Zoning reference

San Diego, CA zoning districts

50 districts, 50 with a written citation. Each row says what the district permits by primary use.

INTERPRETED — 26 base-zone sub-groups authored from the City's own Chapter 13 Article 1 use tables (FEAT-184, 2026-08-17), plus 24 published-but-unsourced bases carried as honest nulls. Zoning in the City of San Diego is governed by the Land Development Code, San Diego Municipal Code Chapter 13 (base zones) with the planned districts in Chapter 15 and the overlay zones in Chapter 13 Article 2 Division 4 et seq. The authoring unit is the SUB-GROUP (RS-1, RM-3), not the base: the use table gives the third part its own column and RM-1 and RM-3 disagree on 9% of uses, while the fourth part (RS-1-14) is minimum lot area and shares its group's column, so it resolves as an unmapped overlay and is reported as uninterpreted rather than claimed. A base with no row asserts NOTHING (doctrine 4 honest-null) and still answers at cited tier. No jurisdiction-mandated accuracy notice is authored — the publisher's terms are a general as-is warranty disclaimer and liability allocation, not Detroit's directive 'verify against the official zoning maps' condition (the full text and the reasoning are in the city entry's authoring_note). IMPORTANT for whoever authors this table: the base-zone answer alone is INCOMPLETE for a large share of the city. San Diego publishes its overlay zones in a SEPARATE service (DSD/Zoning_Overlay/MapServer layers 0-11 plus ALUCOZ on DSD/Airports/3) which this registration deliberately does not fetch, and the coastal (COZ/CHLOZ/SCOZ) and community-plan (CPIOZ) overlays carry real entitlement conditions across the coastal and urban-village areas. Author the base districts first and treat the overlay service as its own piece of work; do not paper over it by folding overlay meaning into a base row.

How to read the permissions

By right — allowed without discretionary approval. Conditional use — allowed only with a specific approval. Not permitted — not allowed as a primary use. Not resolved — the ordinance does not settle it in a way we would state as fact.

These describe the district. A specific parcel can also be affected by overlays, corridors, flood zones and site conditions.

