Novato, 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 34 districts.
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What's in the Novato dataset
Every field below is available for any Novato parcel, on the map and through the AI.
Zoning
- District code & full name
- Parcel boundary & APN
- All 34 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 Novato
Share of Novato's zoned land where each use is permitted.
- Single-family
- 18.46%
- Multi-family
- 5.15%
- ADU
- 22.98%
- Two-family
- 5.73%
- Retail
- 50.23%
- Eating & drinking
- 1.45%
- Office
- 1.45%
- Hotel / motel
- 1.45%
- Industrial
- 0.34%
- Storage & warehouses
- 0.69%
Novato, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
AG Agricultural | - | 86.1 ac | Standards & uses → |
BPO Business And Professional Office | - | 46.2 ac | Standards & uses → |
CDB Downtown Core Business | - | 8.2 ac | Standards & uses → |
CDR Downtown Core Retail | - | 22.6 ac | Standards & uses → |
Showing 4 of 34 districts
Start from what you're trying to build
Each one runs against the live Novato dataset and returns the districts, standards and approvals involved.
What should developers know about Novato zoning?
Novato is Marin County's largest city by land area, and its zoning map captures the tension between a growing suburban community and one of California's most land-constrained planning environments. The Planned District (PD) designation at 7,914 acres is the single largest category, reflecting the city's heavy reliance on planned communities to manage growth - followed by Open Space at 2,372 acres, which underscores how much of Novato's footprint is permanently off the table for conventional development. The R1-7.5 Low Density Residential district (1,346 acres) anchors the established single-family neighborhoods.
For development professionals, the 34-district framework includes a layered multifamily tier spanning medium-density (R10 series at 73 total acres), high-density (R20 series), and detached medium-density (R4) categories, plus a dedicated Mixed Use district (14 acres) and a distinctive Research and Education Institutional zone (181 acres) that reflects Novato's biotech and life sciences employment base. Downtown-oriented districts - CDB Downtown Core Business (8 acres) and CDR Downtown Core Retail (23 acres) - concentrate walkable mixed-use potential in the city's historic core. A Conservation tier with three intensity levels (CON, CON-10, CON-60) adds further environmental overlay complexity. This is pre-development intelligence, not legal advice - verify with the local planning department before acquisition.
Novato zoning: frequently asked questions
What multifamily development districts exist in Novato?
Novato's multifamily framework includes R10 Medium Density Multi-Family zones at several intensity tiers (R10-2.0 through R10-4.5, totaling roughly 73 acres), High Density Multi-Family R20 zones (15 combined acres), and a Medium Density Residential R5 tier. The Mixed Use (MU) district at 14 acres provides an additional avenue for residential-over-commercial formats in infill locations. Given Marin County's housing pressure, entitling multifamily in any of these districts is often a multi-stakeholder process.
How does the large Planned District designation affect development prospects?
The PD Planned District at nearly 7,914 acres is not a blank slate - each planned community carries its own adopted development plan with prescribed uses, densities, and design standards. Parcels within PD areas must be evaluated against the specific plan documents governing that community, which can range from active build-out areas to substantially built-out neighborhoods with minimal remaining capacity.
What is the Research and Education Institutional zone?
The REI zone (181 acres) reflects Novato's role as a hub for biotech, life sciences, and research firms. This district accommodates laboratory facilities, research campuses, and educational institutions - uses that are typically incompatible with standard commercial or industrial zoning. For life sciences developers or investors, REI-zoned parcels represent the most direct development path without a use permit variance.
How does Novato's conservation zoning affect acquisition decisions?
Novato has three Conservation district tiers - CON (56 acres), CON-10 (5 acres), and CON-60 (213 acres) - which reflect environmental sensitivity gradations. CON-60 parcels are the most restrictive in terms of land disturbance and impervious coverage. Buyers should treat conservation-zoned parcels as effectively non-developable for conventional uses and verify whether any portion of a target site falls within these designations before underwriting.
Are downtown Novato commercial parcels suitable for mixed-use redevelopment?
The CDB Downtown Core Business (8 acres) and CDR Downtown Core Retail (23 acres) districts represent Novato's highest-intensity commercial core, where ground-floor retail with upper-floor residential is typically contemplated. At a combined 31 acres, the downtown commercial footprint is compact, and individual parcel sizes are generally small - making assemblage a common strategy for projects of meaningful scale.
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Zoning data is pre-development intelligence, not legal advice. Verify with the Novato planning department before acquisition or design.