Commercial Real Estate in Fremont: Warm Springs Innovation, Industrial Zones and Town Centers

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

Fremont has more industrial and R&D land than any other city in Alameda County. Its commercial property ranges from tech and advanced manufacturing campuses around Warm Springs and the I-880 corridor to regional retail and an emerging downtown on Capitol Avenue. It also takes in five historic town centers: Centerville, Irvington, Mission San Jose, Niles and Warm Springs. Zoning in Fremont is detailed and use tables vary by district and sometimes by planning area. Confirm a parcel’s district and overlays with the city before you commit.

Who controls the parcel

The City of Fremont regulates land use under Title 18 of its Municipal Code. Its zoning page offers a Find My Zoning District lookup, a zoning atlas mapbook and a ZoningCheck tool that shows where a business type is allowed. You can order a formal Zoning Verification Report through the city’s Citizen Access portal. Fremont’s hillside areas carry the Hillside combining district, and parcels near quarries can carry mineral resource or quarry overlays, so check overlays as well as the base district.

Fremont zoning for commercial, industrial and mixed use

Chapter 18.30 sets up the districts. The main business districts:

District	Intended uses	Key limits
C-O Commercial Office	Professional, medical and financial offices; buffer next to housing	35 ft; FAR 0.3, or 0.6 with housing
C-N Commercial Neighborhood	Neighborhood shopping, groceries, local dining	35 ft; FAR 0.3. Convenience stores need a zoning administrator permit
C-G Commercial General	Offices, auto sales and service, gas stations, equipment rental	35 ft; FAR 0.3. Mixed use not allowed
C-R Commercial Regional	Big-box, national retailers, hotels, auto sales near freeways	40 ft; FAR 0.3; 20,000 sq ft minimum lot
MX Mixed-Use	Mainly commercial, with housing above	65 ft; FAR 0.5, or 1.25 with housing
TC-P / TC-T Town Center	Historic cores (TC-P) and transitioning edges (TC-T)	TC-P 65 ft, or 40 ft in Mission San Jose and Niles
I-S Service Industrial	Light service industry near homes and shops	40 ft; FAR 0.35
I-T Tech Industrial	R&D, clean tech, semiconductors, hardware and software	75 ft; FAR 0.35, or 0.45 for warehouse and manufacturing
I-G General Industrial	Manufacturing, wholesale, heavy service	75 ft; FAR 0.35, or 0.45 for warehouse. No sensitive uses
WSI Warm Springs Innovation	Innovation, advanced manufacturing and housing near Warm Springs BART	Minimum FARs and densities near BART
D Downtown	Urban mixed-use core on Capitol Avenue	Up to 8 stories; 0.80 minimum commercial FAR
City Center (CC-TN, CC-UN, CC-UO)	Transit neighborhoods and urban office near Fremont BART	Walkable block and frontage standards

In the industrial districts, any height or FAR above the table limits goes through a modification of standards under Chapter 18.250. Space used only for on-site employee child care does not count toward FAR.

Warm Springs, Downtown and the town centers

Warm Springs Innovation District. The WSI district carries out the Warm Springs/South Fremont Community Plan around the Warm Springs BART station. It is divided into ten planning areas, from Fremont Boulevard and Lopes Court to the BART Area and Warm Springs Court. Each area has its own use permissions. Unlike most cities, Fremont sets minimum FARs here:

Industrial and R&D: 0.50 within half a mile of BART, 0.35 elsewhere
Office: 1.50 near BART
Lodging: 1.50 near BART

New projects must cut peak-hour vehicle trips by at least 20% and pay an art fee or provide on-site art. Design review is required before a building permit application.

Downtown. The Downtown district carries out the city’s downtown community plan. It has four place-type zones: the Capitol Avenue main street, the mid-district, the edge and the civic center. Sites need at least one acre and 200 feet of frontage. Ground floors are mostly reserved for active uses. Certain limited uses can take no more than 20% of a building’s ground-floor commercial space. Land in the Downtown district cannot later be rezoned to a planned district.

Town centers. TC-P zoning covers the historic cores of Centerville, Irvington, Mission San Jose and Niles. These areas have no minimum lot size, ground-floor ceilings of at least 16 feet 8 inches, and a three-story limit along main street frontages. Bars need a conditional use permit. Restaurants that serve alcohol and close before midnight are permitted. The Irvington and Historical overlays add further review.

Industrial use rules worth knowing

General warehousing, including e-commerce, is permitted in all three industrial districts. Mini-storage and cold storage need a zoning administrator permit.
Trucking terminals with direct truck-route access are limited to I-G, by zoning administrator permit.
Restricted retail is barred in every industrial district. That includes adult businesses, firearms dealers, pawn shops, tobacco and used merchandise.
Industrial eating places need a zoning administrator permit, and drive-throughs are prohibited.
Office uses are limited to listed types, such as corporate offices in I-T and I-G. Unlisted offices are prohibited.
Uses involving high-intensity hazardous materials face added review under section 18.190.220.

Transfer tax, business tax and property tax

Fremont does not add a city transfer tax. The Alameda County Clerk-Recorder lists city conveyance taxes for eight county cities, and Fremont is not one of them. Only the county documentary transfer tax of $0.55 per $500 applies, which is a real cost advantage over Oakland, Berkeley or Hayward. Under Proposition 13, a sale generally triggers reassessment at the purchase price.

Every business operating in Fremont must register with the Revenue Division. Its business tax page lists a $30 registration fee plus a $4 state ADA fee, with more tax possible at renewal depending on the business. The page does not post the renewal rates, so get them from the Revenue Division.

Due diligence that matters in Fremont

Start with our commercial due diligence checklist, then add:

Run the address through Find My Zoning District and ZoningCheck, and order a Zoning Verification Report for a lender.
In WSI, identify the planning area and confirm the use is allowed there, and check the minimum FAR for any redevelopment.
In Downtown, confirm the place-type zone and the ground-floor active-use limits.
For industrial buildings, confirm the warehouse FAR bonus and any hazardous materials permits.
In TC-P areas, check the Historical or Irvington overlay review.
Get any zoning administrator or conditional use permits for the current use.

Questions people ask

Does Fremont charge a city transfer tax?

No city tax appears on the County Clerk-Recorder’s list. Only the county tax of $0.55 per $500 applies.

Where can I put an R&D or semiconductor facility?

The I-T Tech Industrial district is designed for R&D, clean tech and semiconductors. Many WSI planning areas also allow these uses.

Can warehouses be bigger than the standard FAR?

In I-T and I-G, general warehouse and manufacturing can reach 0.45 FAR, compared with the standard 0.35.

What makes the Warm Springs district different?

It sets minimum FARs and densities near BART, requires a 20% cut in peak-hour vehicle trips and has an art requirement.

Are bars allowed in Niles or Centerville?

In TC-P zoning, bars need a conditional use permit. Restaurants serving alcohol that close before midnight are permitted.

How tall can buildings be downtown?

Up to 8 stories. Civic center administrative buildings can reach 12, and there is a two-story minimum.

Does Diamond handle commercial property in Fremont?

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

Sources & notes

Note: Fremont’s industrial use table is complex. Confirm a specific use with ZoningCheck or Planning (510-494-4455).

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

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