R4B Zoning District — New York City
R4B is a contextual, low-density General Residence District (NYC Zoning Resolution § 11-122) in New York City.
R4B is a contextual, low-density General 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 1. 15,446 tax lots citywide carry R4B as their primary zoning designation.
Lots carrying this designation are about as purely residential, and as free of mapped flood exposure, as any in this bracket: 99% are coded residential and 0% sit inside the mapped federal flood zone. One-family homes lead the recorded building classes at 71%. Recent construction has nearly stopped, with just 1% of buildings dating from 2000 or later, on roughly 15,000 lots holding 21,200 recorded homes.
What actually stands in this district
Lots carrying this designation are about as purely residential as any recorded in this batch: 99% are coded residential, one of the highest shares among the ten designations profiled here. None of them, 0%, sit inside the mapped federal flood zone — the only designation in this set to record a flood share of exactly zero. Together those two figures describe a stock set apart from the mixed-use and flood-exposed patterns that show up elsewhere in this bracket.
One-family homes lead the recorded building classes decisively, at 71%, with two-family homes at 24% and walk-up apartment buildings at 3%. Construction has also slowed to a near-standstill in recent decades: just 1% of buildings on record date from 2000 or later, the lowest recent-construction share in this batch, on a stock whose median construction year is 1940.
That median year of 1940 sits alongside a 40% share predating it and a 29% share from the 1945-1975 postwar boom — a stock built up steadily through the mid-century decades and largely finished since. Land use mirrors the building-class mix closely: one- and two-family use covers 94% of lots, multi-family walk-up use 3%, and mixed residential-and-commercial use 1%.
The designation is mapped across roughly 15,000 tax lots citywide, one of the smaller footprints in this batch, and the file counts 21,200 homes across it. Lots run small: a median of 2,000 square feet, with the 90th percentile reaching only 2,672 square feet — among the tightest lot profiles recorded here. Buildings rise to a median of 2 stories, with 0% above 6 floors. Development room remains real even on ground this constrained: 83% of lots record floor area below their allowance, with a median residual of 0.3 FAR. For the actual permitted floor area and height on this designation, with their statutory citations, see the tables above — this page confines itself to the recorded stock.
One more figure rounds out this designation's record: none of these roughly 15,000 lots, 0%, carry historic-district status, matching the 0% flood share already noted above. Between a stock that is 99% residential, dominated by one-family homes at 71%, and carries neither flood nor historic-district overlay on file, this designation reads as one of the most singularly defined in this batch — its record shaped almost entirely by housing type and construction era rather than by any additional mapped layer.
Bulk rules for R4B
| Context | Residential FAR | Community facility FAR | Max lot coverage | Heights | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| As of rightPer § 23-332(c): R4B contains only 'other residences' (row-house / multi-family); no side yards required. | Per § 23-361(a): single/two-family residence on interior/through lot in R4. Corner lot 80%; multiple dwelling 80%/100% (R4B typically row-house). | 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). | 1 | 2 | 60% | Max 25 ft | NYC Zoning Resolution § 23-21, § 23-422(b), § 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). | 1.5 | 2 | 60% | Base 35 ft · Max 45 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 R4B
- 68-20 Selfridge Street — 23,965 sq ft lot, 3.1 built FAR, built 1966
- 69-54 Main Street — 19,400 sq ft lot, 0.75 built FAR, built 1947
- 10015 4 Avenue — 39,238 sq ft lot, 1.78 built FAR, built 1985
- 68-16 Main Street — 42,250 sq ft lot, 0.6 built FAR, built 1950
- 24-15 82 Street — 8,000 sq ft lot, 1.52 built FAR, built 1985
- 68-15 Selfridge Street — 21,156 sq ft lot, 2.14 built FAR, built 1967
- 94-11 69 Avenue — 20,000 sq ft lot, 2.18 built FAR, built 1938
- 314 79 Street — 10,900 sq ft lot, 4.13 built FAR, built 1928
- 60-40 Fresh Pond Road — 20,446 sq ft lot, 0.5 built FAR, built 1955
- 76 Battery Avenue — 6,000 sq ft lot, 1.63 built FAR, built 2001
- 47-48 Bell Boulevard — 16,700 sq ft lot, 0.66 built FAR, built 1957
- 211-55 45 Drive — 6,000 sq ft lot, 1.93 built FAR, built 2008
R4B — quick questions
- What is the maximum residential FAR in R4B?
- 1, as of right, per NYC Zoning Resolution § 23-21, § 23-422(b), § 24-11. Site-specific overlays, special districts, and waterfront rules can modify it — run a full lookup for a specific lot.
- Is R4B a contextual district?
- Yes. R4B 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 R4B?
- 15,446 tax lots citywide carry R4B as their primary zoning designation, per NYC municipal records as of 2026-07-11.
- How residential is this designation's recorded stock?
- Almost entirely: 99% of lots are coded residential, one of the highest shares in this batch.
- Are these lots in a flood zone?
- No — 0% sit inside the mapped federal flood zone, the only designation in this set recording a flood share of exactly zero.
- How much recent construction has there been?
- Very little: just 1% of buildings on record date from 2000 or later, the slowest recent pace recorded in this batch.
- What kind of buildings stand on lots zoned this way?
- One-family homes lead decisively at 71%, with two-family homes at 24%.
- How big are the lots here?
- Small: a median of 2,000 square feet, with even the 90th percentile reaching only 2,672 square feet.
Keep learning
What do the R4B 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.