Imperial Beach · Zoning · R-1500
Imperial Beach R-1500 zoning: height, setbacks and lot size
In Imperial Beach's R-1500 zone, generally buildings can be up to 30 ft (3 stories) tall, the front setback is 15 ft and the minimum lot size is 3,000 sq ft, with the conditions listed below (Imperial Beach code, read October 2026).
Key points
- Maximum building height: 30 ft (principal building or structure; whichever is less with the maximum height of three stories)
- Maximum number of stories: 3 stories (principal building or structure; whichever is less with the maximum height of thirty feet)
- Minimum front setback: 15 ft (the front of a garage must be set back at least 20 ft)
- Minimum side setback: 5 ft (on each side, for the first two floors; above the second floor, add 5 ft more on each side)
- Minimum lot size: 3,000 sq ft (any new lot created)
- Maximum lot coverage: 50%
- Maximum floor area ratio (FAR): 100% (garages and covered parking areas are not counted in the floor area ratio)
- Maximum density: 1 unit per 1,500 sq ft (also at most 29 dwelling units per net acre, except as provided in Section 19.11.095)
R-1500 (HIGH DENSITY RESIDENTIAL ZONE) is a zoning district in Imperial Beach. Every value below was read from the Imperial Beach 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-1500
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 | 30 ft Applies: principal building or structure; whichever is less with the maximum height of three stories § 19.17.060 · code textNo principal building or structure shall exceed three stories or thirty feet in height, whichever is less. |
|---|---|
| Maximum number of stories | 3 stories Applies: principal building or structure; whichever is less with the maximum height of thirty feet § 19.17.060 · code textNo principal building or structure shall exceed three stories or thirty feet in height, whichever is less. |
| Minimum front setback | 15 ft Applies: the front of a garage must be set back at least 20 ft § 19.17.030 · code textThere shall be a minimum front yard of fifteen feet, provided that the front of a garage shall be set back a minimum of twenty feet. |
| Minimum side setback | 5 ft Applies: on each side, for the first two floors; above the second floor, add 5 ft more on each side § 19.17.030 · code textThere shall be a minimum side yard on each side of five feet for the first two floors of any structure. |
| Minimum lot size | 3,000 sq ft Applies: any new lot created § 19.17.040 · code textThe minimum lot size for any new lot created in the R-1500 zone shall be three thousand square feet (for related provisions concerning small lots, see Chapter 19.42.). |
| Maximum lot coverage | 50% § 19.17.125 · code textThe maximum allowable floor area ratio shall be one hundred percent and the maximum lot coverage shall be fifty percent. |
| Maximum floor area ratio (FAR) | 100% Applies: garages and covered parking areas are not counted in the floor area ratio § 19.17.125 · code textThe maximum allowable floor area ratio shall be one hundred percent and the maximum lot coverage shall be fifty percent. |
| Maximum density | 1 unit per 1,500 sq ft Applies: also at most 29 dwelling units per net acre, except as provided in Section 19.11.095 § 19.17.090 · code textThe maximum allowable density in the R-1500 zone shall be one dwelling unit for each one thousand five hundred square feet of lot area, not to exceed a maximum density of twenty-nine dwelling units per net acre except as provided for in Section 19.11.095. |
Uses in R-1500
Uses the code's use tables allow in R-1500, or allow with a permit. Each links to its page with the code section.
- Single-family home — Allowed
- Child care center — Needs a conditional use permit
When a different number applies
The code sets other values for particular lots, buildings or locations in R-1500:
- Minimum front setback: 20 ft — front of a garage § 19.17.030
- Minimum rear setback: 5 ft — if on an alley § 19.17.030
- Minimum rear setback: 10 ft — if no alley § 19.17.030
Not on this page
We did not find a general rear setback limit for R-1500 in the zoning tables we read. The code may still set one elsewhere — check the Imperial Beach Municipal Code.
Other Imperial Beach zoning districts
Who this affects
Frequently asked questions
What is the maximum building height in Imperial Beach's R-1500 zone?
30 ft (principal building or structure; whichever is less with the maximum height of three stories) — Imperial Beach Municipal Code § 19.17.060.
What is the maximum number of stories in Imperial Beach's R-1500 zone?
3 stories (principal building or structure; whichever is less with the maximum height of thirty feet) — Imperial Beach Municipal Code § 19.17.060.
What is the minimum front setback in Imperial Beach's R-1500 zone?
15 ft (the front of a garage must be set back at least 20 ft) — Imperial Beach Municipal Code § 19.17.030.
What is the minimum side setback in Imperial Beach's R-1500 zone?
5 ft (on each side, for the first two floors; above the second floor, add 5 ft more on each side) — Imperial Beach Municipal Code § 19.17.030.
What is the minimum lot size in Imperial Beach's R-1500 zone?
3,000 sq ft (any new lot created) — Imperial Beach Municipal Code § 19.17.040.
General information, not legal advice.
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