Building height in Birmingham, MI

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 tiers are written with greater-than and less-than language, so a lot at exactly 9,000 square feet sits on a boundary the text does not resolve cleanly. Confirm the applicable height with the city.

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 tiers are written with greater-than and less-than language, so a lot sitting exactly on a tier boundary is not resolved cleanly by the text. Confirm the applicable height with the city.

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):

• D2: eave 34 feet, ridge 46 feet, overall 56 feet; the third story may be residential only.
• D3: eave 46 feet, ridge 58 feet, overall 68 feet.
• D4: eave 58 feet, ridge 70 feet, overall 80 feet; the fifth story may be residential only.
• D5: governed by the D4 standards, with an abutting-height exception available through a special land use permit.

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.