Why do we have Zoning Regulations?

Zoning regulations govern how land can be used in various geographic areas of San Francisco
called "zoning use districts" (also known as "zoning," "zones" or "use districts").
For example, zoning regulations might:
 govern sizes and shapes of buildings.
 limit the number of units or apartments that can exists on a property.
 require the accommodation of car parking off of the street
 set controls on planting street trees under certain circumstances.
 specify how late a business can remain open at night.
For each use of land (also known as "land uses" or "uses") in any given zone, zoning regulations are
specified in detail in a legislative policy document called the "San Francisco Planning Code."
For each type of use, the Code specifies it's either: Permitted (P), Conditional (C), or Not
Permitted (NP). Therefore, knowing the zoning of your property will help you understand what's
allowed and what specific limits may apply to your residential or commercial project.
You can view the City and County of San Francisco's zones on the official Zoning Map and
in Section 201 of the San Francisco Planning Code.

The prime responsibility of aphysical planner is to define the opportunities fo various forms of
developments together with the ecolological and economics consequences of the development in all
their complexity.