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ANSWERNYC zoning · plain English

How much can I build on my NYC lot?

Lot area × the district's FAR, plus any bonus the lot qualifies for, capped by what the height, setback and yard envelope can hold. Then divide residential floor area by 680 for the maximum number of apartments. Here is each step, and three real lots worked through.

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Enter an address or BBL. You get the lot's area, district and what stands on it now, then the free check shows its envelope, maximum FAR, buildable square footage and every legal scenario.

METHODFive steps

The answer, step by step

  1. 01

    Find the lot area and the zoning district

    Every answer starts with two facts: the lot's area in square feet and the zoning district (or districts) mapped on it, plus any commercial overlay or special district. Both are in the city's PLUTO tax lot data; the lot test on this page reads them for you.

    Look up a lot →
  2. 02

    Multiply lot area by the district's FAR

    Lot area × floor area ratio = maximum zoning floor area. Each use has its own FAR (residential, commercial, community facility, manufacturing), some districts allow more on a wide street than a narrow one, and residential use in a commercial district follows that district's residential equivalent.

    Use the FAR calculator →
  3. 03

    Add the bonuses the lot qualifies for

    City of Yes's Universal Affordability Preference raises residential FAR in R6 and above where the extra floor area is permanently affordable. Mandatory Inclusionary Housing does the same inside mapped MIH areas. Lower-density districts have a higher FAR for qualifying affordable or senior sites. Unused floor area bought from a neighboring lot (air rights) can add more.

    City of Yes UAP calculator →
  4. 04

    Fit the floor area inside the envelope

    The floor area has to fit under the district's height and setback rules, behind the required yards and within lot coverage. On narrow, shallow, corner and irregular lots the envelope often binds first, so the buildable figure is the smaller of the FAR number and what the envelope can physically hold.

    Why the envelope caps FAR →
  5. 05

    Turn floor area into units and gross square feet

    In R6 through R12 the maximum number of apartments is residential floor area divided by the 680 square foot dwelling unit factor (ZR 23-52). Gross square footage runs higher than zoning floor area because cellars, mechanical space and some other areas are excluded from the zoning count.

EXAMPLESThree real lots · real report output

Worked through on real NYC lots

Each figure below is taken from a published RunEnvelope sample report on that lot. Open any of them for the full study: every scenario, the massing, the sketch plans and the Zoning Resolution section behind each number.

Bayside, Queens · BBL 4073340070

215-16 Northern Boulevard

Lot area10,075 sf corner lot
Frontage102.29 ft on Northern Boulevard (wide street)
ZoningR6B with a C2-2 overlay
Residential FAR2.0, or 2.4 with UAP

The FAR math

10,075 × 2.0 = 20,150 sf of residential floor area. With the Universal Affordability Preference: 10,075 × 2.4 = 24,180 sf.

The lesson

The FAR math was the answer for housing, but units were set by the dwelling unit factor and commercial floor area by a story limit, not by FAR.

What the report found

  • ■Max Apartments: 20,150 sf and 29 units. The dwelling unit factor binds: 20,150 ÷ 680 = 29.6, rounded down.
  • ■UAP (City of Yes): 24,180 sf and 28 units over 4 floors, capped at 2.4 FAR.
  • ■Commercial Overlay: 30,900 gross sf with 9 units over ground-floor commercial.
  • ■Max Commercial: 12,926 sf, well under the FAR, because commercial use in a C1 or C2 overlay is limited to two stories (ZR 32-421).
Open the 215-16 Northern Boulevard report →
Lower East Side, Manhattan · BBL 1004110019

159 Ludlow Street

Lot area1,063 sf interior lot
Dimensions25.37 ft × 42.53 ft on Ludlow Street (narrow street)
ZoningC4-4A; residential bulk per R7A
FAR4.0 residential, commercial and community facility

The FAR math

1,063 × 4.0 = 4,252 sf. At the 5.01 FAR cap for qualifying affordable senior housing: 1,063 × 5.01 = 5,326 sf.

The lesson

On a tiny lot the scenarios land at or just under the FAR figure, and on several the report names floor-plate efficiency, not FAR, as the binding constraint.

