Salem, OR Building Setbacks & Zoning: Structure Height Limits (2026)

010(e) sets both lot-coverage and height standards for the RS Single Family Residential zone through Table 511-4. New single family, two family, three family, and four family buildings are capped at a maximum height of 35 feet, while existing buildings of those types are allowed up to 28 feet or their existing building height, whichever is greater, protecting older homes that were built taller than the current cap from becoming nonconforming. Multiple family buildings get a different standard: a maximum of 25 feet or two stories, whichever is greater, but a two-story building's height still cannot exceed 35 feet.

All other uses in the RS zone are capped at 50 feet. Accessory structures, such as detached garages and sheds, are limited to a maximum height of 15 feet regardless of the use they serve. These height limits interact with Salem's general chapter 800 exceptions: towers, chimneys, and flagpoles may project above the zone height limit up to 185 feet if they contain no habitable space and stay within specific horizontal-area limits, and mechanical equipment can project up to 15 feet above the roof under similar conditions. 007(b)(4) rather than the 15-foot general accessory structure limit in Table 511-4.