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Zoning Districts and Purpose Provisions of Nevada City

Jurisdiction: Nevada City•Code Version: December 2023

The Nevada City zoning ordinance establishes specific base zoning districts and combining districts to regulate the use of land, the construction and maintenance of buildings, and the preservation of open spaces. These regulations are designed to promote public health, safety, comfort, and general welfare based on the city's general plan [Sections 17.04.010, 17.04.030].

Base Zoning Districts

The city is divided into several base zoning districts, each with a distinct intent and purpose.

Residential Districts

  • RR - Rural Residential Zone: This district is intended to stabilize and protect the residential characteristics of rural areas. It is designed to promote a suitable environment for families and is used only for single-family dwellings and appurtenant services [Section 17.20.010].
  • R1 - Single-Family Residential Zone: Similar to the RR zone, the R1 district focuses on stabilizing and protecting residential characteristics for families. It is intended for single-family homes and related services and is consistent with single-family and mixed residential general plan designations [Section 17.24.010].
  • R2 - Multiple-Family Residential Zone: The R2 zone aims to stabilize and protect districts where there is a compatible mingling of single-family and multi-family dwellings. It is intended for residential use and appurtenant community services [Section 17.28.010].
  • R3 - High-Density Multiple-Family Residential Zone: This district implements the urban high-density land use designation. Its primary purpose is to provide lands with higher density to accommodate affordable housing sites as required by the housing element. These lands typically feature proximity to schools, shopping, parks, and public transit [Section 17.30.010].

Business and Professional Districts

  • LB - Local Business Zone: This zone provides neighborhood shopping areas where retail or service establishments meet the daily needs of residential neighborhoods. It encourages mixed-use residential developments in commercial areas to increase population density and pedestrian activity while reducing air pollution and transportation costs [Section 17.36.010].
  • GB - General Business Zone: The GB district provides locations for the sale of commodities, performance of services, repair facilities, and tourist-oriented sales. Like the LB zone, it encourages mixed-use residential developments to foster pedestrian activity [Section 17.40.010].
  • OP - Office and Professional Zone: Established to accommodate office space and mixed-use residential uses. This district acts as a transition between commercial and residential areas, ensuring development is designed and landscaped in harmony with adjacent residential uses [Section 17.32.010].

Industrial and Employment Districts

  • EC - Employment Center Zone: This district encourages the development of light assembly, manufacturing, and research and development uses that are compatible with surrounding neighborhoods. It is primarily employment-oriented with incidental retail sales [Section 17.44.010].
  • LI - Light Industrial Zone: The purpose of the LI zone is to encourage sound, non-nuisance industrial development. It is designed to be compatible with adjoining nonindustrial uses [Section 17.48.010].

Special Purpose Districts

  • AF - Agriculture Forestry Zone: This zone is intended to preserve land in agricultural and forestry use in the urban fringe. It serves to manage the timing of development and the provision of utilities to ensure compact, orderly growth [Section 17.16.010].
  • SL - Service Lodging Zone: This district provides for and encourages the continuation, enhancement, and development of hotels, motels, and bed and breakfast facilities [Section 17.52.010].
  • P - Public Zone: This zone provides for areas occupied by federal, state, county, and city government uses, as well as parks, cemeteries, and public utilities [Section 17.60.010].
  • OS - Open Space Zone: The OS district provides for the creation and permanent maintenance of both natural and landscaped open space. It aims to enhance aesthetics, recreational opportunities, and resource management while mitigating development impacts [Section 17.56.010].
  • PR - Public/Recreation Zone: This zone provides for public use by entities for the general public, limited to recreational facilities. Up to 25% of the property may be used for compatible public uses like schools or libraries [Section 17.64.010].

Combining District Regulations

Combining districts provide additional development standards for special cases and are attached to base zoning districts (e.g., OP-HD-SC) [Section 17.68.010].

  • HD - Historical Combining District: Intended to preserve areas of great historical interest and aesthetic value, particularly the "Mother Lode" type of architecture symbolic of the city's mining past [Section 17.68.020].
  • SC - Scenic Corridor Combining District: Applied to land adjacent to roads indicated as scenic corridors. Its purpose is to protect the city's character as a compact historical town by hiding development from highways and preserving tree cover [Section 17.68.200].
  • PD - Planned Development Combining District: Provides for greater flexibility in integrated development design that may not be possible under strict base district regulations. It encourages creative planning for facilities offering a variety of housing or land uses [Section 17.68.230].
  • MH - Mobile Homes Combining District: Regulates the use of land for mobile home parks to protect the health and safety of the community [Section 17.68.280].
  • SP - Site Performance District: Provides for a greater level of mitigation for land use impacts and allows for conditional approval of rezonings and prezonings [Section 17.68.300].
  • DA - Development Agreement Combining District: An administrative district used to indicate that a base zoning district is further restricted or governed by a development agreement between a landowner and the city [Section 17.68.330].
  • AN - Annexation Combining District: An administrative district used to identify lands annexed after April 24, 1985, that are affected by ordinances requiring development fees or mitigation measures [Section 17.68.340].
  • X - Excluding Subdivision Combining District: Intended to prohibit further division of land. It allows the city to permanently "freeze" parcel sizes, often used to protect open space parcels within a larger development [Section 17.68.350].
  • Minimum Lot Area Combining District: Allows for increasing the minimum lot size requirement in a district to provide greater flexibility in establishing lot development density [Section 17.68.370].

Sections Cited

  • 17.04.010 - Adoption of zoning ordinance.
  • 17.04.030 - Purpose of provisions.
  • 17.16.010 - Purpose (AF).
  • 17.20.010 - Purpose (RR).
  • 17.24.010 - Purpose (R1).
  • 17.28.010 - Purpose (R2).
  • 17.30.010 - Purpose (R3).
  • 17.32.010 - Purpose (OP).
  • 17.36.010 - Purpose (LB).
  • 17.40.010 - Purpose (GB).
  • 17.44.010 - Purpose (EC).
  • 17.48.010 - Purpose (LI).
  • 17.52.010 - Purpose (SL).
  • 17.56.010 - Purpose (OS).
  • 17.60.010 - Purpose (P).
  • 17.64.010 - Purpose (PR).
  • 17.68.010 - Purpose of combining districts.
  • 17.68.020 - Purpose (HD).
  • 17.68.200 - Purpose (SC).
  • 17.68.230 - Purpose (PD).
  • 17.68.280 - Purpose (MH).
  • 17.68.300 - Purpose (SP).
  • 17.68.330 - Purpose (DA).
  • 17.68.340 - Purpose (AN).
  • 17.68.350 - Purpose (X).
  • 17.68.370 - Purpose (Minimum Lot Area).

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