Alpharetta, GA Building Setbacks & Zoning: Structure Height Limits (2026)

Section 2.2.7 of the Unified Development Code caps 'Maximum Building Height' at 35 feet in Alpharetta's R-10 district, the same limit that applies across the city's full run of standard single-family districts: AG, RE, R, R-22, R-15, R-12 and R-10 all share the identical 35-foot ceiling regardless of whether the lot is a 5-acre AG parcel or a 10,000-square-foot R-10 lot. The code's definitions section states that 'Structure Height' is 'the vertical distance to the highest point of a structure, as measured in the same manner as Building Height herein,' so accessory buildings, garages and other structures are measured the same way as the house itself.

Non-residential districts are treated differently: the O-I office-institutional district, for example, allows a taller 40-foot maximum building height under Section 2.2.13, reflecting its larger commercial building forms. A property owner who wants to exceed 35 feet in a residential district, for an unusually sloped lot or an architectural feature, must seek relief through the exceptions process in Section 4.5.5(A)(2)(b), which specifically lists 'maximum building height' among the standards eligible for a variance; the Board of Appeals decides requests for up to 50% of the standard, while anything beyond that goes to the City Council after a public hearing under Section 4.5.2. Height is checked at building permit review, and Community Development can require a licensed survey confirming compliance before a certificate of occupancy issues.