Jackson, MS Building Setbacks & Zoning: Structure Height Limits (2026)

The governing text sits in Article VI, Section 602.02.03 (Regulations) of the City of Jackson Zoning Ordinance, last amended December 19, 2024. Item 6 of that numbered list states plainly: "Maximum height - thirty-five (35) feet," alongside a 7,500-square-foot minimum lot area, a 60-foot minimum lot width, a 25-foot front yard, and a 50% maximum lot coverage for the R-1 District. The ordinance repeats the identical 35-foot cap, word for word as "Maximum height - thirty-five (35) feet," in the R-1E Single-Family Estate District at Section 602.04.3(6) and in the R-2 Single- and Two-Family District at Section 602.05.4(6), so the limit runs across Jackson's core single-family and two-family zones rather than applying only to one district.

R-1A carries the same regulations as R-1 except for lot size, per Section 602.03. The height figure is a hard maximum, not a setback-triggered stepback: the ordinance measures building height from the base point definition at Section 202.24 and does not carve out a bonus for pitched roofs or dormers in these residential subdistricts. A property owner who wants to exceed 35 feet in an R-1, R-1E, or R-2 lot must seek a Variance under Article XIX rather than build by right, because the regulations list carries no administrative waiver for height alone. Compliance is checked at building-permit review by the Zoning Administrator's office, the same office that records and investigates complaints under Article XXI-A Section 2101-A.