Decatur, AL Building Setbacks & Zoning: Structure Height Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- R-1 to R-4 maximum height
- 35 feet and 2½ stories
- R-1E estate maximum height
- 50 feet and 2½ stories
- AG-1 and AG-2 maximum height
- 35 feet or 2½ stories
- B-1 maximum height
- 45 feet or 3 stories
- PRD-5 and PRD-6 maximum height
- 40 feet and 3 stories
- Exempt structures
- Barns, silos, chimneys, steeples, flag poles, and others listed
Summary
In the City of Decatur, Alabama, Sec. 25-15 holds every structure to the height its zoning district lists. Homes top out at 35 feet and 2½ stories in R-1 through R-4, 50 feet in the R-1E estate district, and the section exempts barns, silos, chimneys, church steeples and other listed structures.
In each district each structure erected or altered after June 3, 1958, shall not exceed the heights specified in the district requirements provided in sections 25-10 through 25-12. Height limitations shall not apply to church steeples, hospitals, sanitariums, schools, barns, silos, farm structures, chimneys, flag poles, public utility poles, radio and television towers, and aerials, cooling towers, water tanks; and industrial structures when required by manufacturing process but not to exceed twenty-five (25) per cent of the area of the lot.
Full Breakdown
Sec. 25-15 makes the district tables the height authority in the City of Decatur, Alabama: every structure erected or altered after June 3, 1958 must stay within the height its district lists in Sec. 25-10 through Sec. 25-12. For homes the numbers are 35 feet and 2½ stories in R-1, R-2, R-3 and R-4 (Sec. 25-10.8 through 25-10.11), 35 feet in R-5, R-5 Zero and R-MH, 35 feet and 2½ stories in R-6 semi-attached, 35 feet and 3 stories in R-4 Zero, and 50 feet and 2½ stories in the R-1E estate district. The AG-1 and AG-2 farm districts cap height at 35 feet or 2½ stories, and B-1 at 45 feet or 3 stories.
Planned residential districts run from 35 feet and 2.5 stories in PRD-1 through PRD-4 to 40 feet and 3 stories in PRD-5 and PRD-6, and the table shows N/A for stories and feet in PRD-7 and PRD-8 (Sec. 25-10.1(I)). In a PRD, buildings over 15 feet tall must add one extra foot of setback for each foot of height above 15 feet, measured from the exterior property lines of the site.
Sec. 25-15 also lists what height limits do not apply to: church steeples, hospitals, sanitariums, schools, barns, silos, farm structures, chimneys, flag poles, public utility poles, radio and television towers and aerials, cooling towers and water tanks. Industrial structures needed for a manufacturing process are covered too, and that clause closes with a limit of 25 percent of the area of the lot. The exemption for barns, silos and farm structures matters in the AG districts and on R-1E estate lots.
Height is checked at the permit stage. The building inspector must find plans in conformity with the chapter before approving them (Sec. 25-6), and a certificate of occupancy follows a final inspection (Sec. 25-7).
Violations & Fines
Sec. 25-26 fines a person who violates the zoning chapter not less than $2 and not more than $100 plus court costs for each offense, and each day the violation continues is a separate offense. Sec. 25-6 makes it unlawful for the building inspector to approve plans that do not conform, and Sec. 25-24 lets the inspector or a specially damaged neighbor seek an injunction or mandamus against a noncompliant structure.
Frequently Asked Questions
How tall can a house be in an R-1 district in Decatur?
Is any residential district allowed to go taller than 35 feet?
Do barns and silos have to follow the height limit?
Does a taller building need a bigger setback?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Decatur
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