R1-2A Zoning District — New York City
R1-2A is a contextual, low-density Single-Family Detached Residence District (NYC Zoning Resolution § 11-122) in New York City.
R1-2A is a contextual, low-density Single-Family Detached Residence District (NYC Zoning Resolution § 11-122) in New York City. It principally allows housing and community facilities. As of right, the maximum residential FAR is 0.75. 1,544 tax lots citywide carry R1-2A as their primary zoning designation.
The smallest of the three related low-rise designations in this batch, at roughly 1,500 tax lots, also carries the oldest recorded stock: a median construction year of 1935, with 51% of buildings predating 1940 — more than any other designation in this trio. None of these lots, 0%, sit inside the mapped flood zone or carry historic-district status, and the lot fabric is the tightest of the three, running from a 6,000-square-foot median to an 8,000-square-foot 90th percentile.
What actually stands in this district
This is the smallest of the three related low-rise designations covered in this batch — roughly 1,500 tax lots citywide — and it also carries the oldest recorded stock. The median construction year is 1935, and 51% of buildings predate 1940, the highest prewar share among the trio. The 1945-to-1975 postwar boom still contributed a real 32% of the file, and 9% of buildings have gone up since 2000, so the record is not frozen entirely in the prewar period, but the prewar layer is plainly the dominant one here in a way it is not on the other two related designations.
Building class runs 88% one-family homes, with two-family homes at 4% and vacant land at 2% — the most concentrated single-family composition of the three related designations. Land use matches closely: 92% one- and two-family use, with vacant land and public facilities and institutions each at 2%. Ninety-five percent of these roughly 1,500 lots are coded residential, the highest residential share in the trio, and the file counts 2,106 units on record.
The lot fabric here is also the tightest of the three: a median of 6,000 square feet against a 90th percentile of 8,000 square feet, a narrower range than either of the other related designations in this batch. Buildings sit at a median of 2 stories, with 0% of the recorded stock rising above 6 floors, consistent with the uniformly low-rise pattern found across all three designations.
Two overlays read at zero here: 0% of lots sit inside the mapped federal flood zone, and 0% carry historic-district status — the only designation in this trio where neither figure registers above zero. Floor-area headroom remains broad even so: 92% of lots record built area below their recorded allowance, with a median residual of 0.3 FAR, the narrowest recorded residual of the three related designations. The specific allowance behind that gap, with its citation, is in the rules tables above.
Of the three related designations covered in this batch, this is the only one carrying a 0% reading on both the flood-zone share and the historic-district share at once, and it is also the smallest by lot count and the oldest by construction date. Read together, those figures describe a designation that has stayed both physically unchanged and administratively unencumbered relative to its two neighbors — a prewar-heavy stock of roughly 1,500 lots that has drawn neither flood-zone mapping nor landmark review on the current record. The 92% of lots recording headroom, at a narrower median residual of 0.3 FAR than the other two related designations, rounds out a profile of a small, old, uniform, and lightly overlaid fabric.
