Building Setbacks & Zoning in Richmond, VA (2026)
3 verified building setbacks & zoning rules for Richmond, Virginia, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Setback Rules
Richmond sets yard setbacks district by district rather than with one citywide number: the R-1 Single-Family district requires a 35-foot front yard and 10-foot side and rear yards, and the minimums shrink as the district gets denser, down to a 25-foot front yard and 5-foot side and rear yards in R-5. Article VI, Division 4 defines how yards are measured and what may project into them.
Richmond Yard Setback Minimums by District
Some RestrictionsRichmond City Code § 30-402.5
Yard regulations in the R-1 Single-Family Residential District shall be as follows: (1)Front yard. There shall be a front yard with a depth of not less than 35 feet (see Article VI, Division 4 of this chapter).(2)Side yards. There shall be side yards of not less than ten feet in width (see Article VI, Division 4 of this chapter).(3)Rear yard. There shall be a rear yard with a depth of not less ...
Structure Height Limits
Richmond caps residential buildings at 35 feet across every single-family zoning district, from the large-lot R-1 district down through R-5, with the identical limit repeated district by district. A short list of features, chimneys, steeples, elevator bulkheads and roof parapets up to 4 feet, are exempt from the cap under Article VI, Division 6.
Richmond Residential Building Height Limit
Some RestrictionsRichmond City Code § 30-402.7
No building or structure in the R-1 Single-Family Residential District shall exceed 35 feet in height (see Article VI, Division 6 of this chapter).
Lot Coverage Limits
Richmond caps how much of a lot a house and its accessory buildings can cover, with the percentage set district by district in Chapter 30's zoning table. The baseline R-1 Single-Family Residential District allows no more than 20 percent lot coverage, while denser residential districts permit substantially more.
Richmond Maximum Lot Coverage Limits by District
Some RestrictionsRichmond City Code § 30-402.6; § 30-1220 (.56)
Sec. 30-402.6. - Lot coverage. Maximum lot coverage in the R-1 Single-Family Residential District shall not exceed 20 percent of the area of the lot. ... [Sec. 30-1220] .56 Lot coverage means that portion of a lot occupied at ground level or above by enclosed space within main buildings and accessory buildings.