Commercial Real Estate in Dixon: Downtown, I-80 Gateways and Industrial Zoning

By Matthew Martinez, Founder, CEO & Managing Broker, Diamond Real Estate Group. California DRE #01869679.

Dixon is the farm town at Solano County’s northeast corner, and its commercial land reflects that. Downtown is a compact grid of storefronts; regional and service commercial sites sit along Interstate 80; campus mixed-use districts are planned at the city’s gateways near I-80 and State Route 113; and industrial zoning is set up for food processing, warehousing and truck terminals that serve the surrounding agricultural economy. Confirm zoning and permits with the City of Dixon for any specific parcel.

Who controls the parcel

Inside city limits, Title 18 of the Dixon Municipal Code is the zoning ordinance. The district chapters were adopted in their current form by Ordinance 24-002, so documents from before 2024 may cite older district names. On top of the base districts, Dixon maps a Groundwater Well (GW) overlay, Planned Development (PD) overlays and Specific Plan (SP) overlays. In the CAMX district, the uses allowed come from the approved planned development or a similar mechanism rather than a standard table. Farmland around the city is regulated by Solano County; see our Solano County commercial guide.

Dixon zoning for commercial, industrial and mixed use

District	Intended uses	Notes
DMX Downtown Mixed-Use	Downtown as a commercial and entertainment destination	Housing up to 30 units per acre; active ground-floor uses on primary corridors; community assembly limited; no cannabis
CMX Corridor Mixed-Use	Retail and commercial supported by housing on major corridors	12 to 28 units per acre; sites of 2.5 acres or more need both a residential and a commercial use
CAMX Campus Mixed-Use	Employment-generating districts at gateways near I-80 and SR-113	Housing (15 to 30 units per acre) capped at 40% of site and FAR; uses set by PD
CN Neighborhood Commercial	Neighborhood shopping centers and store clusters	No housing; hospitals need a CUP; no cannabis
CR Regional Commercial	Full range of commercial uses for I-80 traffic and residents	Major auto repair permitted; RV parks and campgrounds conditional
CS Service Commercial	Auto repair, storage, contractors and other non-shopping-center uses	Major auto repair permitted
IL Light Industrial	Small-scale manufacturing and service uses without nuisance impacts	0.6 FAR; 20,000 sq ft lots; 40 ft; no outdoor storage
IG General Industrial	Food processing, fabrication, truck yards, warehousing and distribution, contractors’ yards	0.6 FAR; 40,000 sq ft lots; 75 ft (40 ft within 200 ft of residential zoning)

Bars, nightclubs and lounges need a conditional use permit in every commercial and mixed-use district. Both industrial districts cap lot coverage at 60%, and side and rear setbacks jump to 50 feet next to residential zoning.

Downtown, the corridors and the I-80 gateways

Downtown. The DMX district is written to make downtown a place for dining, entertainment and shopping. It allows single-use or mixed-use buildings and requires active uses at street level along the main corridors. Public parking lots and structures are permitted here, unlike in CMX.

Corridors. CMX allows vertical or horizontal mixed use. On sites of 2.5 acres or more, a project must include at least one residential and one commercial use, so a large corridor parcel cannot be planned as retail alone.

Gateways. CAMX targets job-generating campuses at the freeway gateways. Industrial and commercial development without housing is allowed, and any housing must be apartments, townhomes or condos and cannot exceed 40% of the site or of total project FAR.

Industrial uses, cannabis and agricultural processing

Dixon’s industrial chapter is tuned to agricultural and logistics users:

Food and beverage. Small-scale food and beverage manufacturing is permitted in IL and IG; large-scale manufacturing needs an administrative use permit.
Distribution. Truck terminals and distribution facilities under 150,000 square feet are permitted in both districts; larger facilities need a conditional use permit and must meet the specific-use standards in Section 18.19.110.
Storage. Indoor warehousing is permitted in both districts. Outdoor storage is barred in IL and conditional in IG.
Heavy uses. General industrial uses need an administrative permit in IG and are not allowed in IL. Salvage and recycling processing are IG-only with a CUP.
Cannabis. Cannabis businesses need a CUP in IL, IG, CMX, CR and CS, under Chapter 6.12, and must be at least 600 feet from schools, day care and youth centers and 300 feet from residential uses.

Transfer tax, business tax and property tax

Dixon’s real property transfer tax under Section 4.05.020 (Ordinance 12-004) is 27.5 cents per $500, administered by the County Recorder. The Solano County tax is $0.55 per $500, reduced under Section 11-67 by a half-rate city tax, so the combined rate inside Dixon should be $0.55 per $500. Dixon has a business license tax in Chapter 4.02; we did not verify its rates. Under Proposition 13, a change in ownership generally triggers reassessment.

Due diligence that matters in Dixon

Start with our commercial due diligence checklist, then add:

Confirm the post-2024 district and check for a PD, SP or Groundwater Well overlay.
In CAMX, get the governing PD document, since it sets the use list.
For distribution buildings, check whether the 150,000 square foot threshold triggers a CUP.
Next to residential zoning, apply the 50-foot setbacks and the 40-foot IG height limit.
For cannabis, map the 600-foot and 300-foot buffers.
On large corridor parcels, plan for the CMX mixed-use requirement.

Questions people ask

Can I build a distribution center in Dixon?

Yes, in IL or IG. Facilities under 150,000 square feet are permitted; larger ones need a conditional use permit.

Is food processing allowed?

Small-scale food and beverage manufacturing is permitted in both industrial districts. Large-scale processing needs an administrative use permit, and IG is designed for it.

What is Campus Mixed-Use zoning?

CAMX is an employment district at the I-80 and SR-113 gateways. Housing is allowed but limited to 40% of the site and of project FAR.

Can cannabis businesses operate in Dixon?

With a conditional use permit in CMX, CR, CS, IL and IG, subject to Chapter 6.12 and distance buffers. Not in DMX or CN.

Does Dixon charge a city transfer tax?

Yes, 27.5 cents per $500, credited against the county’s $0.55 per $500.

How tall can industrial buildings be?

40 feet in IL. In IG, 75 feet, or 40 feet within 200 feet of a residential district.

Does Diamond handle commercial property in Dixon?

Contact Matthew Martinez to discuss buying, selling or leasing commercial property in Dixon.

Sources & notes

Note: Commercial height and FAR limits were not in the portion of Chapter 18.05 we reviewed; confirm them with Community Development.

This page is general information, not legal or tax advice. Last reviewed October 2026 by Matthew Martinez.

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