San Francisco County Municipal Code Art. 1 General Zoning Provisions

Sec. 101. Purposes. Sec. 101.1. General Plan Consistency and Implementation. Sec. 102. Definitions. Sec. 103. Housing Balance Monitoring and Reporting. Sec. 105. Zoning Map. Sec. 106. Zoning Map Incorporated Herein. Sec. 108. New Names. Sec. 109. Severability.

This Planning Code is adopted to promote and protect the public health, safety, peace, morals, comfort, convenience and general welfare, and for the following more particularly specified purposes: (a) To guide, control and regulate future growth and development in accordance with the General Plan of the City and County of San Francisco; (b) To protect the character and stability of residential, commercial and industrial areas within the City, and to promote the orderly and beneficial development of such areas; (c) To provide adequate light, air, privacy and convenience of access to property, and to secure safety from fire and other dangers; (d) To prevent overcrowding the land and undue congestion of population; (e) To regulate the location of buildings and the use of buildings and land adjacent to streets and thoroughfares, in such manner as to obviate the danger to public safety caused by undue interference with existing or prospective traffic movements on such streets and thoroughfares. (Amended by Ord. 443-78, App. 10/6/78; Ord. 188-15 , File No. 150871, App. 11/4/2015, Eff. 12/4/2015) AMENDMENT HISTORY Introductory paragraph and division (a) amended; Ord. 188-15 , Eff. 12/4/2015.

(Added by Ord. 412-88, App. 9/10/88; Ord. 36-08, File No. 080157, App. 3/17/2008)

(Amended by Ord. 443-78, App. 10/6/78; Ord. 412-88, App. 9/10/88)

(Amended by Ord. 443-78, App. 10/6/78; Ord. 412-88, App. 9/10/88)

(Amended by Ord. 443-78, App. 10/6/78; Ord. 69-87, App. 3/13/87; Ord. 131-87, App. 4/24/87; Ord. 412-88, App. 9/10/88; Ord. 115-90, App. 4/6/90; Ord. 217-05, File No. 050865, App. 8/19/2005; Ord. 72-08, File No. 071157, App. 4/3/2008; Ord. 298-08, File No. 081153, App. 12/19/2008; Ord. 61-09, File No. 090181, App. 4/17/2009; Ord. 90-11, File No. 110301, App. 6/9/2011, Eff. 7/9/2011; Ord. 98-11, File No. 110229, App. 6/15/2011, Eff. 7/15/2011; Ord. 196-11, File No. 110786, App. 10/4/2011, Eff. 11/3/2011; Ord. 176-12, File No. 120472, App. 8/7/2012, Eff. 9/6/2012; Ord. 182-12, File No. 120665, App. 8/8/2012, Eff. 9/7/2012; Ord. 56-13, File No. 130062, App. 3/28/2013, Eff. 4/27/2013)

(Amended Ord. 443-78, App. 10/6/78; Ord. 412-88, App. 9/10/88; Ord. 218-14, File No. 140381, App. 10/27/2014, Eff. 11/26/2014, Oper. 2/1/2015 )

(Amended Ord. 443-78, App. 10/6/78; Ord. 412-88, App. 9/10/88)

(Amended Ord. 414-85, App. 9/17/85; Ord. 537-88, App. 12/16/88; Ord. 412-88, App. 9/10/88; Ord. 115-90, App. 4/6/90; Ord. 275-03, File No. 021577, App. 12/10/2003; Ord. 129-06, File No, 060372, App. 6/22/2006; Ord. 298-08, File No. 081153, App. 12/19/2008; Ord. 173-12, File No. 120471, App. 8/2/2012, Eff. 9/1/2012; Ord. 182-12, File No. 120665, App. 8/8/2012, Eff. 9/7/2012; Ord. 232-14, File No. 120881, App. 11/26/2014, Eff. 12/26/2014)

(Amended Ord. 443-78, App. 10/6/78; Ord. 412-88, App. 9/10/88)

(Amended by Ord. 443-78, App. 10/6/78; Ord. 412-88, App. 9/10/88 ; Ord. 182-12, File No. 120665, App. 8/8/2012, Eff. 9/7/2012)

(Amended by Ord. 443-78, App. 10/6/78; Ord. 412-88, App. 9/10/88)

(Added by Ord. 412-88, App. 9/10/88; amended by Ord. 56-02, File No. 012127, App. 4/29/2002; Ord. 218-14, File No. 140381, App. 10/27/2014, Eff. 11/26/2014, Oper. 2/1/2015 )

(Amended by Ord. 443-78, App. 10/6/78; Ord. 412-88, App. 9/10/88; Ord. 15-98, App. 1/16/98)

(Amended by Ord. 443-78, App. 10/6/78; Ord. 412-88, App. 9/10/88)

(Amended by Ord. 443-78, App. 10/6/78; Ord. 412-88, App. 9/10/88)

(Added by Ord. 115-90, App. 4/6/90; amended by Ord. 172-11, File No. 110506, App. 9/12/2011, Eff. 10/12/2011)

