Brea · Zoning · R-3
Brea R-3 zoning: height, setbacks and lot size
In Brea's R-3 zone, the front setback is 15 ft and the minimum lot size is 10,000 sq ft (Brea code, read October 2026).
Key points
- Minimum front setback: 15 ft
- Minimum side setback: 5 ft (Interior side lot line on an interior lot, or interior side lot line on a corner lot)
- Minimum rear setback: 15 ft
- Minimum lot size: 10,000 sq ft
- Maximum lot coverage: 60%
- Maximum density: 40 dwelling units per acre
R-3 (Multiple Family Residential Zone) is a zoning district in Brea. Every value below was read from the Brea Municipal Code and links to its section (read October 2026). State laws such as the ADU and SB 9 rules can allow more on a residential lot. General information, not legal advice — read the code text and check with the city before you build.
Development standards in R-3
The general rule for a typical lot in this zone. Zoning tables often attach notes, such as rules for corner lots, lots next to a residential zone, or new subdivisions only. Open “code text” under a value to see the table cell or sentence it was read from.
| Minimum front setback | 15 ft § 20.220.040 · code textExcept as provided herein, there shall be a minimum front yard of not less than 15 feet on lots in the R-3 Zone. |
|---|---|
| Minimum side setback | 5 ft Applies: Interior side lot line on an interior lot, or interior side lot line on a corner lot § 20.220.040 · code textExcept as provided herein, there shall be minimum side yard of not less than five feet from the side property line on interior lots and from the interior side lot lines on corner lots in the R-3 Zone. |
| Minimum rear setback | 15 ft § 20.220.040 · code textExcept as provided herein, there shall be a minimum rear yard for main building of not less than 15 feet on lots in the R-3 Zone. |
| Minimum lot size | 10,000 sq ft § 20.220.040 · code textThe minimum lot area shall be 10,000 square feet in an R-3 Zone. |
| Maximum lot coverage | 60% § 20.220.040 · code textNot more than 60% of a lot in the R-3 Zone shall be covered by buildings and structures. |
| Maximum density | 40 dwelling units per acre § 20.220.040 · code textMaximum dwelling unit density shall not exceed 40 dwelling units per acre (one unit per 1,089 square feet). |
When a different number applies
The code sets other values for particular lots, buildings or locations in R-3:
- Maximum building height: 35 ft — Lot is within 100 feet from any land zoned R-1, R1-H, R-1 (5,000), R-2 or HR § 20.220.040
- Maximum building height: 50 ft — Lot is more than 100 feet but less than 200 feet from any land zoned R-1, R1-H, R-1 (5,000), R-2, or HR § 20.220.040
- Maximum building height: 75 ft — Lot is more than 200 feet from any land zoned R-1, R1-H, R-1 (5,000), R-2, or HR § 20.220.040
- Minimum front setback: 10 ft — Front yard on the turn around end of a cul-de-sac street § 20.220.040
- Minimum front setback: 10 ft — Where an entire block frontage is designed and developed as a neighborhood unit; no front yard may be less than 10 feet § 20.220.040
- Minimum front setback: 15 ft average — Where an entire block frontage is designed and developed as a neighborhood unit § 20.220.040
- Minimum side setback: 10 ft — Street side property line on a corner lot § 20.220.040
- Minimum side setback: up to 10 ft — Next to a building over 20 ft tall: add two and one-half feet per extra 15 ft of height, up to 10 ft total. § 20.220.040
- Minimum side setback: 10 ft plus one-half the dwelling height, or 15 ft, whichever is greater — Where any dwelling or group of dwellings face a common property line § 20.220.040
- Minimum rear setback: 15 ft plus 5 ft for each additional 15 ft of height — Rear yard adjacent to a building more than 35 feet in height § 20.220.040
Not on this page
We did not find a general height, stories, FAR limit for R-3 in the zoning tables we read. The code may still set one elsewhere — check the Brea Municipal Code.
Other Brea zoning districts
Who this affects
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum front setback in Brea's R-3 zone?
15 ft — Brea Municipal Code § 20.220.040.
What is the minimum side setback in Brea's R-3 zone?
5 ft (interior side lot line on an interior lot, or interior side lot line on a corner lot) — Brea Municipal Code § 20.220.040.
What is the minimum rear setback in Brea's R-3 zone?
15 ft — Brea Municipal Code § 20.220.040.
What is the minimum lot size in Brea's R-3 zone?
10,000 sq ft — Brea Municipal Code § 20.220.040.
What is the maximum lot coverage in Brea's R-3 zone?
60% — Brea Municipal Code § 20.220.040.
General information, not legal advice.
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