Mendocino County · Zoning · GVMU
Mendocino County GVMU zoning: height, setbacks and lot size
In Mendocino County's GVMU zone, generally buildings can be up to 28 ft tall, the front setback is 40 ft and the minimum lot size is 6,000 sq ft, with the conditions listed below (Mendocino County code, read October 2026).
Key points
- Maximum building height: 28 ft (East of Highway 1)
- Minimum front setback: 40 ft (From the Highway 1 centerline; buildings and parking areas)
- Minimum lot size: 6,000 sq ft
- Maximum lot coverage: 25% (East of Highway 1; all uses)
- Maximum floor area ratio (FAR): 35% (East of Highway 1; all uses)
- Maximum density: 10 units per acre (Single family dwelling units per parcel, or portion thereof)
GVMU (Gualala Village Mixed Use District) is a zoning district in Mendocino County. Every value below was read from the Mendocino County 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 GVMU
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 | 28 ft Applies: East of Highway 1 § 20.405.035 · code textStructures shall be limited to twenty-eight (28) feet in height. |
|---|---|
| Minimum front setback | 40 ft Applies: From the Highway 1 centerline; buildings and parking areas § 20.405.045 · code textAt a minimum, buildings and parking areas shall be setback forty (40) feet from the Highway 1 centerline and thirty (30) feet from the centerline of the right-of-way for local roads in the GVMU District. |
| Minimum lot size | 6,000 sq ft § 20.405.020 · code textSix thousand (6,000) square feet. |
| Maximum lot coverage | 25% Applies: East of Highway 1; all uses § 20.405.035 · code textThe maximum lot coverage for all uses shall be twenty-five percent (25%). |
| Maximum floor area ratio (FAR) | 35% Applies: East of Highway 1; all uses § 20.405.035 · code textA maximum floor-area ratio of thirty-five percent (35%) shall be permitted for all uses. |
| Maximum density | 10 units per acre Applies: Single family dwelling units per parcel, or portion thereof § 20.405.025 · code textSingle family dwelling units per parcel, or portion thereof, shall be limited to a density of ten (10) units per acre. |
When a different number applies
The code sets other values for particular lots, buildings or locations in GVMU:
- Maximum building height: 18 ft — West of Highway 1 § 20.405.040
- Minimum front setback: 30 ft — From the centerline of the right-of-way for local roads; buildings and parking areas § 20.405.045
- Minimum rear setback: 10 ft — along any lot line shared with a property not in the GVMU, GHMU, GPD or GI districts § 20.405.045
- Maximum lot coverage: 20% — West of Highway 1; all uses § 20.405.040
- Maximum floor area ratio (FAR): 20% — West of Highway 1; all eighteen-foot structures § 20.405.040
- Maximum floor area ratio (FAR): 30% — West of Highway 1; significant view corridors maintained and exception to the eighteen-foot height limit granted § 20.405.040
- Maximum density: 30 units per acre — Multiple family and two-family dwelling units per parcel, or portion thereof § 20.405.025
- Maximum density: 20 units per acre — Visitor accommodation units; total not to exceed 30 units § 20.405.030
Not on this page
We did not find a general stories, side setback, rear setback limit for GVMU in the zoning tables we read. The code may still set one elsewhere — check the Mendocino County Municipal Code.
Other Mendocino County zoning districts
Who this affects
Frequently asked questions
What is the maximum building height in Mendocino County's GVMU zone?
28 ft (east of Highway 1) — Mendocino County Municipal Code § 20.405.035.
What is the minimum front setback in Mendocino County's GVMU zone?
40 ft (from the Highway 1 centerline; buildings and parking areas) — Mendocino County Municipal Code § 20.405.045.
What is the minimum lot size in Mendocino County's GVMU zone?
6,000 sq ft — Mendocino County Municipal Code § 20.405.020.
What is the maximum lot coverage in Mendocino County's GVMU zone?
25% (east of Highway 1; all uses) — Mendocino County Municipal Code § 20.405.035.
What is the maximum floor area ratio (far) in Mendocino County's GVMU zone?
35% (east of Highway 1; all uses) — Mendocino County Municipal Code § 20.405.035.
General information, not legal advice.
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