(Amended by Ord. 443-78, App. 10/6/78; Ord. 412-88, App. 9/10/88; Ord. 115-90, App. 4/6/90)

(Amended by Ord. 443-78, App. 10/6/78; Ord. 412-88, App. 9/10/88; Ord. 115-90, App. 4/6/90)

(Amended by Ord. 443-78, App. 10/6/78; Ord. 412-88, App. 9/10/88; Ord. 115-90, App. 4/6/90)

(Amended by Ord. 443-78, App. 10/6/78; Ord. 412-88, App. 9/10/88; Ord. 115-90, App. 4/6/90)

(Amended by Ord. 414-85, App. 9/17/85; Ord. 412-88, App. 9/10/88; Ord. 115-90, App. 4/6/90)

(Amended by Ord. 414-85, App. 9/17/85; Ord. 412-88, App. 9/10/88; Ord. 115-90, App. 4/6/90)

(Amended by Ord. 414-85, App. 9/17/85; Ord. 412-88, App. 9/10/88; Ord. 115-90, App. 4/6/90)

(Amended by Ord. 414-85, App. 9/17/85; Ord. 412-88, App. 9/10/88; Ord. 115-90, App. 4/6/90)

(Amended by Ord. 414-85, App. 9/17/85; Ord. 412-88, App. 9/10/88; Ord. 115-90, App. 4/6/90)

(Amended by Ord. 414-85, App. 9/17/85; Ord. 412-88, App. 9/10/88; Ord. 115-90, App. 4/6/90)

(Added Ord. 414-85, App. 9/17/85; amended by Ord. 412-88, App. 9/10/88; Ord. 115-90, App. 4/6/90)

(Added by Ord. 298-08, File No. 081153, App. 12/19/2008)

(Added by Ord. 298-08, File No. 081153, App. 12/19/2008)

(Added by Ord. 84-10, File No. 091453, App. 4/22/2010)

(Added by Ord. 84-10, File No. 091453, App. 4/22/2010)

(Added by Ord. 84-10, File No. 091453, App. 4/22/2010)

(Added by Ord. 297-10, File No. 101351, App. 12/3/2010)

(Added by Ord. 66-11, File No. 101537, App. 4/20/2011, Eff. 5/20/2011)

(Added by Ord. 188-12, File No. 111374, App. 9/11/2012, Eff. 10/11/2012)

(Added by Ord. 288-13, File No. 130998, App. 12/26/2013, Eff. 1/25/2014)

The Zoning Map of the City and County of San Francisco referred to in Section 105, the original of which is on file with the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors under File No. 4608, is hereby incorporated herein as though fully set forth, and the designations, locations and boundaries of districts shall be as shown thereon, subject to the provisions of Section 105 hereof. The Zoning Map may be amended by ordinance adopted by the Board of Supervisors in accordance with Section 302(c), relating to amendments approved by the Planning Commission, or by ordinance adopted by the Board of Supervisors in accordance with Sections 302(c) and 308.1(d), relating to amendments disapproved by the Planning Commission. Such amendments whether heretofore or hereafter adopted, shall not be printed or reprinted as part of the text of the Planning Code, but the changes so authorized thereupon shall be incorporated in the Zoning Map and shall be included in any subsequent editions thereof. (Amended by Ord. 443-78, App. 10/6/78; Ord. 13-26, File No. 251099, App. 2/13/2026, Eff. 3/16/2026)

As of July 1, 1996, the effective date of the revised Charter, all references in this Code to the "Master Plan" shall mean "General Plan," to the "Department of City Planning" shall mean "Planning Department," to the "City Planning Commission" shall mean "Planning Commission," to the "Board of Permit Appeals" shall mean "Board of Appeals." (Added by Ord. 321-96, App. 8/8/96)

(a) If any section, subsection, subdivision, paragraph, sentence, clause or phrase of this Code, or any part thereof, is for any reason held to be unconstitutional or invalid or ineffective by any court of competent jurisdiction, or other competent agency, such decision shall not affect the validity or effectiveness of the remaining portions of this Code or any part thereof. The Board of Supervisors hereby declares that it would have passed each section, subsection, subdivision, paragraph, sentence, clause or phrase thereof, irrespective of the fact that any one or more sections, subsections, subdivisions, paragraphs, sentences, clauses or phrases be declared unconstitutional or invalid or ineffective. (b) If the application of any provision or provisions of this Code to any lot, building, sign or other structure, or parcel of land is found to be invalid or ineffective, in whole or in part by any court of competent jurisdiction, or other competent agency, the effect of such decision shall be limited to the property or situation immediately involved in the controversy, and the application of any such provision to other properties and situations shall not be affected. (c) This Section 109 shall apply to every Article of this Code, as the Code has existed in the past, as it now exists and as it may exist in the future, including all modifications thereof and additions and amendments thereto. (Amended by Ord. 443-78, App. 10/6/78)