Example report

Zoning & Site Profile
for a property in City of San Diego.

A real report, generated now by the same code that produces a purchased one, for a real property in City of San Diego. The lot area, zone and overlays below are what the assessor and the city actually publish, and the standards are what City of San Diego’s adopted ordinance says, with the section each came from.

The street number, street name, parcel number and parcel outline have been removed. They were stripped when this example was captured rather than hidden here, so they are not in this page to find. A report you buy carries all of them, for your own address. Reload for a different jurisdiction.

Download a full PDF example of the Zoning & Site Profile for one real single-family lot with four recorded units in the City of San Diego. Its street address and parcel number are withheld; everything else is as generated, generated 2 November 2026. It is an example of automated research: it marks what it could not establish and does not replace confirmation with the agency.

01 Executive Summary

The property at 1234 Example Street, City of San Diego is under the planning and building jurisdiction of City of San Diego in San Diego, established from official county and incorporated-place boundaries.

21 project-specific items have been established from official sources and appear below with citations. Items that could not be verified are omitted rather than estimated.

The assessor records 4 existing dwelling units on this parcel, so the multifamily ADU provisions apply rather than the single-family ones. The statutory allowance for detached ADUs on a multifamily lot may not exceed the number of existing units, which caps it at 4 here, and conversion of non-livable space is a separate allowance on top of that. The unit count should be confirmed against the building department record before it is relied on.

Conclusion: Profile established in part; material items require confirmation. 49 material items require confirmation, listed in Recommended Due Diligence.

This report profiles the parcel and the standards that govern it. It does not determine whether a particular unit fits on the site: that requires a specific footprint tested against measured existing conditions, which needs a survey and belongs with the construction drawings rather than with a report.

02 Property & Parcel Profile

JurisdictionCity of San Diego

CountySan Diego

Incorporated statusIncorporated city

Gross lot area6,152 sq ft

Assessor lot area (nominal)6,250 sq ft, as the assessor records it. The parcel polygon measures 6,152 sq ft; the difference is unresolved and the controlling area must be established from a survey or the jurisdiction's own calculation.

Existing improvementsAssessor records improvements (2,760 sq ft living area, 4 units, 8 bedrooms, 4 bath)

Existing useSingle Family Multiple-Units

03 Zoning Profile

Base zoning districtRS-1-7

Parking requirementsNo on-street or off-street parking is required for ADUs. The one exception is an ADU on a premises both within the Beach Impact Area of the Parking Impact Overlay Zone and outside a transit priority area. That ADU needs one off-street space per ADU (§141.0302(b)(10)(B)). The requirement does not apply if any of these is true: the ADU is 500 sq ft or less; the premises is in a designated historical district; the ADU is attached to the primary dwelling or an accessory structure; the premises is in a residential permit parking district; or a car share vehicle is within one block. When a garage or carport is demolished or converted, replacement parking is not required, except in that same Beach Impact Area outside a transit priority area. Replacement of an uncovered space is never required (§141.0302(b)(10)(C)-(D)).

04 Setbacks, Height, Density, Coverage & Development Envelope

Only verified requirements appear. Where more than one standard applies, the controlling requirement is identified.

