Overlays allow you to override zoning code restrictions of an underlying zoning type. Overlays in ArcGIS Urban consist of overlay types and overlay boundaries.
Overlay types don't have a geometry. They are referenced by overlay boundaries that define the spatial extent of the zoning code restrictions. Unlike for zoning or land use, restrictions are defined on individual overlay boundaries and not on the overlay type. Overlay types group individual overlay boundaries and allow you to visualize them with the same symbology. In addition, overlay types allow you to specify how overlays interact with the underlying zoning code restrictions, for example, replacing the underlying restrictions or adding a bonus. You can only define overlays in zoning plans; you cannot define them in land-use plans.
You can edit existing overlay types and boundaries as well as propose new ones while editing a plan. Proposed overlay types are only available in the plan; they are not available across the entire city.
Add an overlay type
You can add overlay types in the zoning mode 
or in the plan configuration. Use the zoning mode option to add types one by one. Use the import options in the plan configuration to add multiple types from a hosted feature table, a spreadsheet, or a feature layer symbology.
Add an overlay type in zoning mode
To create an overlay type in the zoning mode , complete the following steps:
- Open the plan editor.
- Click the Zoning button at the upper right of the header.
- Expand the side panel on the right.
To show or hide the panel, click the Expand button
at the upper right of the view. - Click Zoning and overlay types
in the upper right corner of the side panel.The side panel shows two tabs. The Zoning types tab is open by default. It lists the zoning types for the plan.
- Click the Overlay types tab in the side panel.
- Click the Add button at the upper right.
The New overlay type dialog box appears.
- Modify the styling of the new overlay type by making changes on the Appearance tab:
- Add the Name of the overlay type.
- Optionally, add a Custom ID.
- Change Color, Fill, and Outline to edit the style assigned to the overlay type by default.
- Change how overlays interact with the underlying zoning code restrictions on the Advanced settings tab.
- Click OK to save the new overlay type.
The new overlay type is saved and added to the overlay types list with a proposal flag next to its name.
Add overlay types to the plan configuration
To add overlay types to the plan configuration, complete the following steps:
- Open the plan editor.
- Expand the drop-down menu named after the plan and select Configure plan.
The plan configuration opens to the general plan settings tab by default.
- Click Zoning and click Overlay types.
- Click Add and choose from the following options:
- Single item—Add a single overlay type.
- From spreadsheet—Import multiple types from a spreadsheet.
- From feature table—Import multiple types from a hosted feature table.
- From feature layer symbology—Import multiple types from the symbology of a hosted feature layer.
See Manage overlay types to learn more about the these options.
- Click Return to plan
in the header when you finish adding types.
Reorder overlay types
Reorder overlay types to change their position in the legend. If there are overlays that interact with the same zoning code restriction (for example, parcel coverage), the order is additionally used to resolve conflicts in case of overlapping boundaries. Higher order overlay types are applied last. The list of overlay types in the plan configuration represents the order ranging from low to high order from the top to the bottom of the list. To change the order of overlay types, complete the following steps:
- Open the plan editor.
- Expand the drop-down menu named after the plan and select Configure plan.
- Click Zoning and click Overlay types.
The list of overlay types appears.
- Drag the overlay types to reorder them.
Modify an overlay type
You can modify an overlay type in the zoning mode or in the plan configuration. To modify an overlay type from the list of types, complete the following steps:
Note:
See the Add an overlay type section above to learn how to get to the list of types.
- Click the Configure button
next to the overlay type you want to modify. - Modify the appearance and the parameters.
- Click OK.
The changes are applied to the overlay type. If the overlay type is applied to an overlay boundary in the plan, the changes are also applied on the map. The changes affect all scenarios in the current plan.
Note:
When modifying an existing overlay type, the changes are only applied to the current plan.
Add an overlay boundary
You can add an overlay boundary by drawing a polygon or by painting over parcels.
Add an overlay boundary by drawing a polygon
To add an overlay boundary by drawing a polygon, complete the following steps:
- Open the plan editor.
- Click the Zoning button at the upper right of the header.
- Click the Add boundary button
on the workflow toolbar at the right of the view. - Ensure the Draw new boundary by clicking on the map button
is selected. - Click the Overlay button.
- Select an overlay type in the drop-down list.
Click inside the drop-down field and start typing to search an overlay type by name.
- Click the map to draw the boundary of the new overlay. Double-click when you are finished.
- Click OK.
Note:
This tool supports snapping. To disable snapping temporarily, press the Ctrl key while drawing.
Add an overlay boundary by painting over parcels
To add an overlay boundary by painting over parcels, complete the following steps:
- Open the plan editor.
- Click the Zoning button at the upper right of the header.
- Click the Add boundary button on the workflow toolbar at the right of the view.
- Click the Draw new boundary by painting over parcels button
. - Click the Overlay button.
- Select an overlay type in the drop-down list.
Click inside the drop-down field and start typing to search an overlay type by name.
- Paint over the parcels to which you want to apply the selected overlay type.
To paint over multiple separated parcels, press Shift while painting.
- Click OK.
Modify an overlay boundary
To modify the overlay type or zoning parameters of an overlay boundary, complete the following steps:
- Open the plan editor.
- Click the Zoning button at the upper right of the header.
- On the map, click the overlay boundary you want to edit.
A pop-up with details of the selected overlay boundary appears. If there are overlapping boundaries, use the arrow buttons
to rotate through the features. - Click Modify in the pop-up.
The Modify overlay dialog box appears.
- Select an overlay type in the drop-down list to change the type of the selected overlay boundary.
Click inside the drop-down field and start typing to search an overlay type by label or description.
- Modify other parameters of the overlay.
- You can style the overlay description with markdown syntax elements. See Description styling to learn more.
- The overlay label is shown on the map.
- Click OK.
Delete an overlay boundary
To delete an overlay boundary, complete the following steps:
- Open the plan editor.
- Click the Zoning button at the upper right of the header.
- On the map, click the overlay boundary you want to delete.
A pop-up with details of the selected overlay boundary appears. If there are overlapping boundaries, use the arrow buttons
to rotate through the features. - Click Modify in the pop-up.
The Modify overlay dialog box appears.
- Click the Delete button
to delete the overlay boundary.
Copy an overlay boundary to a scenario
To copy an overlay boundary to another scenario, complete the following steps:
- Open the plan editor.
- Click the Zoning button at the upper right of the header.
- On the map, click the overlay boundary you want to copy to another scenario.
A pop-up with details of the selected overlay boundary appears. If there are overlapping boundaries, use the arrow buttons
to rotate through the features. - Click the Copy to scenario button
in the pop-up.The Copy to scenario dialog box appears.
- Select the target scenario from the drop-down list.
- Click OK to copy the overlay boundary.
The overlay boundary is copied. The target scenario opens.
Note:
You cannot copy to the existing scenario.