M2 and M3 Zoning in NYC: Medium and Heavy Manufacturing

M2 and M3 share FAR and height rules with parts of M1; what separates them is the list of uses they exclude and how much noise, odor and other impacts they tolerate.

M2 and M3 in one sentence each

M2 is medium manufacturing: the same industrial, storage and office uses as M1, but without M1's retail, hotels and most community facilities, and with somewhat looser performance standards. M3 is heavy manufacturing: the loosest performance standards, and the only district where some uses, such as sewage disposal plants, are permitted as of right (ZR 42-141, 42-161, 42-40). Both use the ten Use Groups in effect since June 6, 2024 (ZR 11-24, 42-00).

FAR, height and parking

FAR: ZR 43-12 lists M2-1, M2-3 and M3 at 2.00 and M2-2 and M2-4 at 5.00. The community facility FAR table in ZR 43-122 covers M1 only. Height: ZR 43-43, with initial setbacks of 20 ft on a narrow street and 15 ft on a wide street. Parking: ZR 44-21. Districts with an A suffix (M2-1A to M2-4A, M3-1A, M3-2A) have different FAR and height rules, see M districts with an A suffix. The tower rule of ZR 43-45 applies only in M1-3 to M1-6, so M2 and M3 buildings stay under the sky exposure plane.

What is allowed, and what is not

• Offices and laboratories: permitted in M2 and M3 (ZR 42-17).
• Production (Use Group X): manufacturing from food processing to metal fabrication and chemicals is permitted with conditions in all three M districts, subject to the district's performance standards (ZR 42-201, 42-202).
• Storage (Use Group IX): warehouses, trucking terminals, building materials yards, junk and scrap yards, petroleum storage and vehicle storage are permitted with conditions in M2 and M3 (ZR 42-191).
• Infrastructure (Use Group IV): power plants, utility substations, transit yards, docks and waste facilities such as recycling and marine transfer stations are permitted with conditions. Sewage disposal plants are permitted with conditions in M3 and need a special permit in M1 and M2 (ZR 42-141).
• Retail: many retail types allowed in M1, such as department stores, clothing, furniture and electronics stores, are not permitted in M2 or M3 (ZR 42-161).
• Hotels and motels: not permitted in M2 or M3 (ZR 42-151).
• Community facilities: museums are permitted with conditions; schools, houses of worship, health care facilities, hospitals and libraries are not permitted in M2 or M3 (ZR 42-131).
• Open uses: cemeteries, golf courses and parks are not permitted in M2 or M3 (ZR 42-111).
• Housing: not permitted; the residential allowances in ZR 42-12 apply only to listed M1 districts.
• Public parking: lots of up to 150 spaces are permitted; garages up to 150 spaces in M2-1, M2-2 and M3-1 but not as of right in M2-3, M2-4 and M3-2 (ZR 42-192).

Performance standards: where M1, M2 and M3 really differ

Every new or changed use in Use Groups I, IV, VI, VIII, IX or X in a manufacturing district must meet the performance standards for its district, and they control over the Use Group tables in a conflict (ZR 42-40). Noise is the clearest example. The maximum sound pressure level at or beyond any lot line, by octave band, is (ZR 42-413):

• Odor: in M1 and M2, odorous matter readily detectable at lot lines is prohibited, in addition to Department of Environmental Protection limits; in M3 the test is whether it produces a public nuisance or hazard at or beyond lot lines (ZR 42-441, 42-442).
• Vibration, smoke and dust, toxic matter, radiation, fire and explosive hazards, and humidity, heat and glare each have their own sections, with separate rules for M1, M2 and M3 where the text sets them (ZR 42-42 to 42-48).

Height and setback

• In M2-1, M2-3 and M3, the front wall within the initial setback distance can rise to 60 ft or four stories, whichever is less; in M2-2 and M2-4, to 85 ft or six stories (ZR 43-43).
• Above that, buildings stay under a sky exposure plane of 2.7 to 1 on narrow streets or 5.6 to 1 on wide streets (ZR 43-43).
• If an open area 15 ft deep (narrow street) or 10 ft deep (wide street) runs along the full front lot line, an alternate plane of 3.7 to 1 or 7.6 to 1 applies instead (ZR 43-44).
• A conforming manufacturing building that existed before December 15, 1961 may be expanded for manufacturing beyond the normal limits, within caps tied to 150 percent of its 1961 floor area and 110 percent of the floor area otherwise permitted, plus an FAR ceiling (ZR 43-121).

Parking basics

M2-1, M2-2 and M3-1 require accessory parking under ZR 44-21; for production uses (D1) that is 1 space per 1,000 sq ft of floor area or 1 per 3 employees, whichever requires more, and for offices (A3) 1 per 300 sq ft. M2-3, M2-4 and M3-2 require none for manufacturing and commercial uses (ZR 44-21).

A worked example: 40,000 sq ft lot in M3-1

• Maximum floor area: 40,000 x 2.00 = 80,000 sq ft for manufacturing, storage or offices (ZR 43-12).
• Parking for an 80,000 sq ft production building: 80,000 / 1,000 = 80 spaces, or 1 per 3 employees if that is more, before any waiver (ZR 44-21).
• Front wall: up to 60 ft or four stories, whichever is less, within 20 ft of a narrow street, then a 2.7 to 1 plane (ZR 43-43).
• Noise at the lot line in the 600 to 1,200 cycle band: up to 58 dB, against 53 dB if the same plant were in M1 (ZR 42-413).
• Not allowed on this lot: housing, hotels, schools and most retail (ZR 42-12, 42-151, 42-131, 42-161).

M2 and M3 zoning FAQ

Related pages

• M1 zoning
• M districts with an A suffix
• C8 zoning