Permitted uses in Rochester Hills, MI

One-family detached homes are permitted by right. So are home occupations (§ 138-4.413), agriculture, raising and keeping of animals subject to § 138-4.430, accessory buildings and uses (Article 10), community facilities, roadside stands, and state licensed residential facilities for six or fewer residents (§ 138-4.435). Two-family dwellings, attached dwellings, retail, restaurants, and offices are not permitted.

One-family detached homes are permitted by right. So are home occupations (§ 138-4.413), agriculture, raising and keeping of animals subject to § 138-4.430, accessory buildings and uses (Article 10), community facilities, roadside stands, and state licensed residential facilities for six or fewer residents (§ 138-4.435). Two-family dwellings, attached dwellings, retail, restaurants, and offices are not permitted.

One-family detached homes are permitted by right. So are home occupations (§ 138-4.413), agriculture, raising and keeping of animals subject to § 138-4.430, accessory buildings and uses (Article 10), community facilities, roadside stands, and state licensed residential facilities for six or fewer residents (§ 138-4.435). Two-family dwellings, attached dwellings, retail, restaurants, and offices are not permitted.

One-family detached homes are permitted by right. So are home occupations (§ 138-4.413), agriculture, raising and keeping of animals subject to § 138-4.430, accessory buildings and uses (Article 10), community facilities, roadside stands, and state licensed residential facilities for six or fewer residents (§ 138-4.435). Two-family dwellings, attached dwellings, retail, restaurants, and offices are not permitted.

One-family detached homes are permitted by right. So are home occupations (§ 138-4.413), agriculture, raising and keeping of animals subject to § 138-4.430, accessory buildings and uses (Article 10), community facilities, roadside stands, and state licensed residential facilities for six or fewer residents (§ 138-4.435). Two-family dwellings, attached dwellings, retail, restaurants, and offices are not permitted.

R-5 allows more housing types than the other one-family districts. Permitted by right: one-family detached homes, two-family dwellings, attached dwellings up to four units, multiplexes of three or four units, bungalow courts of three to six units, home occupations, places of worship, and schools. Building types and their lot standards are set in § 138-6.700.

Source reconciliation: § 138-6.700 expressly provides two-family building standards, although the displayed Table 4 two-family R-5 cell is a dash. Confirm the applicable building type with Planning before relying on that conflict.

RCD is a cluster option. An owner may develop under the R-3 district provisions or under the cluster provisions of Article 6, Chapter 2, which trade smaller lots for preserved open space.

Permitted by right: two-family dwellings (see the source reconciliation below), attached dwellings, boarding and rooming dwellings, nursing homes and assisted living facilities (§ 138-4.420), one-family detached homes (built to R-3 standards), schools, and places of worship. Home occupations are not permitted in RM-1.

For duplexes, Table 4 says R-4 requirements, while §§ 138-6.100–103 expressly state RM-1 duplex lot/dimensional requirements and incorporate R-4 minimum dwelling floor area. These texts should be reconciled with Planning for a particular duplex; do not automatically substitute every R-4 dimension for the specific RM-1 schedule.

Permitted by right: manufactured home parks, municipal buildings, schools, public parks, home occupations, and utilities. Conditional uses (City Council approval): day care centers, places of worship, and wireless telecommunication facilities.

MR is an overlay. By right, anything permitted by right in the underlying district. With City Council conditional approval: conditional uses of the underlying district, attached unit buildings, and nursing, convalescent, and assisted living homes.

Permitted by right: retail under 75,000 square feet, restaurants (Table 4; outdoor dining has separate standards in § 138-4.424), personal services, banks, professional and medical offices, pet boarding, plant nurseries, and places of assembly under 5,000 square feet. Uses must deal directly with consumers, and business activity must happen inside enclosed buildings. Conditional uses include drive-throughs (§ 138-4.407), gas stations (§ 138-4.404), and small breweries (§ 138-4.433).

Animal cafes are conditional uses under Ordinance 202. Section 138-4.405 requires separate food-preparation and other use areas, adequate insulation and ventilation against noise and odor, and a business plan describing animals, hours, staffing, sanitation and the space layout.

Permitted by right: retail under 75,000 square feet, restaurants, personal services, banks, offices, new car showrooms, health and recreation facilities, places of assembly, and small breweries (§ 138-4.433). Conditional uses include retail over 75,000 square feet, hotels (§ 138-4.415), drive-throughs (§ 138-4.407), gas stations, used car sales, and adult regulated businesses (§ 138-4.400).

