Austin, TX Building Setbacks & Zoning: Lot Coverage Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing table
- City Code Sec. 25-2-492(D), Site Development Regulations
- SF-3 building coverage cap
- 40 percent of lot area
- SF-3 impervious cover cap
- 45 percent of lot area
- Lake Austin steep-slope cap
- 10 percent impervious on grades over 25 percent
- Term used locally
- "impervious cover," not "lot coverage"
- Rule that yields
- the more restrictive of conflicting Title 25 provisions governs
Summary
Austin does not use the term "lot coverage." The controlling limits are Maximum Building Coverage and Maximum Impervious Cover in the Section 25-2-492 site development table, set per zoning district. A standard single-family (SF-3) lot tops out at 40 percent building coverage and 45 percent impervious cover, with stricter caps near Lake Austin's shoreline.
(A)The table in Subsection (D) establishes the principal site development regulations for each zoning district.(B)Except as provided in Subsection (C), if a requirement of Subsection (D) conflicts with another provision of this title, the more restrictive regulation governs.(D)Site development regulation table. LA RR SF-1 SF-2 SF-3 SF-4A SF-4B SF-5 SF-6 MF-1 MF-2 MF-3 MF-4 MF-5 MF-6 MH NO LO GO CR LR GR L CBD DMU W/LO CS CS-1 CH 12 IP MI LI R&D DR AV AG 16 P / MAXIMUM BUILDING COVERAGE: — 20% 35% 40% 40% 4 40% 40% 40% 45% 50% 55% 60% 60% 70% — 35% 50% 60% 25% 50% 75% 50% 100% 100% — 95% 95% 85% 50% 75% 75% 40% 12,000 15 — 17 / MAXIMUM IMPERVIOUS COVER: 1 25% 40% 45% 45% * 60% 55% 55% 55% 60% 65% 70% 70% 80% — 60% 70% 80% 60% 80% 90% 50% 100% 100% 70% 95% 95% 85% 80% 80% 80% 14 15,000 15 — 17
Full Breakdown
Section 25-2-492's site development regulation table sets two separate coverage ceilings for every base zoning district: "MAXIMUM BUILDING COVERAGE" and "MAXIMUM IMPERVIOUS COVER," the latter counting driveways, patios, and other hardscape along with the building footprint. For a family residence (SF-3) lot, Austin's standard single-family district, the table caps building coverage at 40 percent and impervious cover at 45 percent of the lot. Coverage limits climb with zoning intensity: single-family large lot (SF-1) allows 35 percent building coverage and 40 percent impervious cover, while multifamily highest density (MF-6) reaches 70 percent and 80 percent respectively, and the central business district (CBD) and downtown mixed use (DMU) districts permit up to 100 percent impervious cover.
Rural residence (RR) lots are capped at 20 percent building coverage and 25 percent impervious cover, the tightest general residential limit in the table. Section (B) makes the table a floor, not a ceiling for other rules: "if a requirement of Subsection (D) conflicts with another provision of this title, the more restrictive regulation governs," so an overlay or watershed ordinance can push a lot's impervious limit lower than the base district figure. That happens along Lake Austin, where Section 25-2-551 cuts impervious cover on lots platted after April 22, 1982 to just 20 percent on slopes of 25 percent grade or less, and to 10 percent on slopes steeper than 25 percent but not more than 35 percent, regardless of the SF-1 or LA base zoning otherwise allowing far more. Property in the Barton Springs Zone faces a further, separately-adopted impervious ceiling under Article 13 (Save Our Springs) rather than the base district numbers.
Violations & Fines
Exceeding the impervious cover or building coverage cap on a site plan or building permit application gets the application rejected at plan review; building over the limit without an approved plan triggers a stop-work order and a code compliance case through Austin Development Services, and an owner may have to remove excess pavement or structure to bring the lot back into compliance before a certificate of occupancy issues.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Austin have a lot coverage limit?
What is the impervious cover limit on a standard Austin house lot?
Are impervious cover limits stricter near Lake Austin?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Austin
Texas rules heatmap·Compare Austin to another location·View the Texas building setbacks & zoning overview
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