Millbrae · Zoning · R-2
Millbrae R-2 zoning: height, setbacks and lot size
In Millbrae's R-2 zone, generally buildings can be up to 30 ft tall, the front setback is 20 ft and the minimum lot size is 5,000 sq ft, with the conditions listed below (Millbrae code, read October 2026).
Key points
- Maximum building height: 30 ft (Uppermost five feet must consist of a roof sloping toward any adjacent street at a minimum slope of three inches per foot)
- Minimum front setback: 20 ft
- Minimum side setback: 5 ft (Interior side yard, duplex or triplex; may be reduced to 10% of lot width, but not below 3 ft.)
- Minimum rear setback: 10 ft (Duplex)
- Minimum lot size: 5,000 sq ft (Interior lots)
- Maximum lot coverage: 50%
- Maximum floor area ratio (FAR): 88%
R-2 (Duplex/triplex Residential) is a zoning district in Millbrae. Every value below was read from the Millbrae 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-2
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: Uppermost five feet must consist of a roof sloping toward any adjacent street at a minimum slope of three inches per foot § 10.05.0720 · code textMaximum height of structures shall be thirty feet, provided the uppermost five feet shall consist of a roof which slopes toward any adjacent street at a minimum slope of three inches per foot. |
|---|---|
| Minimum front setback | 20 ft § 10.05.0720 · code textFront: twenty feet. |
| Minimum side setback | 5 ft Applies: Interior side yard, duplex or triplex; may be reduced to 10% of lot width, but not below 3 ft. § 10.05.0720 · code textFive feet interior; however, the width of interior side yards may be reduced to ten percent of the lot width, but in no case less than three feet. |
| Minimum rear setback | 10 ft Applies: Duplex § 10.05.0720 · code textRear: ten feet. |
| Minimum lot size | 5,000 sq ft Applies: Interior lots § 10.05.0720 · code textFive thousand square feet for interior lots. |
| Maximum lot coverage | 50% § 10.05.0720 · code textLot coverage: fifty percent. |
| Maximum floor area ratio (FAR) | 88% § 10.05.0720 · code textFloor area ratio (FAR): eighty-eight percent. |
When a different number applies
The code sets other values for particular lots, buildings or locations in R-2:
- Maximum building height: 25 ft — If the roof slope toward any adjacent street is less than three inches per foot § 10.05.0720
- Minimum side setback: 10 ft — Exterior side yard, duplex or triplex § 10.05.0720
- Minimum rear setback: 15 ft — Triplex § 10.05.0720
- Minimum lot size: 6,000 sq ft — Corner lots § 10.05.0720
- Minimum lot size: 7,500 sq ft — Triplex lots § 10.05.0720
Not on this page
We did not find a general stories, density limit for R-2 in the zoning tables we read. The code may still set one elsewhere — check the Millbrae Municipal Code.
Other Millbrae zoning districts
Who this affects
Frequently asked questions
What is the maximum building height in Millbrae's R-2 zone?
30 ft (uppermost five feet must consist of a roof sloping toward any adjacent street at a minimum slope of three inches per foot) — Millbrae Municipal Code § 10.05.0720.
What is the minimum front setback in Millbrae's R-2 zone?
20 ft — Millbrae Municipal Code § 10.05.0720.
What is the minimum side setback in Millbrae's R-2 zone?
5 ft (interior side yard, duplex or triplex; may be reduced to 10% of lot width, but not below 3 ft) — Millbrae Municipal Code § 10.05.0720.
What is the minimum rear setback in Millbrae's R-2 zone?
10 ft (duplex) — Millbrae Municipal Code § 10.05.0720.
What is the minimum lot size in Millbrae's R-2 zone?
5,000 sq ft (interior lots) — Millbrae Municipal Code § 10.05.0720.
General information, not legal advice.
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