Zoning also regulates the various physical dimensions of buildings:
- how tall the building is (height)
- how far from the street or the neighboring lot the building is placed (setbacks or front, side and rear yards)
- how much of the lot is covered by the actual building
(lot coverage, building footprint) - the amount of square footage in the building compared to the square footage of the lot (floor-area ratio or FAR)
Together these dimensions define the "building envelope."
Floor area ratio (FAR). Floor area ratio is the ratio of the floor area of a building to the area of the lot on which the building is located. For example, the diagram below illustrates three simple ways that a 1:1 FAR might be reached: one story covering the entire lot, 2 stories covering half of the lot, or 4 stories covering a quarter of the lot all result in the same FAR.
Open space on the apartment or condominium grounds. The City of Los Angeles places an open space requirement on all new residential development in the city. This open space requirement is unrelated to the creation of additional neighborhood parks or green space for public use. This is a requirement that all new developments with six or more units have some space on the grounds where residents of the complex can enjoy the outdoors. This open space may be either common areas (courtyards, pools, playgrounds, barbeque areas, rooftop gardens, etc) or private areas (balconies, patios, rooftop patios, etc).
Parking. Minimum parking requirements for new buildings are also contained in the zoning code. The requirements are different for commercial, residential and industrial. For residential, the code generally requires two parking spaces for every unit. There are lower parking requirements for affordable housing because the rate of car ownership is lower and for areas close to transit because of a higher rate of transit usage.
