Building Setbacks & Zoning in Birmingham, AL (2026)
3 verified building setbacks & zoning rules for Birmingham, Alabama, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Setback Rules
Birmingham's R-1 Single-Family District requires a 40-foot front yard, a 40-foot rear yard, an 8-foot side yard on each side (18 feet total), a 15,000-square-foot minimum lot, and a 90-foot minimum lot width, the strictest of the city's five single-family zoning tiers under the Zoning Ordinance's area and dimensional table.
Birmingham R-1 District Yard Setback Minimums
Some RestrictionsBirmingham Zoning Ordinance, Title 1, Article I, Section 2 (R-1 Single-Family District), Subsection 3 (Area and Dimensional Regulations)
Subsection 3.Area and dimensional regulations. Except as provided in articles VI and VIII, the area and dimensional regulations set forth in the following table shall be observed: Maximum Height of Structure [in] Feet | Minimum Yards | Minimum Side Yards | Minimum Lot Area Per Family | Minimum Lot Width Front | Rear | One Side | Total (both sides) 35 feet | 40 feet | 40 feet | 8 feet | 18 feet ...
Structure Height Limits
Birmingham caps most residential buildings at 35 feet under the Zoning Ordinance's district tables, from R-1 Single-Family through the R-4A Medium Density Residential District, where the height limit sits inside the same table that also fixes minimum lot area per dwelling unit and required yards for two-family, semi-attached, and small multifamily buildings.
Birmingham Residential Structure Height Limit: 35 Ft
Some RestrictionsBirmingham Zoning Ordinance, Title 1, Article I, Section 6 (R-4A Medium Density Residential District), Subsection 3 (Area and Dimensional Regulations)
Subsection 3.Area and dimensional regulations. Except as provided in articles VI and VIII, the area and dimensional regulations set forth in the following table shall be observed: Maximum Height of Structure [in] Feet | Minimum Yards | Minimum Side Yards | Minimum Lot Area Per Family | Minimum Lot Width Front | Rear | One side | Total (both sides) 35 feet | 25 feet | 25 feet | 5 feet | 14 feet ...
Lot Coverage Limits
Birmingham's Mixed Use District ties maximum impervious surface, meaning rooftop, paved parking, and similar hard surfaces, to how a parcel is used: retail, services, and light industrial or warehousing top out at 80 percent, office or research at 65 percent, and every other use at 50 percent, under Zoning Ordinance Subsection 6.B.3.
Birmingham MXD Impervious Surface Coverage Caps
Some RestrictionsBirmingham Zoning Ordinance, Title 1, Article IV, Section 3 (MXD Mixed Use District), Subsection 6.B.3 (Impervious Surfaces)
3.Impervious surfaces. The maximum manmade impervious surfaces (roof top, paved parking, and like surfaces) for parcels of property shall depend on its use as specified below. Interpretation of a use as it applies to impervious surface ratios shall be made by the director of the department of planning, engineering and permits with appeals of this decision to zoning board of adjustment. Retail s...
Looking for Jefferson County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Birmingham city rules.
Building Setbacks & Zoning in Jefferson County →