C5-4 Zoning District — New York City
C5-4 is a high-density General Central Commercial District (NYC Zoning Resolution § 11-122) in New York City.
C5-4 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 10. 41 tax lots citywide carry C5-4 as their primary zoning designation.
This designation is a small one: roughly 41 tax lots citywide carry it. But the development records on those lots show real depth — 73% carry floor area below their allowance, and the median gap is a full 5 FAR, one of the larger recorded residuals in this set. The stock beneath is mixed and mid-rise, a median of 5 floors, 56% built before 1940, on a median lot of 8,837 square feet.
What actually stands in this district
Some designations cover tens of thousands of lots; this one covers roughly 41 citywide, a small enough set that every lot in it moves the percentages. What stands out first is not scale but depth: 73% of these lots record floor area below their allowance, and the median gap is 5 FAR — a real, buildable-sized residual rather than the sliver left over once a site is essentially complete. That combination, broad coverage across nearly three-quarters of the lots and a deep median gap on top of it, is the most distinctive fact on record here, and it holds even though the designation itself is one of the smaller ones on the citywide map.
The building stock itself is a mix rather than a single type. Store buildings lead the recorded classes at 37%, condominiums follow at 22%, and office buildings add 12% — no single class comes close to a majority, which is unusual compared with designations built around one dominant use. Land use runs 41% commercial and office, 32% mixed residential-and-commercial, and 15% public facilities and institutions — a genuinely blended file, consistent with the mixed building-class picture above. Height sits at a median of 5 floors, with 39% of the recorded stock rising above 6 floors, a meaningful minority given the designation's otherwise mid-rise character.
Age on these lots skews prewar but not overwhelmingly so: the median construction year is 1927, and 56% of buildings predate 1940. The postwar era added a real share too — 20% of the stock dates to the 1945-to-1975 boom — and 12% has gone up since 2000, a higher recent-construction share than several other designations in this set carry, hinting at some continued turnover even on a small lot count. Lots run a median of 8,837 square feet, with the largest lots on record reaching 43,749 square feet, room for the mixed mid-rise pattern the records describe across a real range of parcel sizes.
Residential use covers 44% of these lots, with 1,340 homes on record across the roughly 41 parcels — a small enough base that the figure describes real buildings rather than a broad average, and each additional lot in a set this size shifts the picture more than it would in a larger designation. The federal flood map shows none of these lots inside the mapped Special Flood Hazard Area, and the historic-district layer likewise shows none. What the designation's own regulatory ceiling looks like, lot by lot, is answered in the rules tables above, citations included, alongside each lot's own recorded specifics.
Bulk rules for C5-4
| 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 | 10 | 10 | NYC Zoning Resolution § 33-122, § 33-123, § 33-25, § 33-26, § 33-43, § 33-432, § 33-451, § 34-112 |
| As of right — wide street§ 33-432 slope differs by street type: 2.7:1 narrow / 5.6:1 wide. | 10 | 10 | 10 | NYC Zoning Resolution § 33-122, § 33-123, § 33-25, § 33-26, § 33-43, § 33-432, § 33-451, § 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 C5-4
- 350 Jay Street — 127,632 sq ft lot, 11.13 built FAR, built 1997
- 330 Jay Street — 43,749 sq ft lot, 22.35 built FAR, built 2002
- 11 Hoyt Street — 61,925 sq ft lot, 9.13 built FAR, built 2018
- 422 Fulton Street — 76,094 sq ft lot, 11.54 built FAR, built 1920
- 110 Livingston Street — 29,000 sq ft lot, 11.63 built FAR, built 1926
- 345 Adams Street — 25,056 sq ft lot, 11.89 built FAR, built 1960
- 111 Livingston Street — 32,542 sq ft lot, 14.11 built FAR, built 1969
- 496 Fulton Street — 36,664 sq ft lot, 5.55 built FAR, built 1920
- 205 State Street — 23,828 sq ft lot, 10.19 built FAR, built 2003
- 339 Adams Street — 10,400 sq ft lot, 20.39 built FAR, built 2005
- 408 Fulton Street — 10,827 sq ft lot, 4 built FAR, built 1937
- 474 Fulton Street — 9,151 sq ft lot, 3.9 built FAR, built 1920
C5-4 — quick questions
- What is the maximum residential FAR in C5-4?
- 10, as of right — narrow street, per NYC Zoning Resolution § 33-122, § 33-123, § 33-25, § 33-26, § 33-43, § 33-432, § 33-451, § 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 C5-4?
- 10, as of right — narrow street, per NYC Zoning Resolution § 33-122, § 33-123, § 33-25, § 33-26, § 33-43, § 33-432, § 33-451, § 34-112. Site-specific overlays, special districts, and waterfront rules can modify it — run a full lookup for a specific lot.
- Is C5-4 a contextual district?
- No. C5-4 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 much recorded room to build is left on lots zoned this way?
- A considerable share: 73% of the roughly 41 lots carrying this designation record floor area below their allowance, with a median gap of 5 FAR — a substantial recorded residual rather than a marginal one.
- What is built on lots with this designation?
- A mix led by store buildings (37% of recorded classes), with condominiums (22%) and office buildings (12%) close behind. By land use, 41% is commercial and office and 32% mixed residential-and-commercial.
- How old are the buildings here?
- The median construction year is 1927, and 56% of recorded buildings predate 1940. A further 20% dates to the 1945-to-1975 postwar boom, and 12% has been built since 2000.
- Does this designation carry any flood-zone exposure?
- No — 0% of the lots carrying this designation are recorded inside the mapped Special Flood Hazard Area, per the federal flood map.
Keep learning
What do the C5-4 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.