Richardson, TX Building Setbacks & Zoning: Lot Coverage Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- Base coverage cap
- 32% of lot area (Art. VI §4(d)(1))
- Pre-1975 exception
- 35% if platted/filed before 3-31-75
- Accessory structure cap
- 8% of lot area, max 40% of house size
- Driveway/impervious cap
- 50% of front-yard strip
- Varies by district
- R-1500-M cap is 40%, not 32%
Summary
Richardson caps total building footprint at 32 percent of the lot in the R-1250-M single-family district, with a grandfathered 35 percent for subdivisions platted and filed before March 31, 1975, and separately limits detached garages and accessory buildings to 8 percent of the lot.
(d)Lot coverage.(1)The lot coverage of all buildings shall not exceed 32 percent of the area of the lot, estate, or other land on which the same is situated. Percentage of lot coverage in this district shall not be affected by this ordinance in subdivisions which have been zoned, platted, and accepted and filed for record prior to March 31, 1975. The lot coverage shall remain at 35 percent for all lots in such platted subdivisions(2)The total area of detached structures, including garages and accessory buildings, shall not occupy more than eight percent of the lot area, nor in any event have a floor area in excess of 40 percent of the size of the principal residential dwelling.(3)The cumulative area of any driveway plus any impermeable surface area located between the front property line and any front building wall shall not exceed 50 percent of the area between the front property line and any front building wall.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 35 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
Article VI, Section 4(d) of Richardson's Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance governs lot coverage in the R-1250-M Residential District. The baseline rule caps the lot coverage of all buildings at 32 percent of the area of the lot, but the ordinance carves out an exception for older neighborhoods: subdivisions that were zoned, platted, accepted and filed for record before March 31, 1975 keep a higher 35 percent coverage allowance. On top of the overall percentage, the ordinance separately restricts accessory structures: detached garages and other accessory buildings together cannot occupy more than 8 percent of the lot area, and in no case can their combined floor area exceed 40 percent of the size of the principal residential dwelling.
A third layer targets impervious surface near the street: the combined area of any driveway plus other impermeable surface between the front property line and the front building wall cannot exceed 50 percent of that front-yard strip. Richardson does not apply one citywide coverage number; the equivalent Section 4(d) in the R-1500-M District article sets a 40 percent cap instead of R-1250-M's 32 percent, so the applicable percentage depends on which single-family district a lot sits in.
Violations & Fines
Exceeding the lot coverage cap, the 8 percent accessory-structure limit, or the front-yard impervious-surface cap is a zoning violation. Because the Code's general penalty, Section 1-8, singles out zoning offenses for its higher fine tier, a violation can be fined up to $2,000.00 per offense, and each day an oversized structure remains in place can be prosecuted as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
What percentage of my lot can I cover with buildings in Richardson's R-1250-M district?
Is there a separate limit for garages and accessory buildings?
Does the lot coverage limit change in other Richardson zoning districts?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Richardson
Texas rules heatmap·Compare Richardson to another location·View the Texas building setbacks & zoning overview
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Lot Coverage Limits in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Dallas County handle lot coverage limits.