The ratio of a building's total floor area to the area of its zoning lot. Determines maximum buildable square footage.
Last updated: March 2026 · 9.4M+ properties indexed
FAR is the most important metric in NYC zoning. It determines how much you can build on a lot:
Maximum Floor Area = FAR × Lot Area
Example: A FAR of 6.0 on a 10,000 sq ft lot allows up to 60,000 sq ft of floor area. The building could be 6 stories covering the entire lot, or 12 stories covering half the lot.
NYC zoning assigns different FAR values for different uses: residential, commercial, and community facility. Some districts allow bonuses for affordable housing or public amenities.
RegWatch shows FAR for every property alongside current building area, making it easy to calculate remaining development rights. Look up FAR →
FAR (Floor Area Ratio) is the ratio of buildable floor area to lot area. FAR × lot size = maximum buildable square footage.
It varies hugely. R1 residential zones may have FAR of 0.5. C6 commercial zones in Midtown can have FAR of 15.0 or higher.
Search any address on RegWatch to see the zoning FAR, current building area, and remaining development rights.
Search 9.4M+ properties across NYC, NJ & CT. Unlimited free property data – no credit card required.
Get Started Free