Chapter 18.08 — San Carlos Zoning Code

PUBLIC AND SEMI-PUBLIC DISTRICTS

Sections: 18.08.010 Purpose. 18.08.020 Land use regulations. 18.08.030 Development standards. 18.08.040 Supplemental regulations.

18.08.010 Purpose. ¶

The specific purposes of the public and semi-public districts are to:

A. Provide land for development of public, quasi-public, and open space uses that provide services to the community and support existing and new residential, commercial, and industrial land uses.

B. Provide areas for educational facilities, cultural and institutional uses, health services, parks and recreation, general government operations, utility and public service needs, and other similar and related supporting uses.

C. Provide opportunities for outdoor recreation, and meet the recreational needs of San Carlos residents.

Additional purposes of each public and semi-public district which follow implement General Plan classifications of “Public,” “Park,” “Open Space,” and “Open Space/Schools.”

D. P Public. This classification is intended for City facilities, utilities, schools, and other public and quasi-public uses.

E. PK Park. This classification is intended to maintain areas for active and passive public parks, including outdoor and indoor recreation such as playing fields, playgrounds, community centers, and other appropriate recreational uses.

F. OS Open Space. This classification is intended for undeveloped park lands, visually significant open lands, water areas, and wildlife habitat. These areas are set aside as permanent open space preserves and may include trails, trail heads, agricultural uses (such as 4H), and other facilities for low-impact public recreational uses. (Ord. 1438 § 4 (Exh. A (part)), 2011)

18.08.020 Land use regulations. ¶

Table 18.08.020 prescribes the land use regulations for public and semi-public districts. The regulations for each district are established by letter designations as follows:

“P” designates permitted uses.

“M” designates use classifications that are permitted after review and approval of a minor use permit by the Zoning Administrator.

“C” designates use classifications that are permitted after review and approval of a conditional use permit by the Planning and Transportation Commission.

“(#)” numbers in parentheses refer to specific limitations listed at the end of the table.

“-” designates uses that are not permitted.

Use classifications are defined in Chapter 18.40, Use Classifications. In cases where a specific land use or activity is not defined, the Director shall assign the land use or activity to a classification that is substantially similar in character. Use classifications and subclassifications not listed in the table or not found to be substantially similar to the uses below are prohibited. The table also notes additional use regulations that apply to various uses. Section numbers in the right-hand column refer to other sections of this title.

TABLE 18.08.020: LAND USE REGULATIONS—PUBLIC AND SEMI-PUBLIC DISTRICTS

Use Classifcation	P	PK	OS	Additional Regulations
Public and Semi-Public Use Classifcations
Cemeteries	C	-	-
College and Trade Schools, Public or Private	C	-	-
Community Assembly	C	C	-	See Section 18.23.080, Community assembly facilities
Community Garden	C	P	-
Cultural Institutions	C	C	-
Emergency Shelter	C	-	-	See Section 18.23.110, Emergency shelters
Government Ofces	P	-	-
Hospitals and Clinics	See subclassifcations below
Hospitals	C	-	-
Clinics	C	-	-
Instructional Services	C	-	-

Use Classifcation	P	PK	OS	Additional Regulations
Park and Recreation Facilities, Public	P	P	P(1)
Public Safety Facilities	P	-	-
Schools, Public or Private	C	-	-
Social Service Facilities	C	-	-
Commercial Use Classifcations
Animal Care, Sales, and Services, Kennels	C(2)	-	-
Parking, Public or Private	C	-	-	See Chapter 18.20, Parking and Loading
Industrial Use Classifcations
Recycling Collection Facilities	See subclassifcations below
Reverse Vending Machine	C	-	-	See Section 18.23.190,Recycling
Recycling Collection Facility	C(3)	-	-	facilities
Recycling Processing Facility	C(3)	-	-
Warehousing and Storage	See subclassifcations below
Outdoor Storage	P(4)	P(4)	P(4)	See Section 18.23.160,Outdoor storage
Transportation, Communication, and Utilities Use Classifcations
Communication Facilities	See Chapter 18.24,Wireless Telecommunications Facilities
Utilities, Major	C	-	-
Utilities, Minor	P	P	P
Other Applicable Types
Accessory Uses and Structures	See Section 18.15.020,Accessory uses and structures

Use Classifcation	P	PK	OS	Additional Regulations
Nonconforming Use	Chapter 18.19,Nonconforming Uses, Structures, and Lots
Temporary Use	Chapter 18.31,Temporary Use Permits

Specific Limitations:

Limited to trails, wildlife preserves and open space uses that maintain the site in its natural state. No building, structure or improvements shall be constructed in these areas, except for those required for public access, public restrooms, informational signage, trash containers, parking facilities, structures related to agricultural uses, and facilities needed for protecting environmental resources and general upkeep and maintenance of the property.
Limited to government or nonprofit animal shelters located a minimum of one hundred feet from a residential use or district.
Not permitted when the use is directly abutting a residential zoning district.
Permitted only as an accessory use.

(Ord. 1612 § 1 (Exh. A), 2024; Ord. 1480 (Exh. B (part)), 2015; Ord. 1438 § 4 (Exh. A (part)), 2011)

18.08.030 Development standards. ¶

Table 18.08.030 prescribes the development standards for public and semi-public districts. Additional regulations are denoted in a right-hand column. Section numbers in this column refer to other sections of this title. The numbers in each illustration in this section refer to corresponding regulations in the “#” column in the associated table.

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TABLE 18.08.030: DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS—PUBLIC AND SEMI-PUBLIC DISTRICTS

District	P	PK	OS	Additional Regulations	#
Building Form and Location
Maximum Height (ft.)	30	30	30	See Section 18.15.060, Height and height exceptions	1
Minimum Setbacks (ft.)
Front	30	30	30	See Section 18.15.080, Projections into required yards	2
Interior Side	10	10	10		3
Street Side	10	10	10		4

District	P	PK	OS	Additional Regulations	#
Rear	20	20	20		5
Maximum Lot Coverage (% of Lot)	n/a	n/a	10

(Ord. 1480 (Exh. B (part)), 2015: Ord. 1438 § 4 (Exh. A (part)), 2011)

18.08.040 Supplemental regulations. ¶

A. Landscaping. A minimum of ten percent of the site must be landscaped.

B. School Sites. In the event of closure of a school, the primary use of these sites shall be for public or private education and associated recreation purposes.

C. Truck Docks, Loading and Service Areas. Truck docks, loading areas, and service areas must be located at the rear or interior sides of buildings and screened so as not to be visible from public streets or residential properties. (Ord. 1480 (Exh. B (part)), 2015: Ord. 1438 § 4 (Exh. A (part)), 2011)

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The San Carlos Municipal Code is current through Ordinance 1633, passed January 26, 2026.

Disclaimer: The City Clerk's Office has the official version of the San Carlos Municipal Code. Users should contact the City Clerk's Offi f di d b t t

18.09 Airport District ¶

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