What does the Central Nampa Form Based Code mean for downtown development?

Downtown Nampa (CN district) is governed by a form-based code rather than conventional use-based zoning, meaning building form, height, and street-frontage standards drive approvals more than a list of permitted uses.

How do I find the zoning for a parcel in Nampa?

Check Nampa's interactive online zoning map or contact the Planning & Zoning Department directly — the city adopted Title 10 amendments in early 2026, so confirm you're looking at current code.

What's the difference between RML and RMH zoning in Nampa?

Both are multifamily residential districts — RML (Limited Multiple-Family) permits lower-density multifamily such as townhomes, while RMH (Multiple-Family) allows higher-density apartment development.

Nampa, Idaho · city zoning districts · 17 districts

Nampa, ID zoning map & districts

Nampa, Canyon County's largest city, zones under Title 10 of the Nampa City Code, administered by the city's Planning and Zoning Department. Residential districts run from large-lot Suburban Residential (RA) through Single-Family (RS), Two-Family (RD), and two tiers of multifamily (RML, RMH), with a Residential Professional (RP) district providing a transition for office uses adjacent to residential neighborhoods — relevant given Nampa's ongoing agricultural-to-residential land conversion on its edges.

The code Nampa Zoning Ordinance (Title 10, Nampa City Code)

Nampa zoning map

The interactive map needs JavaScript. See the official Nampa Information Map (via City of Nampa Interactive Zoning Map page) instead.

Residential 12
Commercial 6
Industrial 5
Special purpose 3
Other / unclassified 2
Mixed-use 2

Source: Nampa Information Map (via City of Nampa Interactive Zoning Map page), retrieved 2026-09-04. Basemap: © OpenFreeMap © OpenMapTiles © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Find a district by address

District lookup only. No bulk standards and no ordinance citations are held for this city yet. Not a zoning verification.

Source: the official Nampa Information Map (via City of Nampa Interactive Zoning Map page) , retrieved 2026-09-04 — the authoritative source for current boundaries.

The Nampa Planning & Zoning Department publishes the zoning ordinance chapters and an interactive zoning map; parcel zoning is confirmed via the city's online zoning map or by contacting Planning & Zoning directly.

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 Nampa

Downtown Nampa is governed by a form-based code (CN, Central Nampa Form Based Code) rather than conventional use-based commercial zoning, while Gateway Business (GB, with GB1/GB2/GB3 subdistricts) and Freeway Business (BF) districts capture commercial development along Nampa's highway frontage. The city adopted significant Title 10 amendments in early 2026 affecting multiple zoning chapters, so confirm current standards against the latest ordinance text rather than older code summaries.

Nampa zoning districts by family

The 17 district codes below are the ones that decide most projects in Nampa, grouped by what they are for rather than by the order the ordinance prints them.

Key districts in the Nampa Zoning Ordinance (Title 10, Nampa City Code) — a curated reference, not the exhaustive list. Confirm against the current adopted code.
Code	District	What it is for
Residential 5 districts
RA	Suburban Residential	Large-lot residential on Nampa's growth edges.
RS6	Single-Family Residential	GIS splits single-family into RS4-RS22 subdistricts by min. lot size; plain 'RS' is not an actual code.
RD	Two-Family Residential	Permits duplex development.
RML	Limited Multiple-Family Residential	Lower-density multifamily, e.g. townhomes.
RMH	Multiple-Family Residential	Higher-density apartment development.
Mixed-use 1 district
RP	Residential Professional	Office use transitioning between residential and commercial areas.
Commercial 5 districts
BN	Neighborhood Business	Small local retail and services.
BC	Community Business	Mid-size commercial serving several neighborhoods.
BF	Freeway Business	Highway-oriented commercial along freeway frontage.
GB1	Gateway Business	GIS shows subdistricts GB1/GB2/GBE, not 'GB3' as previously listed.
CN	Central Nampa Form Based Code	Independently researched beyond the audit (which found no source at all for this row). Live ArcGIS layer (utility.arcgis.com/.../Public/NampaOpenData/MapServer/33) queried directly for zoning='CN': category="Commercial" (in-layer source, same evidentiary tier the rest of this city's audit uses -- "Live layer zoning + category (family only, in-layer)"). Full-text search (pdftotext) of the complete City of Nampa Title 10 zoning ordinance PDF (cityofnampa.us/DocumentCenter/View/5853, 18,040 lines) found zero chapters or sections titled or coded "CN" -- no "Central Nampa Form Based Code" chapter exists; Nampa's actual downtown/form-based code is the "D Downtown Subdistricts (DB, DV, DH)" series. Family corrected to commercial per the in-layer category; name left unchanged (still no ordinance-attested replacement name found).
Industrial 3 districts
IP	Industrial Park	Planned industrial park development.
IL	Light Industrial	Light industrial and warehouse uses.
IH	Heavy Industrial	Heavy industrial uses.
Special purpose 3 districts
HC	Healthcare District	Confirmed in city GIS; supports hospital/medical campus uses; was missing.
AG	Agricultural	Remaining agricultural land pending conversion.
U	Institutional/University District	Confirmed in city GIS; institutional/university-affiliated uses; was missing.

Nampa zoning — common questions

What does the Central Nampa Form Based Code mean for downtown development?: Downtown Nampa (CN district) is governed by a form-based code rather than conventional use-based zoning, meaning building form, height, and street-frontage standards drive approvals more than a list of permitted uses.
How do I find the zoning for a parcel in Nampa?: Check Nampa's interactive online zoning map or contact the Planning & Zoning Department directly — the city adopted Title 10 amendments in early 2026, so confirm you're looking at current code.
What's the difference between RML and RMH zoning in Nampa?: Both are multifamily residential districts — RML (Limited Multiple-Family) permits lower-density multifamily such as townhomes, while RMH (Multiple-Family) allows higher-density apartment development.

Working in Idaho? 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 Idaho opens, and sooner if we need a test parcel.

Keep reading

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

Other Idaho cities

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

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