Districts and Standards for Financial Institutions in the City of Reno

In the City of Reno, financial institutions are permitted by-right in all Mixed-Use Downtown (MD) districts, General Commercial (GC), Neighborhood Commercial (NC), and most Employment districts, while they require a Minor Conditional Use Permit in the Mixed-Use Midtown Residential (MU-RES) and Public Facility (PF) districts. Within residential areas, the Multi-Family Residential (MF-30) district is the only zone that allows this use, subject to strict requirements limiting operations to the first floor and requiring access from a collector street or larger. Parking requirements range from one space per 400 square feet in standard districts to one space per 800 square feet in specific urban corridors, with no minimum requirement in Downtown districts [Table 3-1, Section 18.03.304(d), and Table 4-6].

Permitted Zoning Districts

The City of Reno allows "Financial Institutions"—defined as establishments authorized to receive and safeguard money, lend money at interest, or execute bills of exchange—in a variety of commercial, urban, and employment settings [Section 18.09.301].

The following table outlines the specific permissions for financial institutions across the City of Reno zoning districts:

District Category	Specific Zoning Districts	Permission Type
Residential	MF-30	Permitted (P)
Urban	MD-ED, MD-UD, MD-ID, MD-RD, MD-NWQ, MD-PD, MU, MS, GC, NC, PO, MU-MC	Permitted (P)
Urban	MU-RES	Minor Conditional Use Permit (M)
Employment	IC, ME, MA	Permitted (P)
Special Purpose	PF	Minor Conditional Use Permit (M)

Financial institutions are strictly prohibited in the Large-Lot Residential (LLR) districts, most Single-Family (SF) districts, and lower-density Multi-Family (MF-14, MF-21) districts [Table 3-1].

Use-Specific Development Standards

When a financial institution is established within certain City of Reno districts, it must adhere to additional location and operational standards.

Multi-Family Residential (MF-30) District

In the City of Reno MF-30 district, financial institutions are subject to the following limitations:

Floor Placement: The use is only permitted on the first floor of a building.
Street Access: Primary access to the facility must be provided from a street classified as a collector or larger [Section 18.03.304(d)(1)].

Minor Conditional Use Permits

For districts where a Minor Conditional Use Permit (M) is required (such as MU-RES and PF), the City of Reno evaluation focuses on ensuring the proposed use has unique operating characteristics that are compatible with the surrounding area and that any potential impacts are adequately mitigated [Section 18.08.604(a)].

Off-Street Parking Requirements

The City of Reno regulates parking for financial institutions based on the "Parking District" in which the property is located. Minimum requirements are calculated based on the gross floor area of the use [Section 18.04.704(a)].

Parking District Type	Minimum Requirement
Downtown Parking District (MD- districts)	No minimum parking requirement [Section 18.04.705(a)(1)a]
Level 1 Parking District (MU and MU-MC)	1 space per 800 square feet [Table 4-6]
Level 2 Parking District (All other permitted districts)	1 space per 400 square feet [Table 4-6]

Properties within the Level 1 district that are located within 1/4 mile of a Mixed-Use Downtown district or a primary bus rapid transit route (Virginia or Fourth Street) may be eligible for a 40% reduction in the minimum required parking [Section 18.04.705(a)(1)b].

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