An applicant can apply for a Tentative Parcel Map or Tentative Subdivision Map to divide a property. A Tentative Parcel Map will typically allow an applicant to divide a lot into four or fewer parcels, if approved. A Tentative Subdivision Map will allow an applicant to divide a lot into five or more parcels, if approved. All proposed parcels must meet the minimum lot size, width, and development standards of its zoning district.
For example, an applicant with a four-acre property, zoned AR-2, wants to split their lot into two parcels. As indicated in Chapter 2 of the Sacramento County Zoning Code, the AR-2 zoning district has a minimum lot size of two acres. The applicant would apply for a Tentative Parcel Map to divide the four-acre lot into two two-acre lots. They could not request to divide the four-acre lot into three lots as the proposed lots would not meet the minimum lot size standards for the AR-2 zone.
