Dunwoody, GA Building Setbacks & Zoning: Lot Coverage Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Lots 1 acre or larger
- 25% max coverage
- Lots 20,000-29,999 sq ft
- 35% max coverage
- Lots under 20,000 sq ft
- 40%, or 50% in RA-5/RA-8
- Institutional uses
- 60% max coverage
- Street yard area
- 35% max coverage cap
- Governing section
- City Code § 27-58(b)
Summary
Dunwoody limits how much of a residential lot can be covered by buildings, driveways, patios, pools, and other impervious surfaces. Under City Code § 27-58(b), single-dwelling lots of an acre or more max out at 25 percent lot coverage, rising to 40 percent on lots under 20,000 square feet, with schools, churches and recreation clubs capped separately at 60 percent.
C Maximum lot coverage (percent) [8] [9] •Lot area = 43,560 sq. ft. or more 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25 •Lot area = 30,000 to 43,559 sq. ft. 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 •Lot area = 20,000 to 29,999 sq. ft. 35 35 35 35 35 35 35 35
•Lot area = 19,999 sq. ft. or less 40 40 40 40 40 40 50 50 ... [8]Maximum lot coverage for institutional uses; including, but not limited to, educational services, places of worship, and neighborhood recreation club shall not exceed 60 percent. [9]Maximum lot coverage in street yards shall not exceed 35 percent. This standard shall not apply to institutional uses.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 49).
Full Breakdown
The lot coverage cap applies uniformly across all eight single-dwelling zoning districts, R-150, R-100, R-85, R-75, R-60, R-50, RA-5 and RA-8, and scales with lot size rather than zoning district. Lots of 43,560 square feet (one acre) or larger are capped at 25 percent coverage; lots between 30,000 and 43,559 square feet at 30 percent; lots between 20,000 and 29,999 square feet at 35 percent; and lots under 20,000 square feet at 40 percent, except in the RA-5 and RA-8 attached-house districts where the smallest-lot tier rises to 50 percent.
Two carve-outs sit on top of the sliding scale: institutional uses such as schools, places of worship and neighborhood recreation clubs may cover up to 60 percent of their lot, while coverage within the street yard, the area between the street property line and the front of the principal structure, is separately capped at 35 percent for non-institutional uses. Lot coverage is defined in § 27-575 as the impervious surface ratio (ISR), counting buildings, structures, swimming pools, driveways, patios, sidewalks and gravel surfaces. Permeable decks are excluded from the calculation, but any impermeable surface beneath a deck still counts, and trail improvements that are part of a city council-approved plan are excluded from a site's impervious total.
Multi-dwelling residential districts (RM-150 through RM-HD) are governed by a separate table in the same section, with detached, attached, two-unit and three-unit buildings capped at 35 percent and four-plus-unit buildings in RM-HD allowed up to 65 percent.
Violations & Fines
Lot coverage is enforced at the building-permit stage: the city's zoning general prohibition, § 27-6, bars constructing, expanding or maintaining any structure except in conformity with the zoning ordinance, so plans exceeding the coverage cap for a lot's size tier are rejected before a permit issues. A structure built or paved beyond the allowed coverage is a zoning violation subject to code enforcement action, including stop-work orders and denial of a certificate of occupancy until the site is brought into compliance.
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts toward lot coverage in Dunwoody?
Does the lot coverage limit change by lot size?
Can a school or church cover more of its lot?
Is there a separate limit for the front yard?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Dunwoody
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