Building Setbacks & Zoning, Arlington Heights

Arlington Heights maintains 88 local ordinances across all categories, and 3 of those deal specifically with building setbacks & zoning. Here is a breakdown of what the city actually requires, what is prohibited, and where Arlington Heights falls on the strict-to-permissive spectrum compared to other cities.

Structure Height Limits

In Arlington Heights' R-3 One Family Dwelling District, the Village's most common single-family zoning classification, a house cannot rise higher than 25 feet and two and one-half stories. Municipal Code Section 28-5.1-3.6 sets that ceiling for the main structure, with a narrow carve-out letting church towers and steeples reach 75 feet.

Key details: District: R-3 One Family Dwelling District. Height cap: 25 feet and two and one-half stories. Church exception: Towers/steeples to 75 ft, main structure to 45 ft. R-3 minimum lot size: 8,750 sq ft standard, 9,900 sq ft corner. Same-cap districts: R-1 (§28-5.1-1.6) and R-2 (§28-5.1-2.6).

Section 28-6.4 bars the Director of Building and Life Safety from approving a building permit for "the erection, moving, alteration, enlargement or occupancy of any building designed or intended to be used for a purpose or in a manner contrary to the provisions of this Code," which includes the district height limits in Section 28-5. A homeowner who wants to exceed 25 feet and two and one-half stories in the R-3 District must obtain a variance from the Zoning Board of Appeals under Section 28-11 before construction, not after.

Lot Coverage Limits

Arlington Heights caps how much of an R-3 single-family lot a house can cover and how much can be paved. Municipal Code Section 28-5.1-3.5 limits building lot coverage to 35 percent on lots of 6,000 square feet or more (40 percent on smaller lots), and separately caps total impervious surface, driveways, patios and walks included, at 50 or 55 percent depending on lot size.

Key details: District: R-3 One Family Dwelling District. Building lot coverage: 35% (lots ≥ 6,000 sq ft), 40% (lots < 6,000 sq ft). Impervious coverage: 55% (lots ≤ 6,600 sq ft), 50% (lots > 6,600 sq ft). Front yard sub-limit: No more than 50% of front yard impervious. Exception path: Admin. exception, Director of Building, existing lots only.

Because Section 28-6.4 bars the Director of Building and Life Safety from approving a permit for anything "contrary to the provisions of this Code," a building or paving plan that pushes past the 35/40 percent building coverage cap or the 50/55 percent impervious surface cap in Section 28-5.1-3.5 cannot be permitted unless the owner qualifies for the narrow administrative exception for replacing existing nonconforming driveways, walkways, or patios at their original dimensions.

Setback Rules

Arlington Heights sets yard setbacks by zoning district rather than one blanket citywide number. In the R-3 One Family Dwelling District, Municipal Code Section 28-5.1-3.3 requires a 25-foot front yard (minimum 15 feet, capped at 40 feet where neighborhood averaging applies), a side yard equal to ten percent of lot width (minimum seven feet in post-2003 subdivisions), and a flat 30-foot rear yard.

Key details: District: R-3 One Family Dwelling District. Front yard: 25 ft (15 ft floor, 40 ft cap with averaging). Side yard: 10% of lot width, 7 ft minimum since 2003. Exterior side yard (corner lots): 10% of width, 10 ft min, 40 ft max. Rear yard: Flat 30 feet.

Section 28-6.4 prevents the Director of Building and Life Safety from approving a building permit for any structure built "contrary to the provisions of this Code," including the yard minimums in Section 28-5.1-3.3. Separately, Section 28-6.6-4 provides that "no yards now or hereafter provided for a building existing on January 1, 2003, shall subsequently be reduced below" the code's current minimum yard requirements, so an addition or remodel that eats into an existing front, side, or rear yard below these figures cannot be permitted without a variance.

The Bottom Line

Arlington Heights's building setbacks & zoning rules are a mixed bag. Some areas are strict, others are relaxed, and the details matter. The best approach is to check the specific rule that applies to your situation rather than assuming Arlington Heights is broadly strict or permissive.

Keep in mind that Arlington Heights can amend these rules at any council meeting. For the most current version of any rule mentioned here, check the specific ordinance page, where we track updates as they happen.