Grand Forks, ND Building Setbacks & Zoning: Structure Height Limits (2026)

City Code section 18-0208(5) limits buildings in the R-1 single-family residence district to two and one-half stories, and in no case may a structure exceed thirty-five feet in height; the section cross-references section 18-0303, the code's general height-measurement rule, for how that figure is measured. Section 18-0211(5) sets the equivalent limit for the R-4 multiple-family, high density district at six stories, not exceeding seventy-five feet, more than double the R-1 ceiling because R-4 is meant to hold higher-density housing as a transition between lower-density residential areas and commercial districts.

The gap between the two districts matters for side yard math too: section 18-0208(9)(D) requires a wider side yard, one-fourth of the building's height, for any building over two and one-half stories or thirty-five feet, so a taller building automatically needs more side clearance in addition to clearing the height cap itself. Planning and Community Development's zoning administrator checks proposed building height against these caps at permit review, and a builder who wants to exceed either limit needs a variance from the Board of Zoning Adjustment rather than an administrative waiver.