District Residential Commercial Industrial
AG
AG (not authored)
Lower confidence — verify against the ordinance before relying on it.
Not resolved Not resolved Not resolved
not yet sourced
AR
AR (not authored)
Lower confidence — verify against the ordinance before relying on it.
Not resolved Not resolved Not resolved
not yet sourced
CC
CC (not authored)
Lower confidence — verify against the ordinance before relying on it.
Not resolved Not resolved Not resolved
not yet sourced
CCPD
CCPD (not authored)
Lower confidence — verify against the ordinance before relying on it.
Not resolved Not resolved Not resolved
not yet sourced
CN-1
CN-1
commercial neighborhood
By right By right Not permitted
City of San Diego Land Development Code, Chapter 13 Article 1 use-regulation tables 131-04B (residential), 131-05B (commercial) and 131-06B (industrial), published first-party at docs.sandiego.gov. Legend: P permitted; L permitted with limitations; N Neighborhood Use Permit; C Conditional Use Permit; - not permitted. L, N and C are all discretionary or conditioned and therefore read as `conditional`; only P is by-right. Zone CN-1.
CO-1
CO-1
office
By right By right Not permitted
City of San Diego Land Development Code, Chapter 13 Article 1 use-regulation tables 131-04B (residential), 131-05B (commercial) and 131-06B (industrial), published first-party at docs.sandiego.gov. Legend: P permitted; L permitted with limitations; N Neighborhood Use Permit; C Conditional Use Permit; - not permitted. L, N and C are all discretionary or conditioned and therefore read as `conditional`; only P is by-right. Zone CO-1.
CO-2
CO-2
office
Not permitted By right Not permitted
City of San Diego Land Development Code, Chapter 13 Article 1 use-regulation tables 131-04B (residential), 131-05B (commercial) and 131-06B (industrial), published first-party at docs.sandiego.gov. Legend: P permitted; L permitted with limitations; N Neighborhood Use Permit; C Conditional Use Permit; - not permitted. L, N and C are all discretionary or conditioned and therefore read as `conditional`; only P is by-right. Zone CO-2.
CO-3
CO-3
office
By right By right Not permitted
City of San Diego Land Development Code, Chapter 13 Article 1 use-regulation tables 131-04B (residential), 131-05B (commercial) and 131-06B (industrial), published first-party at docs.sandiego.gov. Legend: P permitted; L permitted with limitations; N Neighborhood Use Permit; C Conditional Use Permit; - not permitted. L, N and C are all discretionary or conditioned and therefore read as `conditional`; only P is by-right. Zone CO-3.
CP-1
CP-1
special
Not permitted Not permitted Not permitted
City of San Diego Land Development Code, Chapter 13 Article 1 use-regulation tables 131-04B (residential), 131-05B (commercial) and 131-06B (industrial), published first-party at docs.sandiego.gov. Legend: P permitted; L permitted with limitations; N Neighborhood Use Permit; C Conditional Use Permit; - not permitted. L, N and C are all discretionary or conditioned and therefore read as `conditional`; only P is by-right. Zone CP-1.
CR-1
CR-1
commercial mixed
By right By right Not permitted
City of San Diego Land Development Code, Chapter 13 Article 1 use-regulation tables 131-04B (residential), 131-05B (commercial) and 131-06B (industrial), published first-party at docs.sandiego.gov. Legend: P permitted; L permitted with limitations; N Neighborhood Use Permit; C Conditional Use Permit; - not permitted. L, N and C are all discretionary or conditioned and therefore read as `conditional`; only P is by-right. Zone CR-1.
CR-2
CR-2
commercial mixed
Not permitted By right By right
City of San Diego Land Development Code, Chapter 13 Article 1 use-regulation tables 131-04B (residential), 131-05B (commercial) and 131-06B (industrial), published first-party at docs.sandiego.gov. Legend: P permitted; L permitted with limitations; N Neighborhood Use Permit; C Conditional Use Permit; - not permitted. L, N and C are all discretionary or conditioned and therefore read as `conditional`; only P is by-right. Zone CR-2.
CSPD
CSPD (not authored)
Lower confidence — verify against the ordinance before relying on it.
Not resolved Not resolved Not resolved
not yet sourced
CUPD
CUPD (not authored)
Lower confidence — verify against the ordinance before relying on it.
Not resolved Not resolved Not resolved
not yet sourced
CV-1
CV-1
commercial mixed
By right By right Not permitted
City of San Diego Land Development Code, Chapter 13 Article 1 use-regulation tables 131-04B (residential), 131-05B (commercial) and 131-06B (industrial), published first-party at docs.sandiego.gov. Legend: P permitted; L permitted with limitations; N Neighborhood Use Permit; C Conditional Use Permit; - not permitted. L, N and C are all discretionary or conditioned and therefore read as `conditional`; only P is by-right. Zone CV-1.
CVPD
CVPD (not authored)
Lower confidence — verify against the ordinance before relying on it.
Not resolved Not resolved Not resolved
not yet sourced
EMX
EMX (not authored)
Lower confidence — verify against the ordinance before relying on it.
Not resolved Not resolved Not resolved
not yet sourced
GQPD
GQPD (not authored)
Lower confidence — verify against the ordinance before relying on it.
Not resolved Not resolved Not resolved
not yet sourced
IBT-1
IBT-1
industrial light
Not permitted By right By right
