The zoning code,
decoded.
Designation, permitted uses, setbacks, height, FAR, ADU eligibility — the buildable envelope for any U.S. parcel, in plain English, in about 20 seconds.
Live score free — no signup · First 3 reports free · ~20 seconds
Single-family — by right
Permitted outright. No hearing, no conditions.
Duplex — conditional use
Allowed with an approval step — the real risk is the hearing timeline.
ADU — eligible
An accessory dwelling unit is on the table for this district.
- Designation
- SF-3 · Family Residence
- Max height
- 35 ft
- Front setback
- 25 ft
- Side / rear setback
- 5 ft / 10 ft
- Max FAR
- 0.4
- Max lot coverage
- 40%
The same sample parcel shown across the site — overall 89 · A, IC-ready.
Decoded from zoning partners & municipal records — grounded on the exact parcel
Every finding cites its source. Audit the whole chain on the data sources page.
From ordinance to envelope.
Five findings, in the order a deal needs them — each one cited, none of them a judgment call.
Designation & district
The code — SF-3, R-2, C-1 — resolved for the exact parcel boundary, not a radius guess, from zoning partners and municipal records.
Permitted vs conditional uses
What you can build by right and what needs a hearing, labeled in plain English instead of ordinance cross-references.
The buildable envelope
Setbacks, height limit, FAR, and lot coverage — the numbers that turn a district name into a buildable volume.
ADU eligibility
Whether an accessory dwelling unit is allowed on the lot — the question homeowners and infill builders ask first.
The score input
The dimensional standards become the zoning sub-score inside the Buildability Score™ — weighted 14% by default, tied with flood and behind only terrain.
One factor. Twenty percent.
Zoning carries more weight in the Buildability Score™ than any other factor — and Geo answers zoning questions by running the real engine.
Not by-right — SF-3 allows a duplex on corner lots, and this one is mid-block, so two units means a conditional-use case. The by-right move here is an ADU. The land itself is clean: FEMA zone X, utilities 90/100, overall 89 (A). One thing to spec early: the soil is expansive clay, so budget the slab for shrink-swell.
A representative session — Geo runs these same tools against the live engine.
- 14% of the verdict
Zoning is one of the heaviest factors in the Buildability Score™ by default — tied with flood, ahead of soil and utilities, behind only terrain.
- Unknown is dropped, not faked
When dimensional standards can’t be resolved, the factor drops out of the score entirely and the report says so. A designation name alone is never scored, and nothing is invented.
- Test the upzone
Geo’s run_scenario tool re-scores the parcel under an upzone — the before/after delta shows what the entitlement is worth.
City hall vs Buildability™
What decoding a district by hand costs, held against one credit.
Reading the code yourself
- Time to an answer
- 2–3 weeks of calls and PDFs
- Cost per parcel
- $3,500+ consultant memo
- Format
- ordinance text, read by hand
- Uses
- cross-referenced across code sections
- Citations
- rarely included
With Buildability™
- Time to an answer
- ~20 seconds
- Cost per parcel
- $29 → $6 at volume
- Format
- plain-English envelope
- Uses
- by-right vs conditional, labeled
- Citations
- every finding names its source
A screening standard — not a substitute for entitlement counsel on the deal you pursue.
Frequently asked questions
Where does the zoning data come from?
Zoning and entitlement partners plus municipal code records, resolved against the exact parcel boundary. Every finding cites where it came from.
What does the analysis include?
Designation, permitted vs conditional uses, setbacks, height limit, FAR, lot coverage, and ADU eligibility — and the dimensional standards feed the zoning sub-score, weighted 14% of the Buildability Score™ by default.
What if zoning can’t be determined for my parcel?
The factor takes a neutral assumption and the report says so. A designation is never guessed or invented.
Can I test a rezone before pursuing it?
Yes — ask Geo "what if we upzone?" and the run_scenario tool re-scores the parcel under that lever, returning the score and unit-count delta.
Is this legal or entitlement advice?
No — it’s a screening standard. Use it to kill bad sites fast, then verify with the jurisdiction and counsel on the deal you pursue.
What does it cost?
The live Score is free and your first 3 reports are free — no card. After that, one credit ($29, sliding to $6 at volume) buys the full report.
Know the envelope first.
Designation, uses, setbacks, height, FAR, and ADU eligibility for any U.S. address — in about 20 seconds.
Decode a parcel freeFirst 3 reports free · No card needed · All 50 states