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

Section 90-53(h) sets a single maximum building height of 55 feet that applies uniformly across all ten residential zoning districts: R-A, R-1, R-1A, R-2, R-3, R-3A, R-4, T-R, A-R and A-R10. Unlike the lot coverage and setback rows of the same table, which scale up or down by district density, the height limit does not vary with lot size, zoning district or building type within the residential zones, so a house in the rural, 2½-acre R-A district faces the same 55-foot ceiling as an apartment building in the A-R10 district built at up to ten units per acre.

The 55-foot figure is measured for principal buildings under the same § 90-53 table that governs lot size, lot coverage and setbacks, and § 90-144(a) requires every principal building on a lot to comply with these § 90-53 dimensional standards, height included, before the county will approve a building permit. The table does not list a separate, lower height limit for accessory buildings and structures; accessory buildings over 400 square feet must instead meet the same setback standards as principal buildings under § 90-144(b)(2), effectively folding them into the same 55-foot ceiling used countywide for residential structures. Columbia County Planning and Development checks proposed building heights against this figure during plan review, and a project seeking to exceed 55 feet in a residential district would need a variance from the board of zoning appeals rather than an administrative sign-off.