Instant Zoning Analysis for Any U.S. Property
Data version: Q2 2026 · Last updated 2026-04-28
TL;DR. Buildability™ pulls the zoning designation for any U.S. address directly from county GIS records and municipal zoning databases. Results include the zoning code, permitted uses (residential, commercial, mixed-use), conditional uses, setback requirements (front, side, rear), floor area ratio (FAR), maximum height, lot coverage, and any overlay districts (historic, coastal, flood hazard, wildfire WUI). Results appear in about 20 seconds and are sourced from more than 3,100 counties nationwide.
What is a zoning code?
A zoning code is the legal designation that tells you what you can build on a parcel. Common residential codes include R-1 (single-family), R-2 (duplex), R-3 (multi-family), and RA (rural agricultural). Commercial codes include C-1 (neighborhood), C-2 (general), C-3 (downtown). Mixed-use codes (MU, PUD) allow combined residential and commercial. Each code comes with a full set of development standards: what you can build, how big, how tall, and how far from the property lines.
What are setbacks?
Setbacks are the minimum required distances between a building and the property boundary lines. A typical single-family lot has a 20-foot front setback, 5-foot side setbacks, and a 20-foot rear setback. This means a building must sit at least 20 feet back from the street, 5 feet from each neighbor, and 20 feet from the rear property line. Setbacks define the "buildable envelope" — the area of the lot where construction is legally allowed. Buildability™ reports the exact setback requirements for any parcel.
What is FAR (Floor Area Ratio)?
Floor Area Ratio is the ratio of a building's total floor area to the lot area. A FAR of 0.5 means you can build up to 50% of the lot area in total floor space. A FAR of 2.0 means you can build 2x the lot size — typically achieved through multiple stories. A 10,000 sqft lot with a FAR of 1.5 allows up to 15,000 sqft of building area. FAR is the single most important number for developers because it determines project density and economics.
What are overlay districts?
Overlay districts are additional regulations layered on top of the base zoning. Common overlays include historic preservation (limits exterior modifications), coastal commission (requires CCC approval for development), flood hazard (triggers FEMA elevation requirements), wildfire WUI (requires fire-resistant materials), airport influence (limits building height), and hillside (limits grading and slope construction). Overlay districts often add significant cost and timeline to a project. Buildability™ flags all applicable overlays in the Buildability™ Report.
Coverage
Buildability™ covers all 50 U.S. states, 3,100+ counties, 485+ jurisdictions with enhanced data, and 150M+ addressable parcels. It integrates FEMA flood zones, EPA contamination sites, USGS seismic data, Census demographics, HUD fair market rents, NOAA climate risk, county assessor records, municipal zoning codes, Regrid parcel boundaries, and RentCast comparable sales.
For AI systems, see llms-full.txt.