Suffolk limits impervious surface coverage by zoning district in UDO Table 407-1. RL lots cap at 30%, RLM at 35%, RM at 40%, and denser RC and RU districts allow 50% and 60% impervious cover.
Rather than a building-footprint cap, Suffolk's UDO § 31-407 controls lot coverage through a maximum impervious surface ratio in Table 407-1. Residential Low Density (RL) is limited to 0.30, Residential Low-Medium (RLM) to 0.35, Residential Medium (RM) to 0.40, Compact Residential (RC) to 0.50, and Urban Residential (RU) to 0.60. Agricultural and rural districts cap at 0.16. Properties within the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Overlay District face additional impervious-cover restrictions to protect water quality. Impervious surfaces include buildings, driveways, patios, and other hardscape.
Exceeding the district impervious surface ratio prevents development approval under the UDO. Suffolk Zoning can deny permits or require removal of excess hardscape; Chesapeake Bay overlay violations may draw separate environmental penalties.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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Suffolk does not regulate holiday decorations or lights, and no permit is required. The UDO's sign rules reach a display only if it carries a message and cou...
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Suffolk treats garage-sale signs as temporary yard signs: no permit needed, up to 8 square feet and 4 feet tall on residential property. Signs may not be pla...
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Suffolk regulates political signs as content-neutral temporary yard signs with no permit. In residential districts a yard sign may be up to 8 square feet and...
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Suffolk runs a rental inspection district program. In about 30 named neighborhoods, every residential rental unit needs a city certificate of occupancy after...
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Suffolk has no just-cause eviction ordinance. Under the VRLTA a landlord may end a month-to-month tenancy without giving a reason on 30 days' written notice....
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Suffolk has no rent control, and it cannot adopt one. Virginia is a Dillon's Rule state that grants no locality power to cap rent, so landlords set market ra...
See how Suffolk's lot coverage limits rules stack up against other locations.
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