Palm Desert · Zoning · D-O
Palm Desert D-O zoning: height, setbacks and lot size
In Palm Desert's D-O zone, generally buildings can be up to 55 ft (4 stories) tall and the front setback is 0 ft, with the conditions listed below (Palm Desert code, read October 2026).
Key points
- Maximum building height: 55 ft (To eave of pitched roof)
- Maximum number of stories: 4 stories (To eave of pitched roof)
- Minimum front setback: 0 ft (ground floor nonresidential, on the primary street; may need to be farther back for General Plan sidewalk and landscape widths)
- Minimum side setback: 0 ft (Residential, side yard setback)
- Maximum floor area ratio (FAR): 2.5
D-O is a zoning district in Palm Desert. Every value below was read from the Palm Desert 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 D-O
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 | 55 ft Applies: To eave of pitched roof § 25.18.050 · code textTable row “1. To eave of pitched roof (max.)”, column “D-O”: 4 floors / 55 ft. |
|---|---|
| Maximum number of stories | 4 stories Applies: To eave of pitched roof § 25.18.050 · code textTable row “1. To eave of pitched roof (max.)”, column “D-O”: 4 floors / 55 ft. |
| Minimum front setback | 0 ft Applies: ground floor nonresidential, on the primary street; may need to be farther back for General Plan sidewalk and landscape widths § 25.18.050 · code textTable row “b. Ground Floor Nonresidential”, column “D-O”: 0 ft. |
| Minimum side setback | 0 ft Applies: Residential, side yard setback § 25.18.050 · code textTable row “a. Residential”, column “D-O”: 0 ft. |
| Maximum floor area ratio (FAR) | 2.5 § 25.18.050 · code textTable row “1. Floor Area Ratio (FAR)”, column “D-O”: 2.5 |
When a different number applies
The code sets other values for particular lots, buildings or locations in D-O:
- Maximum building height: 60 ft — To top of parapet of flat roof; footnote 3 allows increase by 1 story / additional 15 ft if public improvements are implemented per conditions in 111 Corridor Implementation Manual § 25.18.050
- Minimum rear setback: 5 ft — With alley § 25.18.050
- Minimum rear setback: 5 ft — Without alley § 25.18.050
Not on this page
We did not find a general rear setback, lot size, lot coverage, density limit for D-O in the zoning tables we read. The code may still set one elsewhere — check the Palm Desert Municipal Code.
Other Palm Desert zoning districts
Who this affects
Frequently asked questions
What is the maximum building height in Palm Desert's D-O zone?
55 ft (to eave of pitched roof) — Palm Desert Municipal Code § 25.18.050.
What is the maximum number of stories in Palm Desert's D-O zone?
4 stories (to eave of pitched roof) — Palm Desert Municipal Code § 25.18.050.
What is the minimum front setback in Palm Desert's D-O zone?
0 ft (ground floor nonresidential, on the primary street; may need to be farther back for General Plan sidewalk and landscape widths) — Palm Desert Municipal Code § 25.18.050.
What is the minimum side setback in Palm Desert's D-O zone?
0 ft (residential, side yard setback) — Palm Desert Municipal Code § 25.18.050.
What is the maximum floor area ratio (far) in Palm Desert's D-O zone?
2.5 — Palm Desert Municipal Code § 25.18.050.
General information, not legal advice.
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