Marin County · Zoning setbacks
San Rafael 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 San Rafael 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 R5 — the envelope Lekua draws on the plan.
- Front
- 15′
- Side
- 5′
- Rear
- 10′
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.
San Rafael 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.
San Rafael SRMC Title 14 (Single-Family standards), R5: front 15, side 10% of lot width (min 3 ft, max 5 ft — ring drawn at the 5 ft max), rear 10. Front may be governed by the improved-block average; post-1992 garages need 20 ft from perpendicular driveways; reverse-corner and -H Hillside Overlay rules may modify. Verify with San Rafael Planning.
San Rafael SRMC Title 14 (Single-Family standards), R7.5: front 15, side 6, rear 10. Front may be governed by the improved-block average; post-1992 garages need 20 ft from perpendicular driveways; reverse-corner and -H Hillside Overlay rules may modify. Verify with San Rafael Planning.
San Rafael SRMC Title 14 (Single-Family standards), R10: front 20, side 10, rear 10. Front may be governed by the improved-block average; post-1992 garages need 20 ft from perpendicular driveways; reverse-corner and -H Hillside Overlay rules may modify. Verify with San Rafael Planning.
San Rafael SRMC Title 14 (Single-Family standards), R20: front 20, side 12'6", rear 10. Front may be governed by the improved-block average; post-1992 garages need 20 ft from perpendicular driveways; reverse-corner and -H Hillside Overlay rules may modify. Verify with San Rafael Planning.
San Rafael SRMC Title 14 (Single-Family standards), R1a: front 20, side 15, rear 25. Front may be governed by the improved-block average; post-1992 garages need 20 ft from perpendicular driveways; reverse-corner and -H Hillside Overlay rules may modify. Verify with San Rafael Planning.
What the export says about this table
San Rafael single-family districts reviewed against SRMC Title 14 (captured 2026-06-11): R2a/R1a, R20, R10, R7.5 and R5. Hillside additional standards (SRMC 14.12, slopes 25% and over), -H and -EA districts, and multifamily beyond R2a are not captured — confirm with Planning on sloping sites.
Printed verbatim on every San Rafael export — the same words the reviewer signed off, not a summary of them.
Setbacks are one layer of a San Rafael 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 Marin County→
San Rafael setback FAQ
What are the residential setbacks in San Rafael?
In R5 the code sets a 15 ft front yard, 5 ft sides, and a 10 ft rear yard. The full table is below, transcribed from San Rafael SRMC Title 14 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 San Rafael parcel.
Does Lekua draw the setback envelope for San Rafael?
Yes. San Rafael is one of the jurisdictions whose table has passed review, most recently on 2026-07-23, so the envelope is drawn on the DXF and the PDF site plan with its citation in the title block.
Where do these San Rafael setback numbers come from?
They are transcribed from the adopted code — San Rafael SRMC Title 14 — 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 San Rafael parcel?
Yes. Enter any San Rafael 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 Marin County.
Start with a San Rafael address
Free to search. The zone resolves from the parcel, not from the mailing address.