What the report found

  • ■Max Apartments: 4,240 sf and 4 units over 7 floors, at 75 ft.
  • ■AIRS Senior Housing (100% affordable): 5,302 sf, 24 sf under the FAR figure.
  • ■Max Commercial: 4,252 sf over 6 floors, at the 85 ft height limit.
Open the 159 Ludlow Street report →
Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn · BBL 3020200068

1045 Atlantic Avenue

Lot area47,100 sf irregular lot
Frontage369.33 ft on Atlantic Avenue (wide street)
ZoningC6-3A in the Special Atlantic Avenue Mixed Use District
FAR7.52 residential, 6.0 commercial

The FAR math

47,100 × 7.52 = 354,192 sf of residential floor area. Commercial: 47,100 × 6.0 = 282,600 sf.

The lesson

On a large, regular lot on a wide street the envelope has room, so the full FAR is placed and the questions become program and affordability.

What the report found

  • ■Max Apartments: 354,192 sf and 521 units over 13 floors, at 138 ft.
  • ■Commercial Overlay: the same 354,192 sf with 404 units over ground-floor commercial.
  • ■Max Commercial: 282,600 sf, exactly the commercial FAR.
  • ■The lot sits in a mapped MIH area, where the report lists a further 1.50 FAR bonus with 25 to 30 percent of units affordable.
Open the 1045 Atlantic Avenue report →

When the answer is more than the lot

The steps above give the as-of-right answer for one zoning lot. Two moves change it. Buying unused floor area from a neighbor through a zoning lot merger adds to the FAR you can place; see the air rights calculator and the assemblage guide. Combining lots changes the lot area, the frontage and often which street rules apply, which RunEnvelope models as an assemblage (see the 1103 Sheridan Avenue two-lot sample). Anything that needs a special permit, a variance or a rezoning is outside an as-of-right study and needs an architect or land use attorney.

District by district rules are on the zoning districts reference, for example R6B, R7A and C6-3A, the three districts in the examples.

FAQFrequently asked

Common questions

How much can I build on my lot in NYC?

Multiply the lot area by the district's floor area ratio for the use you plan, add any bonus the lot qualifies for (City of Yes UAP, MIH, qualifying affordable or senior sites, purchased air rights), then confirm the building fits inside the height, setback, yard and coverage rules. The smaller of the FAR figure and what the envelope holds is the answer.

How many apartments can I build on my NYC lot?

In R6 through R12 the maximum is the residential floor area divided by the 680 square foot dwelling unit factor (ZR 23-52), rounded down. A 20,150 sf building can hold at most 29 units. Lower-density districts have their own density rules.

Can I build more than the FAR allows?

Only through a bonus or a transfer: the Universal Affordability Preference or Mandatory Inclusionary Housing for affordable floor area, a higher FAR for qualifying sites in lower-density districts, or unused floor area acquired from an adjacent lot through a zoning lot merger. A special permit or rezoning is outside as-of-right analysis.

Does an existing building on the lot change the answer?

It changes what is left. The floor area already built counts against the maximum unless it is demolished, so the remaining development rights are the maximum minus what exists. RunEnvelope's 215-10 Northern Boulevard sample reads a lot against the building standing on it.

How long does it take to find out what I can build?

The free check on RunEnvelope returns the envelope, FAR, buildable square footage and the list of legal scenarios for any NYC lot with no account. A full report, with every scenario modeled as a building and every figure cited to the Zoning Resolution, is $149 to $499 for one lot.

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Related tools and guides

NYC FAR calculatorPick any mapped zoning district, enter a lot area, get the floor area by use.NYC air rights calculatorUnused floor area on a lot, donor lots next door and zoning lot mergers.NYC development feasibility studyWhat a feasibility study contains, who prepares one, and what it costs.Guide: buildable square footageThe FAR formula, what caps it and what raises it.RunEnvelope vs. hiring an architectWhen the software replaces the preliminary study, and when you still need the architect.Sample reportsFull reports on real NYC lots, every scenario and citation included.
Check a lot free See pricing