Zoning in St. George, Staten Island
What is St. George zoned?
St. George and New Brighton are mostly low-density house districts: of 2,919 tax lots in the 2020 St. George-New Brighton NTA, R3A covers 32%, R2 19%, R5 12% and R3-2 11% (PLUTO 26v2). Three in four lots are also in the Special Hillsides Preservation District, and 196 lots are in the Special St. George District. Check any St. George address free on Zohgo.
Staten Island's civic center mixes hillside house districts, an R5 and C4-2 core, and waterfront manufacturing, all overlaid by two special districts.
Residence districts are the main district on 2,459 of the 2,919 lots (84%). Manufacturing districts cover 247 lots (M1-1 and M3-1) and commercial districts 186 (almost all C4-2). PLUTO shows 14 main districts. The house districts R3A, R2, R3-2 and R3X cover 2,063 lots (71%). The median lot is 3,300 sq ft.
Zoning districts in St. George by tax lot
| Zoning district (zonedist1) | Tax lots | Share | Standard residential FAR | Max building height (standard) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R3A | 923 | 31.6% | 0.75 | 35 ft ridge (25 ft walls) |
| R2 | 561 | 19.2% | 0.75 | 35 ft ridge (25 ft walls) |
| R5 | 344 | 11.8% | 1.50 | 45 ft (35 ft base) |
| R3-2 | 317 | 10.9% | 0.75 | 35 ft |
| R3X | 262 | 9.0% | 0.75 | 35 ft ridge (25 ft walls) |
| M1-1 | 193 | 6.6% | commercial or manufacturing district | |
| C4-2 | 185 | 6.3% | commercial or manufacturing district | |
| M3-1 | 54 | 1.8% | commercial or manufacturing district | |
| R4 | 34 | 1.2% | 1.00 | 35 ft |
| Park (PARK) | 25 | 0.9% | ||
| All other districts (4) | 21 | 0.7% | ||
| Total | 2,919 | 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: R7-3, R6, (none), C8-1.
What the main districts allow
- R3A (32%). FAR 0.75, or 1.00 on a qualifying residential site (ZR 23-21). One- or two-family detached houses and zero lot line buildings (ZR 22-122). Pitched-roof envelope: 25-foot walls, 35-foot ridge (ZR 23-421).
- R2 (19%). FAR 0.75. Single-family detached houses only on standard lots (ZR 22-122). Same envelope.
- R5 (12%). 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). No one- or two-family limit.
- R3-2 (11%). FAR 0.75, or 1.00. No house-type limit in ZR 22-122; buildings outside the pitched-roof envelope are capped at 35 feet (ZR 23-422).
- R3X (9%). FAR 0.75, or 1.00. One- or two-family detached houses only (ZR 22-122).
- M1-1, C4-2, M3-1. See our M1, C4 and M2 and M3 guides.
On standard lots of 4,000 sq ft or more in R1 to R3 districts, the floor area tied to any one dwelling unit is capped at an FAR of 0.60 (ZR 23-21, note 1).
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: three typical St. George lots
| Step | Calculation | Result |
|---|---|---|
| R3A, median lot | 3,100 sq ft x 0.75 (ZR 23-21); under 4,000 sq ft, so no 0.60 cap | 2,325 sq ft, 1 or 2 family |
| R3-2, 5,000 sq ft lot | 5,000 x 0.75 = 3,750 sq ft; 3,750 / 680 = 5.51 (ZR 23-52) | up to 5 units, 35 ft |
| R3-2, same lot as a single house | 5,000 x 0.60 (ZR 23-21, note 1) | 3,000 sq ft max |
| R5, 5,000 sq ft lot | 5,000 x 1.50 = 7,500 sq ft; 7,500 / 680 = 11.03 | 11 units, 45 ft |
| R5, qualifying residential site | 5,000 x 2.00 (ZR 23-21) | 10,000 sq ft |
Median R3A lot in PLUTO: 3,100 sq ft with 31 ft of frontage. Hillsides Preservation District rules, yards, coverage and parking can reduce these figures, especially on steep lots.
Commercial overlays
| Commercial overlay (overlay1) | Tax lots | Share of all lots |
|---|---|---|
| C2-2 | 112 | 3.8% |
| C2-1 | 51 | 1.7% |
| C1-2 | 51 | 1.7% |
| C2-4 | 12 | 0.4% |
| Any overlay | 226 | 7.7% |
226 lots (8%) carry a commercial overlay, mostly C2-2 (112 lots), C2-1 (51) and C1-2 (51). Commercial FAR follows the district beneath: 1.00 in R2, R3A and R3X, 1.60 in R3-2, 2.00 in R4 and R5 (ZR 33-121, column A). A Staten Island-specific rule: in C1 and C2 overlays mapped in R1, R2, R3-1, R3A and R3X districts, a building used for ambulatory health care or child care may reach FAR 1.2 (ZR 33-121, paragraph (c)).
Special districts and inclusionary housing
- Special Hillsides Preservation District is the main special district on 2,185 lots, 75% of the NTA. Its purposes include reducing hillside erosion, landslides and storm water runoff by conserving vegetation and natural terrain, and preserving hillsides of unique aesthetic value (ZR 119-00). Its rules are in ZR Article XI, Chapter 9.
- Special St. George District covers 196 lots. ZR 128-00 describes goals including a pedestrian-friendly business and residence district, continuous ground floor retail, a tall, slender building form that keeps waterfront views, and reuse of vacant office buildings. Its rules are in ZR Article XII, Chapter 8.
- Mandatory Inclusionary Housing applies to 4 lots, from the River North (Liberty Towers) rezoning adopted in 2021 (DCP MIH dataset). 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). Here it matters only for the few R6 and R7-3 lots.
How we defined St. George and counted lots
- Boundary: the official 2020 Neighborhood Tabulation Area St. George-New Brighton (SI0101), published by NYC City Planning on NYC Open Data. Real-estate listings often draw St. George 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, 2,919 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. 92 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.
St. George zoning FAQ
What is the most common zoning district in St. George?
R3A. In PLUTO 26v2, 923 of the 2,919 tax lots in the 2020 St. George-New Brighton NTA (32%) have R3A as their main district, followed by R2 (561) and R5 (344).
Is St. George in the Special Hillsides Preservation District?
Much of it is. PLUTO lists the Special Hillsides Preservation District as the main special district on 2,185 of the NTA's 2,919 lots (75%). Its rules, in ZR Article XI, Chapter 9, aim to reduce erosion and preserve vegetation and natural terrain (ZR 119-00).
What is the Special St. George District?
A special purpose district in ZR Article XII, Chapter 8, covering 196 lots in this NTA. Its stated goals include continuous ground floor retail, a tall, slender building form that keeps waterfront views, and reuse of vacant office buildings (ZR 128-00).
Can I build apartments in R3-2?
ZR 22-122 does not limit R3-2 to one- or two-family homes, so other residence types are allowed. The FAR is 0.75 for standard lots (ZR 23-21) and buildings outside the pitched-roof envelope are capped at 35 feet (ZR 23-422).
What FAR does R5 allow in St. George?
1.50 for standard zoning lots and 2.00 for qualifying residential sites (ZR 23-21), with a 35-foot base and 45-foot maximum height (ZR 23-422).
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 119-00: Special Hillsides Preservation District, general purposes: https://zr.planning.nyc.gov/article-xi/chapter-9/119-00
- ZR 128-00: Special St. George District, general purposes: https://zr.planning.nyc.gov/article-xii/chapter-8/128-00
- ZR 27-111: Definitions, including "UAP development": https://zr.planning.nyc.gov/article-ii/chapter-7/27-111