City of San Diego Land Development Code, Chapter 13 Article 1 use-regulation tables 131-04B (residential), 131-05B (commercial) and 131-06B (industrial), published first-party at docs.sandiego.gov. Legend: P permitted; L permitted with limitations; N Neighborhood Use Permit; C Conditional Use Permit; - not permitted. L, N and C are all discretionary or conditioned and therefore read as `conditional`; only P is by-right. Zone IBT-1.
IH-1
IH-1
industrial heavy
Not permitted Not permitted By right
City of San Diego Land Development Code, Chapter 13 Article 1 use-regulation tables 131-04B (residential), 131-05B (commercial) and 131-06B (industrial), published first-party at docs.sandiego.gov. Legend: P permitted; L permitted with limitations; N Neighborhood Use Permit; C Conditional Use Permit; - not permitted. L, N and C are all discretionary or conditioned and therefore read as `conditional`; only P is by-right. Zone IH-1.
IH-2
IH-2
industrial heavy
Not permitted By right By right
City of San Diego Land Development Code, Chapter 13 Article 1 use-regulation tables 131-04B (residential), 131-05B (commercial) and 131-06B (industrial), published first-party at docs.sandiego.gov. Legend: P permitted; L permitted with limitations; N Neighborhood Use Permit; C Conditional Use Permit; - not permitted. L, N and C are all discretionary or conditioned and therefore read as `conditional`; only P is by-right. Zone IH-2.
IL-1
IL-1
industrial light
Not permitted By right By right
City of San Diego Land Development Code, Chapter 13 Article 1 use-regulation tables 131-04B (residential), 131-05B (commercial) and 131-06B (industrial), published first-party at docs.sandiego.gov. Legend: P permitted; L permitted with limitations; N Neighborhood Use Permit; C Conditional Use Permit; - not permitted. L, N and C are all discretionary or conditioned and therefore read as `conditional`; only P is by-right. Zone IL-1.
IL-2
IL-2
industrial light
Not permitted By right By right
City of San Diego Land Development Code, Chapter 13 Article 1 use-regulation tables 131-04B (residential), 131-05B (commercial) and 131-06B (industrial), published first-party at docs.sandiego.gov. Legend: P permitted; L permitted with limitations; N Neighborhood Use Permit; C Conditional Use Permit; - not permitted. L, N and C are all discretionary or conditioned and therefore read as `conditional`; only P is by-right. Zone IL-2.
IL-3
IL-3
industrial light
Not permitted By right By right
City of San Diego Land Development Code, Chapter 13 Article 1 use-regulation tables 131-04B (residential), 131-05B (commercial) and 131-06B (industrial), published first-party at docs.sandiego.gov. Legend: P permitted; L permitted with limitations; N Neighborhood Use Permit; C Conditional Use Permit; - not permitted. L, N and C are all discretionary or conditioned and therefore read as `conditional`; only P is by-right. Zone IL-3.
IP-1
IP-1
industrial light
Not permitted By right By right
City of San Diego Land Development Code, Chapter 13 Article 1 use-regulation tables 131-04B (residential), 131-05B (commercial) and 131-06B (industrial), published first-party at docs.sandiego.gov. Legend: P permitted; L permitted with limitations; N Neighborhood Use Permit; C Conditional Use Permit; - not permitted. L, N and C are all discretionary or conditioned and therefore read as `conditional`; only P is by-right. Zone IP-1.
IP-2
IP-2
industrial light
Not permitted By right By right
City of San Diego Land Development Code, Chapter 13 Article 1 use-regulation tables 131-04B (residential), 131-05B (commercial) and 131-06B (industrial), published first-party at docs.sandiego.gov. Legend: P permitted; L permitted with limitations; N Neighborhood Use Permit; C Conditional Use Permit; - not permitted. L, N and C are all discretionary or conditioned and therefore read as `conditional`; only P is by-right. Zone IP-2.
IP-3
IP-3
industrial light
By right By right By right
City of San Diego Land Development Code, Chapter 13 Article 1 use-regulation tables 131-04B (residential), 131-05B (commercial) and 131-06B (industrial), published first-party at docs.sandiego.gov. Legend: P permitted; L permitted with limitations; N Neighborhood Use Permit; C Conditional Use Permit; - not permitted. L, N and C are all discretionary or conditioned and therefore read as `conditional`; only P is by-right. Zone IP-3.
IS-1
IS-1
industrial
Not permitted By right By right
City of San Diego Land Development Code, Chapter 13 Article 1 use-regulation tables 131-04B (residential), 131-05B (commercial) and 131-06B (industrial), published first-party at docs.sandiego.gov. Legend: P permitted; L permitted with limitations; N Neighborhood Use Permit; C Conditional Use Permit; - not permitted. L, N and C are all discretionary or conditioned and therefore read as `conditional`; only P is by-right. Zone IS-1.
LJPD
LJPD (not authored)
Lower confidence — verify against the ordinance before relying on it.
Not resolved Not resolved Not resolved
not yet sourced
LJSPD
LJSPD (not authored)
Lower confidence — verify against the ordinance before relying on it.
Not resolved Not resolved Not resolved
not yet sourced
MBPD
MBPD (not authored)
Lower confidence — verify against the ordinance before relying on it.
Not resolved Not resolved Not resolved
not yet sourced
MPD
MPD (not authored)
Lower confidence — verify against the ordinance before relying on it.
Not resolved Not resolved Not resolved
not yet sourced
OC
OC (not authored)
Lower confidence — verify against the ordinance before relying on it.
Not resolved Not resolved Not resolved
