Zoning in Jackson Heights, Queens
What is Jackson Heights zoned?
Jackson Heights is mostly R4 and R5: of 6,749 tax lots in the 2020 Jackson Heights NTA, 3,743 (56%) are R4 and 1,762 (26%) are R5, with R4B and R7-1 next (PLUTO 26v2). R4 allows a standard residential FAR of 1.00 and R5 1.50, rising to 1.50 and 2.00 on qualifying residential sites (ZR 23-21). Check any Jackson Heights address free on Zohgo.
Jackson Heights is almost entirely residential on the zoning map: 98% of its tax lots have a residence district as their main district.
Residence districts are the main district on 6,615 of the 6,749 lots (98%). Only 122 lots are in commercial districts (mostly C4-3), 3 in M1-1, and 9 are parks. PLUTO shows 14 main districts, and no special purpose district covers 10% or more of any lot in this NTA. That makes Jackson Heights one of the simpler neighborhoods to read: the R4, R5 and R7-1 rules below cover 5,834 lots, or 86%.
Zoning districts in Jackson Heights by tax lot
| Zoning district (zonedist1) | Tax lots | Share | Standard residential FAR | Max building height (standard) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R4 | 3,743 | 55.5% | 1.00 | 35 ft |
| R5 | 1,762 | 26.1% | 1.50 | 45 ft (35 ft base) |
| R4B | 395 | 5.9% | 1.00 | 25 ft |
| R7-1 | 329 | 4.9% | 3.44 (4.00 near wide st.) | 75 ft (85 ft near wide st.) |
| R6 | 132 | 2.0% | 2.20 (3.00 near wide st.) | 55 ft (75 ft near wide st.) |
| R6A | 112 | 1.7% | 3.00 | 75 ft |
| C4-3 | 107 | 1.6% | commercial or manufacturing district | |
| R5A | 66 | 1.0% | 1.50 | 35 ft ridge (25 ft walls) |
| R3A | 53 | 0.8% | 0.75 | 35 ft ridge (25 ft walls) |
| R6B | 18 | 0.3% | 2.00 | 55 ft |
| All other districts (4) | 32 | 0.5% | ||
| Total | 6,749 | 100% |
Source: PLUTO 26v2, field zonedist1, lots inside the 2020 NTA boundary. "Standard" FAR and height are the ZR 23-21 / 23-22 and 23-42x limits for standard residences; affordable, senior and qualifying sites can go higher. Other districts: C8-1, PARK, R7A, M1-1.
What the main districts allow
- R4 (56%). FAR 1.00, or 1.50 on a qualifying residential site (ZR 23-21). Buildings not using the pitched-roof envelope are capped at 35 feet (ZR 23-422); one- and two-family detached, semi-detached or zero lot line houses use the envelope of ZR 23-421 (25-foot walls, 35-foot ridge). R4 without a suffix has no house-type limit (ZR 22-122).
- R5 (26%). FAR 1.50, or 2.00 on a qualifying residential site. 35-foot maximum base height and 45-foot building height (ZR 23-21, 23-422).
- R4B (6%). FAR 1.00, or 1.50. Capped at 25 feet (ZR 23-422). One- or two-family residences in detached, semi-detached, attached or zero lot line buildings (ZR 22-122).
- R7-1 (5%). FAR 3.44, or 4.00 within 100 feet of a wide street, and 5.01 for qualifying affordable or senior housing (ZR 23-22). Maximum height 75 feet on narrow streets and 85 feet near wide streets; 105 and 115 feet for qualifying affordable or senior housing (ZR 23-432).
- R6 (132 lots) and R6A (112 lots). R6: FAR 2.20 or 3.00 near wide streets; R6A: 3.00. Both reach 3.90 for qualifying affordable or senior housing (ZR 23-22).
For owners the R4/R5 line is the key one: on the same lot, R5 gives 50% more standard floor area (1.50 vs 1.00 FAR) and 10 more feet of height.
Zohgo shows the zoning district, FAR, height and setbacks for any NYC address in about a minute. Free to start, sign in with Google or Apple.
Check any NYC address free on ZohgoWorked example: one 2,000 sq ft lot in R4, R5 and R7-1
| Step | Calculation | Result |
|---|---|---|
| R4 | 2,000 x 1.00 = 2,000 sq ft; 2,000 / 680 = 2.94 (ZR 23-52) | 3 units, 35 ft |
| R5 | 2,000 x 1.50 = 3,000 sq ft; 3,000 / 680 = 4.41 | 4 units, 45 ft |
| R7-1, narrow street | 2,000 x 3.44 = 6,880 sq ft; 6,880 / 680 = 10.12 | 10 units, 75 ft |
| R7-1, within 100 ft of a wide street | 2,000 x 4.00 = 8,000 sq ft; 8,000 / 680 = 11.76 | 12 units, 85 ft |
| R7-1 with qualifying affordable housing | 2,000 x 5.01 | 10,020 sq ft |
Lot: 20 ft x 100 ft. The median R4 lot in this NTA is 2,140 sq ft with 21.75 ft of frontage (PLUTO). Units round up when the fraction is 0.75 or more (2.94 becomes 3; 11.76 becomes 12). Yards, coverage and existing buildings will often limit real projects below these figures.
