Owensboro, KY Building Setbacks & Zoning: Structure Height Limits (2026)

The joint Owensboro-Daviess County Zoning Ordinance, administered by the Owensboro Metropolitan Planning Commission, sets a flat 36-foot maximum building height for every single-family residential district within the city: R-1A, R-1B, R-1C and the R-1T Townhouse Zone, under Appendix F Section 8.5.5 through 8.5.8(f). Height is fixed at 36 feet with no zone-by-zone variation in that section. Multi-family districts carry a related structure: Section 8.5.9 through 8.5.11(f) holds R-2MF, R-3MF and R-4DT buildings to the same 36 feet 'without increased minimum yard dimensions,' but lets a building rise higher only if it meets a 3:1 height-to-yard ratio measured against all surrounding yards, so every foot above 36 feet must be matched by three additional feet of yard setback on every side.

Both height provisions carry a note (k) exception directing parcels inside the Downtown Overlay District to the separate use, site-development and design standards in Article XXI instead of these numeric limits. The Zoning Administrator enforces height compliance through the building-permit and certificate-of-occupancy process in Zoning Ordinance Article V, and any permit issued in conflict with the height limit is void under Section 5.12. A property owner who wants to exceed 36 feet outside the 3:1 ratio exception must seek a variance from the Board of Adjustment under Article VII.