Find Your Zoning & Other Information

  1. You will need the 9-digit APN (0XX-XXX-XX0) for the property. The GIS Database may not be able to find property-specific information by address.
  2. Go to the Planning and Building Map Viewer.
  3. In the Layers section on the left navigation, there is a list of Layer groups. Locate the LAND USE group and click the arrow to expand the group. Put a check mark in the check box labeled Unincorporated SMC Zoning to display Zoning Districts.
  4. To find your parcel click Find parcels by APN from the menu bar at the top.  Enter the APN (remove all dashes ' - ' or spaces between numbers) in the APN box and click the Search button.  Your Parcel will be highlighted in Blue.
  5. Click on your parcel to open the Map Tips box. This box will display information related to the active layers in the viewer.
  6. In the upper right corner of the Map Tips box, there is a page toggle to move through the different active layers. Click the right-arrow to display your parcel’s Zoning District and Zone Description.
  7. The GIS Database has information about Service/Utility Districts; Flood, Fire, and Airport Hazard areas; Scenic Corridors; areas of Prime Agricultural Land; and more.  To view the information, click Layers on the bottom left corner to see the list of all the Layer groups. Locate a specific Layer group and click the arrow to expand. Put a check mark in the desired Layer check box and then repeat steps 4 through 6 above.

Understanding Zoning Districts

A parcel may have only one Zoning District (e.g., “RM”, “TPZ”), two Zoning Districts (e.g., R-1/S-101) or several Zoning Districts (e.g., R-1/S-17/DR/CD). Each Layer represents a distinct chapter or section in the County’s Zoning Regulations. Please find each Layer of your Zoning District in the Zoning Regulations, as development will be required to comply with the regulation for each district.

As a rule of thumb, “S” districts contain development standards (e.g., setbacks, height, FAR, lot coverage), “R” districts are primarily residential in use, “RM” “TPZ” and “PAD” districts are rural, the “CD” district applies to all areas of the Coastal Zone, and the “DR” district requires compliance with design review standards.

Need Help?

For assistance, contact the Planning Counter by calling (650) 363-1825 or emailing.