San Mateo County · Zoning setbacks
Redwood City setback requirements
This table is transcribed from the adopted code and printed on every export with its citation — but the envelope is drawn only after a table passes independent review, and Redwood City’s has not yet. Until it does, the export carries the numbers and says plainly that they are unverified.
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 R-1 — dashed: cited on the export, not yet drawn.
- Front
- 15′
- Side
- 6′
- Rear
- 20′
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.
Redwood City 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.
Redwood City Zoning Code Art. 5 (R-1 District) §5.7: front 15 ft (garages/carports 20 ft); interior side 6 ft (or 1/2 the building-face height if greater); exterior (street) side 15 ft; rear 20 ft; max height 28 ft / 2.5 stories; lot coverage 40%. Lot-line measured; Art. 32 supplemental provisions, sloping-lot (§5.8), and SB 9 (§5.10: side/rear 4 ft) rules may modify. Verify with Redwood City Planning.
Redwood City Zoning Code Art. 6/8 (R-2/R-3 Districts) §6.7/§8.7: front 15 ft (garage/carport 20 ft); interior side 6 ft (10% of lot width, 4–6 ft); corner street-side 25% of lot width (12.5–15 ft, not drawn); rear 20 ft. Lot-line measured; Art. 32 supplemental provisions, sloping-lot (§5.8), and SB 9 (§5.10: side/rear 4 ft) rules may modify. Verify with Redwood City Planning.
Redwood City Zoning Code Art. 6/8 (R-2/R-3 Districts) §6.7/§8.7: front 15 ft (garage/carport 20 ft); interior side 6 ft (10% of lot width, 4–6 ft); corner street-side 25% of lot width (12.5–15 ft, not drawn); rear 20 ft. Lot-line measured; Art. 32 supplemental provisions, sloping-lot (§5.8), and SB 9 (§5.10: side/rear 4 ft) rules may modify. Verify with Redwood City Planning.
Setbacks are one layer of a Redwood City 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 San Mateo County→
Redwood City setback FAQ
What are the residential setbacks in Redwood City?
In R-1 the code sets a 15 ft front yard, 6 ft sides, and a 20 ft rear yard. The full table is below, transcribed from Redwood City Zoning Code Art. 5 with the citation attached to every row. This table is captured and cited on the export, but it has not yet passed independent review — so Lekua prints the code-cited values with an explicit “unverified” advisory rather than drawing lines it can’t stand behind.
Does Lekua draw the setback envelope for Redwood City?
Not yet. The table is encoded and every export carries the code-cited numbers and the citation, but the envelope is only drawn once a table passes independent review. Until then the export says so in plain words instead of drawing a line that might be wrong.
Where do these Redwood City setback numbers come from?
They are transcribed from the adopted code — Redwood City Zoning Code Art. 5 — 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 Redwood City parcel?
Yes. Enter any Redwood City 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 San Mateo County.
Start with a Redwood City address
Free to search. The zone resolves from the parcel, not from the mailing address.