Canton, OH Building Setbacks & Zoning: Structure Height Limits (2026)

Canton Codified Ordinances Section 1137.01's Table of Permitted Bulk and Area Requirements sets the height ceiling for every residential zoning district: the R-1 Single-Family district allows 35 feet and 2.5 stories, while the R-4 Single-Family and R-4 Multi-Family districts allow 45 feet and 4.0 stories. Section 1135.08(a) then layers an exception on top of that table for the R-4 Multi-Family district specifically: a structure exceeding four stories or 45 feet can be built up to twelve stories or 120 feet, but only if every yard dimension on the lot is increased one foot for each foot of building height above 45 feet, directly tying extra height to extra setback space rather than allowing a tall building on a standard-sized yard.

The same section requires an additional two feet of side yard width for every story or fraction above two and one-half stories generally, which is why height and yard requirements move together throughout the residential districts. Special structures like church spires, chimneys, and elevator bulkheads get their own narrower exceptions to the height table under Sections 1135.03 through 1135.05, but the base 35-foot/2.5-story and 45-foot/4.0-story figures govern ordinary single-family and multi-family construction.