Brisbane · Zoning · R-3
Brisbane R-3 zoning: height, setbacks and lot size
In Brisbane's R-3 zone, buildings can be up to 36 ft tall, the front setback is 15 ft and the minimum lot size is 5,000 sq ft (Brisbane code, read October 2026).
Key points
- Maximum building height: 36 ft
- Minimum front setback: 15 ft
- Minimum side setback: 5 ft (a lot under 50 ft wide may reduce it to 10% of lot width, not below 3 ft or the Building Code minimum)
- Minimum rear setback: 10 ft
- Minimum lot size: 5,000 sq ft
- Maximum lot coverage: 60% (under state law, does not preclude a 3 to 10 unit housing project if needed to reach the maximum floor area ratio)
- Maximum floor area ratio (FAR): 0.72 (single-family dwellings, duplexes and two-unit dwelling groups)
- Maximum density: 1 unit per 1,500 sq ft (minimum lot area for each dwelling unit)
R-3 (R-3 Residential District) is a zoning district in Brisbane. Every value below was read from the Brisbane 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.
| Maximum building height | 36 ft § 17.10.040 · code textExcept as otherwise provided in paragraph 2 of this subsection G and in Section 17.32.060, the maximum height of any structure shall be thirty-six (36) feet. |
|---|---|
| Minimum front setback | 15 ft § 17.10.040 · code textFront Setback: Fifteen (15) feet, with the following exceptions: |
| Minimum side setback | 5 ft Applies: a lot under 50 ft wide may reduce it to 10% of lot width, not below 3 ft or the Building Code minimum § 17.10.040 · code textSide Setback: Five (5) feet, with the exception that a lot having a width of less than fifty (50) feet may have a side setback reduced to ten percent (10%) of the lot width, but in no event less than three (3) feet or the minimum setback required by the Uniform Building Code, whichever is greater. |
| Minimum rear setback | 10 ft § 17.10.040 · code textRear Setback: Ten (10) feet. |
| Minimum lot size | 5,000 sq ft § 17.10.040 · code textThe minimum area of any lot shall be five thousand (5,000) square feet, except as otherwise provided in subsection B of this section. |
| Maximum lot coverage | 60% Applies: under state law, does not preclude a 3 to 10 unit housing project if needed to reach the maximum floor area ratio § 17.10.040 · code textThe maximum coverage by all structures on any lot shall be sixty percent (60%); except that, pursuant to state law, the maximum lot coverage shall not preclude a housing development project of at least three (3) units but not more than ten (10) units, if exceeding the maximum coverage is required to allow for development up to the maximum floor area ratio, as that ratio is determined by the building official; in such instance, no variance shall be required. |
| Maximum floor area ratio (FAR) | 0.72 Applies: single-family dwellings, duplexes and two-unit dwelling groups § 17.10.040 · code textSingle-family dwellings, duplexes and two-unit dwelling groups shall have a maximum floor area ratio of 0.72, with the following exceptions: |
| Maximum density | 1 unit per 1,500 sq ft Applies: minimum lot area for each dwelling unit § 17.10.040 · code textThe minimum lot area for each dwelling unit on the site shall be one thousand five hundred (1,500) square feet; provided, however, a lot having an area of four thousand nine hundred fifty (4,950) square feet or greater shall be considered conforming for a development density of three (3) units, and further provided that pursuant to state law, a housing development project of three (3) units proposed on an existing legal lot of record shall not be denied solely on the basis that the lot area of that existing lot does not meet the minimum lot area for each dwelling unit. |
When a different number applies
The code sets other values for particular lots, buildings or locations in R-3:
- Maximum building height: 20 ft — for a distance of 15 feet from the front lot line, measured from finish grade § 17.10.040
- Maximum building height: 15 ft — garages and carports, when permitted by Section 17.32.070; measured above elevation of center of adjacent street § 17.10.040
- Minimum front setback: 10 ft — lot has a slope of fifteen percent (15%) or greater § 17.10.040
- Minimum front setback: average distance of front outside wall from front lot line — fifty percent or more of lots of record in a block have been improved with single-family dwellings, and the average distance is less than 15 feet § 17.10.040
- Minimum front setback: 10 ft — garages or carports; except where a lesser distance is determined by the city engineer to be safe in terms of pedestrian and vehicular traffic § 17.10.040
- Minimum side setback: 10% of lot width, minimum 3 ft or Uniform Building Code minimum, whichever is greater — lot width is less than 50 feet § 17.10.040
- Minimum side setback: 10 ft — garages or carports accessed from a street or alley along that side of the lot; except where a lesser distance is determined by the city engineer to be safe in terms of pedestrian and vehicular traffic § 17.10.040
- Maximum floor area ratio (FAR): 1.0 — multiple-family developments of 3 to 7 units § 17.10.040
- Maximum floor area ratio (FAR): 1.25 — multiple-family developments of 8 to 10 units § 17.10.040
- Maximum density: 3 units per 4,950 sq ft lot — lot area is 4,950 sq ft or greater § 17.10.040
Not on this page
We did not find a general stories limit for R-3 in the zoning tables we read. The code may still set one elsewhere — check the Brisbane Municipal Code.
Other Brisbane zoning districts
Who this affects
Frequently asked questions
What is the maximum building height in Brisbane's R-3 zone?
36 ft — Brisbane Municipal Code § 17.10.040.
What is the minimum front setback in Brisbane's R-3 zone?
15 ft — Brisbane Municipal Code § 17.10.040.
What is the minimum side setback in Brisbane's R-3 zone?
5 ft (a lot under 50 ft wide may reduce it to 10% of lot width, not below 3 ft or the Building Code minimum) — Brisbane Municipal Code § 17.10.040.
What is the minimum rear setback in Brisbane's R-3 zone?
10 ft — Brisbane Municipal Code § 17.10.040.
What is the minimum lot size in Brisbane's R-3 zone?
5,000 sq ft — Brisbane Municipal Code § 17.10.040.
General information, not legal advice.
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