Commercial overlays
| Commercial overlay (overlay1) | Tax lots | Share of all lots |
|---|---|---|
| C1-2 | 231 | 3.4% |
| C1-4 | 110 | 1.6% |
| C1-3 | 85 | 1.3% |
| C2-3 | 53 | 0.8% |
| C2-4 | 50 | 0.7% |
| C2-2 | 36 | 0.5% |
| Any overlay | 565 | 8.4% |
565 lots (8%) carry a commercial overlay across six types, led by C1-2 (231 lots) and C1-4 (110). In R4, R5 and R7-1, an overlay lot used only for commercial use is capped at FAR 2.00; community facility use can go to 2.00 in R4 and R5 and 4.80 in R7-1 (ZR 33-121).
Special districts and inclusionary housing
- No special purpose district appears as a main special district on any lot in this NTA in PLUTO 26v2 (PLUTO lists one only where it covers at least 10% of a lot).
- Mandatory Inclusionary Housing touches a single lot, from the 74-04 Northern Boulevard rezoning adopted in 2017 (DCP MIH dataset).
- UAP. UAP is the City of Yes program that lets a development or enlargement outside a Mandatory Inclusionary Housing area exceed the standard FAR, but only by the amount of affordable housing it provides (ZR 27-111). It is relevant to the R6, R6A and R7-1 lots. The R4 and R5 lots use the qualifying residential site rules of ZR 23-21 instead.
How we defined Jackson Heights and counted lots
- Boundary: the official 2020 Neighborhood Tabulation Area Jackson Heights (QN0301), published by NYC City Planning on NYC Open Data. Real-estate listings often draw Jackson Heights differently, so treat the edges as approximate.
- Lots: every tax lot in PLUTO version 26v2 (pulled October 26, 2026) whose latitude and longitude fall inside that boundary, 6,749 lots in total. Every lot in the area's census tracts had coordinates, so none were dropped. A cross-check using PLUTO's 2020 census tract field gave almost the same count.
- District: PLUTO's "zonedist1", which is the district covering the largest part of each lot. 94 lots are split by a district, overlay or special district boundary (PLUTO "splitzone"); each is counted once, under its main district. Special districts only appear in PLUTO when they cover at least 10% of a lot (PLUTO Data Dictionary).
- Lot counts measure how many parcels are in a district, not land area. A large lot and a small one each count as one.
Jackson Heights zoning FAQ
What is the most common zoning in Jackson Heights?
R4. In PLUTO 26v2, 3,743 of the 6,749 tax lots inside the 2020 Jackson Heights NTA (56%) have R4 as their main district. R5 is second with 1,762 lots (26%).
What FAR does R4 allow?
1.00 for standard zoning lots and 1.50 for qualifying residential sites (ZR 23-21).
How tall can I build in R4?
35 feet for buildings not using the pitched-roof envelope (ZR 23-422). Detached, semi-detached and zero lot line one- and two-family houses use the ZR 23-421 envelope with 25-foot perimeter walls and a 35-foot ridge.
Can I build apartments in R4?
Yes. R4 without a letter or number suffix is not among the districts that ZR 22-122 limits to one- or two-family homes. R4B, R4A and R4-1 are limited.
What does R7-1 allow in Jackson Heights?
FAR 3.44, or 4.00 within 100 feet of a wide street, and 5.01 for qualifying affordable or senior housing (ZR 23-22). Heights are 75 or 85 feet, or 105 and 115 feet for qualifying affordable or senior housing (ZR 23-432).
Related pages
Sources
Lot counts are our own tabulation of PLUTO 26v2 inside the 2020 NTA boundary, pulled October 26, 2026. PLUTO is updated a few times a year, so counts will drift.
- NYC Open Data: Primary Land Use Tax Lot Output (PLUTO), version 26v2, queried October 26, 2026: https://data.cityofnewyork.us/d/64uk-42ks
- NYC Open Data: 2020 Neighborhood Tabulation Areas (NTAs): https://data.cityofnewyork.us/d/9nt8-h7nd
- NYC DCP: PLUTO Data Dictionary, August 2026 (26v2) (PDF): https://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/dcp/assets/files/pdf/data-tools/bytes/pluto_datadictionary.pdf
- NYC Open Data: Mandatory Inclusionary Housing areas (DCP): https://data.cityofnewyork.us/d/m79g-k9r4
- ZR 23-21: Floor area regulations for R1 through R5 Districts: https://zr.planning.nyc.gov/article-ii/chapter-3/23-21
- ZR 23-22: Floor area regulations for R6 through R12 Districts: https://zr.planning.nyc.gov/article-ii/chapter-3/23-22
- ZR 23-432: Height and setback requirements (R6-R12): https://zr.planning.nyc.gov/article-ii/chapter-3/23-432
- ZR 23-52: Maximum number of dwelling units: https://zr.planning.nyc.gov/article-ii/chapter-3/23-52
- ZR 33-121: Commercial overlay (C1, C2) floor area ratios: https://zr.planning.nyc.gov/article-iii/chapter-3/33-121
- ZR 23-421: Pitched-roof envelopes (R1-R5): https://zr.planning.nyc.gov/article-ii/chapter-3/23-421
- ZR 23-422: Flat-roof envelopes (R3-2, R4, R4B, R5, R5B, R5D): https://zr.planning.nyc.gov/article-ii/chapter-3/23-422
- ZR 22-122: Use Group II limits by residence district: https://zr.planning.nyc.gov/article-ii/chapter-2/22-122
- ZR 27-111: Definitions, including "UAP development": https://zr.planning.nyc.gov/article-ii/chapter-7/27-111