What does R6 zoning mean in NYC?

R6 is a medium-density residential district permitting mid-rise multi-family buildings; it's one of the most commonly mapped residential districts across the outer boroughs. Whether a specific R6 lot follows FAR-based or contextual (fixed height/setback) massing rules depends on the specific subdistrict designation.

How do I find the zoning for an address in NYC?

Use the Department of City Planning's ZoLa map, which shows the base R/C/M district, any commercial overlay, and any special purpose district applicable to a specific tax lot.

What changed under 'City of Yes for Housing Opportunity'?

The December 2024 citywide text amendment eliminated parking mandates near transit in most of the city, allowed modest height/density increases and accessory-unit conversions within many existing residential districts, and eased office-to-residential conversions — without remapping base zoning districts.

New York City, New York · city zoning districts · 16 districts

New York City, NY zoning map & districts

New York City is zoned under the 1961 Zoning Resolution as amended, administered by the Department of City Planning (DCP) and mapped across three base district families: Residence (R), Commercial (C), and Manufacturing (M). Most residential and commercial districts carry a numeric suffix indicating relative density (higher number generally means greater bulk), and many residential districts add a letter suffix (e.g., R7A, R8B) denoting a 'contextual' envelope with fixed height and setback rules rather than a sliding FAR-based envelope. Discretionary rezonings — changing a district's map designation — go through the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP), a multi-stage public review involving the local Community Board, Borough President, City Planning Commission, and City Council.

The code New York City Zoning Resolution

New York City zoning map

The interactive map needs JavaScript. See the official ZoLa (Zoning and Land Use Map) - NYC Department of City Planning instead.

Commercial 74
Mixed-use 62
Residential 41
Industrial 25
Special purpose 2

Source: ZoLa (Zoning and Land Use Map) - NYC Department of City Planning, retrieved 2026-08-29. 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 ZoLa (Zoning and Land Use Map) - NYC Department of City Planning , retrieved 2026-08-29 — the authoritative source for current boundaries.

The Department of City Planning's ZoLa (Zoning & Land Use) online map shows the zoning district, overlays, and special purpose district for any tax lot; the Zoning Resolution text and City of Yes amendments are published by DCP.

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 New York City

In December 2024, the City Council adopted 'City of Yes for Housing Opportunity,' the largest citywide zoning text amendment in decades: it eliminated parking mandates for new residential development near transit in most of the city, legalized small accessory units and basement/attic conversions in additional contexts, allowed modest height and density increases in many residential districts (Universal Affordability Preference bonuses for income-restricted units), and eased conversion of underused office and other non-residential buildings to housing. Because City of Yes changed standards within existing base districts rather than remapping them, a project's underlying R/C/M designation still controls, but the buildable envelope attached to that designation may differ from pre-2025 assumptions.

New York City zoning districts by family

The 16 district codes below are the ones that decide most projects in New York City, grouped by what they are for rather than by the order the ordinance prints them.

