What is the maximum residential FAR in C5-1A?

10, as of right, per NYC Zoning Resolution § 34-112 (C5-1A→R10A); § 33-122 (comm FAR); § 33-123 (CF FAR); § 23-22. 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 C5-1A?

4, as of right, per NYC Zoning Resolution § 34-112 (C5-1A→R10A); § 33-122 (comm FAR); § 33-123 (CF FAR); § 23-22. Site-specific overlays, special districts, and waterfront rules can modify it — run a full lookup for a specific lot.

How many tax lots carry this designation?

Very few: the records map just 11 lots citywide with this designation, too small a sample for broad citywide claims — the figures below describe those specific parcels.

Is this designation mostly residential?

Yes, heavily: 91% of the 11 lots are recorded as residential, and 82% carry a mixed residential-commercial land use, though the total recorded unit count is modest at 836 given how few lots exist.

Do the buildings on these lots run tall or low-rise?

Tall for such a small designation: a median height of 7 stories, with 55% of recorded buildings rising above 6 floors.

What era does the recorded construction on these lots date to?

A postwar-leaning mix: the median construction year is 1971, with 45% of buildings predating 1940 and 27% built since 2000.

Do any of the 11 lots here fall inside a flood zone or historic district?

None on the current record: 0% sit inside the mapped federal flood zone and 0% inside a designated historic district — both facts about today's maps across a very small lot count.

C5-1A Zoning District — New York City

C5-1A is a contextual, high-density General Central Commercial District (NYC Zoning Resolution § 11-122) in New York City.

C5-1A is a contextual, 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. As of right, the maximum residential FAR is 10 and the maximum commercial FAR is 4. 11 tax lots citywide carry C5-1A as their primary zoning designation.

This designation is mapped across just 11 tax lots citywide — too small a sample for citywide patterns, but the recorded stock on those lots is heavily residential: 91% of lots are recorded as residential, 82% carry a mixed residential-commercial land use, and condominiums make up 45% of recorded building classes. The median building rises 7 stories, and the median construction year is 1971.

What actually stands in this district

This is one of the smallest designations in this comparison set: the city's tax-lot records map it across just 11 parcels citywide. A sample that small means every percentage below describes those specific lots rather than a broader pattern, and a single lot's difference can noticeably move any share reported below. With that caveat placed up front, the recorded stock on those 11 lots is worth describing plainly, since even a small, tightly bounded designation still carries its own recorded facts rather than none at all — the smallness of the sample is a reason for caution in reading the shares below, not a reason to skip them.

The land use on these lots is unusually concentrated: 82% carry a mixed residential-commercial designation, with multi-family elevator parcels and commercial and office parcels at 9% each. Ninety-one percent of the lots are recorded as residential — among the higher residential shares in this comparison group — though the total unit count is modest at 836, reflecting the small number of lots rather than low density on any one of them. Given only 11 lots total, that 82% land-use concentration describes a share of a very small whole — a different kind of uniformity than the same percentage would represent across a designation of hundreds of lots elsewhere in this file.

By recorded building class, condominiums lead at 45%, walk-up apartment buildings follow at 27%, and elevator apartment buildings add 18%. Height runs tall for a designation this size: a median of 7 stories, with 55% of recorded buildings rising above 6 floors. Lots themselves run to a median of 5,221 square feet, with a 90th percentile of 30,933 — a considerable spread across so few parcels, again a reminder that a handful of larger holdings can move percentile figures substantially when the total lot count is this small.

The stock is a postwar mix on the record: a median construction year of 1971, with 45% of buildings predating 1940, 9% inside the 1945-1975 postwar boom, and 27% built since 2000. Recorded floor-area headroom covers 64% of lots, at a median residual of 2.6 FAR. Zero percent of these lots sit inside the mapped federal flood zone and zero percent inside a designated historic district — both statements about the current maps for a very small lot count, not broader claims about the surrounding area. The rules tables above carry the governing figures, with citations, for each of these 11 lots individually, which is in practice the only reliable way to read a designation mapped across so few parcels.

