San Antonio, TX Building Setbacks & Zoning: Structure Height Limits (2026)

UDC Sec. 35-517 sets the rules for how the Table 310-1 height caps are applied. Height is measured as provided in the International Building Code, and Sec. 35-517(c) carves out exceptions for church spires, belfries, cupolas and domes not used for human habitation, plus chimneys, ventilators, skylights, parapet walls, cornices, solar energy systems and rooftop mechanical equipment, provided those features stay no taller than functionally necessary and do not exceed airport hazard zoning limits. The Table 310-1 numbers themselves vary by district: RP, RE, R-20, R-6, R-5 and R-4 single-family districts are capped at 35 feet across 2½ stories; the smaller-lot R-3 district matches that same 35-foot/2½-story limit, while R-2 and R-1 step down to 25 feet across 1½ stories.

Multi-family RM-6, RM-5 and RM-4 districts allow 35 feet across 3 stories, and larger multi-family districts like MF-33 and MF-40 climb to 45 and 60 feet respectively with no story cap listed. Sec. 35-517(d)(1) lets a structure exceed its district's height limit if it steps back from the side and rear setback lines by 1 additional foot for every 2 feet of height above the limit, though that trade-off does not apply to residential uses in single-family zoning districts. Sec. 35-517(d)(2) adds a buffer rule: a commercial, office or multi-family structure within 50 linear feet of an established single-family use is capped at that single-family district's height limit for the portion of the building inside the 50-foot band, illustrated in the code with a C-2 property next to R-5-zoned land being held to 35 feet or 2½ stories within that buffer. A property owner can seek relief from that buffer cap only through the specific use authorization process under Sec. 35-517(d)(3).