Mammoth Lakes, California Zoning Map

The Resort zone at 602 acres is the largest single district in Mammoth Lakes and is the primary location for ski-in/ski-out lodging, condominium hotels, fractional-ownership products, time-shares, and resort-support commercial uses. The zone is designed to accommodate the short-term rental economy that underpins the town's tourist industry, and many Resort-zoned projects are structured as condotel or vacation-rental products rather than traditional apartments. Developers targeting the luxury resort segment typically look at R-zoned parcels near the lifts and in established base-area locations.

The RMF-1-AH zone covers 24.59 acres of the RMF-1 Residential Multifamily 1 district and designates those parcels as priority locations for affordable and workforce housing development. In a ski resort town where market-rate housing prices are far above the reach of resort employees, this overlay is a tool to incentivize or require below-market units. Projects within RMF-1-AH may be eligible for density bonuses or streamlined permitting under state housing law, and developers pursuing tax-credit or inclusionary housing products should evaluate these parcels first.

Short-term rental (STR) policy in Mammoth Lakes has been a subject of ongoing regulation given the resort-town demand for vacation rentals. The town's STR permit program applies to residential zones and limits where and how many vacation rentals can operate, with permit caps and neighborhood-specific rules. The Resort zone is the least restricted environment for vacation rental product, while STR operation in standard residential zones (RSF, RMF-1, RMF-2) is subject to permit availability and local operating conditions. Investors should confirm current STR permit availability and any zoning-based restrictions before acquisition.

The NVSP at 64 acres governs the North Village mixed-use center at the base of the Mammoth Mountain gondola, establishing custom land-use and development standards for the town's primary pedestrian gathering area. Permitted uses typically include hotels, retail, restaurants, residential, and resort-support services. Development within the NVSP follows the adopted specific plan document, which may allow greater density and height than the surrounding base zones in exchange for design standards, public amenities, and affordable housing contributions. Buyers of NVSP parcels should review the full specific plan before making development assumptions.

The Airport zone at 196 acres covers the Mammoth Yosemite Airport and its immediate environs, and FAA height restrictions and airport-compatibility land-use regulations apply to parcels within the airport influence area - which extends beyond the A-zoned parcel boundaries. Developers planning projects near the airport should obtain an Airport Land Use Commission (ALUC) consistency determination, as height, density, and noise-sensitive uses such as residential may be restricted within the airport influence zones. Aviation-related commercial and logistics uses are the most compatible development types in and immediately adjacent to the A zone.