Bulk regulations are the full set of zoning rules that collectively control the size, shape, and placement of a building on a lot including FAR, lot coverage, setbacks, and height limits.

In NYC, these rules are established by the Zoning Resolution and vary by district. In an R7A district, a developer must simultaneously satisfy a 4.0 FAR cap, a 65% lot coverage limit, a 30-foot rear yard requirement, and a maximum base height before setback. Each rule constrains the building from a different angle, and the Department of Buildings reviews all of them together at permitting. Satisfying one does not excuse compliance with the others.

Owners frequently treat FAR as the only number that matters but experienced developers underwrite every bulk regulation together, because FAR alone routinely overstates what a site can realistically support.

FAR gives you a number. Bulk regulations give you the truth.

Example: FAR says you can build 20,000 SF on your lot. But lot coverage limits your footprint, setbacks push your building away from the edges, and a height limit caps how tall you can go. Once all three are applied together, you may only be able to realistically build 15,000 SF.