Glynn County, GA Building Setbacks & Zoning: Lot Coverage Limits (2026)

Because St. Simons Island and Sea Island are designated Areas of Scenic Beauty and Historic Interest, Section 503.3 of the Glynn County Zoning Ordinance directs that multi-family dwellings and accessory structures (though not a single-family home on its own lot) may not occupy land beyond the site coverage limit set for whichever Resort Residential, Medium Residential, or General Residential district they sit in on those Islands. Section 302 defines 'Site Coverage' broadly as the percentage of the development area covered by the ground floor area of buildings and structures, parking, driveways, walkways, pools, patios, decks, and mechanical equipment, whether or not the surface is permeable.

The RR Resort Residential District, the zoning used across much of St. Simons Island's beachfront and village areas, sets that limit at 50 percent of the development area under Section 705.5(6). The VR Village Residential District carries the identical 50 percent cap. 'Development Area' excludes state waters, Army Corps jurisdictional wetlands, land seaward of the Beach and Dune Development Setback Line, and public or private rights-of-way, so the coverage percentage is measured only against the buildable portion of the lot, not the whole parcel.

Site coverage is checked at the site-plan stage: RR district conditional uses require site plan approval before the Planning and Zoning Director will sign off, and combination residential-commercial buildings in commercial districts can earn an automatic ten percent bump in allowed coverage, with up to a further ten percent (to a 70 percent ceiling) available from the Planning Commission for combined-use buildings under 35 feet that provide highly usable, accessible open space.