Johnson County's UDO controls building intensity on unincorporated land through minimum lot area and density rather than a fixed coverage percentage. The base R residential district requires 10,890 square feet (a quarter acre) at one unit per quarter-acre.
Unlike many city codes, the Johnson County UDO does not cap lot coverage at a set percentage. Instead it limits intensity through minimum lot size and residential density: the base R district needs 10,890 square feet at one dwelling per quarter-acre, R2 needs two acres, and the rural R5, R10, and R20 districts require five, ten, and twenty acres per unit. Accessory structures may occupy no more than 30 percent of the yard they sit in, and stormwater rules apply to larger impervious areas. Iowa City, by contrast, sets true lot-coverage percentages in its zoning code (14-2A-4).
Splitting or building below the district's minimum lot area is denied at the platting and zoning-certificate stage. Excess accessory-structure coverage must be corrected before a permit issues.
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See how Johnson County's lot coverage limits rules stack up against other locations.
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