Charlotte, NC Building Setbacks & Zoning: Lot Coverage Limits (2026)

Article 23 of the UDO, Water Supply Watershed Protection, sets the city's real built-upon-area ceilings. " Table 23-1 splits limits by subarea and by whether a project takes the Low-Density or High-Density option. For residential projects, Low-Density Option BUA is capped at 6% in Critical Area CA1 (Lower Gar Creek), 24% in Critical Area CA4 (the Mountain Island Lake and Catawba River lake front), and 24% in Protected Area PA1. 7. Nonresidential Low-Density projects are prohibited in CA1 and CA4 and capped at 24% in PA1; nonresidential High-Density projects follow the same 50% PA1 ceiling.

A footnote to Table 23-1 tightens CA4's 24% Low-Density figure further: any project there that also triggers Article 25 (Post-Construction Stormwater Regulations) is capped at 12% maximum built-upon area instead. The UDO defines built-upon area, in its Article 2 definitions, as the portion of a property covered by impervious or partially impervious surface, including buildings, pavement, gravel areas, and compacted or graded recreation surfaces such as tennis courts, but built-upon area specifically excludes wooden slatted decks and the water area of a swimming pool. B as areas immediately adjoining Mountain Island Lake and Gar Creek; PA1 is the protected area beginning at the outer limit of those critical areas and extending roughly five hydrologic miles out.