Test FAR

Single-parcel zoning gut-check (Floor Area Ratio, lot coverage, setback / yard, height limit) against the AHJ's published Zoning Resolution / Zoning Code text. Zoning is fully local — there is no federal base. The command bundles no values and recalls no values from training; every limit in the output is a verbatim quote from text the user pasted or text WebFetched live from the jurisdiction portal.

For master-plan / form-based-code / public-realm questions use the urban-designer agent. For NYC parcel-level lookups including overlays use the nyc-zoning-lookup skill. For a full zoning worksheet across all use, bulk, and yard provisions use the zoning-summary skill.

Why this pattern (read first)

Zoning text changes annually in many jurisdictions and varies parcel-to-parcel via overlays, contextual rules, and special districts. Bundled zoning transcriptions go stale instantly and silently misquote when written from training-data recall. The workflow asks "should I fetch §X from <AHJ portal>?" then WebFetches the operative paragraph, quotes the source URL inline, and only then math-checks.

The user MUST have a connection to the public internet during use, OR be willing to paste the relevant § text. There is no offline fallback to bundled values — by design.

Authoritative sources used

The workflow fetches from the jurisdiction-published zoning portal of the user's stated jurisdiction. Pre-vetted public sources:

Jurisdiction	Public source
NYC	https://zr.planning.nyc.gov/
Los Angeles	https://planning.lacity.org/zoning/
Chicago	https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/dcd/supp_info/citywide_zoning.html
San Francisco	https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/san_francisco/latest/sf_planning
Boston	https://library.municode.com/ma/boston/codes/redevelopment_authority
Seattle	https://library.municode.com/wa/seattle/codes/municipal_code
Toronto	https://www.toronto.ca/city-government/planning-development/zoning-by-law-preliminary-zoning-reviews/
Houston	Houston has no euclidean zoning — Ch.42 lot/building line rules apply

If the jurisdiction is not in the table, the user must paste the relevant § text — fetched URLs that the command cannot verify as the jurisdiction's official source must not be used. Do not WebFetch from up.codes / zoneomics / etc. as authoritative — they are convenience aggregators, not the jurisdiction source of truth.

Inputs the command needs

1. Jurisdiction — name the jurisdiction specifically (NYC DCP, City of LA Planning, City of Toronto Planning, etc.).
2. District — base zoning district code as the jurisdiction uses it (NYC R6A / M1-4, LA R3, Toronto R-T, Chicago RT-4, SF RH-3).
3. Provided dimensions — what the design has, with labels:
   • GFA / floor area (sf, or m² if the jurisdiction uses metric)
   • Lot area
   • Building footprint / lot coverage
   • Setbacks / yards (front, side, rear) in ft
   • Building height (ft + stories)
   • Other district-specific (rear yard equivalent, sky exposure plane, encroachment plane, lot line wall)
4. Auto-fetch? — say "fetch all without re-asking" once or per-topic confirm.

Required citations (verify exact § from fetch)

Topic-level mapping. Specific § numbers come from the source the workflow fetches or the user pastes.

Topic	NYC ZR (subject area)	LA LAMC	Chicago	Toronto Bylaw 569-2013	SF Planning Code
FAR	Article II §23-15 / Art.III §33-12 / Art.IV §43-12 (district-specific)	§12.21.1	use-specific table	§10 (district)	§124
Lot coverage	Art.II §23-141 / Art.IV §43-13	§12.21.1	use-specific	§10	§124
Setbacks / yards	Art.II §23-44 / Art.IV §43-14	§12.21.1.C	use-specific	§10	§132, §134
Height	Art.II §23-63 / Art.IV §43-43	§12.21.1	use-specific	§10	§260
Bulk / sky-exposure	Art.II §23-65 / Art.III §33-43	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
Rear yard equivalent	Art.II §23-532	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a

Workflow

Step 1 — Confirm scope

Tell the user, all at once:

"This command checks a single parcel against a single base zoning district. Special districts, overlays, contextual modifiers, bonus FAR (IH / MIH / TOC / plaza), variances, and AHJ approvals are NOT covered — the report flags any out-of-scope items you must verify separately. To proceed I need:

1. Jurisdiction (NYC DCP / LA Planning / Toronto / etc.).
2. Base district code (NYC R6A, LA R3, etc.).
3. Provided dimensions (GFA, lot area, footprint, setbacks, height, plus district-specific).
4. Auto-fetch? — 'fetch all without re-asking' or per-topic confirm.

Continue?"

If the jurisdiction is Houston: tell the user Houston has no euclidean zoning; this command cannot run a FAR / coverage check. Ch.42 lot/building line rules apply — paste those for a custom check.

