R5 Zoning District — New York City
R5 is a low-density General Residence District (NYC Zoning Resolution § 11-122) in New York City.
R5 is a 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 1.5. 89,989 tax lots citywide carry R5 as their primary zoning designation.
More tax lots, and far more recorded homes, carry this designation than any other profiled in this bracket: roughly 90,000 lots, holding 354,832 homes on record. Two-family homes lead the building classes at 42%, but walk-up apartment buildings add a real 26% share, and multi-family walk-up use covers 27% of the land — the most mixed land-use file in this set. 82% of lots record floor area below their allowance.
What actually stands in this district
This designation covers more tax lots — and far more recorded housing — than any other profiled in this batch: roughly 90,000 lots citywide, holding 354,832 homes on record, several times the unit count of the next-largest designation in this set. Scale alone sets it apart from the smaller, more single-family-concentrated designations elsewhere in this bracket.
The recorded building classes lean less toward single-family houses than most of this batch: two-family homes lead at 42%, walk-up apartment buildings follow at 26%, and one-family homes trail at 20% — the only designation in this set where a walk-up apartment class breaks into the top three so decisively. Land use tells a similarly mixed story: one- and two-family use covers 62% of lots, the lowest share in this batch, while multi-family walk-up use reaches 27% and mixed residential-and-commercial use adds 5% — the most land-use diversity recorded among these ten designations.
The construction record runs substantially prewar: a median year of 1930, with 61% of buildings predating 1940. The 1945-1975 postwar boom added 23% to the stock, and 6% of buildings have gone up since 2000 — a modest but real recent layer on top of an old, large, and varied stock.
Despite the scale, lots run compact: a median of 2,400 square feet, with the 90th percentile reaching 4,000 square feet. Buildings rise to a median of 2 stories, with 0% recorded above 6 floors. Development headroom is the widest in this batch by one measure: a median residual of 0.5 FAR, though the share of lots with any recorded headroom, 82%, sits in the middle of this set rather than at its edge. Flood exposure is modest, at 2% of lots. Overall 94% of lots are coded residential. What can legally be built under this designation, floor area and height alike, is detailed with citations in the tables above; the paragraphs here describe only what the records already show.
One figure from the overlay file goes unmentioned above: none of these roughly 90,000 lots, 0%, carry recorded historic-district status — a notable absence given how much landmark review shows up on several of the older, taller designations profiled elsewhere in this batch. On a designation this large, with 354,832 recorded homes and a construction record running substantially prewar, the complete lack of any historic-district layer means every one of those figures describes zoning administration on record rather than preservation review layered on top of it.
Bulk rules for R5
| Context | Residential FAR | Community facility FAR | Max lot coverage | Heights | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| As of rightPer § 23-332: detached (a) requires two 5 ft side yards; semi-detached / zero-lot-line (b) requires one 5 ft side yard; other residences (c) require no side yards in R5. Building type determines requirement. | Per § 23-361(a): single/two-family residence on interior/through lot in R5. Corner lot 80%; multiple dwelling 80%/100%. | 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). | 1.5 | 2 | 60% | Base 35 ft · Max 45 ft | NYC Zoning Resolution § 23-21, § 23-422(d), § 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). | 2 | 2 | 60% | Base 45 ft · Max 55 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 R5
- 180 Bethel Loop — 1,073,857 sq ft lot, 1.57 built FAR, built 1970
- 84-56 98 Street — 114,400 sq ft lot, 1.43 built FAR, built 1976
- 9910 Seaview Avenue — 1,410,820 sq ft lot, 1.08 built FAR, built 1950
- 1260 Croton Loop — 618,307 sq ft lot, 2.42 built FAR, built 1972
- 1540 Van Siclen Avenue — 854,159 sq ft lot, 1.66 built FAR, built 1975
- 1325 Pennsylvania Avenue — 883,293 sq ft lot, 1.68 built FAR, built 1972
- 209-90 23 Avenue — 123,373 sq ft lot, 7.79 built FAR, built 1983
- 110 Columbia Street — 1,079,791 sq ft lot, 1.36 built FAR, built 1940
- 600 Euclid Avenue — 1,317,803 sq ft lot, 0.86 built FAR, built 1954
- 1155 Pennsylvania Avenue — 358,496 sq ft lot, 2.78 built FAR, built 1971
- East 229th Street — 1,003,262 sq ft lot, 1.03 built FAR, built 1951
- Laconia Avenue — 1,019,747 sq ft lot, 1.02 built FAR, built 1951
R5 — quick questions
- What is the maximum residential FAR in R5?
- 1.5, as of right, per NYC Zoning Resolution § 23-21, § 23-422(d), § 24-11. Site-specific overlays, special districts, and waterfront rules can modify it — run a full lookup for a specific lot.
- Is R5 a contextual district?
- No. R5 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 are zoned R5?
- 89,989 tax lots citywide carry R5 as their primary zoning designation, per NYC municipal records as of 2026-07-11.
- How many tax lots carry this designation, and how much housing?
- Roughly 90,000 lots citywide, holding 354,832 recorded homes — the largest footprint and unit count in this batch.
- What kind of buildings are most common here?
- Two-family homes lead at 42%, walk-up apartment buildings follow at 26%, and one-family homes trail at 20%.
- How mixed is the land use on these lots?
- More than most neighboring designations: one- and two-family use covers only 62% of lots, while multi-family walk-up use reaches 27%.
- Is there recorded room to build more?
- 82% of lots record floor area below their allowance, with a median residual of 0.5 FAR, one of the wider recorded gaps in this batch.
- How old are the buildings on lots zoned this way?
- Substantially prewar: a median construction year of 1930, with 61% predating 1940. The 1945-1975 postwar boom added 23%, and 6% has gone up since 2000.
Keep learning
What do the R5 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.