Overview
Worth knowing
- Density-Encoded District Names. Reno's residential districts encode maximum allowed density (du/ac) in the district name (SF-3 = 3 du/ac, SF-5 = 5 du/ac, MF-30 = 30 du/ac). LLR districts encode minimum lot size in acres. This makes the density ceiling immediately readable from the name.
- Dramatic Front Setback Difference Between SF-3 and SF-5. SF-5 front setback is 10 ft while SF-3 is 30 ft — a 20-ft difference for only 2 du/ac density increase. Flagged in Mercatus Center 2024 policy brief as arbitrary-seeming with no clear health/safety basis.
- Street-Facing Garage Setback Always Minimum 20-30 ft. All residential districts require garage face setback ≥20-30 ft from sidewalk or planned sidewalk, separate from and more restrictive than principal building setback. SF-5 principal is 10 ft but garage is 20 ft minimum.
+ 3 more in Quirks & notes
Districts
res_sf 7cbd 6spec 5mu 4res_mf 3ind 3com 2off 1ap 1
| Code | Name | Category | Min lot | Height | Coverage | FAR | Du/ac | Parking | Setbacks F/S/R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LLR-2.5 | Large Lot Residential — 2.5 ac | res_sf | — | 45 ft | — | — | 0.4 | — | 30 / 15 / 30 |
| LLR-1 | Large Lot Residential — 1 ac | res_sf | — | 45 ft | — | — | 1 | — | 30 / 12 / 30 |
| LLR-0.5 | Large Lot Residential — 0.5 ac | res_sf | — | 45 ft | — | — | 2 | — | 30 / 10 / 30 |
| SF-3 | Single-Family — 3 du/ac | res_sf | — | 35 ft | — | — | 3 | — | 30 / 5 / 30 |
| SF-5 | Single-Family — 5 du/ac | res_sf | — | 35 ft | — | — | 5 | — | 10 / 5 / 20 |
| SF-8 | Single-Family — 8 du/ac | res_sf | — | — | — | — | 8 | — | — / — / — |
| SF-11 | Single-Family — 11 du/ac | res_sf | — | — | — | — | 11 | — | — / — / — |
| MF-14 | Multi-Family — 14 du/ac | res_mf | — | — | — | — | 14 | — | — / — / — |
| MF-21 | Multi-Family — 21 du/ac | res_mf | — | — | — | — | 21 | — | — / — / — |
| MF-30 | Multi-Family — 30 du/ac | res_mf | — | — | — | — | 30 | — | — / — / — |
| MD-ED | Downtown Entertainment | cbd | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| MD-ID | Downtown Innovation | cbd | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| MD-NWQ | Downtown NW Quadrant | cbd | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| MD-RD | Downtown Riverwalk | cbd | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| MD-UD | Downtown University | cbd | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| MD-PD | Downtown Powning | cbd | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| MU | Mixed-Use Urban | mu | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| MS | Mixed-Use Suburban | mu | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| GC | General Commercial | com | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| NC | Neighborhood Commercial | com | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| PO | Professional Office | off | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| MU-MC | Mixed-Use Midtown Commercial | mu | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| MU-RES | Mixed-Use Midtown Residential | mu | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| I | Industrial | ind | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| IC | Industrial Commercial | ind | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| ME | Mixed Employment | ind | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| MA | Mixed-Use Airport | ap | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| PGOS | Parks, Greenways, Open Space | spec | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| PF | Public Facilities | spec | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| UT5 | Unincorporated Transition — 5 ac | spec | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| UT10 | Unincorporated Transition — 10 ac | spec | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| UT40 | Unincorporated Transition — 40 ac | spec | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
Confidence: confirmed partial under review not found
Overlays
Gaming
Gaming
GEDGeneral Commercial (GC) or Suburban Mixed-Use (SMU) base districts where gaming has been approved (business license, building permit, conditional use permit)
| description | Permits gaming-enterprise-scale commercial activities on qualifying sites; coordinates with Nevada gaming licensing law (NRS 463) |
|---|---|
| note | Gaming overlay shall not be assigned where non-restricted gaming has not been approved |
TR
TR
MHManufactured home park areas (as mapped)
| description | Modifies base district to accommodate manufactured home parks |
|---|
SPD
SPD
SPDProperties subject to specific plan approval
| description | Flexible development overlay for specific plan districts |
|---|
PD
PD
PDProperties subject to planned development approval
| description | Flexible development overlay for planned developments |
|---|
Adopted building codes
Statewide w/ local amendments
Click a code label to open its state-by-state adoption atlas.
Quirks & notes
- Density-Encoded District Names. Reno's residential districts encode maximum allowed density (du/ac) in the district name (SF-3 = 3 du/ac, SF-5 = 5 du/ac, MF-30 = 30 du/ac). LLR districts encode minimum lot size in acres. This makes the density ceiling immediately readable from the name.
- Dramatic Front Setback Difference Between SF-3 and SF-5. SF-5 front setback is 10 ft while SF-3 is 30 ft — a 20-ft difference for only 2 du/ac density increase. Flagged in Mercatus Center 2024 policy brief as arbitrary-seeming with no clear health/safety basis.
- Street-Facing Garage Setback Always Minimum 20-30 ft. All residential districts require garage face setback ≥20-30 ft from sidewalk or planned sidewalk, separate from and more restrictive than principal building setback. SF-5 principal is 10 ft but garage is 20 ft minimum.
- MF-30 Lot Width Analysis. Code appears to allow two SFD homes on 50-ft-wide lot in MF-30, implying minimum lot width ≤50 ft and ~25 ft/dwelling. District intended for high-density apartments but allows very dense single-family patterns.
- ADU Ordinance Adopted October 2025. Reno adopted formal ADU ordinance with 5,000 sf minimum lot requirement (beyond state law AB 396). ADUs must be smaller than primary residence and located behind it — design constraints not in state law.
- Code Update July 2024. ALDC (Annexation and Land Development Code) was updated effective July 24, 2024. Research file used Jan. 13, 2021 version. Dimensional standards extracted may have been modified.
Formulas
Definitions
- density
- note: SF-3 = 3 du/ac; SF-5 = 5 du/ac; MF-30 = 30 du/ac; LLR districts encode minimum lot size in acres
- lot_coverage
- note: SF-5 alternative: 40% of lot or common open space = 20% of gross project area
- parking_garage_setback
- note: SF-3: 30 ft; SF-5: 20 ft principal, 30 ft accessory; alley properties: 0 ft if ≥24 ft backup space
Massing explorer
Interactive 3D comparison across every district. Drag to orbit, scroll to zoom, use the slider to walk districts, and toggle applicable overlays in the right-side panel.
Sort by
Max height
— ft
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Floor area ratio
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Lot coverage
—%
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Setbacks (F / S / R)
— ft
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Parking
— /unit
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Max density
— du/ac
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Min lot size
— sf
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| District | Category | Height | FAR | Coverage | Setbacks | Parking | Density | Min lot | Overlays |
|---|
Research status
Data quality
Documented gaps
- SF-8, SF-11, MF-14, MF-21, MF-30 dimensional standards (height, lot size, coverage, setbacks, parking)
- MU, MS, downtown MD districts height/FAR/parking standards
- GC, NC, PO, MU-MC, MU-RES dimensional standards
- I, IC, ME, MA dimensional standards
- Detailed design guidelines for downtown MD districts
- Current ADU ordinance text (Oct. 2025 adoption)
Known issues
schema:v1-legacypriority:lowdata:gaps-present
Other cities in this state
Nearest-alphabetical profiles. Click through to compare zoning patterns side-by-side.