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Frequently Asked Questions
Zoning and land use in the City of San Diego are governed by the Land Development Code, which is Chapters 11 through 14 of the San Diego Municipal Code. It contains the City's planning, zoning, subdivision, and building regulations (except the planned district ordinance regulations). Chapter 13 covers Zones and Chapter 14 covers General Regulations. All private property in the city is assigned a base zone that identifies the uses allowed and the development regulations that apply. The City Planning Department maintains and updates the code.
The City of San Diego's Development Services describes five main base zone types: Residential (single- and multi-family residences), Commercial (retail, office, and consumer service businesses), Industrial (research and development, factories, warehousing, and other industrial uses), Agricultural (agricultural and farming uses), and Open Space (public recreational uses or areas to be left in a generally natural state). Property owners can look up their base zone through the City's Zoning and Permit Portal (ZAPP) and cross-reference permitted uses in Chapter 13 of the Municipal Code.
The Planning Commission recommends changes to the City's General Plan and community plans, makes recommendations on the Capital Improvements Program budget, rezonings, and related land-use matters, and has final approval authority over subdivisions and many permit types. Commissioners are volunteers appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the City Council. The Commission holds public hearings, generally twice a month on Thursdays at 9 a.m. at the City's public hearing room in Mission Valley.
Under San Diego Municipal Code section 112.0501, applications for permits, maps, or other matters are acted upon under one of five decision processes, depending on the subject matter of the application. Lower processes may be decided by staff without a public hearing, while others go before a Hearing Officer, the Planning Commission, or the City Council at a public hearing. Discretionary applications may be approved, conditionally approved, or denied. Appeals follow the procedures in Municipal Code Chapter 11, Article 02, Division 05 (Decision Process), using the City's Development Permit/Environmental Determination Appeal Application.
Yes. Per the City of San Diego Development Services, ADUs are permitted in Single, Multiple, and Mixed-Use residential zones and Planned District Ordinance zones, while Junior ADUs (JADUs) are limited to single residential zones. A building permit is required to create an ADU or JADU, with no exemptions, and ADUs are considered supplemental to the primary use and not counted toward density. The City also offers an ADU bonus program under Municipal Code section 141.0302 that allows additional ADUs in exchange for deed-restricted affordable units, with expanded bonuses within Transit Priority / Sustainable Development Areas.
Yes. ZoneWire Free sends New Meeting Alerts for San Diego at no cost, with the agenda for each meeting. ZoneWire Pro adds full transcripts, zoning and development analysis, and keyword alerts for $39 per market per month.