Bulk rules for C5-1A

Context	Residential FAR	Commercial FAR	Community facility FAR	Max lot coverage	Heights	Citation
As of rightResidential bulk = the R10A residential equivalent per § 34-112 (node 18312); FAR/height/base/yards mirror R10A. max_commercial_far = 4.0 per § 33-122 (node 17723) via § 11-25 (base C5-1; C5-1A is not separately listed, so it follows the base). max_community_facility_far = 10.0 per § 33-123 (= R10A residential-equivalent CF). All three FAR columns now populated.	10	4	10	80%	—	NYC Zoning Resolution § 34-112 (C5-1A→R10A); § 33-122 (comm FAR); § 33-123 (CF FAR); § 23-22
As of right — narrow streetResidential bulk = the R10A residential equivalent per § 34-112 (node 18312); FAR/height/base/yards mirror R10A. max_commercial_far = 4.0 per § 33-122 (node 17723) via § 11-25 (base C5-1; C5-1A is not separately listed, so it follows the base). max_community_facility_far = 10.0 per § 33-123 (= R10A residential-equivalent CF). All three FAR columns now populated.	10	4	10	80%	Base 60–125 ft · Max 185 ft	NYC Zoning Resolution § 34-112 (C5-1A→R10A); § 33-122 (comm FAR); § 33-123 (CF FAR); § 23-22, § 23-432 footnote 2, § 23-431
As of right — wide streetResidential bulk = the R10A residential equivalent per § 34-112 (node 18312); FAR/height/base/yards mirror R10A. max_commercial_far = 4.0 per § 33-122 (node 17723) via § 11-25 (base C5-1; C5-1A is not separately listed, so it follows the base). max_community_facility_far = 10.0 per § 33-123 (= R10A residential-equivalent CF). All three FAR columns now populated.	10	4	10	80%	Base 125–155 ft · Max 215 ft	NYC Zoning Resolution § 34-112 (C5-1A→R10A); § 33-122 (comm FAR); § 33-123 (CF FAR); § 23-22, § 23-432 footnote 1, § 23-431
Qualifying affordable housingResidential bulk = the R10A residential equivalent per § 34-112 (node 18312); FAR/height/base/yards mirror R10A. max_commercial_far = 4.0 per § 33-122 (node 17723) via § 11-25 (base C5-1; C5-1A is not separately listed, so it follows the base). max_community_facility_far = 10.0 per § 33-123 (= R10A residential-equivalent CF). All three FAR columns now populated.	12	4	10	80%	Max 235 ft	NYC Zoning Resolution § 34-112 (C5-1A→R10A); § 33-122 (comm FAR); § 33-123 (CF FAR); § 23-22
Qualifying affordable housing — narrow streetResidential bulk = the R10A residential equivalent per § 34-112 (node 18312); FAR/height/base/yards mirror R10A. max_commercial_far = 4.0 per § 33-122 (node 17723) via § 11-25 (base C5-1; C5-1A is not separately listed, so it follows the base). max_community_facility_far = 10.0 per § 33-123 (= R10A residential-equivalent CF). All three FAR columns now populated.	12	4	10	80%	Base 60–155 ft · Max 235 ft	NYC Zoning Resolution § 34-112 (C5-1A→R10A); § 33-122 (comm FAR); § 33-123 (CF FAR); § 23-22, § 23-432 footnote 2, § 23-431
Qualifying affordable housing — wide streetResidential bulk = the R10A residential equivalent per § 34-112 (node 18312); FAR/height/base/yards mirror R10A. max_commercial_far = 4.0 per § 33-122 (node 17723) via § 11-25 (base C5-1; C5-1A is not separately listed, so it follows the base). max_community_facility_far = 10.0 per § 33-123 (= R10A residential-equivalent CF). All three FAR columns now populated.	12	4	10	80%	Base 125–155 ft · Max 235 ft	NYC Zoning Resolution § 34-112 (C5-1A→R10A); § 33-122 (comm FAR); § 33-123 (CF FAR); § 23-22, § 23-432 footnote 1, § 23-431

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 C5-1A

150 East 86 Street — 30,933 sq ft lot, 12.87 built FAR, built 2007
120 East 87 Street — 35,150 sq ft lot, 9.64 built FAR, built 1981
1289 Lexington Avenue — 13,983 sq ft lot, 13.16 built FAR, built 2018
111 East 85 Street — 13,690 sq ft lot, 15.44 built FAR, built 1971
126a East 86th Street — 5,221 sq ft lot, 10.67 built FAR, built 2022
130 East 86 Street — 3,550 sq ft lot, 4.59 built FAR, built 1920
131 East 85 Street — 3,750 sq ft lot, 7.45 built FAR, built 1985
120 East 86 Street — 5,221 sq ft lot, 4.96 built FAR, built 1920
150 East 87 Street — 3,550 sq ft lot, 4.29 built FAR, built 1930
128 East 86 Street — 3,269 sq ft lot, 3.88 built FAR, built 1915
123 East 86 Street — 3,021 sq ft lot, 3.57 built FAR, built 1927

Browse all 11 lots zoned C5-1A →

C5-1A — quick questions

What is the maximum residential FAR in C5-1A?: 10, as of right, per NYC Zoning Resolution § 34-112 (C5-1A→R10A); § 33-122 (comm FAR); § 33-123 (CF FAR); § 23-22. 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 C5-1A?: 4, as of right, per NYC Zoning Resolution § 34-112 (C5-1A→R10A); § 33-122 (comm FAR); § 33-123 (CF FAR); § 23-22. Site-specific overlays, special districts, and waterfront rules can modify it — run a full lookup for a specific lot.
Is C5-1A a contextual district?: Yes. C5-1A is a contextual district — its bulk rules pair floor-area ceilings with prescribed base and maximum building heights intended to mirror existing neighborhood form.
How many tax lots carry this designation?: Very few: the records map just 11 lots citywide with this designation, too small a sample for broad citywide claims — the figures below describe those specific parcels.
Is this designation mostly residential?: Yes, heavily: 91% of the 11 lots are recorded as residential, and 82% carry a mixed residential-commercial land use, though the total recorded unit count is modest at 836 given how few lots exist.
Do the buildings on these lots run tall or low-rise?: Tall for such a small designation: a median height of 7 stories, with 55% of recorded buildings rising above 6 floors.
What era does the recorded construction on these lots date to?: A postwar-leaning mix: the median construction year is 1971, with 45% of buildings predating 1940 and 27% built since 2000.
Do any of the 11 lots here fall inside a flood zone or historic district?: None on the current record: 0% sit inside the mapped federal flood zone and 0% inside a designated historic district — both facts about today's maps across a very small lot count.

Keep learning

What do the C5-1A 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.

Run a free lookup See plans

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.