FAQs
Planning Division FAQs
To calculate lot coverage, first identify the total square footage of your property (or rear yard area for calculating rear yard lot coverage). Next identify the total footprint of all enclosed structures on the property (or in the rear yard). The footprint of a structure includes only the covered ground floor area – a two-story structure would only count the floor area of the first floor when calculating lot coverage. Once you have added up the total square footage of the footprint of all enclosed structures, divide that number by the total square footage of the property, and multiply by 100 to express the lot coverage as a percentage. Only structures that are enclosed on three or more sides are counted toward lot coverage.
Example:
- 5,000 square foot lot (100 feet x 50 feet, 20-foot rear yard setback)
- 2,500 square foot, two-story home
- Ground floor: 500 square-foot garage + 1,500 square feet living area
- Second floor: 1,000 square feet living area
- 100 square-foot shed in rear yard
- 50 square-foot patio, enclosed on only two sides, in rear yard
Permits through the Planning Division are required for most projects. Below are the types of projects or proposals that require a Planning permit:
- New residential, commercial, and industrial developments
- Multifamily residential, commercial, or industrial exterior modifications or site improvements
- General Plan and Zoning Amendments
- Conditional Use/Temporary Use Permits
- Subdivisions
- Sign Permits
- Environmental Review
You can determine what zoning district your property is located in by looking at the zoning map. After determining the zoning district, refer to Title 17 – Zoning of the Hollister Municipal Code for development regulations.
You can find your APN by using San Benito County’s WebGIS. You can search for your property by address by selecting the “I want to…” button in the top left corner of the map, and selecting “address search”.
You can determine you General Plan designation by looking at the City’s current General Plan Map.
The first step in researching what you can do with your property is knowing your Zoning District. Once you know your zoning, here's where to look in the Hollister Municipal Code (HMC) to understand what's permitted:
|
Zoning Category
|
Code Reference | What's covered |
Residential
|
HMC Section 17.04.020: Table 17.04-1 | Land uses and permit requirement for the residential zoning districts. |
| Home Office (HO) | HMC Section 17.06.020 | Land uses and permit requirements for a mix of commercial and residential uses in an established residential area near downtown Hollister. |
Commercial / Mixed Use
|
HMC 17.08.020: Table 17.08-1 | Land uses and permit requirements for commercial and mixed-use zoning districts. |
Industrial / Manufacturing
|
HMC Section 17.10.020: Table 17.10-1 | Land uses and permit requirements for the industrial zoning districts. |
|
|
HMC Chapter 17.12 HMC Section 17.12.020: Table 17.12-1 HMC Section 17.12.030: Table 17.12-2 HMC Section 17.12.050: Table 17.12-3 |
Land uses and permits requirements for the Airport, Airport Support, Open Space/Conservation, Parks, and Public Facility/Institutional zoning districts. Land uses and permits requirements for the Airport zoning district. Land uses and permit requirements for the Airport Support zoning district. Land uses and permit requirements for the Open Space/Conservation, Parks, and Public Facility/Institutional zoning districts. |
