Commercial Real Estate in Winters: Downtown Form-Based Code, Highway Sites and Small-Town Rules

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

Winters is a small city on Putah Creek where most commercial property sits in a walkable downtown around Main Street and Railroad Avenue, with highway-oriented sites near the Interstate 505 interchange on Grant Avenue and a modest supply of business park and industrial land. Downtown has its own form-based code that controls storefront dimensions, building height and where parking can go. Confirm zoning and taxes with the City of Winters before relying on this page.

Who controls the parcel

Inside city limits, Title 17 of the Winters Municipal Code is the zoning code, and most district purposes date from Ordinance 97-03. The downtown master plan area is regulated by the form-based code in Chapter 17.58, first adopted by Ordinance 2009-10 and amended several times through 2018. A Planned Development overlay under Chapter 17.48 can modify standards on larger sites. The orchards and hills around the city are unincorporated Yolo County land (and, across Putah Creek, Solano County); see our Yolo County commercial guide.

Winters zoning for commercial, industrial and mixed use

District	Intended uses	Notes
D-A and D-B Downtown	Retail, restaurants, offices, banks and personal services, with housing upstairs	Standards set by street on the regulating plan
C-1 Neighborhood Commercial	Convenience shopping and services near neighborhoods	§ 17.44.070
C-2 Central Business District	Downtown and major business centers named in the general plan, with a wide range of commercial uses	§ 17.44.080
C-H Highway Service Commercial	Highway-dependent services and lodging	§ 17.44.090
O-F Office	Professional, administrative and medical offices in transition areas	Multifamily may also fit
B/P Industrial/Business Park	Business and manufacturing uses between commercial and industrial	Cross-referenced in the code as M-C
M-1 Light Industrial	Enclosed light industry with little outdoor storage	No public nuisances
M-2 Heavy Industrial	Heavy machinery and outdoor storage	Sited to limit effects on neighbors
PQP Public/Quasi-Public	Hospitals, government offices, nonprofits	§ 17.44.140
A-1 General Agricultural	Farming, and holding land until streets and utilities arrive	§ 17.44.010

Permitted and conditional uses by district are in the zoning matrix, Chapter 17.52.

Downtown Winters: Main Street, Railroad Avenue and Grant Avenue

The downtown code divides the master plan area into two districts, Downtown-A and Downtown-B, then sets standards by street type on a regulating plan: Main Street as the historic commercial core, Railroad Avenue, Grant Avenue as the more auto-oriented gateway, and secondary streets such as Wolfskill Street, plus alleys and paseos.

Height. Buildings can reach 45 feet on Main Street, Railroad Avenue and Grant Avenue and 35 feet on secondary streets. The City Council can approve taller buildings on a Planning Commission recommendation.
Storefronts. Storefront widths, ground-floor heights, bulkheads, door insets and awning depth are all specified by street and district. On Main Street in D-A, storefronts run 10 to 40 feet wide.
Frontages. Storefront frontages are allowed on every street type. Arcades and galleries are allowed on Main, Railroad and secondary streets, while stoops, porches and yards are mostly limited to D-B and secondary streets.
Uses. Retail, sit-down restaurants, offices, banks and personal services are permitted on most Main, Railroad and Grant parcels. Bars and commercial recreation need a conditional use permit there and are not permitted on secondary streets. Housing is generally limited to the second floor and above, and drive-throughs are not allowed.
Parking. Parking belongs behind buildings, and lots between the sidewalk and the storefront are prohibited. Commercial space needs one space per 400 square feet and offices one per 500, with some Main Street D-A cells showing no residential requirement.

Lodging, cannabis and other local rules

Vacation rentals and inns. Chapter 17.54, adopted by Ordinance 2019-02, requires a vacation rental permit, a bed and breakfast use permit or an approved hotel use for any stay of 30 days or less. Unhosted rentals need a use permit after a public hearing, guests are capped at two per bedroom plus two, to a maximum of 10, and weddings and commercial events are barred.

Room tax. Chapter 3.24 sets the transient occupancy tax at 12% of rent.

Cannabis. Chapter 17.205, last amended by Ordinance 2025-02 on March 18, 2025, allows one storefront dispensary citywide, approved by the City Council, at least 100 feet from homes and 500 feet from youth-oriented sites, parks and libraries. Commercial cultivation is prohibited in every zone. The chapter also contains a general prohibition on commercial cannabis activity, so confirm with city staff how the two provisions interact.

Transfer tax, business tax and property tax

County tax. Yolo County charges $0.55 per $500 under Section 3-2.04.

City tax. The city’s $0.275-per-$500 share is credited against the county tax under Yolo County Section 3-2.13. The combined standard rate is $0.55 per $500 of taxable value, subject to exemptions and the recorded transaction. Confirm the calculation with escrow.

Business license and Prop 13. Business licenses are under Chapter 5.04; we did not verify rates. A change of ownership generally triggers Proposition 13 reassessment.

Due diligence that matters in Winters

Start with our commercial due diligence checklist, then add:

Downtown, find the parcel’s district and street type on the regulating plan before planning a remodel, addition or new building.
Check storefront and frontage standards before changing a facade.
For a restaurant with a bar, confirm the street type; bars need a CUP on Main, Railroad and Grant and are barred on secondary streets.
For inns or short-stay units, budget for the permit process and the 12% room tax.
Near Putah Creek, check the flood zone and any O-S open space designation.
Add the city transfer tax to the county tax in closing costs.

Questions people ask

Does Winters have a city transfer tax?

The city share is included in the county rate. The combined standard rate is $0.55 per $500 of taxable value, subject to exemptions and the recorded transaction. Confirm the calculation with escrow.

How tall can a building be on Main Street?

45 feet under the downtown code, and 35 feet on secondary streets, unless the City Council approves more.

Can I open a drive-through downtown?

No. The downtown use table does not allow drive-throughs.

Can I put apartments on the ground floor downtown?

Housing is generally limited to the second floor and above on the commercial streets; secondary streets allow residential more broadly.

How many dispensaries can Winters have?

One storefront retailer citywide, approved by the City Council.

Do I need a permit for an Airbnb in Winters?

Yes. A vacation rental permit or use permit is required, and unhosted rentals need a public hearing.

Does Diamond handle commercial property in Winters?

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

Sources & notes

Note: We did not read the zoning matrix itself, Chapter 17.48, the downtown architectural standards or business license rates. The I-505 and Grant Avenue location note is general geography.

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

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