What the Birmingham zoning ordinance says about building height, district by district. Section numbers link to the official ordinance.
Maximum 2 stories. Sloped roofs: midpoint at most 30 feet on lots greater than 9,000 square feet, 28 feet on smaller lots. Eaves at most 24 feet. Flat roofs at most 24 feet.
As written, a lot of exactly 9,000 square feet falls in neither height tier. Confirm the applicable height with the city.
Maximum 2 stories. Sloped roofs: midpoint at most 30 feet on lots greater than 9,000 square feet, 28 feet on smaller lots. Eaves at most 24 feet. Flat roofs at most 24 feet.
As written, a lot of exactly 9,000 square feet falls in neither height tier. Confirm the applicable height with the city.
Maximum 2 stories. Sloped roofs: midpoint at most 30 feet on lots greater than 9,000 square feet, 28 feet on lots from 6,000 to 9,000 square feet, and 26 feet on lots under 6,000 square feet. Eaves at most 24 feet. Flat roofs at most 24 feet.
The middle tier is written as an inclusive range (6,000 to 9,000 square feet), so lots of exactly 6,000 or exactly 9,000 square feet fall in the 28-foot tier as written. The literal boundary gap at exactly 9,000 square feet exists only in the R1A and R1 tables.
Maximum 2 stories. Sloped roofs: midpoint at most 28 feet on lots greater than 6,000 square feet, 26 feet on lots from 4,500 to 6,000 square feet, and 24 feet on lots under 4,500 square feet. Eaves at most 24 feet. Flat roofs at most 24 feet.
The middle tier is written as an inclusive range (4,500 to 6,000 square feet), so lots of exactly 4,500 or exactly 6,000 square feet fall in the 26-foot tier as written.
Maximum 35 feet or 2.5 stories.
Two overlays modify building heights in parts of the city (§ 1.12): the Downtown Birmingham Overlay, with height zones D2 through D5, and the Triangle Overlay, with zones ASF3, MU3, MU5, and MU7.
In the Downtown Overlay (§ 3.04):
The Regulating Plan (§ 3.02) controls which height zone applies to a parcel. Where a parcel falls in an overlay, check the Regulating Plan before relying on the base district height.
Article 3 also carries a third overlay, the Via Activation Overlay District (§§ 3.13-3.16), covering downtown alleys and passages (vias). It sets no height zones, but for portions of buildings and sites directly adjoining a via it supersedes the underlying district's signage, landscaping, side and rear setback, design, and use standards. Like TZ2, it is missing from the establishing list in § 1.12.
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