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Davis City Zoning Code

ARTICLE 40

04 RESIDENTIAL ONE- AND TWO-FAMILY R-2 DISTRICTS

§ 40.04.010 Purpose.

The purpose of a residential one-and two-family (R-2) district is to stabilize and protect the residential characteristics of the district and to promote and encourage a suitable environment for family life. The R-2 district is intended for residences and community services appurtenant thereto.
(Ord. 296 § 9.1)

§ 40.04.020 Permitted uses.

The principal permitted uses of land in an R-2 district are as follows:
(a) 
Up to two single-family dwellings per lot provided each unit has five or fewer bedrooms. If two single-family dwellings are located on one lot, they shall be exempt from the requirements of Sections 40.04.060(a) and (b) of this article.
(b) 
Duplex or two-family dwellings provided each unit has five or fewer bedrooms.
(c) 
Agriculture, except the raising of animals or fowl for commercial purposes, or the sale of any products at retail on the premises.
(d) 
Family and group day care homes as defined in Section 40.26.270.
(e) 
Group care homes with six or fewer clients.
(f) 
Supportive housing.
(g) 
Transitional housing.
(Ord. 296 § 9.2; Ord. 316 § 4; Ord. 1123 § 2; Ord. 1198 § 1; Ord. 1787 § 4; Ord. 2276 § 3, 2007; Ord. 2413 § 2, 2013; Ord. 2677, 11/4/2025)

§ 40.04.030 Accessory uses.

The following accessory uses are permitted in an R-2 district:
(a) 
Home occupations subject to the provisions of Sections 40.04.010 and 40.26.150.
(b) 
Swimming pools, subject to the provisions of Section 40.26.350.
(c) 
Signs, subject to the regulations of Section 40.26.020.
(d) 
Other accessory uses and accessory buildings customarily appurtenant to a permitted use, subject to requirements of Section 40.26.010.
(e) 
Accessory dwelling units meeting the requirements of Section 40.26.450 (Ministerial accessory dwelling units).
(Ord. 296 § 9.3; Ord. 875 § 4; Ord. 1357 § 8; Ord. 1419 § 5; Ord. 2119, § 1, 2003; Ord. 2126 § 5, 2003; Ord. 2572 § 5, 2020)

§ 40.04.040 Conditional uses.

The following conditional uses may be permitted in an R-2 district:
(a) 
Public and semipublic buildings and uses of a recreational, educational, cultural or public service type, including public utility, but not including corporation yards, storage or repair yards, warehouses and similar uses.
(b) 
Hospitals, churches and other religious and eleemosynary institutions, subject to the provisions of Section 40.26.160.
(c) 
Temporary tract offices, subject to the provisions of Section 40.26.360.
(d) 
Nursery schools and day care centers, subject to the provisions of Section 40.26.270.
(e) 
Multiple dwellings meeting the area, lot width, open space, yard, parking, special conditions and height limitations applicable within the R-3-L district.
(f) 
Commercial residential uses which do not qualify as permitted or accessory uses.
(g) 
Group care homes with more than six clients, subject to the provisions of Section 40.26.135.
(h) 
Non-ministerial accessory dwelling units. Accessory dwelling units that are not permitted pursuant to Section 40.26.450 (Ministerial accessory dwelling units and junior accessory dwelling units) shall be permitted subject to the granting of an administrative use permit and shall be known as non-ministerial accessory dwelling units. Non-ministerial accessory dwelling units shall comply with all of the requirements of Section 40.26.460.
(i) 
Guest houses. Guest houses are conditionally allowable accessory structures, subject to the granting of an administrative use permit (AUP). Guest houses shall comply with all of the requirements of Section 40.26.470.
(j) 
Residential dwellings with more than five bedrooms in the unit subject to the requirements of Section 40.26.255.
(k) 
Residential dwellings with more than five bathrooms in the unit subject to the requirements of Section 40.26.256. Individual bathrooms shall not consist of more than one toilet fixture per bathroom with the exception of a bidet, and shall not contain more than two sinks, a shower, a bathtub or combination thereof.
(Ord. 296 § 9.4; Ord. 377 § 9; Ord. 396 § 1; Ord. 527 § 2; Ord. 805 § 1; Ord. 1357 § 9; Ord. 1786 § 2; Ord. 1787 § 5; Ord. 2034 § 6, 2000; Ord. 2113 § 1, 2003; Ord. 2126 §§ 3, 4, 2003; Ord. 2276 § 4, 2007; Ord. 2359 § 2, 2010; Ord. 2445 §§ 3, 6, 2015; Ord. 2553 § 4, 2019; Ord. 2572 § 6, 2020; Ord. 2602 § 9, 2021; Ord. 2633 § 3, 2022)

§ 40.04.050 Height regulations.

No principal building shall exceed two stories or thirty feet in height. No accessory building shall exceed one story or fifteen feet in height, except as provided in Section 40.27.030.
(Ord. 296 § 9.5; Ord. 1786 § 1)

§ 40.04.060 Area, lot width and yard requirements.

The following minimum requirements shall be observed, except where increased for conditional uses or as provided in Sections 40.27.040 through 40.27.070:
(a) 
Lot area. Single-family, seven thousand square feet corner lots and six thousand square feet interior lots.
(b) 
Lot width. Single-family, sixty-five feet corner lots and fifty-five feet interior lots.
(c) 
Usable open space. Single-family and two-family, twenty percent lot area.
(d) 
Lot coverage. Forty percent.
(e) 
Front yard. Twenty feet, except as provided in Section 40.27.050 and projections as permitted in Section 40.27.060.
(f) 
Side yards. The requirements shall be the same as in the R-1-6 district.
(g) 
Rear yard. The requirements shall be the same as in the R-1-6 district.
(h) 
Floor area ratio (FAR).
(1) 
Up to forty percent plus up to five hundred square feet for garage or carport.
(2) 
In excess of forty percent plus up to five hundred square feet for garage or carport with approval of a discretionary design review application pursuant to Article 40.31.
(i) 
Attic conversions.
(1) 
For the purpose of setback determination, a converted attic space shall have the same setbacks as the story directly below it in all residential districts.
(2) 
No exterior changes to the existing roofline of the structure shall be allowed except for the provision of egress windows or doors in compliance with Uniform Building Code (UBC). Any dormers or similar structures provided to comply with the UBC required egress windows, shall not exceed the minimum size necessary to obtain the required egress.
(3) 
No attic conversion shall be allowed if one of the following occurs:
(A) 
The maximum stories allowed in the district have been achieved;
(B) 
The number of stories that can be built on a lot are restricted (usually, restricted to one-story building).
(4) 
If no restrictions apply and the maximum stories allowed in the district have not been achieved, a building permit only would be required for the attic conversion.
(Ord. 296 § 9.6; Ord. No 329 § 2; Ord. 354 § 1; Ord. 487 § 1; Ord. 594 §§ 1, 2; Ord. 690 § 1; Ord. 2110 § 1, 2003)

§ 40.04.070 Special conditions.

(a) 
Site plan and architectural approval shall be required for all uses.
(b) 
Site plan and architectural approval shall be required for all applicable activities/projects as specified within areas where design guidelines have been adopted.
(Ord. 296 § 9.7; Ord. 1419 § 6; Ord. 1627 § 5; Ord. 2066 § 2, 2001; Ord. 2390 § 2, 2012; Ord. 2548 § 2, 2019; Ord. 2558 § 2, 2019; Ord. 2677, 11/4/2025)