not yet sourced
OF
OF (not authored)
Lower confidence — verify against the ordinance before relying on it.
Not resolved Not resolved Not resolved
not yet sourced
OP
OP (not authored)
Lower confidence — verify against the ordinance before relying on it.
Not resolved Not resolved Not resolved
not yet sourced
OR
OR (not authored)
Lower confidence — verify against the ordinance before relying on it.
Not resolved Not resolved Not resolved
not yet sourced
OTCC
OTCC (not authored)
Lower confidence — verify against the ordinance before relying on it.
Not resolved Not resolved Not resolved
not yet sourced
OTMCR
OTMCR (not authored)
Lower confidence — verify against the ordinance before relying on it.
Not resolved Not resolved Not resolved
not yet sourced
OTOP
OTOP (not authored)
Lower confidence — verify against the ordinance before relying on it.
Not resolved Not resolved Not resolved
not yet sourced
OTRM
OTRM (not authored)
Lower confidence — verify against the ordinance before relying on it.
Not resolved Not resolved Not resolved
not yet sourced
OTRS
OTRS (not authored)
Lower confidence — verify against the ordinance before relying on it.
Not resolved Not resolved Not resolved
not yet sourced
RM-1
RM-1
residential high
By right Not permitted Not permitted
City of San Diego Land Development Code, Chapter 13 Article 1 use-regulation tables 131-04B (residential), 131-05B (commercial) and 131-06B (industrial), published first-party at docs.sandiego.gov. Legend: P permitted; L permitted with limitations; N Neighborhood Use Permit; C Conditional Use Permit; - not permitted. L, N and C are all discretionary or conditioned and therefore read as `conditional`; only P is by-right. Zone RM-1.
RM-2
RM-2
residential high
By right Not permitted Not permitted
City of San Diego Land Development Code, Chapter 13 Article 1 use-regulation tables 131-04B (residential), 131-05B (commercial) and 131-06B (industrial), published first-party at docs.sandiego.gov. Legend: P permitted; L permitted with limitations; N Neighborhood Use Permit; C Conditional Use Permit; - not permitted. L, N and C are all discretionary or conditioned and therefore read as `conditional`; only P is by-right. Zone RM-2.
RM-3
RM-3
residential high
By right By right Not permitted
City of San Diego Land Development Code, Chapter 13 Article 1 use-regulation tables 131-04B (residential), 131-05B (commercial) and 131-06B (industrial), published first-party at docs.sandiego.gov. Legend: P permitted; L permitted with limitations; N Neighborhood Use Permit; C Conditional Use Permit; - not permitted. L, N and C are all discretionary or conditioned and therefore read as `conditional`; only P is by-right. Zone RM-3.
RM-4
RM-4
residential high
By right By right Not permitted
City of San Diego Land Development Code, Chapter 13 Article 1 use-regulation tables 131-04B (residential), 131-05B (commercial) and 131-06B (industrial), published first-party at docs.sandiego.gov. Legend: P permitted; L permitted with limitations; N Neighborhood Use Permit; C Conditional Use Permit; - not permitted. L, N and C are all discretionary or conditioned and therefore read as `conditional`; only P is by-right. Zone RM-4.
RM-5
RM-5
residential high
By right By right Not permitted
City of San Diego Land Development Code, Chapter 13 Article 1 use-regulation tables 131-04B (residential), 131-05B (commercial) and 131-06B (industrial), published first-party at docs.sandiego.gov. Legend: P permitted; L permitted with limitations; N Neighborhood Use Permit; C Conditional Use Permit; - not permitted. L, N and C are all discretionary or conditioned and therefore read as `conditional`; only P is by-right. Zone RM-5.
RMX
RMX (not authored)
Lower confidence — verify against the ordinance before relying on it.
Not resolved Not resolved Not resolved
not yet sourced
RS-1
RS-1
residential low
By right Not permitted Not permitted
City of San Diego Land Development Code, Chapter 13 Article 1 use-regulation tables 131-04B (residential), 131-05B (commercial) and 131-06B (industrial), published first-party at docs.sandiego.gov. Legend: P permitted; L permitted with limitations; N Neighborhood Use Permit; C Conditional Use Permit; - not permitted. L, N and C are all discretionary or conditioned and therefore read as `conditional`; only P is by-right. Zone RS-1.
RT-1
RT-1
residential low
By right Not permitted Not permitted
City of San Diego Land Development Code, Chapter 13 Article 1 use-regulation tables 131-04B (residential), 131-05B (commercial) and 131-06B (industrial), published first-party at docs.sandiego.gov. Legend: P permitted; L permitted with limitations; N Neighborhood Use Permit; C Conditional Use Permit; - not permitted. L, N and C are all discretionary or conditioned and therefore read as `conditional`; only P is by-right. Zone RT-1.
RX-1
RX-1
residential medium
By right Not permitted Not permitted
City of San Diego Land Development Code, Chapter 13 Article 1 use-regulation tables 131-04B (residential), 131-05B (commercial) and 131-06B (industrial), published first-party at docs.sandiego.gov. Legend: P permitted; L permitted with limitations; N Neighborhood Use Permit; C Conditional Use Permit; - not permitted. L, N and C are all discretionary or conditioned and therefore read as `conditional`; only P is by-right. Zone RX-1.
UNZONED
UNZONED (not authored)
Lower confidence — verify against the ordinance before relying on it.
Not resolved Not resolved Not resolved
not yet sourced

