Grand Forks, ND Building Setbacks & Zoning: Lot Coverage Limits (2026)

City Code section 18-0211(7) caps impervious surface area in the R-4 multiple-family residence, high density district at sixty percent of the total lot area, but only for developments containing three or more dwelling units. The same subsection cross-references the single-family and two-family limits: single-family uses in R-4 must instead conform to the impervious surface standard in section 18-0208, and two-family uses conform to the section 18-0209 standard. Every development in R-4, regardless of which coverage limit applies, must also conform to the stormwater management regulations in Article 9 of Chapter 15 of the City Code, which governs drainage and runoff separately from the zoning coverage cap.

Impervious surface area itself is defined in section 18-0204 as any area that does not absorb water, expressly including buildings, parking areas, driveways, roads, sidewalks, and concrete or asphalt areas, and even stored lumber at lumberyards. Planning and Community Development reviews site plans against this cap before issuing a building permit, and a developer proposing more coverage than the section allows must seek relief through the Board of Zoning Adjustment rather than build past the limit as of right.