Standard	Verified requirement	Source
Front setback	The front yard setback is the base-zone front setback. The City sets no separate ADU figure. The one exception is the single ADU of 800 sq ft or less under §141.0302(b)(4), which is not subject to the base zone's front yard setback. The minimum street side yard setback is 4 feet or the base-zone street side setback, whichever is less (§141.0302(b)(9)(B)).	San Diego MC §141.0302(b)(9)(A)
Interior side setback	For ADU structures 16 feet or less in height outside a High or Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, there is no minimum interior side or rear setback, though the Fire Code Official may require more. Inside a High or Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone the minimum is 4 feet (§141.0302(b)(9)(C)(ii)). For structures over 16 feet, §141.0302(b)(9)(D) applies. Outside the fire zones there is still no minimum, except where the property line abuts residentially zoned or exclusively residential premises. There the minimum is 4 feet or the base-zone setback, whichever is less.	San Diego MC §141.0302(b)(9)(C)(i)
Rear setback	For ADU structures 16 feet or less in height outside a High or Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, there is no minimum interior side or rear setback, though the Fire Code Official may require more. Inside a High or Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone the minimum is 4 feet (§141.0302(b)(9)(C)(ii)). For structures over 16 feet, §141.0302(b)(9)(D) applies. Outside the fire zones there is still no minimum, except where the property line abuts residentially zoned or exclusively residential premises. There the minimum is 4 feet or the base-zone setback, whichever is less.	San Diego MC §141.0302(b)(9)(C)(i)
Accessory structure height	The code sets no fixed height in feet for ADUs. On lots that allow single dwelling units but not multiple dwelling units, a detached ADU is limited to two stories. Every ADU must also meet the overall maximum structure height of the underlying base zone and overlay zone (§141.0302(b)(8)(C)). The actual foot limit therefore depends on the zone and is not stated in this division.	San Diego MC §141.0302(b)(8)(A)

05 ADU Standards

These are the standards that govern the accessory unit, which are not the same as the base-zone envelope above — that governs the primary dwelling. State law sets floors on what a jurisdiction must permit; the local ordinance may impose objective standards within them and controls anything the state has not reserved.

City of San Diego has adopted the standards below. Where the local ordinance is more generous than the statutory floor it controls, and where it is more restrictive the statutory floor controls.

Standard	Requirement	Source
Maximum ADU size	A local agency may set maximums of up to 850 sq ft for a one-bedroom ADU and 1,000 sq ft for more than one bedroom. At least 800 sq ft must be allowed regardless of the size of the primary unit.	Gov. Code §66321(b)(3)
ADU side and rear setbacks	A maximum four-foot setback from side and rear lot lines may be required for a new detached ADU. Conversion of existing space, and replacement in the same location and dimensions, may not be required to meet a greater setback.	Gov. Code §66321
ADU height limit	Height limits of 16, 18, 20 or 25 feet apply depending on unit type, proximity to transit and whether the ADU is attached — the applicable figure must be confirmed against the conditions in the statute.	Gov. Code §66321(b)(4)
Owner-occupancy requirement	Owner occupancy may not be required for an ADU. This does not extend to junior ADUs.	Gov. Code §66315; AB 976 (2023)
Separate sale or conveyance	An ADU may be sold or conveyed separately from the primary residence as a condominium only where the local agency has adopted an ordinance allowing it. Absent that ordinance, separate sale is not available.	Gov. Code §66342; AB 1033 (2023)
ADUs permitted on a multifamily lot	On a lot with an existing multifamily dwelling, up to eight detached ADUs may be permitted, not exceeding the number of existing units.	Gov. Code §§66310–66342; SB 1211 (2024)

Local standard	Requirement	Source
Maximum ADU size	1,200 sq ft or less for an attached or detached ADU, with a 150 sq ft minimum. A conversion of an existing structure is not subject to the 1,200 sq ft cap.	San Diego Municipal Code §141.0302
Junior ADU	Not less than 150 sq ft and no more than 500 sq ft.	San Diego Municipal Code §141.0302
Height	The overall maximum structure height of the underlying base zone and overlay zone. Detached ADUs in single-family zones are limited to two storeys.	San Diego Municipal Code §141.0302
Front setback	The zone requirement applies, except that one ADU of 800 sq ft or less may encroach.	San Diego Municipal Code §141.0302
Street side setback	The zone standard or a minimum of four feet, whichever is less.	San Diego Municipal Code §141.0302
Interior side and rear setbacks	May encroach to the property line unless a residential use abuts. Where a structure exceeds 16 ft adjacent to residential uses, a minimum four-foot interior side and rear setback applies, or the zone's minimum, whichever is less.	San Diego Municipal Code §141.0302
Parking	No parking is required outside the Coastal Zone; requirements vary within it. No on-street or off-street parking is required for a JADU.	San Diego Municipal Code §141.0302
Units permitted per lot	In single-family zones: one primary dwelling plus one attached or detached ADU, one converted ADU and one JADU. With a density bonus, four to six units depending on lot size.	San Diego Municipal Code §141.0302
Coastal Overlay Zone	Coastal Overlay Zone regulations differ from the citywide standards and must be checked against the current ordinances, including O-21439, O-21618, O-21758, O-21836 and O-21989.	San Diego Municipal Code §141.0302

