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Zoning in East Harlem, Manhattan

What is East Harlem zoned?

East Harlem's most common district is R7A: 690 of its 3,021 tax lots (22.8%) are in R7A, based on PLUTO 26v2 lots inside the 2020 NTA boundaries. R7A allows a standard residential FAR of 4.00 and a maximum height of 85 ft for standard buildings (ZR 23-22, ZR 23-432). Check any East Harlem address free on Zohgo.

East Harlem mixes four R7 districts, R9 corridors and several special districts.

Tax lots
3,021PLUTO 26v2
Most common
R7A22.8% of lots
Commercial overlay
1,138lots (37.7%)
Median lot
2,523 sq ftlot area

East Harlem has one of the most varied zoning maps in Manhattan. No single district covers more than a quarter of its 3,021 tax lots: R7A leads with 690 (22.8%), followed by R7-2 (625), R7B (513) and R7D (236). Together the four R7 districts hold 2,064 lots (68.3%). Higher-density R9A (196), R9 (147) and R8A (104) lots add taller options.

Special districts matter here more than in most neighborhoods. PLUTO tags 757 lots with the Special East Harlem Corridors District, 237 with the Special Transit Land Use District, and 140 with the Special 125th Street District. Overlays are common too: 1,138 lots (37.7%) carry a C1 or C2 overlay. This page combines the 2020 NTAs East Harlem (South) and East Harlem (North).

Zoning districts in East Harlem by tax lot

Zoning district (zonedist1)Tax lotsShareStandard residential FARMax height (standard residences)
R7A69022.8%4.00base 40-75 ft, max 85 ft
R7-262520.7%3.44 (4.00 within 100 ft of a wide street)base 40-65 ft, max 75 ft (base 40-75 ft, max 85 ft within 100 ft of a wide street)
R7B51317.0%3.00base 40-65 ft, max 75 ft
R7D2367.8%4.66base 60-85 ft, max 105 ft
R9A1966.5%7.52base 60-95 ft, max 135 ft (base 60-105 ft, max 145 ft within 100 ft of a wide street)
R91474.9%7.52base 60-95 ft, max 135 ft (base 60-105 ft, max 145 ft within 100 ft of a wide street)
R8A1043.4%6.02base 60-95 ft, max 125 ft
C4-6 (commercial)993.3%10.00 (as R10, its residential equivalent)
R7X882.9%5.00base 60-95 ft, max 125 ft
C4-4D (commercial)602.0%6.02 (as R8A, its residential equivalent)
R6A441.5%3.00base 40-65 ft, max 75 ft
R10230.8%10.00base 60-125 ft, max 185 ft (base 60-155 ft, max 215 ft within 100 ft of a wide street)
All other districts (19)1966.5%
Total3,021100%

Source: PLUTO 26v2, field zonedist1 (the district covering the largest part of each lot), lots inside the 2020 NTA boundaries MN1101, MN1102. FAR and heights are the ZR 23-21 / 23-22 and ZR 23-421 / 23-422 / 23-432 limits for standard residences; qualifying affordable or senior housing can go higher. Commercial districts use their residential equivalent from ZR 34-112.

What the main districts allow

What can you build on your East Harlem lot?

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Commercial overlays

1,138 lots (37.7%) carry a commercial overlay: C1-5 on 510 lots, C2-5 on 505 lots, C1-4 on 117 lots, C2-4 on 22 lots, C1-2 on 1 lots. An overlay sits on top of a residence district and allows local retail and services, usually on the ground floor of avenue and corridor buildings, while the residential rules of the underlying district still apply. For a zoning lot with only commercial use, the overlay FAR is 1.00 where the overlay is mapped in R1, R2, R3-1, R3A or R3X, 1.60 in R3-2, and 2.00 in R4 and every higher residence district (ZR 33-121).

Special districts

Historic districts

9 lots (0.3%) sit in a designated historic district according to PLUTO, led by Expanded Carnegie Hill Historic District (9). Zoning still sets the envelope, but exterior work on these lots also goes through the Landmarks Preservation Commission, so a lot that zones for more floor area may not be able to use it.

448 lots (14.8%) are split by a district boundary (PLUTO splitzone). On those, each portion follows its own district; see split zoning lots.

Worked example

Take a 2,500 sq ft lot in R7A, close to the neighborhood's median lot size. At the standard FAR of 4.00, the maximum residential floor area is 2,500 x 4.00 = 10,000 sq ft (ZR 23-22). With qualifying affordable or senior housing rules the FAR is 5.01, so 2,500 x 5.01 = 12,525 sq ft. For a standard multiple dwelling outside special density areas, the unit cap divides floor area by the dwelling unit factor of 680: 10,000 / 680 = 14.71, which allows 14 units because fractions of 0.75 or more count as a unit (ZR 23-52).

How we counted

We took every tax lot in PLUTO 26v2 (NYC Department of City Planning, August 2026), kept lots whose latitude and longitude fall inside the 2020 Neighborhood Tabulation Area polygons for East Harlem (MN1101, MN1102), and counted the zoning district PLUTO lists first (zonedist1). Lot counts are not land area: one large lot counts the same as a 20-foot rowhouse lot. Zoning maps change through rezonings, so always confirm the district for a specific address.

East Harlem zoning FAQ

What is the most common zoning district in East Harlem?

R7A. In PLUTO 26v2, 690 of the 3,021 tax lots inside the 2020 East Harlem NTA boundary (22.8%) have R7A as their main district.

What FAR does R7A allow?

R7A allows a standard residential FAR of 4.00 and 5.01 for qualifying affordable or senior housing (ZR 23-22).

How tall can a building be in R7A?

For standard residences: base 40-75 ft, max 85 ft. Qualifying affordable or senior housing: base up to 85 ft, max 115 ft (ZR 23-432).

How many apartments fit on a 2,500 sq ft R7A lot?

At FAR 4.00 the lot allows 10,000 sq ft of residential floor area. Divided by the dwelling unit factor of 680 that is 14.71, so 14 units for a standard building outside special density areas, since fractions of 0.75 or more count as a unit (ZR 23-52).

Related pages

Sources

Lot counts are our own tabulation of PLUTO 26v2 inside the 2020 NTA boundary, pulled October 27, 2026. PLUTO is updated a few times a year, so counts will drift.