Bay Area Zoning Maps

These maps were developed as part of our "Racial Segregation in the San Francisco Bay Area, Part 5: Remedies, Solutions, and Targets" report, but are also featured in our subsequent "Single-Family Zoning in the San Francisco Bay Area" report. They are the first maps to show every jurisdiction in the Bay Area by its proportion of single-family zoning. We hope these maps are useful for other research purposes besides the issue of residential segregation.

Note: We have received many questions about the accuracy of our maps, often based upon street level observations. We emphasize that these maps represent municipal zoning codes, and not the built environment. Non-conforming uses exist for many reasons, including spot variances, pre-code development, and as a result of other override mechanisms. For that reason, there may be multi-family developments in areas zoned as "single-family only." Similarly, residential housing units frequently exist in areas we designate as zoned "non-residential," largely because mixed-used areas in commercial corridors often contain residential units. See our methodology statement in our zoning report for a more detailed explanation. Finally, our maps display building footprints. Occasionally, building footprints in our maps may be shaded misleadingly because they overhang a parcel, but our analysis is entirely based upon parcels and zoning code, not buildings.

If you have any questions, email us at HousingOBI@berkeley.edu

SF Bay Area