06 California Building / Residential Code Profile

Governing code frameworkA detached one- or two-family dwelling, a townhouse not more than three storeys above grade plane with separate means of egress, and their accessory structures may be designed under EITHER the California Residential Code or the California Building Code — but not both. The election is only overridden where the structure exceeds the design limitations of the CRC and the CRC directs the user to the CBC. An ADU is not automatically a CRC project; the framework is a decision that gets made and then has to be held to across the whole set.

Adopted California code edition and effective dateOnly the standards in effect WHEN THE BUILDING PERMIT APPLICATION IS SUBMITTED apply to the plans and to the construction under that permit. The edition is therefore fixed by the application date, not by the design date or the start of construction, and a project that sits unsubmitted across a code change is designed to an edition that no longer governs it.

Locally adopted amendmentsA city or county may adopt more restrictive provisions, but each amendment requires express findings based on climatic, topographical or geological conditions, and must be filed with the California Building Standards Commission. No local amendment takes effect earlier than the effective date of the code it amends. Local modifications run under Health and Safety Code §18941.5, §17958, or §13869.7 for fire protection districts.

Conflicts between parts of Title 24Where this code conflicts with any other part of the California Building Standards Code, the MOST RESTRICTIVE requirement prevails. Energy, mechanical, plumbing, electrical and green-building parts are separate documents that can each bind the same detail.

Tiny-house provisions (CRC Appendix BB)CRC Appendix BB relaxes provisions for dwelling units of 400 sq ft or less excluding lofts, chiefly reduced loft ceiling heights and stair and ladder access. It is an APPENDIX: it applies only where the jurisdiction's adopting ordinance specifically references it. A small ADU does not get these relaxations by default, and designing a loft to them without confirming adoption is a plan-check correction waiting to happen.

07 Authorities Having Jurisdiction & Contact Directory

Only agencies and contact details confirmed from a current official source are listed. AHJs whose role has not been confirmed appear in Recommended Due Diligence instead.

Agency / AHJ	Project role	Department / division	Official source
City of San Diego	Planning and building review	Development Services Department	https://www.sandiego.gov/development-services/forms-publications/information-bulletins/400

08 Recommended Due Diligence

These items are material to feasibility and could not be established from a verified source. No assumed value is offered for any of them.

