ADU and lot-split statutes generally reach qualifying single-family land citywide. That said, slope, access, and mountain-adjacent environmental factors strongly influence what is buildable on any given lot. Verify Brisbane's local ADU and hillside standards alongside the state provisions before assuming a unit or split pencils out.
California zoning maps
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Zoning data is pre-development intelligence, not legal advice. Verify with the Brisbane planning department before acquisition or design.