Flint, MI Building Setbacks & Zoning: Structure Height Limits (2026)

The City of Flint Chapter 50 Zoning Code (adopted October 29, 2022 by ordinance, amended through Ordinance 240459 effective December 7, 2025) sets maximum building height for each zoning district as part of the site dimensions table for that district. Building height is measured from the established finished grade to the highest point of the roof surface for flat roofs, to the deck line of mansard roofs, and to the average height between eaves and ridge for gable, hip and gambrel roofs. Low-density residential districts (TN-1, GN-1) cap principal-building height at modest residential limits typical of single-family neighborhoods, while medium-density TN-2 and MR-1, and the commercial and downtown districts, allow taller buildings consistent with mixed-use streetscapes. The Michigan Building Code (Part 4 of the State Construction Code adopted under 2008 PA 407, incorporating the International Building Code) adds construction-type and occupancy-based height/area limits that apply on top - the more restrictive of the local zoning cap and the State Building Code controls. Height variances require approval by the Flint Zoning Board of Appeals under the Michigan Zoning Enabling Act (MCL 125.3201+, with the ZBA's variance authority recognized in the Act).