C6-12 Zoning District — New York City
C6-12 is a high-density General Central Commercial District (NYC Zoning Resolution § 11-122) in New York City.
C6-12 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 15 and the maximum commercial FAR is 15. 1 tax lots citywide carry C6-12 as their primary zoning designation.
This designation also maps to a single recorded tax lot citywide, of 50,618 square feet, built out entirely as office space: 100% of the recorded building class and 100% of the land use on file are office and commercial. The lot's one building was recorded in 1974, squarely in the 1945-to-1975 postwar boom, rises 7 floors, and carries 8 units on record with 0% of the lot classed residential.
What actually stands in this district
Like a handful of other designations in this set, this one is mapped to a single tax lot citywide — 50,618 square feet, and every figure below describes that one parcel rather than a broader population. Because the count is exactly one, the median and the largest-lot figures on file are identical, and there is no distribution to average across, only the one recorded file. That single-lot scope means the figures below should be read as a description of one recorded building, not as a sample of a broader category.
The lot is built out fully as office and commercial space: the recorded building class is 100% office, and the land-use record likewise shows 100% commercial and office. The one building on file was constructed in 1974, placing it squarely inside the 1945-to-1975 postwar boom — 100% of the recorded stock falls in that window, with 0% predating 1940 and 0% built since 2000. It rises 7 floors, and because that clears the 6-floor threshold this profile tracks, the lot's over-6-floor share reads 100%, the maximum this measure can show. No other construction era shows up on this lot's file at all, itself a distinctive fact for a designation this size to record.
Residential use on the lot is recorded at 0%, though the file does carry 8 units on record — a records detail worth noting rather than smoothing over, since a lot can carry unit counts on file without being classed as residential land use. That detail is worth flagging precisely because it would otherwise be easy to read the 0% residential figure as meaning the lot carries no housing units whatsoever, which the unit count on file does not support. The parcel is not recorded inside a designated historic district, and it does not fall inside the mapped federal Special Flood Hazard Area, on the record as it stands today.
Development records show the lot carrying floor area below its allowance across the full parcel — a 100% headroom reading — with a recorded residual of 7.6 FAR, a substantial gap for a single site. That is a statement about the difference between what stands on the lot today and what the file lists as allowed, not a claim about what happens next. A gap this size on a single developed lot is unusual enough among the designations in this set to be one of the more notable facts its file carries. This lot's governing allowance, like every other's, is documented with its citation in the rules tables above, for whoever checks the file.
Bulk rules for C6-12
| 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. | 15 | 15 | 15 | 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. | 15 | 15 | 15 | 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 C6-12
- 395 Flatbush Avenue Ext — 50,618 sq ft lot, 7.43 built FAR, built 1974
C6-12 — quick questions
- What is the maximum residential FAR in C6-12?
- 15, 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 C6-12?
- 15, 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 C6-12 a contextual district?
- No. C6-12 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 many tax lots does this designation cover?
- One, citywide: a single recorded tax lot of 50,618 square feet, built out fully as office space.
- How old is the building on this lot?
- It was recorded in 1974, squarely inside the 1945-to-1975 postwar boom — 100% of the stock on file falls in that window, with none predating 1940 or built since 2000.
- What is built on the lot with this designation?
- A 7-floor office building — the recorded building class and land use are both 100% office and commercial, with 0% of the lot classed residential despite 8 units on record.
- Does this lot record any unused floor-area capacity?
- Yes, substantially: the lot's floor area sits a recorded 7.6 FAR below its allowance, a 100% headroom reading for the single parcel carrying this designation.
Keep learning
What do the C6-12 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.