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

Table 5.1-1 of Kalamazoo City Code § 5.1, Residential District Standards, sets a Maximum Height row for the city's ten residential zoning districts. The single-family and lower-density districts, RS-4, RS-5, RS-7, RD-8, RD-19, RM-15 and RM-15C, are all capped at 35 feet. The higher-density multifamily districts switch to a stories-based limit: RM-24 is capped at four stories, while RM-36 and the mixed-use RMU district are each capped at six stories. Footnote 5 allows additional building height beyond these caps if the project is reviewed and approved as a Planned Unit Development, giving developers a path to exceed the standard limit through that discretionary process. A related footnote to the setback rows, footnote 3, requires any building taller than 35 feet to provide a 15-foot side yard setback, tying height directly to how far the structure must sit from the side property line. Community Planning and Economic Development measures height and reviews PUD applications seeking relief from these caps.