Maximum building height is set by zoning district in Title 18. Most residential and agricultural zones limit dwellings to 35 feet, with accessory buildings capped at 15 feet and agricultural buildings at 45-60 feet (e.g., AR-5 per §18.53.030). Section 18.98.100 makes the district height the binding limit.
Structure height in unincorporated Madera County is regulated by Title 18 (Zoning). Section 18.98.100 (Maximum height restricted) provides that no building or structure may exceed the height specified by the regulation for its zoning district, except as allowed in Sections 18.98.110 and 18.98.120. The district-specific limits appear in each zone's development-standards table. In the agricultural zones (AR-5, ARE, ARF) under Section 18.53.030, the maximum dwelling height is 35 feet, accessory buildings are limited to 15 feet, and agricultural buildings may reach 45 feet (AR-5) up to 60 feet (larger ARE zones). In residential zones under the Section 18.11.120 table, single-family dwelling height is generally 35 feet, with accessory buildings at 15 feet and some multifamily/mountain zones at 40 feet. Section 18.98.110 exempts certain features-chimneys and flues, accessory farm buildings up to 60 feet, and (subject to Zoning Administrator approval) towers, tanks, spires, and similar appurtenances-from the district height limit, but not above the limit of the airport/airspace overlay. Section 18.98.120 allows the maximum height to be increased by up to 10 feet only if all required offsets and setbacks are increased by one foot for each additional foot of height. Confirm your parcel's zone and any airport-overlay limits with Madera County Planning.
A structure exceeding the district height limit is subject to abatement under Title 18, Chapter 18.112 and penalties under Chapter 1.12. Additional height beyond the district limit requires either the §18.98.120 increased-setback allowance or a variance under Chapter 18.106. Airport/airspace overlay limits (Chapter 18.78) are a hard ceiling on the height exceptions.
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See how Madera County's structure height limits rules stack up against other locations.
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