Key districts in the New York City Zoning Resolution — a curated reference, not the exhaustive list. Confirm against the current adopted code.
Code	District	What it is for
Residential 8 districts
R1	R1 — Residence Low Density (mapped only as R1-1, R1-2, R1-2A)	Live ZONEDIST: R1-1, R1-2, R1-2A (confirmed via DB); no bare R1. zone-cat-overrides.json already resolves every R1-* suffix to "residential" -- confirmed, not duplicated.
R2	Residence Low Density	Single-family detached housing at slightly higher density than R1.
R3	R3 — Residence Low-Medium Density (mapped only as R3-1, R3-2, R3A, R3X)	Live: R3-1, R3-2, R3A, R3X (confirmed via DB); no bare R3. zone-cat-overrides.json already resolves R3-1, R3-2, R3A and R3X to "residential" -- confirmed, not duplicated.
R5	Residence District (Lower Density)	Live layer renderer legend: "Residential District (Lower Density)"; NYC Zoning Handbook 2025 (nyc.gov/assets/planning): "R1 through R5 Districts are often considered lower-density". Prior curated name "Residence Medium Density" was wrong.
R6	Residence Medium Density	Mid-rise multi-family; one of the most common contextual districts mapped citywide.
R7A	Residence Contextual Medium-High Density	Contextual mid-rise apartment district common in rezoned corridors, with fixed height/setback rules rather than pure FAR-based massing.
R8	Residence District (Medium Density)	NYC Zoning Handbook 2025: "R6 through R8 are medium-density, and R9 through R12 are high-density". Prior curated name "Residence High Density" was wrong (that tier is R9-R12).
R10	Residence Highest Density	The city's highest-density residential district; unlimited-height towers are common where mapped, largely in Manhattan.
Commercial 3 districts
C1	C1 — Local Retail (mapped only as C1-6 to C1-9A; C1-1–C1-5 overlays live in DCP's separate nyco layer)	Live: C1-6...C1-9A (mapped districts, legend "Commercial District"); no bare C1 (confirmed via DB distinct zone_class for new-york-city-ny: C1-6, C1-6A, C1-7, C1-7A, C1-8, C1-8A, C1-8X, C1-9, C1-9A). "(Commercial Overlay)" in the prior name only fits DCP's separate overlay-district layer (C1-1...C1-5), which this dataset does not source from. zone-cat-overrides.json's new-york/new-york-city block (204 entries, one per live code) already resolves every C1-* suffix to "commercial" -- confirmed, not duplicated.
C2	C2 — Local Service (mapped only as C2-6 to C2-8A; C2-1–C2-5 overlays live in DCP's separate nyco layer)	Live: C2-6...C2-8A; no bare C2 (confirmed via DB: C2-6, C2-6A, C2-7, C2-7A, C2-8, C2-8A). Same overlay-layer distinction as C1. zone-cat-overrides.json already resolves every C2-* suffix to "commercial" -- confirmed, not duplicated.
C4	C4 — General Commercial (mapped only as C4-1 to C4-7)	Live: 17 codes C4-1...C4-7 (confirmed via DB: C4-1, C4-2, C4-2A, C4-2F, C4-3, C4-3A, C4-4, C4-4A, C4-4D, C4-4L, C4-5, C4-5A, C4-5D, C4-5X, C4-6, C4-6A, C4-7); no bare C4. zone-cat-overrides.json already resolves every C4-* suffix to "commercial" -- confirmed, not duplicated.
Downtown / core 2 districts
C5	C5 — Central Commercial (mapped only as C5-1 to C5-5, plus C5-P)	Live: 9 codes C5-1...C5-5 (confirmed via DB: C5-1, C5-1A, C5-2, C5-2A, C5-2.5, C5-3, C5-4, C5-5, C5-P); no bare C5. zone-cat-overrides.json already resolves every C5-* suffix to "downtown" -- confirmed, not duplicated.
C6	C6 — General Central Commercial (mapped only as C6-1 to C6-12)	Live: 25 codes C6-1...C6-9, C6-11, C6-12 (confirmed via DB, includes C6-1 through C6-9 variants plus C6-11/C6-12); no bare C6. zone-cat-overrides.json already resolves every C6-* suffix to "downtown" -- confirmed, not duplicated.
Industrial 3 districts
M1	M1 — Light Manufacturing (mapped only as M1-1 to M1-9A, plus mixed-use M1-x/Rx pairs)	Live: 79 codes M1-1...M1-6D and M1-x/Rx pairs (legend "Manufacturing District" / "Mixed Use District"), confirmed via DB (M1-1 through M1-9A and dozens of M1-n/Rn combinations); no bare M1. zone-cat-overrides.json already resolves every M1-* suffix to "industrial" -- confirmed, not duplicated.
M2	M2 — Medium Manufacturing (mapped only as M2-1 to M2-4)	Live: M2-1, M2-2, M2-3, M2-3A, M2-4 (confirmed via DB); no bare M2. zone-cat-overrides.json already resolves every M2-* suffix to "industrial" -- confirmed, not duplicated.
M3	M3 — Heavy Manufacturing (mapped only as M3-1, M3-2, M3-2A)	Live: M3-1, M3-2, M3-2A (confirmed via DB); no bare M3. zone-cat-overrides.json already resolves every M3-* suffix to "industrial" -- confirmed, not duplicated.

New York City zoning — common questions

What does R6 zoning mean in NYC?: R6 is a medium-density residential district permitting mid-rise multi-family buildings; it's one of the most commonly mapped residential districts across the outer boroughs. Whether a specific R6 lot follows FAR-based or contextual (fixed height/setback) massing rules depends on the specific subdistrict designation.
How do I find the zoning for an address in NYC?: Use the Department of City Planning's ZoLa map, which shows the base R/C/M district, any commercial overlay, and any special purpose district applicable to a specific tax lot.
What changed under 'City of Yes for Housing Opportunity'?: The December 2024 citywide text amendment eliminated parking mandates near transit in most of the city, allowed modest height/density increases and accessory-unit conversions within many existing residential districts, and eased office-to-residential conversions — without remapping base zoning districts.

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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 York opens, and sooner if we need a test parcel.

Keep reading

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

Other New York cities

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

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