Contra Costa County · Zoning setbacks
El Cerrito setback requirements
Lekua resolves a parcel’s jurisdiction and zone, then draws this envelope on the site plan with its citation in the title block. Enter a El Cerrito address and the setbacks arrive already drawn.
The envelope
What the numbers below make on the ground. Shown for the first district in the table; the rest follow the same geometry at their own dimensions.
Zone RS-5 — the envelope Lekua draws on the plan.
- Front
- 10′
- Side
- 5′
- Rear
- 15′
The hatched band is the yard — ground the code gives up. Drawn not to scale: the yards are proportional to each other, so the deepest one fills the band and the rest follow. The dimensions carry the real numbers, and the export draws them on the actual parcel outline.
El Cerrito setbacks by district
Every row is produced by the same function the exporter calls, so this page cannot drift from what the drawing gets. The citation under each row is what prints on the sheet.
Corner lots: 8.5′ on the secondary street frontage.
ECMC Table 19.06-B (RS-5): front 10 ft min, interior side 5 ft, corner side 8.5 ft, rear 15 ft. Covered-parking width uses a deeper front (see Table 19.06-B row 2); rear may reduce by AUP (19.06.030.E); lot coverage 50% (40% where slope >30%, with a 40% impervious cap); measured per Ch. 19.03. -CP creek overlay: 30 ft setback from top of bank/riparian edge (35 ft from centerline) applies to structures AND new impervious surfaces. Municode print 2026-07-20. Verify with El Cerrito Planning.
Corner lots: 8.5′ on the secondary street frontage.
ECMC Table 19.06-B (RS-7.5): front 20 ft min, interior side 6 ft, corner side 8.5 ft, rear 15 ft. Covered-parking width uses a deeper front (see Table 19.06-B row 2); rear may reduce by AUP (19.06.030.E); lot coverage 50% (40% where slope >30%, with a 40% impervious cap); measured per Ch. 19.03. -CP creek overlay: 30 ft setback from top of bank/riparian edge (35 ft from centerline) applies to structures AND new impervious surfaces. Municode print 2026-07-20. Verify with El Cerrito Planning.
Corner lots: 8.5′ on the secondary street frontage.
ECMC Table 19.06-B (RS-10): front 20 ft min, interior side 6 ft, corner side 8.5 ft, rear 20 ft. Covered-parking width uses a deeper front (see Table 19.06-B row 2); rear may reduce by AUP (19.06.030.E); lot coverage 50% (40% where slope >30%, with a 40% impervious cap); measured per Ch. 19.03. -CP creek overlay: 30 ft setback from top of bank/riparian edge (35 ft from centerline) applies to structures AND new impervious surfaces. Municode print 2026-07-20. Verify with El Cerrito Planning.
Corner lots: 12′ on the secondary street frontage.
ECMC Table 19.06-B (RS-20): front 30 ft min, interior side 12 ft, corner side 12 ft, rear 25 ft. Covered-parking width uses a deeper front (see Table 19.06-B row 2); rear may reduce by AUP (19.06.030.E); lot coverage 50% (40% where slope >30%, with a 40% impervious cap); measured per Ch. 19.03. -CP creek overlay: 30 ft setback from top of bank/riparian edge (35 ft from centerline) applies to structures AND new impervious surfaces. Municode print 2026-07-20. Verify with El Cerrito Planning.
Corner lots: 8.5′ on the secondary street frontage.
ECMC Table 19.06-B (RM): front 10 ft min, interior side 5 ft, corner side 8.5 ft, rear 15 ft. Side 10 ft and rear 20 ft (abutting RS) apply to building portions above 25 ft height. Covered-parking width uses a deeper front (see Table 19.06-B row 2); rear may reduce by AUP (19.06.030.E); lot coverage 50% (40% where slope >30%, with a 40% impervious cap); measured per Ch. 19.03. -CP creek overlay: 30 ft setback from top of bank/riparian edge (35 ft from centerline) applies to structures AND new impervious surfaces. Municode print 2026-07-20. Verify with El Cerrito Planning.
What the export says about this table
El Cerrito reviewed 2026-07-20 for RS-5 and RS-10 against city parcel records. RS-7.5, RS-20, RD and RM districts and creek-adjacent standards are not yet reviewed. On a corner lot, confirm the 8.5 ft street-side yard with Planning.
Printed verbatim on every El Cerrito export — the same words the reviewer signed off, not a summary of them.
Setbacks are one layer of a El Cerrito site plan
The same address search returns the parcel boundary, 1–2 ft contours, building footprints, CAL FIRE defensible-space zones, the soil profile, four-season sun, and a native plant palette matched to the site. See everything Lekua resolves in Contra Costa County→
El Cerrito setback FAQ
What are the residential setbacks in El Cerrito?
In RS-5 the code sets a 10 ft front yard, 5 ft sides, and a 15 ft rear yard. The full table is below, transcribed from ECMC Table 19.06-B with the citation attached to every row. This table has passed independent review, so Lekua draws the setback envelope on the site plan for a El Cerrito parcel.
Does Lekua draw the setback envelope for El Cerrito?
Yes. El Cerrito is one of the jurisdictions whose table has passed review, most recently on 2026-07-20, so the envelope is drawn on the DXF and the PDF site plan with its citation in the title block.
Where do these El Cerrito setback numbers come from?
They are transcribed from the adopted code — ECMC Table 19.06-B — and this page renders them by calling the same function the exporter calls, so what you see here is what the drawing gets. Zoning changes; verify against the current code and with the planning department before submittal.
Can I get a CAD base map for a El Cerrito parcel?
Yes. Enter any El Cerrito address and Lekua returns a layered DXF base plan and a PDF site report — property lines, 1–2 ft contours, building footprints, CAL FIRE defensible-space zones, soil, seasonal sun, and a native plant palette matched to the parcel, alongside the zoning determination. See what else resolves in Contra Costa County.
Start with a El Cerrito address
Free to search. The zone resolves from the parcel, not from the mailing address.