How do I find zoning for a Paterson, NJ property?

Paterson's Division of Planning and Zoning maintains the official zoning map and ordinance text, and can confirm whether a parcel also falls under an adopted Redevelopment Plan.

Can former mill buildings in Paterson be converted to housing?

Many of Paterson's historic mill buildings near the Great Falls have gone through adaptive-reuse redevelopment for residential and mixed-use conversion; specific building eligibility depends on the applicable Redevelopment Plan and historic preservation standards.

Does the Great Falls National Historical Park affect nearby zoning?

Properties near the federally designated park are commonly subject to historic-district design review layered on top of the base zoning district, so both should be checked together before a renovation or new construction project.

Paterson, New Jersey · city zoning districts · 12 districts

Paterson, NJ zoning map & districts

Paterson's land use is governed by the City of Paterson Zoning Ordinance, administered by the Division of Planning and Zoning under New Jersey's Municipal Land Use Law, with a Planning Board and Zoning Board of Adjustment. As one of the country's earliest planned industrial cities, Paterson's development pattern is dominated by its 19th-century mill complex along the Great Falls of the Passaic River — now protected in part as the federally designated Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park — and much of the surrounding historic mill district has been the subject of adaptive-reuse redevelopment converting former textile and silk mills into residential and mixed-use space.

The code City of Paterson Zoning Ordinance

Paterson zoning map

Paterson's Division of Planning and Zoning maintains the zoning map, ordinance text, and adopted Redevelopment Plans covering the historic mill district.

There is no link to the official map here yet — confirm current district boundaries directly with the Paterson 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 Paterson

As in other older New Jersey cities, active project sites should be checked against the city's adopted Redevelopment Plans, which can supersede the base zoning ordinance within designated redevelopment areas.

Paterson zoning districts by family

The 12 district codes below are the ones that decide most projects in Paterson, grouped by what they are for rather than by the order the ordinance prints them.

Key districts in the City of Paterson Zoning Ordinance — a curated reference, not the exhaustive list. Confirm against the current adopted code.
Code	District	What it is for
Residential 4 districts
R-1	One Family Residential District	Base single-family district; code and name confirmed against current parcel-level city zoning GIS.
R-2	Low Medium Density Residential District	Confirmed against current city zoning GIS.
R-3	High Medium Density Residential District	Confirmed against current city zoning GIS.
R-4	High Density Residential District	Confirmed against current city zoning GIS.
Mixed-use 1 district
MU	Mixed Use District	City GIS shows a single MU code; the previously listed MU-D/MUB variants do not appear in current parcel data.
Commercial 3 districts
B-1	Neighborhood Business District	Confirmed against current city zoning GIS.
B-2	Community Business District	Confirmed against current city zoning GIS.
B-3	General Business District	Major district present in city GIS but missing from prior list.
Downtown / core 1 district
B-4	Central Business District	Confirmed against current city zoning GIS.
Industrial 2 districts
I-1	Light Industrial District	Confirmed against current city zoning GIS; no I-2 parcels found in current data.
PUID	Planned Unit Industrial Development District	Major district present in city GIS but missing from prior list.
Special purpose 1 district
GFHD	Great Falls Historic District	Confirmed against current city zoning GIS, tied to the National Historical Park area.

Paterson zoning — common questions

How do I find zoning for a Paterson, NJ property?: Paterson's Division of Planning and Zoning maintains the official zoning map and ordinance text, and can confirm whether a parcel also falls under an adopted Redevelopment Plan.
Can former mill buildings in Paterson be converted to housing?: Many of Paterson's historic mill buildings near the Great Falls have gone through adaptive-reuse redevelopment for residential and mixed-use conversion; specific building eligibility depends on the applicable Redevelopment Plan and historic preservation standards.
Does the Great Falls National Historical Park affect nearby zoning?: Properties near the federally designated park are commonly subject to historic-district design review layered on top of the base zoning district, so both should be checked together before a renovation or new construction project.

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

Keep reading

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

Other New Jersey cities

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

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