Sacramento · Zoning · C-3
Sacramento C-3 zoning: height, setbacks and lot size
In Sacramento's C-3 zone, generally buildings can be up to No maximum tall, the front setback is No minimum and the minimum lot size is No minimum, with the conditions listed below (Sacramento code, read October 2026).
Key points
- Maximum building height: No maximum (Except in the Capitol View Protection area, which has its own limits)
- Minimum front setback: No minimum (the maximum front and street side setback is 10 ft)
- Minimum side setback: No minimum
- Minimum rear setback: No minimum
- Minimum lot size: No minimum (no minimum lot width or depth either)
- Maximum lot coverage: no requirement
- Maximum density: 450 dwelling units per net acre
C-3 (Central Business District Zone) is a zoning district in Sacramento. Every value below was read from the Sacramento 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 C-3
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 | No maximum Applies: Except in the Capitol View Protection area, which has its own limits § 17.216.830 · code textExcept as provided in section 17.216.860 (the Capitol View Protection area), there are no maximum height limits. |
|---|---|
| Minimum front setback | No minimum Applies: the maximum front and street side setback is 10 ft § 17.216.850 · code textThere is no minimum front-yard or street side-yard setback. |
| Minimum side setback | No minimum § 17.216.850 · code textUnless paragraph 2 of this subsection applies, there is no minimum interior side-yard setback. |
| Minimum rear setback | No minimum § 17.216.850 · code textUnless paragraph 2 of this subsection applies, there is no required minimum rear-yard setback. |
| Minimum lot size | No minimum Applies: no minimum lot width or depth either § 17.216.840 · code textThere are no minimum lot size, width, or depth requirements. |
| Maximum lot coverage | no requirement § 17.216.830 · code textThere is no lot coverage requirement. |
| Maximum density | 450 dwelling units per net acre § 17.216.830 · code textThe maximum density is 450 dwelling units per net acre. |
When a different number applies
The code sets other values for particular lots, buildings or locations in C-3:
- Minimum side setback: 5 ft — If the side-yard lot line is adjacent to an R-zoned lot and is not separated by an alley § 17.216.850
- Minimum rear setback: 15 ft — If the rear-yard lot line is adjacent to an R-zoned lot and is not separated by an alley § 17.216.850
Not on this page
We did not find a general stories, FAR limit for C-3 in the zoning tables we read. The code may still set one elsewhere — check the Sacramento Municipal Code.
Other Sacramento zoning districts
Who this affects
Frequently asked questions
What is the maximum building height in Sacramento's C-3 zone?
No maximum (except in the Capitol View Protection area, which has its own limits) — Sacramento Municipal Code § 17.216.830.
What is the minimum front setback in Sacramento's C-3 zone?
No minimum (the maximum front and street side setback is 10 ft) — Sacramento Municipal Code § 17.216.850.
What is the minimum side setback in Sacramento's C-3 zone?
No minimum — Sacramento Municipal Code § 17.216.850.
What is the minimum rear setback in Sacramento's C-3 zone?
No minimum — Sacramento Municipal Code § 17.216.850.
What is the minimum lot size in Sacramento's C-3 zone?
No minimum (no minimum lot width or depth either) — Sacramento Municipal Code § 17.216.840.
General information, not legal advice.
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