C2-6 Zoning District — New York City
C2-6 is a low-density Local Commercial District (NYC Zoning Resolution § 11-122) in New York City.
C2-6 is a low-density Local Commercial District (NYC Zoning Resolution § 11-122) in New York City. It allows commercial uses, and generally also housing under the rules of a residential-equivalent district. Under the as of right — narrow street rules, the maximum residential FAR is 3.44 and the maximum commercial FAR is 2. 156 tax lots citywide carry C2-6 as their primary zoning designation.
Citywide, this designation is mapped across roughly 160 tax lots, and the standout figure on the stock beneath it is historic-district coverage: 81% of those lots also sit inside a designated historic district. The buildings are old to match — a median construction year of 1900, with 86% predating 1940 — mid-rise at a median of 3 stories, 81% residential, and a recorded 2,160 homes on lots running to a median of 1,875 square feet.
What actually stands in this district
Only about 160 tax lots citywide carry this designation, and what stands out about the stock on them is how much of it is layered with a second designation: 81% of these lots also sit inside a designated historic district, landmark review riding on top of the zoning map. The buildings are old even by that standard — a median construction year of 1900, with 86% of recorded structures predating 1940. Just 6% date from the 1945-1975 postwar boom, and only 3% have gone up since 2000, so the district's built form is overwhelmingly a nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century one, largely undisturbed by the decades that reshaped so much of the surrounding city. On a designation this small, that combination of age and landmark coverage describes nearly all of what exists on the ground.
The recorded building classes lean toward walk-up apartments, at 29% of the mix, with a further 17% falling under another recorded building class and 13% recorded as mixed residential-commercial buildings. By land use, mixed residential-and-commercial parcels are the largest single category at 38%, ahead of multi-family walk-up buildings at 19% and one- and two-family buildings at 18%. Altogether 81% of the lots are residential, and the records count 2,160 homes on a designation this size — a meaningful concentration of housing on a comparatively small footprint of lots. Commercial and mixed-use activity shows up in the land-use figures without displacing housing as the dominant recorded use.
The lots themselves run small: a median of 1,875 square feet, with even the 90th percentile reaching only 5,680 square feet — a tight, consistent lot fabric with little room for outsized parcels. Buildings on that ground run to a median of 3 stories, and just 7% rise above 6 floors, keeping the designation's built form modest in height as well as footprint. Little in the recorded stock departs from that low-rise pattern.
On the development side, the records show more room than the age of the stock might suggest: 53% of lots carry recorded floor area below their allowance, though the median residual is a comparatively small 0.4 FAR — headroom that is broad but shallow on lots this size. Flood exposure is absent from the federal map here, at 0% of lots inside the Special Flood Hazard Area, which describes the regulatory map rather than a guarantee about water. Per-lot detail for any parcel carrying this designation is available in PearlAudit's records, alongside the rules tables above, which carry the governing FAR and height numbers with their citations.
Bulk rules for C2-6
| Context | Residential FAR | Commercial FAR | Community facility FAR | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| As of right — narrow street§ 33-432 slope differs by street type: 2.7:1 narrow / 5.6:1 wide. | 3.44 | 2 | 6.5 | NYC Zoning Resolution § 33-122, § 33-123, § 33-25, § 33-26, § 33-43, § 33-432, § 34-112 |
| As of right — wide street§ 33-432 slope differs by street type: 2.7:1 narrow / 5.6:1 wide. | 4 | 2 | 6.5 | NYC Zoning Resolution § 33-122, § 33-123, § 33-25, § 33-26, § 33-43, § 33-432, § 34-112 |
Values from the NYC Zoning Resolution, verified 2026-06-12; site-specific overlays, special districts, and waterfront rules can modify them — run a full lookup for a specific lot.
About commercial districts
Commercial districts allow retail, office, and service uses, and most also allow housing under the rules of a residential-equivalent district. Commercial bulk is governed by § 33- of the NYC Zoning Resolution.
Contextual districts pair their floor-area ceilings with prescribed base and maximum building heights so new buildings mirror existing neighborhood form; non-contextual districts govern the envelope through more general height and setback rules, such as sky exposure planes. Commercial districts also allow residences under the rules of a residential-equivalent district, while manufacturing districts generally exclude new residences. Overlays and special purpose districts can modify any of this on a specific lot.
Example lots zoned C2-6
- 212 9 Avenue — 71,700 sq ft lot, 3.5 built FAR, built 1963
- 175 West 12 Street — 15,435 sq ft lot, 11.9 built FAR, built 1963
- 41 7 Avenue — 8,883 sq ft lot, 15.52 built FAR, built 1963
- 315 West 23 Street — 10,038 sq ft lot, 11.96 built FAR, built 1926
- 15 Charles Street — 10,400 sq ft lot, 10.15 built FAR, built 1961
- 63 Downing Street — 11,257 sq ft lot, 4.4 built FAR, built 1986
- 201 West 11 Street — 7,800 sq ft lot, 4.93 built FAR, built 1924
- 59 Bedford Street — 8,403 sq ft lot, 5.69 built FAR, built 1919
- 67 Carmine Street — 1,575 sq ft lot, 6.94 built FAR, built 2006
- 130 7 Avenue — 2,910 sq ft lot, 5.3 built FAR, built 2015
- 22 Perry Street — 4,242 sq ft lot, 4.82 built FAR, built 1987
- 29 7 Avenue South — 4,257 sq ft lot, 6 built FAR, built 1998
C2-6 — quick questions
- What is the maximum residential FAR in C2-6?
- 3.44, as of right — narrow street, per NYC Zoning Resolution § 33-122, § 33-123, § 33-25, § 33-26, § 33-43, § 33-432, § 34-112. Site-specific overlays, special districts, and waterfront rules can modify it — run a full lookup for a specific lot.
- What is the maximum commercial FAR in C2-6?
- 2, as of right — narrow street, per NYC Zoning Resolution § 33-122, § 33-123, § 33-25, § 33-26, § 33-43, § 33-432, § 34-112. Site-specific overlays, special districts, and waterfront rules can modify it — run a full lookup for a specific lot.
- Is C2-6 a contextual district?
- No. C2-6 is not a contextual district; its building envelope is governed by the district's general height and setback rules rather than a prescribed contextual envelope.
- What era do most of the buildings on these lots date to?
- Overwhelmingly prewar: a median construction year of 1900, with 86% of recorded buildings predating 1940. Only 6% date from the 1945-1975 boom, and just 3% have been built since 2000.
- How many lots carry this designation, and how large are they?
- Roughly 160 tax lots citywide, with a median lot size of 1,875 square feet and a 90th percentile of only 5,680 square feet — a small, tightly clustered lot fabric.
- Are lots with this designation inside a historic district?
- Frequently: 81% of these lots also sit inside a designated historic district, meaning landmark review applies on top of the zoning map for most of the stock.
- Is there recorded room to build on these lots?
- About half: 53% of lots record floor area below their allowance, though the median gap is a modest 0.4 FAR. The rules tables above carry the specific allowances with citations.
- Are these lots in a flood zone?
- By the federal map, no: 0% of lots carrying this designation fall inside the mapped Special Flood Hazard Area — a statement about the regulatory map, not a guarantee about water.
Keep learning
What do the C2-6 rules mean for a specific lot?
PearlAudit resolves the governing zoning for any NYC tax lot — district, overlays, special districts — and cites the Zoning Resolution section behind every rule claim.
District data: NYC municipal records (Department of City Planning) and the NYC Zoning Resolution. See our sources and methodology. Parcel data as of 2026-07-11.