Animal cafes are conditional uses under Ordinance 202. Section 138-4.405 requires separate food-preparation and other use areas, adequate insulation and ventilation against noise and odor, and a business plan describing animals, hours, staffing, sanitation and the space layout.

Permitted by right: retail under 75,000 square feet, restaurants, gas stations with retail (§ 138-4.404), personal services, banks, offices, light industrial uses, and small breweries. Conditional uses include car washes, automotive repair garages, hotels (§ 138-4.415), drive-throughs, equipment rental, and general industrial uses.

Data-center proposals are subject to the citywide moratorium in § 138-5.301, established by Ordinance 201 and extended by Ordinance 203. General-industry eligibility does not override that moratorium.

Animal cafes are conditional uses under Ordinance 202. Section 138-4.405 requires separate food-preparation and other use areas, adequate insulation and ventilation against noise and odor, and a business plan describing animals, hours, staffing, sanitation and the space layout.

FB is the flex business overlay, governed by Article 8. It allows attached dwellings, live-work units, retail, restaurants, offices, and personal services by right, with standards set in the overlay chapters.

The Table 4 school row does not permit schools in FB. The 2022 moratorium still printed at § 138-8.800 was limited to 180 days; its continued presence does not establish an active 2026 moratorium.

Brooklands is a walkable mixed-use district. By right: retail, restaurants, personal services, banks, offices, schools, and dwelling units in mixed-use buildings (not on the first floor, with minimum unit sizes). Conditional uses include places of assembly. The Table 4 drive-through allowance in BD is limited to existing drive-throughs; it is not permission for a new drive-through. Accessory buildings are not permitted.

Animal cafes are conditional uses under Ordinance 202. Section 138-4.405 requires separate food-preparation and other use areas, adequate insulation and ventilation against noise and odor, and a business plan describing animals, hours, staffing, sanitation and the space layout.

Permitted by right: professional and medical offices, banks, personal services, funeral homes (§ 138-4.409), retail as an accessory use, and places of assembly under 5,000 square feet. Outdoor storage is prohibited, and warehousing beyond normal incidental indoor storage is prohibited.

Permitted by right: light industrial uses, equipment rental, and professional offices. Conditional uses include general industrial uses, outdoor and self storage, kennels, communication towers (§ 138-4.406), gun clubs, and airports. Automotive repair garages are conditional uses under the use table amended by Ordinance 202.

Data-center proposals are subject to the citywide moratorium in § 138-5.301, established by Ordinance 201 and extended by Ordinance 203. General-industry eligibility does not override that moratorium.

Table 4 also allows a caretaker residence accessory to the principal use, limited to 750 square feet.

Permitted by right: community facilities, colleges, nursing homes, places of assembly and places of worship. One-family detached homes are conditional uses and must follow R-1 standards. Hospitals and stables are conditional uses. Check the specific use conditions in Article 4 and the private-stable distinction in § 138-4.434.A.

Permitted by right: professional and medical offices, light industrial uses, outdoor storage as an accessory use, transit stations. Conditional uses include general industrial uses, kennels, veterinary clinics, and health facilities. Automotive repair garages are conditional uses under the use table amended by Ordinance 202.

Data-center proposals are subject to the citywide moratorium in § 138-5.301, established by Ordinance 201 and extended by Ordinance 203. General-industry eligibility does not override that moratorium.

The caretaker-residence allowance in Table 4 is in I, not EC.

Rochester Hills has a temporary citywide moratorium on processing or accepting applications, plans, or permits for development, improvement, or alteration of land for data centers (§ 138-5.301). Ordinance 201 took effect March 16, 2026; Ordinance 203, effective August 31, 2026, extended the moratorium for an additional 180 days. The exception is a data-center development or building that received site-plan approval, or submitted complete plans for site-plan approval, on or before February 23, 2026. Confirm the applicable expiration date and any later repeal or extension with the city before proceeding.

A data center includes its supporting mechanical and electrical infrastructure and is distinct from an office or warehouse (§ 138-13.101, Ordinance 201). Ordinance 202 also includes data centers in the definition of general industry. A district listing for general industry does not remove the temporary moratorium.

EV charging that is accessory to an otherwise principal or conditional use is a permissible accessory use and is exempt from the principal fueling-station standards in § 138-4.404(B). A principal EV fueling facility is subject to the amended automotive fueling-station standards, including site, screening, electrical-capacity and emergency-response review requirements. This accessory-use provision does not establish eligibility for a principal fueling station in every district.