C5-1 Zoning District — New York City
C5-1 is a high-density General Central Commercial District (NYC Zoning Resolution § 11-122) in New York City.
C5-1 is a high-density General Central 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 10 and the maximum commercial FAR is 4. 272 tax lots citywide carry C5-1 as their primary zoning designation.
No designation in this comparison set is older or more landmarked on the record: 86% of recorded buildings predate 1940, the median construction year is 1910, and just 4% have gone up since 2000 — the lowest recent-construction share here. Sixty-six percent of the roughly 270 lots also sit inside a designated historic district, the highest share in the group, layering landmark review onto an already prewar stock.
What actually stands in this district
This designation records the oldest and least-changed building stock in this comparison group. Eighty-six percent of buildings predate 1940 — the highest prewar share among these designations — and the median construction year is 1910. Only 8% of recorded structures fall inside the 1945-1975 postwar boom, and just 4% have been built since 2000, the lowest recent-construction figure in the set. Whatever redevelopment has touched other designations in this file has largely passed these roughly 270 lots by, leaving a building stock closer in age to the turn of the twentieth century than to any era since.
Landmark protection compounds that age. Sixty-six percent of these lots sit inside a designated historic district — the highest share recorded among these designations — meaning review under landmark rules sits on top of the zoning for roughly two out of every three lots here. That combination of age and landmark status usually travels together, and this designation's record shows it about as strongly as any in this group, pairing the highest prewar share in the set with its highest historic-district share as well.
By recorded class, store buildings lead at 26%, elevator apartment buildings follow at 20%, and condominiums add 14%. Land use is dominated by mixed residential-commercial parcels at 56%, with commercial and office parcels at 20% and multi-family elevator parcels at 14%. Seventy-six percent of lots are recorded as residential, and the file counts 7,425 units on them, on lots running to a median of 2,711 square feet — among the smaller typical lot sizes in this comparison group — with a 90th percentile of 12,920. A lot fabric this tight, paired with a majority-residential land use, is consistent with the kind of dense, small-parcel blocks where historic-district designation is most often layered onto the zoning map.
Development headroom is broad here despite the age of the stock: 79% of lots record floor area below their mapped allowance, at a median residual of 5.2 FAR. Height stays modest — a median of 5 stories, with 36% of recorded buildings rising above 6 floors. Flood exposure is absent from the current record: 0% of these lots sit inside the mapped Special Flood Hazard Area, which describes this year's federal map rather than any lot's history with water. The regulatory ceilings behind that headroom figure, and the height limits for any one of these 270 lots, are set out with citations in the rules tables above, alongside the historic-district review that governs most of these lots as well.
Bulk rules for C5-1
| 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. | 10 | 4 | 10 | 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. | 10 | 4 | 10 | 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 C5-1
- 217 West 57th Street — 55,862 sq ft lot, 15.73 built FAR, built 2013
- 160 Central Park South — 41,437 sq ft lot, 12.01 built FAR, built 1930
- 220 Central Park South — 27,604 sq ft lot, 14.37 built FAR, built 2015
- 520 Park Avenue — 6,024 sq ft lot, 30.98 built FAR, built 2015
- 981 Madison Avenue — 18,803 sq ft lot, 15.64 built FAR, built 1930
- 200 Central Park South — 32,635 sq ft lot, 17.29 built FAR, built 1963
- 797 5 Avenue — 27,113 sq ft lot, 19.02 built FAR, built 1930
- 540 Park Avenue — 24,903 sq ft lot, 10.78 built FAR, built 1962
- 33 East 70 Street — 30,125 sq ft lot, 9.96 built FAR, built 1929
- 691 Madison Avenue — 4,841 sq ft lot, 4.89 built FAR, built 1928
- 1150 Madison Avenue — 44,953 sq ft lot, 10.51 built FAR, built 1923
- 106 Central Park South — 17,924 sq ft lot, 19.48 built FAR, built 1930
C5-1 — quick questions
- What is the maximum residential FAR in C5-1?
- 10, 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 C5-1?
- 4, 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 C5-1 a contextual district?
- No. C5-1 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.
- How does the recorded construction era compare to other designations?
- Among the oldest in this comparison set: 86% of buildings predate 1940 and the median construction year is 1910. Just 4% have been built since 2000, the lowest recent-construction share recorded here.
- Are lots with this designation inside a historic district?
- Very often: 66% of the roughly 270 lots sit inside a designated historic district — the highest share among these designations — layering landmark review on top of an already old stock.
- What does the recorded land use look like on these lots?
- Mixed residential-commercial parcels dominate at 56%, with commercial and office parcels at 20% and multi-family elevator parcels at 14%. Seventy-six percent of lots are residential, holding 7,425 recorded units.
- How much floor-area headroom do these lots record?
- A wide majority: 79% of lots record built floor area below their mapped allowance, at a median residual of 5.2 FAR, on lots running to a median size of just 2,711 square feet.
Keep learning
What do the C5-1 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.