Durham, NC Building Setbacks & Zoning: Structure Height Limits (2026)

Durham's Unified Development Ordinance sets the height ceiling for new residential development in the Residential Suburban districts in the dimensional table at Sec. 6.3.1.A. The table prints the same figures for RS-20, RS-10, RS-8 and RS-M: 3 stories and 40 feet. The feet figure carries footnote 2, which says height is, or may be, further limited under the small lot option, the reduced pole width flag lot option, infill standards, a neighborhood protection overlay, or a local historic district. A lot caught by any of those layers has to meet the tighter number.

Paragraph 6 of the same section adds a setback trade for the Suburban Tier. In RS-20, RS-10 and RS-8, a builder earns one additional story for every ten feet of additional setback provided. The trade stops at a hard ceiling: the structure can never be more than 45 feet in height. The UDO defines a structure to include covered additions such as porte cocheres, carports, covered or screened porches and breezeways, so a roofed add-on counts against the same ceiling.

RS-M follows its own path in paragraph 7. Its maximum height can rise to 5 stories through a minor special use permit under Sec. 3.9, Special Use Permit, and the structure still cannot exceed 60 feet. RS-M is also the only RS district where the Sec. 6.3.2 housing type table allows multiplexes and apartments, which is where the taller envelope matters most.

Two neighboring sections tighten the numbers further. In Sec. 7.1.2, a structure on a Reduced Pole Flag Lot or Small Lot has a maximum height of 2 stories or 32 feet, with the exemptions in paragraph 6.12.1B applying. Footnote 3 of the RS table adds that the small lot option is not allowed in RS-20 at all. For accessory dwellings, Sec. 5.4.2 sends a detached unit to the accessory structure height maximum, holds an attached addition to the primary structure's height limit, and leaves a conversion of existing interior space outside the height limits entirely.

The published UDO page lists its last amendment dates as June 15, 2026 for the City of Durham and June 22, 2026 for Durham County, and it directs users to the Durham City-County Planning Department for the official version.