Step 2 — Gather dims (ask only what is missing)

Treat each dim as missing if the user hasn't stated it; never substitute a typical value.

Step 3 — Fetch each authoritative § LIVE (one topic at a time)

For each topic in the Required citations table that applies to the district:

1. Tell the user the topic + the constructed source URL from the jurisdiction portal in Authoritative sources. Example:

   "Need NYC ZR §23-15 (FAR for residential R6A) — should I WebFetch from https://zr.planning.nyc.gov/?" (Skip the per-topic prompt if the user gave blanket "fetch all" in Step 1.)

2. WebFetch on confirmation. On paywall / empty body, fall back to WebSearch with <jurisdiction> zoning §<section> <topic> site:<official-domain> → WebFetch the first AHJ-domain result. If still nothing, ask user to paste.
3. Extract the verbatim relevant paragraph + the source URL + a fetch timestamp. Quote 1-2 sentences back to the user so they can sanity-check the district + topic match.
4. Hold the citation in memory for the comparison step. Re-use within the same session — do not re-fetch.

Step 4 — Compare inline and present the result

For each topic, compare the user's provided value against the limit extracted from the fetched citation. Present as a markdown table:

Item	Required	Actual	Status	CitedSection	SourceURL	FetchedAt	Confidence	Remarks

Where each column matches the schema in /test-ada Step 4 (verbatim Required, AHJ § format in CitedSection, fetched URL in SourceURL, ISO timestamp, confidence high/medium/low, exception/scope notes in Remarks).

Step 5 — Optional persistence

After the inline table, ask:

"Save this as a file? (a) markdown, (b) CSV, (c) both, (d) inline only. Path?"

Default suggested path docs/zoning/<parcel-id>-far-check.{csv|md} if the user picks save.

Step 6 — Report

After the table:

• Counts: total / pass / fail / input missing / out-of-scope.
• Fail rows with Required / Actual + cited § + SourceURL.
• Input-missing rows naming what to provide for a re-run.
• Out-of-scope rows naming where the user must verify separately:
  • Special district / contextual / overlay text
  • Bonus FAR (IH, MIH, TOC, plaza, transit, etc.)
  • Variance / special permit / certification path
  • Site plan / design review process
  • Floodplain / coastal / historic overlay
• Reminder: zoning text changes; verify the source revision date. AHJ rules govern (NYC DCP / BSA, LA ZA, Toronto CofA). This command does not substitute for jurisdictional review.

NA AEC conventions (enforce)

• English only.
• Imperial-first: ft, sf, ac, du/ac, stories. Metric only if the jurisdiction uses it (Toronto, parts of CA).
• AHJs named specifically: NYC DCP / NYC BSA, City of LA Planning / LA ZA, City of Chicago DPD, SF Planning, Boston BPDA, Toronto City Planning / CofA. Never "the city" or "the jurisdiction".
• District naming as the jurisdiction uses (NYC R6A, not R-6A; LA R3, not R-3).
• Zoning § format as the jurisdiction publishes (NYC ZR §23-15, LA LAMC §12.21.1.A, Toronto Bylaw 569-2013 §X, SF Planning Code §124).

Constraints

• Never invent zoning values. No federal base — local jurisdictions are the only authority.
• Never paraphrase from training. Source text in the output must be verbatim from user paste or WebFetch.
• Never claim a specific § number from recall. Topic-level pointers are fine; specific § comes from source.
• Single base district only. Multi-district / overlay / bonus calculations are out-of-scope.
• Never WebFetch from convenience aggregators (up.codes, zoneomics) as the authoritative source — only the jurisdiction portal.
• No docs/ artifact unless user opts in. Markdown response only by default.
• Caveat block always present.
• Fetch only after explicit user authorization.

Anti-patterns

• Stating an FAR / coverage / setback / height value inline ("FAR 3.0", "30 ft front yard") — never. Numbers live only in the quoted source.
• Auto-applying NYC Quality Housing / R10 sliver / plaza bonus from recall — out-of-scope; flag for user.
• Treating Houston as zoned — no euclidean zoning; Ch.42 only.
• "Looks like FAR pencils" — never. Math against quoted source, label PASS / FAIL / MARGINAL.
• Quoting up.codes or zoneomics as the source URL when the jurisdiction has its own portal.
• Auto-converting metric ↔ imperial — quote the source as-is.
• Running zoning-summary or nyc-zoning-lookup from inside this command — pointer-only.
• Claiming "FAR is the same in R6A and R6B" — districts are not interchangeable; fetch each.

Resources

None. This command is intentionally body-only — see "Why this pattern" above.