Imperial Beach · Zoning · R-2000
Imperial Beach R-2000 zoning: height, setbacks and lot size
In Imperial Beach's R-2000 zone, generally buildings can be up to 26 ft (2 stories) tall, the front setback is 15 ft and the minimum lot size is 6,000 sq ft, with the conditions listed below (Imperial Beach code, read October 2026).
Key points
- Maximum building height: 26 ft (principal building or structure; whichever is less of 2 stories or 26 ft; accessory buildings 15 ft at most)
- Maximum number of stories: 2 stories (principal building or structure; whichever is less of 2 stories or 26 ft)
- Minimum front setback: 15 ft (the front of a garage must be set back at least 20 ft)
- Minimum side setback: 5 ft
- Minimum lot size: 6,000 sq ft (any new lot created)
- Maximum lot coverage: 50%
- Maximum floor area ratio (FAR): 75% (garages and covered parking areas are not counted in the floor area ratio)
- Maximum density: 1 unit per 2,000 sq ft (also at most 21 dwelling units per net acre, except as provided in Section 19.11.095)
R-2000 (Medium 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-2000
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 | 26 ft Applies: principal building or structure; whichever is less of 2 stories or 26 ft; accessory buildings 15 ft at most § 19.16.060 · code textNo principal building or structure shall exceed two stories or twenty-six feet in height, whichever is less. |
|---|---|
| Maximum number of stories | 2 stories Applies: principal building or structure; whichever is less of 2 stories or 26 ft § 19.16.060 · code textNo principal building or structure shall exceed two stories or twenty-six 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 § 19.16.030 · 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 § 19.16.030 · code textThere shall be a minimum side yard on each side of five feet. |
| Minimum lot size | 6,000 sq ft Applies: any new lot created § 19.16.040 · code textThe minimum lot size for any new lot created in the R-2000 zone shall be six thousand square feet (for related provisions concerning small lots, see Chapter 19.42.). |
| Maximum lot coverage | 50% § 19.16.125 · code textThe maximum allowable floor area ratio shall be seventy-five percent and the maximum lot coverage shall be fifty percent. |
| Maximum floor area ratio (FAR) | 75% Applies: garages and covered parking areas are not counted in the floor area ratio § 19.16.125 · code textThe maximum allowable floor area ratio shall be seventy-five percent and the maximum lot coverage shall be fifty percent. |
| Maximum density | 1 unit per 2,000 sq ft Applies: also at most 21 dwelling units per net acre, except as provided in Section 19.11.095 § 19.16.090 · code textThe maximum allowable density in the R-2000 zone shall be one dwelling unit for each two thousand square feet of lot area, not to exceed a maximum density of twenty-one dwelling units per net acre except as provided for in Section 19.11.095. |
Uses in R-2000
Uses the code's use tables allow in R-2000, 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-2000:
- Minimum front setback: 20 ft — front of a garage § 19.16.030
- Minimum side setback: 10 ft — street side yard § 19.16.030
- Minimum rear setback: 5 ft — if on an alley § 19.16.030
- Minimum rear setback: 10 ft — if no alley § 19.16.030
Not on this page
We did not find a general rear setback limit for R-2000 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-2000 zone?
26 ft (principal building or structure; whichever is less of 2 stories or 26 ft; accessory buildings 15 ft at most) — Imperial Beach Municipal Code § 19.16.060.
What is the maximum number of stories in Imperial Beach's R-2000 zone?
2 stories (principal building or structure; whichever is less of 2 stories or 26 ft) — Imperial Beach Municipal Code § 19.16.060.
What is the minimum front setback in Imperial Beach's R-2000 zone?
15 ft (the front of a garage must be set back at least 20 ft) — Imperial Beach Municipal Code § 19.16.030.
What is the minimum side setback in Imperial Beach's R-2000 zone?
5 ft — Imperial Beach Municipal Code § 19.16.030.
What is the minimum lot size in Imperial Beach's R-2000 zone?
6,000 sq ft (any new lot created) — Imperial Beach Municipal Code § 19.16.040.
General information, not legal advice.
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