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

Sec. 2 of the Bartow County Zoning Ordinance sets the maximum building and structure height at 50 feet for every home built in the R-1 residential district, the county's standard smaller-lot single-family zone for conventional or industrialized housing. The same table also fixes the R-1 minimum lot size at 15,000 square feet with sewer service (26,000 square feet or more on septic, as the County Health Department requires), a 25-foot front setback measured from the right-of-way, 10-foot side setbacks and a 25-foot rear setback. Sec.

3 then carves out the only height exceptions the district allows: unoccupied and inaccessible architectural features on non-residential buildings such as church spires, belfries, cupolas and domes, along with monuments, government-owned observation towers, water towers, chimneys, flag poles and aerials. None of those exceptions apply to an occupied residence itself, and any structure that also carries a sign is separately subject to the height rules of Article XI, the Sign Ordinance. Bartow's other conventional residential districts follow the same structural pattern: RE-2 rural estate lots and R-2 duplex/triplex/quadraplex lots are likewise capped at 50 feet under Sec.

2 and Sec. 2. Community Development reviews every building permit application against the applicable district table before construction begins, and homes are inspected against the approved plans during the Building Inspections process. Because the County Commissioner holds sole authority to adopt zoning amendments, any change to the 50-foot cap or its exceptions requires an ordinance amendment approved by the Commissioner rather than a board vote.