New Haven, CT Building Setbacks & Zoning: Structure Height Limits (2026)

Section 11(a)(1)d of the New Haven Zoning Ordinance sets the RS-1 building requirements: a 4,000-square-foot minimum lot, 30% maximum building coverage, and a height cap of three stories or an average height of 35 feet. The citywide bulk table in Section 20 shows the same 35-foot, three-story cap applies in RS-2 and RM-1; RS-3 allows 40 feet, RM-2 allows four stories or 45 feet, and the higher-density RH-1, RH-2 and RO districts carry no direct height limit, relying instead on floor area ratio. Average height is a defined term measured by dividing a building's total enclosed volume by its maximum horizontal cross-section, not simple eave-to-ridge measurement.