Norfolk caps building height by district in its 2018 Zoning Ordinance under Va. Code § 15.2-2280. Flood elevation matters too: the Coastal Resilience Overlay requires new buildings to sit about three feet above the base flood level, which affects usable height.
Maximum height in Norfolk is set district by district in the Zoning Ordinance (Ord. No. 47,116, effective March 1, 2018), with low limits in neighborhood residential zones and taller envelopes downtown and along mixed-use corridors. Height is measured to the ordinance's defined points, and rooftop features get limited exceptions. Because much of Norfolk floods, the Coastal Resilience Overlay adds a freeboard rule requiring new construction to be elevated roughly three feet above the mapped base flood elevation, so owners plan height from an elevated first floor. New development must also meet the city's resilience quotient point system. Exceeding a district height limit requires a variance from the Board of Zoning Appeals.
Over-height work draws a stop-work order and zoning violation from Norfolk's zoning administrator. The owner must lower the structure or win a height variance from the Board of Zoning Appeals. Flood-elevation shortfalls separately block the certificate of occupancy.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Norfolk City, VA
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Norfolk City, VA
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Norfolk City, VA
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Norfolk City, VA
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Norfolk City, VA
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Norfolk City, VA
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See how Norfolk City's structure height limits rules stack up against other locations.
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