Bulk rules for R1-2A
| Context | Residential FAR | Community facility FAR | Max lot coverage | Heights | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| As of right§ 23-21 footnote 1: For standard zoning lots with lot area >= 4,000 sq ft, max residential floor area associated with any single dwelling unit shall not exceed an equivalent FAR of 0.60. | Per § 23-332(a): detached single/two-family residence requires two 8 ft side yards (R1 districts). | Per § 23-361(a): single/two-family residence on interior/through lot. Corner lot 80%; multiple dwelling (where permitted) 80% interior/through, 100% corner. | Per § 23-321(b), corner lots may reduce one front yard by 5 ft (min 5 ft). Per § 23-321(a), qualifying residential sites with lot width >= 150 ft may reduce by 5 ft. | Per § 23-342(a): detached and zero-lot-line buildings require 20 ft rear yard at or below 75 ft (30 ft above 75 ft where permitted). Semi-detached and attached buildings on lots <40 ft wide require 30 ft; on lots >=40 ft wide, 20 ft at or below 75 ft. Per § 23-342(b), shallow interior lots (<95 ft deep, existing pre-12/15/1961) may reduce by 6 in per ft below 95 (min 10 ft). | 0.75 | 1 | 40% | Base 25 ft · Max 35 ft | NYC Zoning Resolution § 23-21, § 23-421, § 24-11 |
| Qualifying residential sitePer § 23-21: 'Qualifying residential sites' FAR. Per § 23-333, on qualifying residential sites in R1-R5 no side yards are required (though 5 ft open area along side lot line if provided). Per § 23-321(a), front yard may be reduced by 5 ft on QRS with lot width >= 150 ft (min 5 ft). Per § 23-312(f), no parking permitted in front yard on QRS in R1-R5. | Per § 23-342(a): detached and zero-lot-line buildings require 20 ft rear yard at or below 75 ft (30 ft above 75 ft where permitted). Semi-detached and attached buildings on lots <40 ft wide require 30 ft; on lots >=40 ft wide, 20 ft at or below 75 ft. Per § 23-342(b), shallow interior lots (<95 ft deep, existing pre-12/15/1961) may reduce by 6 in per ft below 95 (min 10 ft). | 1 | 1 | 40% | Base 35 ft · Max 35 ft | NYC Zoning Resolution § 23-21, § 23-424, § 24-11 |
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 residential districts
Residence districts principally allow housing and community facilities. Bulk rules in the NYC Zoning Resolution (§ 23-) control how much floor area a lot can carry and how tall and close to lot lines a building may be.
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 R1-2A
- 69-45 108 Street — 20,000 sq ft lot, 4.82 built FAR, built 1955
- 70-11 108 Street — 20,000 sq ft lot, 3.65 built FAR, built 1939
- 68-37 108 Street — 20,000 sq ft lot, 3.59 built FAR, built 1939
- 68-63 108 Street — 20,000 sq ft lot, 3.81 built FAR, built 1940
- 69-09 108 Street — 20,000 sq ft lot, 3.85 built FAR, built 1939
- 69-81 108 Street — 15,000 sq ft lot, 3.05 built FAR, built 1940
- 69-67 108 Street — 10,000 sq ft lot, 0.94 built FAR, built 1925
- 35-05 167 Street — 10,000 sq ft lot, 1.87 built FAR, built 1932
- 108 Street — 12,200 sq ft lot, 0 built FAR
- 35-63 164 Street — 6,000 sq ft lot, 1.06 built FAR, built 1925
- 35-59 164 Street — 6,000 sq ft lot, 1.06 built FAR, built 1925
- 110-40 70 Avenue — 7,500 sq ft lot, 0.31 built FAR, built 1920
R1-2A — quick questions
- What is the maximum residential FAR in R1-2A?
- 0.75, as of right, per NYC Zoning Resolution § 23-21, § 23-421, § 24-11. Site-specific overlays, special districts, and waterfront rules can modify it — run a full lookup for a specific lot.
- Is R1-2A a contextual district?
- Yes. R1-2A 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 are zoned R1-2A?
- 1,544 tax lots citywide carry R1-2A as their primary zoning designation, per NYC municipal records as of 2026-07-11.
- How old is the building stock recorded under this designation?
- The oldest of the three related designations in this batch: a median construction year of 1935, with 51% of recorded buildings predating 1940.
- What kind of homes predominate on lots zoned this way?
- One-family homes lead decisively: 88% of recorded building classes and 92% of land use, across roughly 1,500 lots that are 95% coded residential with 2,106 units on file.
- Are these lots in a flood zone or a historic district?
- Neither, on the current record: 0% sit inside the mapped federal flood zone and 0% carry historic-district status.
- How tight is the lot-size range for this designation?
- Tighter than the related designations profiled alongside it: a median of 6,000 square feet against a 90th percentile of 8,000 square feet.
- Is there recorded capacity to build more here?
- Yes, broadly: 92% of lots record built area below their allowance, with a median residual of 0.3 FAR — the narrowest gap of the three related designations in this batch.
Keep learning
What do the R1-2A 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.