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Zoning in Washington Heights, Manhattan

What is Washington Heights zoned?

Washington Heights is mostly R7-2: 1,726 of its 2,162 tax lots (79.8%) are in R7-2, based on PLUTO 26v2 lots inside the 2020 NTA boundaries. R7-2 allows a standard residential FAR of 3.44 (4.00 within 100 ft of a wide street) (ZR 23-22, ZR 23-432). Check any Washington Heights address free on Zohgo.

Washington Heights is mostly R7-2 with R8 pockets, both non-contextual districts with big lots.

Tax lots
2,162PLUTO 26v2
Most common
R7-279.8% of lots
Commercial overlay
443lots (20.5%)
Median lot
5,609 sq ftlot area

Washington Heights is an apartment-building neighborhood, and its zoning is one of the simplest in Manhattan. Of 2,162 tax lots in the 2020 NTAs Washington Heights (South) and (North), 1,726 (79.8%) are R7-2 and 290 (13.4%) are R8. Both are non-contextual districts, so the standard FAR depends on whether a lot is within 100 feet of a wide street (ZR 23-22).

Lots here are big by city standards: the median lot is 5,609 sq ft, compared with about 2,000 sq ft in rowhouse neighborhoods like Bed-Stuy and Sunset Park. Commercial use is mostly through overlays: 443 lots carry a C1-4 or C2-4 overlay, plus 66 lots in C4-4.

Zoning districts in Washington Heights by tax lot

Zoning district (zonedist1)Tax lotsShareStandard residential FARMax height (standard residences)
R7-21,72679.8%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)
R829013.4%6.02 (7.20 within 100 ft of a wide street)base 60-85 ft, max 115 ft (base 60-95 ft, max 135 ft within 100 ft of a wide street)
C4-4 (commercial)663.1%3.44 (4.00 within 100 ft of a wide street) (as R7-2, its residential equivalent)
C8-3 (commercial)432.0%no residences (C8)
Park211.0%
R7A120.6%4.00base 40-75 ft, max 85 ft
C6-2 (commercial)40.2%6.02 (7.20 within 100 ft of a wide street) (as R8, its residential equivalent)
Total2,162100%

Source: PLUTO 26v2, field zonedist1 (the district covering the largest part of each lot), lots inside the 2020 NTA boundaries MN1201, MN1202. 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 Washington Heights lot?

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Commercial overlays

443 lots (20.5%) carry a commercial overlay: C1-4 on 294 lots, C2-4 on 149 lots, C2-1 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

81 lots (3.7%) sit in a designated historic district according to PLUTO, led by Jumel Terrace Historic District (55), Audubon Park Historic District (19), Audubon Terrace Historic District (6), Scenic Landmark (1). 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.

51 lots (2.4%) are split by a district boundary (PLUTO splitzone). On those, each portion follows its own district; see split zoning lots.

Worked example

Take a 5,600 sq ft lot in R7-2, close to the neighborhood's median lot size. At the standard FAR of 3.44, the maximum residential floor area is 5,600 x 3.44 = 19,264 sq ft (ZR 23-22). With qualifying affordable or senior housing rules the FAR is 5.01, so 5,600 x 5.01 = 28,056 sq ft. For a standard multiple dwelling outside special density areas, the unit cap divides floor area by the dwelling unit factor of 680: 19,264 / 680 = 28.33, which allows 28 units because fractions of 0.75 or more count as a unit (ZR 23-52).

Note that R7-2 gets a higher standard FAR on lots within 100 feet of a wide street (4.00 within 100 ft of a wide street), so check which street your lot faces.

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 Washington Heights (MN1201, MN1202), 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.

Washington Heights zoning FAQ

What is the most common zoning district in Washington Heights?

R7-2. In PLUTO 26v2, 1,726 of the 2,162 tax lots inside the 2020 Washington Heights NTA boundary (79.8%) have R7-2 as their main district.

What FAR does R7-2 allow?

R7-2 allows a standard residential FAR of 3.44 (4.00 within 100 ft of a wide street) and 5.01 for qualifying affordable or senior housing (ZR 23-22).

How tall can a building be in R7-2?

For standard residences: base 40-65 ft, max 75 ft (base 40-75 ft, max 85 ft within 100 ft of a wide street). Qualifying affordable or senior housing: max 105 ft (115 ft within 100 ft of a wide street) (ZR 23-432).

How many apartments fit on a 5,600 sq ft R7-2 lot?

At FAR 3.44 the lot allows 19,264 sq ft of residential floor area. Divided by the dwelling unit factor of 680 that is 28.33, so 28 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.