1.0 Introduction

Countywide Design Guidelines
Introduction

Amended September 24, 2026

Sacramento County is made up of nearly 1,000 square miles encompassing a diverse mix of landscapes from the very western portion of the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains to the scenic and biologically diverse lowlands of the Sacramento River Delta. In total, approximately 1.45 million people call Sacramento County “home” with a significant number of those residents residing within one of the many established communities of the unincorporated area. The established communities that make up the unincorporated County offer distinguished housing for every lifestyle –urban lofts, suburban family homes, executive housing and rural farms and ranches – along with a wide variety of parks, open space and recreational, commercial, industrial and institutional uses. With its ideal climate, astounding tree canopy, and expansive outdoor recreational amenities – including the 32-mile American River Parkway – Sacramento County provides a quality of life that is highly desirable.

The robust economy in the unincorporated Sacramento County is expected to grow significantly, attracting notable companies and a related workforce. With our existing communities and the anticipated growth, Sacramento County recognizes the importance to plan and develop land use regulations that reflect our value for high quality, sustainable and healthy community design. The three main objectives are to: achieve high standards for the quality of the built environment; advance sustainable development and provide business and user friendly practices. The expectation for these guidelines, in conjunction with our Design Review Program, is to foster more sustainable and healthy communities that improve the overall quality of life for all County residents. These guidelines, and the community discussion that guided their preparation, demonstrate this commitment.

1.1. PURPOSE OF COUNTYWIDE DESIGN GUIDELINES

These Countywide Design Guidelines provide consistent design principles to implement the County General Plan. They have been developed to encourage high quality development that strengthens the economic vitality of all areas of the County. The purpose of these guidelines is to create design recommendations and standards for review of projects that are easy to understand and will result in well designed and sustainable projects that raise the overall design quality of development occurring within the County. They encourage active transportation and transit supportive development in appropriate locations and anticipate new types of opportunities where commercial and residential uses could be developed into new village centers that provide social and economic focus to the surrounding neighborhoods.

The guidelines emphasize projects¹ that contribute to the health of our residents and the beauty of our established communities within the unincorporated area. These guidelines inform development and redevelopment in ways that are environmentally conscious, economically sound, and which provide community-wide benefits.

These guidelines integrate development approaches to design and build healthy, sustainable, and inclusive neighborhoods.

🚶 Project proponents should review the entire set of design guidelines prior to beginning the project’s design process.

Promoting active transportation, including walking and biking, along with improving access to transit, lowers household transportation costs, reduces greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution, decreases traffic congestion and encourages development of jobs, housing, services and other amenities in close proximity to each other. The most important part of building sustainable communities is creating neighborhoods that are healthy. That is why the County is calling out “Active Design” with this icon 🚶 in the design guidelines.

Throughout the Guidelines, standards and policies that incorporate active transportation and contribute to a built environment that supports public health have been highlighted with the walking person icon. The purpose of this icon 🚶 is to identify “Active Design.” Active Design shall be incorporated into all projects in order to reinforce the community’s and County’s goal to create a built environment that is healthy, sustainable, livable and promotes active transportation choices such as walking, bicycling, and accessing transit. There are many factors of the built environment that influence healthy choices and no single aspect of design can achieve this goal; however, by incorporating Active Design strategies into the built environment, physical activity and improved health can be achieved. More information about the synergies of the guidelines that support active design can be found in Appendix D.

The guidelines and standards outlined in the following sections have been based on national best practices in implementing design solutions and successful examples of guidelines from other jurisdictions. The guidelines facilitate design review by helping applicants and County staff to identify major design issues and devise solutions early in the application process. In summary, the design guidelines are provided to:

1. Implement the objectives, policies and tools of the County General Plan and Housing Element;
2. Supplement and implement the contents of the County Zoning Code on matters of design and aesthetics;
3. Enhance, protect and maintain the value of property;
4. Enhance, maintain, and preserve community identity and quality of life;
5. Promote compatibility between new and existing development;
6. Promote a positive physical image for all types of development;
7. Promote a high quality of development that stimulates investment in and strengthening of the economic vitality of all areas of Sacramento County;
8. Improve community planning and design to promote healthy living and to balance integration of social, economic, and environmental concerns.
9. Utilize sustainable strategies in site design, building design, and landscaping;
10. Facilitate a clear and efficient design review process;
11. Provide guidance to the development community, architects/designers, property owners, and County staff; and
12. Provide for and maintain the health, safety, livability and welfare of all citizens of the County

1.2. APPLICATION

1.2.1. Relationship to Other Plans

The Countywide Design Guidelines are a part of a structure of policy documents that guide development in Sacramento County. The Sacramento County General Plan defines the community vision and establishes a fundamental framework to guide decision-making about development, land use, resource management, public safety, public services, and general community well-being. Both the Sacramento County Zoning Code and Countywide Design Guidelines are implementing tools of the General Plan and Housing Element, and apply to all properties in unincorporated Sacramento County. The Zoning Code presents development regulations specifically applicable to new projects or substantial improvements to existing projects. The Guidelines are intended to supplement the zoning regulations with design criteria that supports and implements the goals and policies of the County. The General Plan promotes goals and policies centered around quality architectural design, land use evaluation, and site design policies for all development within the County, along with promoting those centered around economic development, in order to sustain a healthy economy, enhance quality of life, and allow the County to remain an appealing and competitive jurisdiction. Design Guidelines adopted as part of Specific Plans and Master Plans generally supersede the Countywide Design Guidelines when they provide more robust direction.

When it has been determined that a project is subject to design review as outlined in Section 6.3.2.B. of the Zoning Code, the design review process begins with either an application for one or more entitlement to the Office of Planning and Environmental Review (discretionary projects), or can occur prior to building permit with a Design Review Application (non-discretionary projects). In either case, project proponents are encouraged to meet with the Design Review Administrator (DRA) and review of project context. This early review can inform the process and allows project proponents direct access to the DRA and associated design review process early on.

1.2.2. Design Review Process

Once an application has been made, depending on whether it is a discretionary or non-discretionary project as defined in Section 6.3.2.B. of the Zoning Code, the overall process could vary. For discretionary projects, design review will coincide with and be woven into the normal development process. For non-discretionary projects, Design Review Approval is required before issuance of building permits. The project’s Design Review Application should include required preliminary plans and a design review checklist. It is advisable that the design review process occur before the filing of a building permit application with the Building Permit Division.

1.3 ORGANIZATION

The Guidelines are organized in chapters according to major land use categories. Each chapter is organized into topic areas structured with a design principle, rationale, and guidelines and standards supporting each principle. Design guidelines reflect the County’s design objectives and are general rules to be incorporated into design solutions. A glossary of terms used within the document is included, as well as a summarized design review checklist to help track the overall success of a given project in meeting the intent of the guidelines, and various case studies. Accompanying drawings, illustrations and photographs are intended as examples to a range of design solutions. These examples should not be looked upon as the only design solution. Creativity and innovation in design is encouraged.

Footnotes

1. As used in this document, a project is defined as any proposed action that requires approval by the County and is subject to the County Zoning Code and these Design Guidelines. ↩