Bloomington, IL Building Setbacks & Zoning: Lot Coverage Limits (2026)

§ 44-403, "Residential bulk and site standards," regulates each residential district's dimensional standards, but the districts do not all use the same tool. R-1, R-2, R-3A, R-3B, and R-4 are controlled through minimum lot width, minimum lot area, and front, side, and rear yard setbacks set out in Tables 403A through 403D, with no separate lot-coverage percentage listed for those districts. The R-D Downtown Neighborhood Residence District, created for primarily residential areas adjacent to Bloomington's Central Business District under § 44-401, is the exception: § 44-403(C)(3)(a) states flatly, "Maximum building coverage: 45%," and pairs it with "Maximum building height: 45 feet or four stories" in the following subsection.

R-D also uses a distinct, block-based method for its other dimensional standards: minimum lot width and lot area are calculated as the average of the surrounding lots on the same block front, with the highest and lowest figures thrown out, and the minimum lot area per multifamily unit is fixed at 1,000 square feet. The 45% coverage cap applies on top of those averaged lot standards, so a downtown-adjacent infill lot cannot cover more than 45% of its area with principal and accessory structures even where the averaging method would otherwise permit a larger footprint.

Any structure that does not conform to the 45% cap by reason of a preexisting condition is addressed separately as a nonconforming structure under Article XI.