Santa Maria, 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 74 districts.
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What's in the Santa Maria dataset
Every field below is available for any Santa Maria parcel, on the map and through the AI.
Zoning
- District code & full name
- Category & ordinance article
- Parcel boundary & APN
- All 74 districts mapped
Use classes, resolved
- Read per zoning district
Building controls
- Maximum building height
- Floor area ratio (FAR)
- Front setback
- Side setback
Overlays, hazards & AI
- Overlay & combining districts
- Flood hazard & environmental layers
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- Powered by live parcel data
Where uses are permitted in Santa Maria
Share of Santa Maria's zoned land where each use is permitted.
- Single-family
- 83.43%
- Multi-family
- 13.23%
- ADU
- 0.08%
- Two-family
- 3.57%
- Retail
- 26.67%
- Eating & drinking
- 8.09%
- Office
- 18.34%
- Hotel / motel
- 9.75%
- Industrial
- 9.98%
- Storage & warehouses
- 46.35%
Santa Maria, 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 | Permitted Uses | Area | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
AA Airport Approach Zone | Special | - | 33 ac | Standards & uses → |
AS-I Airport Service I | Special | - | 407.3 ac | Standards & uses → |
AS-III Airport Service Iii | Special | - | 34.3 ac | Standards & uses → |
C-2 General Commercial | Commercial |
| 6.1 ac | Standards & uses → |
Showing 4 of 74 districts
Start from what you're trying to build
Each one runs against the live Santa Maria dataset and returns the districts, standards and approvals involved.
Where can I build multifamily in Santa Maria?
1 of 74 districts permit multifamily - by right, conditionally, or by variance.
Run it →Are ADUs allowed in Santa Maria?
Allowed statewide under California law, subject to local development standards.
Run it →What does AA actually permit?
The full standards for one district, read straight from the source.
Run it →What should developers know about Santa Maria zoning?
Santa Maria is the largest city in Santa Barbara County and a regional agricultural and commercial center in the central coast. Its 74-district zoning code is noteworthy for the extent of Planned Development (PD) combinations layered over base districts - PD is paired with Airport Service, General Business, Commercial Manufacturing, Freeway Service, Light Manufacturing, and several other base zones, reflecting the city's growth-management approach of routing development through site-specific planned development approvals. Open Space (OS) at 2,356 acres is the largest single district and includes the Orcutt community areas and the Santa Maria River corridor.
The Santa Maria Public Airport is a significant land use shaper: Airport Service zones (AS-I at 407 acres, AS-III at 34 acres), Clear Zone (CZ at 148 acres), and Airport Approach Zone (AA at 33 acres) govern land immediately surrounding the airport and impose strict height and use limitations. Multiple PD/AS combinations (PD/AS-1, PD/AS-II, PD/AS-III) at a combined 427 acres indicate that planned development adjacent to the airport has been a primary tool for controlling growth in this sensitive area. Commercial Manufacturing (CM at 138 acres) and Heavy Manufacturing (M-2 at 100 acres) anchor the industrial and manufacturing sector, with multiple PD/CM variants adding hundreds more acres of manufacturing-oriented development capacity.
This is pre-development intelligence, not legal advice - verify with the local planning department before acquisition.
Santa Maria zoning: frequently asked questions
How do airport overlay zones affect development feasibility in Santa Maria?
Clear Zone (CZ, 148 acres), Airport Approach Zone (AA, 33 acres), and Airport Service zones (AS-I, AS-III) impose height limits, use restrictions, and noise compatibility requirements on large areas surrounding Santa Maria Public Airport. The CZ designation effectively prohibits most occupied structures. Developers considering parcels in or near these designations must consult the Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan to determine what uses and building heights are permitted in each compatibility zone - approval from the Airport Land Use Commission may also be required.
What does Planned Development (PD) zoning mean for project entitlement in Santa Maria?
The PD prefix appears in combination with nearly every base zone type in Santa Maria and functions as a discretionary review overlay requiring a separate planned development approval rather than straight code compliance. This means the city retains significant control over project design, phasing, and mix in PD-zoned areas. Developers should expect a negotiated entitlement process and should review any existing PD approvals or master development agreements on a target site, as these may already govern what can be built.
How significant is the industrial and manufacturing sector in Santa Maria?
Commercial Manufacturing (CM at 138 acres) and Heavy Manufacturing (M-2 at 100 acres) serve as the primary industrial districts, with additional capacity in PD/CM (297 acres), PD/CM-AG (247 acres - a commercial manufacturing with agricultural overlay combination), and PD/M-1 (1,163 acres of Planned Development with Light Manufacturing). Together these designations reflect a substantial industrial land base oriented toward agribusiness processing, distribution, and light to heavy manufacturing - consistent with Santa Maria's role as a regional agricultural hub.
What residential development options exist in Santa Maria?
Residential zones are not separately listed in the zone codes visible in this dataset, suggesting that residential land in Santa Maria is largely governed by Planned Development designations rather than standard zone types. The Open Space (OS) designation at 2,356 acres includes significant undeveloped land. Developers pursuing residential projects in Santa Maria should expect that most large-scale residential development will proceed through a planned development or specific plan process, with California ADU and density bonus laws applicable to existing residential parcels throughout the city.
What is the Commercial and Professional Office (CPO) zone and where is it used?
CPO (Commercial and Professional Office, 36 acres) and its planned development variant PD/CPO (244 acres, with a 4-acre historic overlay variant at PD/CPO-H) accommodate professional services, medical offices, and related commercial uses. The 244-acre PD/CPO designation is the second-largest commercial-type zone after PD/C-2 (631 acres), suggesting that office and professional uses represent a significant share of commercial development activity. CPO zones typically sit along major arterials connecting residential areas to commercial centers.
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Zoning data is pre-development intelligence, not legal advice. Verify with the Santa Maria planning department before acquisition or design.