San Bernardino County Unincorporated Zoning Intelligence

Rather than a single unified zoning code, the county applies community-specific zoning prefixes to reflect distinct land use plans for each unincorporated community. A parcel in Apple Valley carries AV/ prefixed zones, Bloomington parcels carry BL/, and so on. Each community plan establishes its own commercial, residential, and industrial district standards. Developers must identify the applicable community plan before interpreting what any specific zone code permits.

The Agua Mansa Specific Plan (AM-SP) covers approximately 960 acres along the I-10 corridor near Colton and includes heavy and neighborhood industrial (AM-SP-H/ND at 748 acres and AM-SP-MED/IND at 108 acres), open space and agricultural (AM-SP-OS/AG at 42 acres), and single-family residential (AM-SP-SFR at 62 acres). The industrial sectors are well-suited for regional logistics, warehousing, and manufacturing given direct freeway access.

AV/RC is the largest Apple Valley zone at 32,580 acres and is designed for very low-density rural uses tied to open space, habitat conservation, and limited agriculture. The AV/RL series (AV/RL, AV/RL-5, AV/RL-10, AV/RL-20, AV/RL-40) covers over 33,500 acres of rural residential land with minimum lot sizes encoded in the zone name. These designations support single-family homes and agricultural uses but are not intended for subdivision or urban-density development without a general plan amendment.

Industrial designations appear in several community plan areas, with the Agua Mansa Specific Plan providing the most accessible industrial land near I-10. The Apple Valley industrial tiers (AV/IC at 250 acres and AV/IR at 1,084 acres) serve the Victor Valley area. The county also administers standalone light and heavy industrial zones in other community plan areas. Storage and warehousing, manufacturing, and resource extraction uses are broadly permitted across the heavy industrial designations.

California state ADU law preempts local restrictions across all residential zones in unincorporated areas, meaning single-family zones in Apple Valley, Bloomington, and other community plan areas must permit ADUs by right with limited local conditions. SB-9 lot-split and duplex rights also apply in single-family zones unless the county qualifies for a state exemption. Density bonus law applies to multifamily projects in eligible zones, potentially increasing unit counts above base entitlement.