Due-diligence action	Responsible party / agency	Why confirmation is needed
Establish apn	County Assessor	Identifies the parcel in every agency record. One wrong digit routes a submittal to someone else's property.
Establish legal description	Recorded map / title report	The recorded description governs, not the assessor's. The two disagree more often than people expect.
Establish net lot area	Survey or official record	Only where officially established
Establish boundary / topographic survey	Surveyor	Nothing can be dimensioned to a property line without one. Setback compliance is unprovable until it exists.
Establish preliminary title report	Title company	Easements and restrictions appear here and nowhere else, and they can prohibit what the zoning allows.
Establish previous permits and entitlements	Building department records	Unpermitted work has to be resolved before new permits issue, and plan check is where it surfaces.
Establish general plan land-use designation	Planning Department	Zoning must be consistent with it. Where they conflict the General Plan controls and the fix is a rezone, not a variance.
Establish allowed density under the general plan	Adopted General Plan	Caps units independently of the zone. An ADU is usually exempt from it; the primary dwelling is not.
Establish specific plan designation	Planning Department	Where one applies it replaces the base-zone standards rather than adding to them.
Establish combining or overlay districts	Zoning map	Overlays add requirements on top of the base zone and are easy to miss on a zoning map.
Establish proposed-use status	Zoning code	By right, ministerial, administrative, conditional, discretionary or prohibited
Establish maximum density	Zoning code	Governs the primary dwellings. Read it before assuming an ADU is the only way to add a unit.
Establish maximum unit count	Zoning code	Research found: On a premises with an existing or proposed single dwelling unit, §141.0302(b)(1) allows one ADU that is within the dwelling or an existing accessory structure, or one attached or detached ADU. Under §141.0302(c)(1), one JADU is also permitted. The code does not state a combined total in a single sentence. Multi-dwelling premises have separate limits under §141.0302(b)(2)-(3). Premises that used the Multi-Dwelling Unit and Urban Lot Split regulations are excluded by §141.0302(a)(3). [San Diego MC §141.0302(b)(1)(B) and §141.0302(c)(1)] — confirm with the jurisdiction before relying on this.
Establish parking requirements	Zoning code	Exemptions are the rule rather than the exception, but each carries conditions that must be met on this parcel.
Establish adu / jadu standards	Local ADU ordinance	Research found: An attached or detached ADU may not exceed 1,200 sq ft of gross floor area, and the minimum is 150 sq ft. There is no maximum for ADUs inside an existing or proposed single dwelling or an existing accessory structure. A separate provision, (b)(4), allows one attached or detached ADU of 800 sq ft or less with relaxed base-zone standards. This 1,200 sq ft cap is not tied to detached units only. It applies to attached and detached ADUs alike. A JADU must be at least 150 sq ft and no more than 500 sq ft within an existing or proposed single dwelling unit. Owner occupancy is required. The record owner must live in the single dwelling unit or the JADU (§141.0302(c)(1)(E)), and a recorded agreement with the City must say so (§141.0302(c)(1)(F)(iii)). Government agencies, land trusts and qualified housing organizations are exempt (§141.0302(c)(1)(G)). No owner-occupancy requirement applies to a standard ADU. The record owner need not live on the premises. The JADU rule is different. [San Diego MC §141.0302(b)(7)(B); San Diego MC §141.0302(c)(4)(B) (size); §141.0302(c)(1)(E)-(G) (owner occupancy); San Diego MC §141.0302(b)(11)] — confirm with the jurisdiction before relying on this.
Establish local adu ordinance and its objective standards	Planning Department	The local ordinance may add objective standards within the statutory limits
Establish number of adus permitted on this lot	Planning Department	The combined total of ADUs and JADUs is usually stated across several subsections and is easy to over-read.
Establish front setback	Zoning code	Usually the base-zone figure, with an exception for a small ADU. Which applies decides where the unit can sit.
Establish interior side setback	Zoning code	Where the ADU rule and the base zone disagree the more generous one usually governs, but not always.
Establish rear setback	Zoning code	Often the lightest constraint on the lot, which is why units end up there. Confirm it rather than assume four feet.
Establish building height	Zoning code	The base-zone limit still caps the structure even where the ADU rule is more generous.
Establish height measurement method and datum	Zoning code	Height means nothing without its datum. Average grade, existing grade and finished floor give three different answers on a slope.
Establish lot coverage	Zoning code	A small ADU may be exempt. Where it is not, coverage is often what actually limits the footprint.
Establish coastal zone	Coastal Commission / local coastal program	A coastal development permit is a separate approval on its own timeline, and appeal jurisdiction can add months.
Establish fema special flood hazard area	FEMA / local flood map	Drives finished-floor elevation and can require an elevation certificate before the permit issues.
Establish alquist-priolo / seismic hazard zone	CGS hazard maps	A zone designation triggers a fault investigation before habitable construction, which is a long-lead item.
