What does A(PD) zoning mean in San Jose?

A(PD) is San José's Planned Development combining designation — the base 'A' zone is overridden by a project-specific PD permit that sets its own density, use, and design standards. It's common on larger or master-planned parcels, so the underlying letters won't tell you the allowed use without pulling the PD permit.

How do I find the zoning for an address in San Jose?

The Planning, Building and Code Enforcement Department's online zoning map viewer returns the base zone and any PD, Urban Village, or Downtown strategic plan overlay for a given parcel. For PD-zoned sites, you'll also need the specific PD permit to see the actual development standards.

What is an Urban Village in San Jose zoning?

Urban Villages are city-designated growth areas, typically along transit corridors, where the general plan and follow-on zoning actions target higher-density, mixed-use development. They're a planning overlay concept layered onto Title 20 base zoning rather than a zoning district themselves.

San Jose, California · city zoning districts · 9 districts

San Jose, CA zoning map & districts

San José's zoning is set by Title 20 of the Municipal Code, administered by the city's Planning, Building and Code Enforcement Department. Large sites are frequently rezoned to a Planned Development (PD) combining district — most visibly A(PD) — which replaces standard base-zone development standards with a project-specific PD permit, so the base zone letters alone don't tell the full story on those parcels.

The code San José Municipal Code, Title 20 (Zoning)

San Jose zoning map

San José's Planning, Building and Code Enforcement Department maintains the online zoning map viewer; Title 20 code text is published through the City Clerk's Municipal Code site.

There is no link to the official map here yet — confirm current district boundaries directly with the San Jose planning or zoning department.

A published summary is never the authority. The adopted ordinance and the city's official zoning map govern, and both change — verify the district and every standard on your parcel before you rely on it.

How zoning works in San Jose

Growth is directed through Urban Village and Downtown strategic plans that identify specific nodes for higher-intensity, transit-oriented development along light rail and BART extension corridors. State streamlining laws (SB 9 lot splits/duplexes in single-family zones, SB 35 ministerial approval for qualifying affordable projects) apply on top of the base code citywide.

San Jose zoning districts by family

The 9 district codes below are the ones that decide most projects in San Jose, grouped by what they are for rather than by the order the ordinance prints them.

Key districts in the San José Municipal Code, Title 20 (Zoning) — a curated reference, not the exhaustive list. Confirm against the current adopted code.
Code	District	What it is for
Residential 3 districts
R-1-8	Single-Family Residential	Standard detached single-family zone; base R-1 always carries a density suffix (R-1-8, R-1-5, R-1-2, R-1-RR).
R-2	Two-Family Residential	Duplex-scale residential.
R-M	Multiple Family Residential	Base multifamily zone.
Mixed-use 1 district
A(PD)	Planned Development	Site-specific development standards set by an approved PD permit; common on larger or master-planned sites.
Commercial 3 districts
CN	Neighborhood Commercial	Small-scale neighborhood-serving retail.
CO	Commercial Office	Office-oriented commercial zone.
CG	General Commercial	Broader commercial corridor zone.
Industrial 2 districts
LI	Light Industrial	Corrected from 'ML' — San Jose's light-industrial code is LI, permitting warehousing and light manufacturing.
HI	Heavy Industrial	Corrected from 'MH' — San Jose's heavy-industrial code is HI, for uses with nuisance/hazard characteristics.

San Jose zoning — common questions

What does A(PD) zoning mean in San Jose?: A(PD) is San José's Planned Development combining designation — the base 'A' zone is overridden by a project-specific PD permit that sets its own density, use, and design standards. It's common on larger or master-planned parcels, so the underlying letters won't tell you the allowed use without pulling the PD permit.
How do I find the zoning for an address in San Jose?: The Planning, Building and Code Enforcement Department's online zoning map viewer returns the base zone and any PD, Urban Village, or Downtown strategic plan overlay for a given parcel. For PD-zoned sites, you'll also need the specific PD permit to see the actual development standards.
What is an Urban Village in San Jose zoning?: Urban Villages are city-designated growth areas, typically along transit corridors, where the general plan and follow-on zoning actions target higher-density, mixed-use development. They're a planning overlay concept layered onto Title 20 base zoning rather than a zoning district themselves.

Working in California? Get on the list.

The parcel layer lands in the order demand does. Illinois went first because that's where the deals were; the next state is decided by who tells us what they're trying to underwrite. Tell us where you're building and what you wanted to run — you'll hear from us when California opens, and sooner if we need a test parcel.

Keep reading

← California zoning — who holds the zoning power in California, under which enabling statute, and the reforms that override local rules.

Other California cities

The zoning reference → — every state, plus city-level district guides like this one.

San Jose zoning summaries on this page are provided for information, not legal advice. Confirm every project against the current adopted code for the jurisdiction.