Royal Oak, MI Building Setbacks & Zoning: Lot Coverage Limits (2026)

Section 770-34D sets the area and bulk regulations for Royal Oak's One-Family Residential zone, and subsection (8) is the lot coverage standard. On lots smaller than 6,000 square feet, the combined lot coverage of all buildings, house plus garage plus any accessory structures, cannot exceed 35% of the site, and the standard adds a hard ceiling regardless of percentage: in no instance can the total ground floor area of all buildings on such a lot exceed 1,800 square feet. On lots at or above 6,000 square feet, the coverage limit drops to 30% of the site, with no separate square-footage ceiling.

The subsection was amended May 20, 2013 by Ordinance No. 2013-08. Lot coverage works alongside the zone's other bulk limits: no principal building may exceed 30 feet in height (§ 770-34D(4)), and no single-family residential structure may exceed 3,500 square feet of usable floor area (§ 770-34D(9), amended 2014). The One-Family Large Lot Residential zone next door uses a flat 30% lot coverage limit with no small-lot exception (§ 770-35D(8)). The Zoning Administrator checks lot coverage at building permit review against the City Assessor's parcel records, and a design that exceeds the percentage or the 1,800-square-foot small-lot ceiling cannot be permitted without a variance from the Zoning Board of Appeals.