Alexandria, VA · Alexandria Zoning Ordinance
The CD zone covers Alexandria's downtown commercial core, primarily in Old Town. Ground-floor retail is strongly encouraged. The Old and Historic Alexandria District overlay limits actual building heights well below the zoning maximum in many locations, governed by the Board of Architectural Review. Nonresidential, multi-unit residential and townhouse floor area ratios differ -- see the development standards below.
| Front setback | Dwellings (all types): Not computed here: the ordinance makes it depend on facts about the site | 4-506(A)(2)(a) |
|---|---|---|
| Other principal uses: No requirement | 4-506(A)(1) | |
| Continuum of care facility, continuum of care facility: No requirement | 4-506(A)(4)(a) | |
| Side setback | Single-family detached and two-family: At least 0 ft if the lot width is less than 25 ft; otherwise 5 ft if the lot width is at least 25 ft | 4-506(A)(2)(b)(1) |
| Single-family attached, interior end lot: At least 0 ft if the lot width is less than 25 ft; otherwise 5 ft if the lot width is at least 25 ft | 4-506(A)(2)(b)(1) | |
| Multifamily: At least the greater of 25 ft and the building height divided by 3 | 4-506(A)(2)(b)(2) | |
| Single-family attached, ['interior', 'corner'] lot: No requirement | 4-506(A)(2)(b)(1) | |
| Other principal uses: No requirement | 4-506(A)(1) | |
| Continuum of care facility, continuum of care facility: No requirement | 4-506(A)(4)(a) | |
| Rear setback | Single-family and two-family dwellings: At least the greater of 16 ft and half of the building height minus half of the width of the alley the lot abuts (0 if none) | 4-506(A)(2)(c)(1) |
| Multifamily: At least the greater of 25 ft and the building height minus half of the width of the alley the lot abuts (0 if none) | 4-506(A)(2)(c)(2) | |
| Other principal uses: No requirement | 4-506(A)(1) | |
| Continuum of care facility, continuum of care facility: No requirement | 4-506(A)(4)(a) | |
| Maximum height | Multifamily and other principal uses: At most 50 ft | 4-506(C) |
| Single-family and two-family dwellings: At most 35 ft “provided however that such maximum height may be increased to an amount not to exceed 45 feet if the ridge line of the roof is parallel to the street and the slope of the roof is compatible with neighboring buildings.” | 4-506(C) | |
| Other principal uses, public building: Not computed here: the ordinance makes it depend on facts about the site | 4-506(C) | |
| Maximum FAR | Other principal uses: At most 1.5 | 4-506(B)(1) |
| Multifamily: At most 1.25 | 4-506(B)(2) | |
| Single-family and two-family dwellings: At most 1.5 | 4-506(B)(2) | |
| Continuum of care facility, continuum of care facility: At most 1.5 | 4-506(B)(3) | |
| Other principal uses, public building: Not computed here: the ordinance makes it depend on facts about the site | 4-506(B)(4) | |
| Minimum lot size | Single-family and two-family dwellings: At least 1,452 sq ft | 4-505(B)(1) |
| Other principal uses: No requirement | 4-505(A) | |
| Continuum of care facility, continuum of care facility: No requirement | 4-505(D) | |
| Minimum lot width | Multifamily: At least 50 ft | 4-505(B)(2)(a) |
| Single-family detached: At least 25 ft | 4-505(B)(2)(b) | |
| Two-family, duplex: At least 25 ft | 4-505(B)(2)(b) | |
| Two-family, semi-detached: At least 25 times the number of dwelling units | 4-505(B)(2)(b) | |
| Single-family attached, interior lot: At least 18 ft | 4-505(B)(2)(c) | |
| Single-family attached, ['end', 'corner'] lot: The ordinance sets no figure for this case | 4-505(B)(2)(c) | |
| Other principal uses: No requirement | 4-505(A) | |
| Continuum of care facility, continuum of care facility: No requirement | 4-505(D) | |
| Minimum open space | Multifamily: At least 35% | 4-506(A)(2)(d) |
| Continuum of care facility, continuum of care facility: At least 25% | 4-506(A)(4)(b) | |
| Single-family and two-family dwellings: Not computed here: the ordinance makes it depend on facts about the site | 4-506(A)(2)(e)(1) | |
| Other principal uses: No requirement | 4-506(A)(1) |
Zone rules are the starting point — the answer for a specific property also depends on lot size, overlays, existing improvements and site conditions. Run a free address lookup to see what applies to one property.
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