C4-5A Zoning District — New York City
C4-5A is a contextual, high-density General Commercial District (NYC Zoning Resolution § 11-122) in New York City.
C4-5A is a contextual, 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 4 and the maximum commercial FAR is 4. 55 tax lots citywide carry C4-5A as their primary zoning designation.
This is one of the smaller designations in this profile, mapped across roughly 55 tax lots, yet its recorded stock includes real height: 23% of buildings rise above 6 floors even though the median height is 4 stories. The stock is also old — 91% of buildings predate 1940, with a median construction year of 1910 — and includes a real office presence, 15% of recorded building classes, on lots that are 69% residential with 640 recorded homes.
What actually stands in this district
This designation carries a real share of taller buildings for its size: 23% of recorded buildings rise above 6 floors, even though the median building height across the roughly 55 lots is just 4 stories — a split between a low-rise majority and a meaningful cluster of taller structures. That kind of spread, height concentrated in a minority of buildings rather than distributed evenly, tends to show up where larger buildings sit among smaller ones on a shared designation rather than a uniform block type. That split — most buildings low, a real minority genuinely tall — reads differently than a designation where every recorded building sits close to the same height.
The building stock is old: 91% of recorded buildings predate 1940, and the median construction year is 1910. The 1945-to-1975 boom contributed just 4% of the stock, and construction since 2000 has added only 2% more — together a very light rate of new building layered onto a base put up more than a century ago. Little has changed on these lots since; what stands is largely what was built in the district's earliest years. That leaves a stock where the passage of more than a century has added comparatively little new construction, layering only a thin recent share on top of what was largely already standing generations ago.
By land use, mixed residential-commercial buildings lead at 27%, commercial-and-office uses add 20%, and one- and two-family buildings contribute a further 18%. Among recorded building classes, walk-up apartment buildings make up 25% of the stock, office buildings 15%, and two-family homes 13% — a real office presence for a designation this size. Residential lots make up 69% of the total, and the file counts 640 homes across these roughly 55 lots. That office share, while modest in absolute terms, stands out for a designation this size, where recorded building classes elsewhere often lean almost entirely residential or mixed-use.
The lots run a median of 2,057 square feet, with the 90th percentile reaching 9,871 square feet. None of these lots sit inside a designated historic district or the mapped federal flood zone. The development ledger shows real recorded slack: 71% of lots record floor area below their allowance, with a median residual of 1.2 FAR. With neither overlay recorded here to complicate matters, the room this ledger shows is not layered under any additional review. Whatever a specific lot retains is set out, with its citation, on the rules tables above.
Bulk rules for C4-5A
| Context | Residential FAR | Commercial FAR | Community facility FAR | Heights | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| As of rightContextual letter-suffix district; height/setback governed by § 23-43 per § 33-40 (out of this chunk's scope). | 4 | 4 | 4 | Base 40–75 ft · Max 85 ft | NYC Zoning Resolution § 33-122, § 33-123, § 33-25, § 33-26, § 34-112, § 23-43, § 23-431, § 23-432 |
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 C4-5A
- 124 East 28 Street — 9,973 sq ft lot, 5.83 built FAR, built 1906
- 127 East 30 Street — 6,441 sq ft lot, 9.85 built FAR, built 1988
- 116 East 27 Street — 6,584 sq ft lot, 10.66 built FAR, built 1915
- 118 East 29 Street — 10,517 sq ft lot, 4.34 built FAR, built 1920
- 121 East 31 Street — 7,989 sq ft lot, 7.3 built FAR, built 1930
- 121 East 27 Street — 7,958 sq ft lot, 7.54 built FAR, built 1912
- 114 East 28 Street — 3,950 sq ft lot, 5.72 built FAR, built 1906
- 117 East 29 Street — 4,938 sq ft lot, 5.4 built FAR, built 1920
- 128 East 28 Street — 4,246 sq ft lot, 4.67 built FAR, built 2019
- 111 East 26 Street — 10,287 sq ft lot, 2.49 built FAR, built 1900
- 120 East 31 Street — 3,802 sq ft lot, 6.22 built FAR, built 1915
- 112 East 30 Street — 3,950 sq ft lot, 5.3 built FAR, built 1959
C4-5A — quick questions
- What is the maximum residential FAR in C4-5A?
- 4, as of right, per NYC Zoning Resolution § 33-122, § 33-123, § 33-25, § 33-26, § 34-112, § 23-43, § 23-431, § 23-432. 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 C4-5A?
- 4, as of right, per NYC Zoning Resolution § 33-122, § 33-123, § 33-25, § 33-26, § 34-112, § 23-43, § 23-431, § 23-432. Site-specific overlays, special districts, and waterfront rules can modify it — run a full lookup for a specific lot.
- Is C4-5A a contextual district?
- Yes. C4-5A is a contextual district — its bulk rules pair floor-area ceilings with prescribed base and maximum building heights intended to mirror existing neighborhood form.
- Are there any tall buildings on lots with this designation?
- A meaningful share: 23% of recorded buildings rise above 6 floors, even though the median building height is 4 stories — a real cluster of taller structures alongside a low-rise majority.
- How old is the stock on lots zoned this way?
- Very old: 91% of recorded buildings predate 1940, and the median construction year is 1910. Only 4% date from the 1945-1975 boom, and just 2% have gone up since 2000.
- What's the recorded building mix like on lots carrying this designation?
- A mix including a real office share: office buildings make up 15% of recorded building classes, alongside walk-up apartments at 25% and two-family homes at 13%, on lots that are 69% residential with 640 recorded homes.
- Is there recorded development capacity on these lots?
- Yes: 71% of lots record floor area below their allowance, with a median residual of 1.2 FAR. The specific allowance is in the rules tables above.
Keep learning
What do the C4-5A 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.