Gardena · Zoning · C-R
Gardena C-R zoning: height, setbacks and lot size
In Gardena's C-R zone, generally buildings can be up to 45 ft (3 stories) tall, the front setback is 0 ft and the minimum lot size is 5,000 sq ft, with the conditions listed below (Gardena code, read October 2026).
Key points
- Maximum building height: 45 ft (Properties of less than one-half acre)
- Maximum number of stories: 3 stories (Commercial buildings)
- Minimum front setback: 0 ft (commercial only, vertical mixed use or horizontal mixed use; 1st and 2nd floors)
- Minimum side setback: 0 ft (Side yard – Commercial component)
- Minimum lot size: 5,000 sq ft
- Maximum density: 34 units per acre (Residential units)
C-R (Commercial-Residential Zone) is a zoning district in Gardena. Every value below was read from the Gardena 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 C-R
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 | 45 ft Applies: Properties of less than one-half acre § 18.20.050 · code texta. Properties of less than one-half acre: forty-five feet. |
|---|---|
| Maximum number of stories | 3 stories Applies: Commercial buildings § 18.20.050 · code textCommercial buildings shall be limited to three stories; mixed use or residential buildings may be four stories. |
| Minimum front setback | 0 ft Applies: commercial only, vertical mixed use or horizontal mixed use; 1st and 2nd floors § 18.20.050 · code textTable row “Front – 1st and 2nd floors”, column “Commercial Only”: 0' |
| Minimum side setback | 0 ft Applies: Side yard – Commercial component § 18.20.050 · code textTable row “Side yard – Commercial component”, column “Commercial Only”: 0' |
| Minimum lot size | 5,000 sq ft § 18.20.050 · code textEach lot shall have a minimum width at the building line of fifty feet and a minimum lot area of five thousand square feet. |
| Maximum density | 34 units per acre Applies: Residential units § 18.20.050 · code textThe maximum residential density shall be thirty-four units per acre. |
When a different number applies
The code sets other values for particular lots, buildings or locations in C-R:
- Maximum building height: 55 ft — Properties one-half acre or greater, if there is a multifamily residential component to the development § 18.20.050
- Maximum number of stories: 4 stories — Mixed use or residential buildings § 18.20.050
- Minimum front setback: 5 ft — Residential Only; Front – 1st and 2nd floors § 18.20.050
- Minimum front setback: 5 ft — 3rd and 4th floors of commercial or mixed-use buildings § 18.20.050
- Minimum side setback: 5 ft — Side yard – Residential – 1 or 2 story building; Horizontal Mixed Use or Residential Only § 18.20.050
- Minimum side setback: 10 ft — Side yard – Residential – 2 story with semisubterranean parking or 3+ stories; Horizontal Mixed Use or Residential Only § 18.20.050
- Minimum side setback: 10 ft — Side yard residential – Corner lot – Regardless of stories; Horizontal Mixed Use or Residential Only § 18.20.050
- Minimum side setback: 10 ft — Side yard – Building fronts on a side yard of R-3, R-4, or C-R property regardless of height; Horizontal Mixed Use or Residential Only § 18.20.050
- Minimum rear setback: 5 ft — Rear adjacent to commercial § 18.20.050
- Minimum rear setback: 10 ft — Rear – 1st and 2nd floors adjacent to R-3, R-4, or C-R § 18.20.050
- Minimum rear setback: 15 ft — Rear – 3rd and 4th floors adjacent to R-3, R-4, or C-R § 18.20.050
- Minimum rear setback: 20 ft — residential only: 3rd and 4th floors adjacent to R-3, R-4, or C-R, if the building is over 45 ft § 18.20.050
Not on this page
We did not find a general rear setback, lot coverage, FAR limit for C-R in the zoning tables we read. The code may still set one elsewhere — check the Gardena Municipal Code.
Other Gardena zoning districts
Who this affects
Frequently asked questions
What is the maximum building height in Gardena's C-R zone?
45 ft (properties of less than one-half acre) — Gardena Municipal Code § 18.20.050.
What is the maximum number of stories in Gardena's C-R zone?
3 stories (commercial buildings) — Gardena Municipal Code § 18.20.050.
What is the minimum front setback in Gardena's C-R zone?
0 ft (commercial only, vertical mixed use or horizontal mixed use; 1st and 2nd floors) — Gardena Municipal Code § 18.20.050.
What is the minimum side setback in Gardena's C-R zone?
0 ft (side yard – Commercial component) — Gardena Municipal Code § 18.20.050.
What is the minimum lot size in Gardena's C-R zone?
5,000 sq ft — Gardena Municipal Code § 18.20.050.
General information, not legal advice.
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