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

Section 138-5.101.A fixes how residential building height is measured in Rochester Hills: in the R-1 through R-5 and RE districts, height is taken from the average grade at the building's front façade, not from the rear or side grade, which matters on sloped lots. Table 6's baseline height for the R-3 and R-4 districts is two stories and 30 feet. Footnote P lets that cap rise to 35 feet, but only if three conditions are all met: the building site must contain at least 13,500 square feet of lot area; the minimum side yard setbacks, including the combined total of both sides, must grow by six inches for every additional foot (or part of a foot) of height above 30 feet; and if the taller house shares a side yard with an existing dwelling, its height cannot exceed 190 percent of that existing neighboring home's height.

The same footnote also works in the opposite direction: in the R-3 and R-4 districts, height drops to a 24-foot ceiling if the lot is 60 feet wide or narrower, or if the builder already used the reduced side-yard option under footnote D to Section 138-5.100. Because these thresholds are keyed to lot size, side-yard math and a neighbor's existing roofline, the Building Department checks the specific lot and site plan numbers before it can confirm which height ceiling applies.