Establish fire authority having jurisdiction	Fire department / district	City, county and district requirements differ. Establish who reviews before designing access or water supply.
Establish fire hazard severity zone	OSFM / local fire authority	Severity zone drives Chapter 7A construction, defensible space and access, each of which changes cost materially.
Establish wildland-urban interface status	Fire authority	WUI status brings ignition-resistant assemblies at roof, eaves, vents and glazing. That is a specification decision, not a detail.
Establish automatic fire sprinkler requirement	Fire authority	An ADU generally need not be sprinklered where the primary dwelling is not, but the water supply still has to be confirmed.
Establish fire apparatus access and driveway standards	Fire authority	Access width, grade and turnaround are checked against the as-built driveway, not the drawn one.
Establish hydrant and fire-flow requirements	Fire authority / water purveyor	Never state fire flow without official confirmation
Establish grading permit thresholds	Grading ordinance	Crossing a cut or fill threshold turns a building permit into a graded project with its own review.
Establish natural-slope restrictions	Grading / hillside ordinance	Hillside rules can remove the flat part of the lot from consideration entirely.
Establish geotechnical or geological report requirement	Building / engineering	Where one is required it governs foundation design, so it is a long-lead item rather than a submittal attachment.
Establish drainage and hydrology requirements	Public Works	Added impervious area has to go somewhere. On a tight lot this decides where the unit can sit.
Establish stormwater quality / lid requirements	Public Works	Crossing the impervious-area threshold brings treatment measures that need space on the plan.
Establish public or private street status	Public Works	A private street changes who maintains access, who approves work in it, and whether a dedication is wanted.
Establish right-of-way, dedication and improvement requirements	Public Works	Dedication and frontage improvements are conditioned at permit and are routinely the unbudgeted item.
Establish domestic water purveyor	Water agency	The purveyor sets meter sizing and capacity charges, frequently the largest single fee on the job.
Establish sanitary sewer or septic authority	Sewer district / environmental health	Septic changes the project. Environmental Health must confirm the system serves both units to current standards.
Establish ceqa applicability	Planning Department	Most ADUs are ministerial and therefore exempt. Anything discretionary is not, and that is a different timeline.
Establish biological resources or protected habitat	Planning / biologist	Protected habitat can require survey windows that only open at certain times of year.
Establish recorded cc&rs	Title report / County Recorder	Private covenants bind independently of zoning. State law limits unreasonable ADU restrictions but does not void every one.
Establish hoa or architectural review committee	Title report	Architectural review runs in parallel with the permitting agency and answers to nobody there. Start it early.
Establish easements affecting development	Title report	Nothing may be built over an easement without the holder's consent, and holders are often slow to give it.
Establish required entitlement path	Planning Department	Ministerial and discretionary are different products: one is a counter transaction, the other is hearings.
Establish discretionary approvals required	Planning Department	Any discretionary approval brings notice, hearings and appeal periods, turning a schedule of weeks into months.
Establish building permit review sequence	Building department	Review order decides which corrections arrive when, and whether fire and engineering run in parallel.

09 Disclaimer

Prepared as preliminary architectural, zoning, entitlement, code, and site-feasibility research for project planning and consultant coordination. The report includes only information verified from the identified sources as of the stated research cutoff date. Codes, ordinances, maps, procedures, fees, and AHJ interpretations may change. Final design and construction documents remain subject to review and approval by the applicable Authorities Having Jurisdiction and responsible licensed professionals. This report is not a boundary survey, title opinion, geotechnical report, engineering calculation, or legal opinion.

What this example cannot show you

Removed from this page to protect a real owner, but in every report:

The parcel number and the assessor’s address for the property
The street address the report is written about
The parcel boundary, and the site aerial drawn from it

Impossible to show for a sample, because it depends on your address:

Which overlays, hazard zones and special districts your lot falls inside
Coastal, flood, fire-severity and fault-zone findings for that point
The existing units and improvements the assessor records there
A due-diligence list shortened to what is still unknown about your parcel — every item answered here drops off it

Everything else above is exactly what you would receive. The report is generated by this same code, so what you see is the product, not a mock-up of it.

$149 — Automated zoning and site research for one parcel, assembled from public records and the jurisdiction's adopted ordinance. Every published value carries the source it came from, and anything the records do not establish is listed as an open question rather than answered.

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