Sources

  • City of San Diego Land Development Code, Chapter 13 Article 1 use-regulation tables 131-04B (residential), 131-05B (commercial) and 131-06B (industrial), published first-party at docs.sandiego.gov. Legend: P permitted; L permitted with limitations; N Neighborhood Use Permit; C Conditional Use Permit; - not permitted. L, N and C are all discretionary or conditioned and therefore read as `conditional`; only P is by-right.
  • Per family, the MOST PERMISSIVE value across a NAMED representative set, so the derivation is auditable. residential = Single Dwelling Units, Multiple Dwelling Units. commercial = Eating & Drinking Establishments, Retail Tasting Stores. industrial = Light Manufacturing, Heavy Manufacturing. Each covers all 26 authored keys.
  • The SUB-GROUP, not the base. RM-1 and RM-3 disagree on 9% of uses, so a single `RM` row would assert one value where the code gives five. Longest-first base matching routes RM-3-7 to the authored RM-3 key with no parser change.
  • Each page-set is accepted only when the header's key count equals the modal value count in its rows, repairing the value-column offset LEFTWARD ONLY and choosing the offset with the most rows at the correct arity. A RIGHTWARD repair can satisfy the count by DISCARDING columns, which is how the CC pages appeared fixable. 8 CC page-sets are refused.
  • 8/8 verified against answers legible from the zone names themselves: RS residential by-right and industrial prohibited; IP, IL and IH industrial by-right; CP industrial prohibited; RM residential by-right; CN commercial by-right. An earlier representative set of Heavy plus Very Heavy Industrial made an INDUSTRIAL PARK read industrial prohibited — the check caught it before it shipped.
  • 26 of the 38 codes the live layer publishes are authored. CC-1..CC-5, the 9 Planned District Ordinance zones, the 5 Old Town zones, EMX/RMX (div07), AG/AR, OC/OF/OP/OR and UNZONED assert nothing.

Table verified against the sources above on 2026-08-18. Ordinances change, so check the current code before relying on any row for a decision.

Which district applies to your parcel?

This table describes the districts. To find out which one covers a specific address, and what else affects that site, run the address on the home page.