C4-1 Zoning District — New York City
C4-1 is a high-density General Commercial District (NYC Zoning Resolution § 11-122) in New York City.
C4-1 is a high-density General 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. As of right, the maximum residential FAR is 1.5 and the maximum commercial FAR is 1. 385 tax lots citywide carry C4-1 as their primary zoning designation.
This designation's stock runs unusually recent: 47% of recorded buildings have gone up since 2000 and the median construction year is 1996, with only 16% predating 1940. Buildings run low, a median of 2 stories with just 1% above 6 floors, across roughly 390 tax lots citywide. Lot size varies enormously, from a 3,560-square-foot median to a 134,071-square-foot 90th percentile, and 91% of lots record floor area below their allowance.
What actually stands in this district
Construction here trends far newer than most designations covered on these pages: 47% of recorded buildings have gone up since 2000, the median construction year is 1996, and only 16% of buildings predate 1940. The 1945-1975 postwar boom accounts for 18% of the recorded stock — itself larger than the prewar share, an unusual ordering. Across roughly 390 tax lots citywide, this is a designation whose built form was substantially assembled in the last three decades rather than carried over from an earlier era. Almost nothing about this age profile resembles the older, prewar-heavy designations profiled elsewhere in this set.
Recorded building classes lean toward two-family homes at 35%, with 29% falling under another recorded building class and 7% under a further recorded class. By land use, one- and two-family buildings lead at 39%, commercial-and-office parcels follow at 28%, and mixed residential-commercial parcels add 7%. Residential lots make up 54% of the total, and the records count 3,324 homes — a mixed-use pattern rather than a purely residential one, with a real share of the recorded land use going to commercial and office space rather than housing alone.
Buildings here run low: a median of 2 stories, with just 1% rising above 6 floors — one of the shortest recorded profiles among the designations covered here despite the recent construction dates. Lot size, by contrast, spreads enormously: a median of 3,560 square feet against a 90th percentile of 134,071 square feet, the widest recorded gap between typical and large parcels of any designation in this profile, meaning a few very large sites sit alongside many ordinary ones. Low buildings on very large lots is itself a distinctive recorded combination, and it holds even though the underlying construction dates are among the most recent recorded in this profile.
Development headroom is the widest recorded among these ten designations: 91% of lots carry floor area below their allowance, with a median residual of 0.8 FAR. Flood exposure is limited, at 2% of lots inside the mapped Special Flood Hazard Area. None of these lots are recorded inside a designated historic district, a 0% share, so neither landmark review nor floodplain rules add meaningfully to what the zoning map governs here. The applicable FAR and height figures for any given lot are cited, section by section, in the rules tables above.
Bulk rules for C4-1
| Context | Residential FAR | Commercial FAR | Community facility FAR | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| As of rightR5 equiv per § 34-112; § 23-22 residential FAR 1.5. | 1.5 | 1 | 2 | NYC Zoning Resolution § 33-122, § 33-123, § 33-25, § 33-26, § 33-283, § 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 C4-1
- 2655 Richmond Avenue — 630,079 sq ft lot, 2 built FAR, built 1975
- 2636 Hylan Blvd — 692,719 sq ft lot, 0.45 built FAR, built 1968
- 212-15 26 Avenue — 606,761 sq ft lot, 0.33 built FAR, built 1961
- 1998 Bruckner Boulevard — 593,357 sq ft lot, 0.56 built FAR, built 1965
- 2795 Richmond Avenue — 1,106,424 sq ft lot, 0.34 built FAR, built 1971
- 255-03 Union Turnpike — 435,275 sq ft lot, 0.53 built FAR, built 1948
- 112 Richmond Hill Road — 817,231 sq ft lot, 0.39 built FAR, built 1975
- 2280 Givan Avenue — 408,300 sq ft lot, 0.35 built FAR, built 1998
- Mill Road — 322,642 sq ft lot, 0.47 built FAR, built 2021
- Richmond Avenue — 818,563 sq ft lot, 0 built FAR, built 1984
- 211-01 26th Avenue — 239,783 sq ft lot, 0.55 built FAR, built 1992
- 1806 East Gun Hill Road — 468,155 sq ft lot, 0.28 built FAR, built 1997
C4-1 — quick questions
- What is the maximum residential FAR in C4-1?
- 1.5, as of right, per NYC Zoning Resolution § 33-122, § 33-123, § 33-25, § 33-26, § 33-283, § 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 C4-1?
- 1, as of right, per NYC Zoning Resolution § 33-122, § 33-123, § 33-25, § 33-26, § 33-283, § 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 C4-1 a contextual district?
- No. C4-1 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.
- Is the building stock here newer than most designations?
- Yes: 47% of recorded buildings have gone up since 2000, and the median construction year is 1996 — only 16% of buildings predate 1940.
- How tall are the buildings recorded under this designation?
- Low: a median of 2 stories, with just 1% of buildings rising above 6 floors.
- How much do lot sizes vary here?
- Enormously: a median of 3,560 square feet against a 90th percentile of 134,071 square feet, one of the widest recorded spreads of any designation profiled.
- Is there recorded development headroom on these lots?
- Yes, broadly: 91% of lots carry floor area below their allowance, with a median residual of 0.8 FAR.
- Are these lots exposed to mapped flood risk?
- A small share: 2% of lots sit inside the mapped Special Flood Hazard Area, and none are recorded inside a designated historic district.
Keep learning
What do the C4-1 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.