Frisco, Texas zoning
A plain-language summary of the Frisco zoning ordinance, organized by district and topic. Source: the official ordinance on eCode360, last reviewed July 3, 2026.
Zoning districts
- AGResidential
Agricultural
Holding district for land not yet developed to urban use (Sec. 2.03.01). Per the Sec. 2.06.04 chart (fetched directly this session): minimum lot area 2 acres, minimum lot width 150 feet, minimum lot depth 250 feet; front yard 40 feet, side yard 20 feet (25 feet on corner lots), rear yard 30 feet; maximum height 40 feet / 2.5 stories; maximum lot coverage listed as N/A. Confirm the current zoning map, any PD or SUP conditions, and the cited section text before acting.
- REResidential
Residential Estate
Single-family detached dwellings on large estate lots (Sec. 2.03.02). Per the Sec. 2.06.04 chart (fetched directly this session): minimum lot area 1 acre, minimum lot width 150 feet, minimum lot depth 200 feet; front yard 40 feet, side yard 15 feet (25 feet on corner lots), rear yard 30 feet; maximum height 40 feet / 2.5 stories; maximum lot coverage 20 percent. Confirm the current zoning map, any PD or SUP conditions, and the cited section text before acting.
- SF-16Residential
Single-Family Residential-16
Single-family detached dwellings on lots of not less than 16,000 square feet (Sec. 2.03.03). Confirm the current zoning map, any PD or SUP conditions, and the cited section text before acting.
- SF-12.5Residential
Single-Family Residential-12.5
Single-family detached dwellings on lots of not less than 12,500 square feet (Sec. 2.03.04). Confirm the current zoning map, any PD or SUP conditions, and the cited section text before acting.
- SF-10Residential
Single-Family Residential-10
Single-family detached dwellings on lots of not less than 10,000 square feet (Sec. 2.03.05). Front yard setback is 30 feet per the Sec. 2.06.04 dimensional chart (corrected from an earlier 20-foot figure that did not match the chart), before any thoroughfare-type or block-pattern adjustment under Sec. 4.07. Confirm the current zoning map, any PD or SUP conditions, and the cited section text before acting.
- SF-8.5Residential
Single-Family Residential-8.5
Single-family detached dwellings on lots of not less than 8,500 square feet, similar in character to SF-12.5 and SF-10 (Sec. 2.03.06). Confirm the current zoning map, any PD or SUP conditions, and the cited section text before acting.
- SF-7Residential
Single-Family Residential-7
Single-family detached dwellings on a minimum lot area of 7,000 square feet (Sec. 2.03.07). Confirm the current zoning map, any PD or SUP conditions, and the cited section text before acting.
- OTRResidential
Original Town Residential
Residential district scaled to the historic original townsite (Sec. 2.03.08). Garage setback rules there require the garage face to sit at least 20 feet back from the applicable projection line (Sec. 4.04.02(G)). Confirm the current zoning map, any PD or SUP conditions, and the cited section text before acting.
- PHResidential
Patio Home
Single-family detached dwellings on small lots, often zero lot line, intended for a patio home product type (Sec. 2.03.09). Confirm the current zoning map, any PD or SUP conditions, and the cited section text before acting.
- 2FResidential
Two-Family Residential (Duplex)
Two-family (duplex) attached residential district (Sec. 2.03.10). Confirm the current zoning map, any PD or SUP conditions, and the cited section text before acting.
- THResidential
Townhome
Attached townhome development district (Sec. 2.03.11). Confirm the current zoning map, any PD or SUP conditions, and the cited section text before acting.
- MF-15Residential
Multifamily-15
Multifamily district capped at a maximum density of 15 dwelling units per net acre (Sec. 2.03.12(D)). Confirm the current zoning map, any PD or SUP conditions, and the cited section text before acting.
- MF-19Residential
Multifamily-19
Multifamily district capped at a maximum density of 19 dwelling units per net acre (Sec. 2.03.13(D)). Confirm the current zoning map, any PD or SUP conditions, and the cited section text before acting.
- MHResidential
Manufactured Home
District for manufactured housing (Sec. 2.03.14). Accessory structures (carport, garage, storage structure, office, caretaker's dwelling, laundry house) may not be located closer than 10 feet to a side or rear property line (Sec. 4.06). Confirm the current zoning map, any PD or SUP conditions, and the cited section text before acting.
- O-1Commercial
Office-1
Lower-intensity office district (Sec. 2.04.01). Per the Sec. 2.06.05 chart (fetched directly this session): minimum lot area 10,000 square feet, minimum lot width 60 feet, minimum lot depth N/A; front yard 25 feet; side yard 1 story = 25 feet (20 feet adjacent to other districts, 25 feet adjacent to a dedicated street) or 2 story = 60 feet (20 feet, 25 feet); rear yard 1 story = 30 feet (30 feet, 25 feet) or 2 story = 60 feet (30 feet, 25 feet); maximum height 1 story no greater than 30 feet, 2 story no greater than 40 feet within 60 feet of single-family or two-family zoning or development; maximum lot coverage 25 percent. Confirm the current zoning map, any PD or SUP conditions, and the cited section text before acting.
- O-2Commercial
Office-2
Higher-intensity office district (Sec. 2.04.02). Per the Sec. 2.06.05 chart (fetched directly this session): minimum lot area 12,500 square feet, minimum lot width 100 feet, minimum lot depth 125 feet. Front, side, and rear yard setbacks cross-reference Sec. 2.04.02(C)(1)-(3), which this session did not separately fetch; maximum height is listed as None in the chart; maximum lot coverage 50 percent (30 percent maximum for accessory structures). Confirm the current zoning map, Sec. 2.04.02(C), any PD or SUP conditions, and the cited section text before acting.
- RCommercial
Retail
General retail district (Sec. 2.04.03). Per the Sec. 2.06.05 chart (fetched directly this session): minimum lot area 10,000 square feet, minimum lot width 100 feet, minimum lot depth 140 feet; front yard 30 feet; side yard 1 story = 25 feet (20 feet adjacent to other districts, 25 feet adjacent to a dedicated street) or 2 story = 60 feet (20 feet, 25 feet); rear yard 1 story = 30 feet (30 feet, 25 feet) or 2 story = 60 feet (30 feet, 25 feet); maximum height 40 feet; maximum lot coverage 40 percent. Confirm the current zoning map, any PD or SUP conditions, and the cited section text before acting.
- OTCMixed use
Original Town Commercial
Commercial district covering the original downtown townsite (the historic Old Donation subdivision area). Parking, setback, and building height standards are set to match existing developed conditions in this section of the city and apply only here (Sec. 2.04.04). Within the delineated Original Town Commercial core (the area bounded by the alley south of Elm Street, 5th Street, Ash Street, and the BNSF Railroad), redevelopment or infill must be at least two stories, with residential on both floors or residential above office/retail below. Off-street parking required in OTC is reduced by 50 percent from the citywide schedule for uses operating in OTC before the applicable ordinance's effective date, except that this reduction does not apply to residential development, which follows Sec. 4.04.08 (Sec. 4.04). This is the district GIS confirmed at the tested downtown point (-96.8236, 33.1507). Confirm the current zoning map, any PD or SUP conditions, and the cited section text before acting.
- HCommercial
Highway
Highway-oriented commercial district (Sec. 2.04.05). Per the Sec. 2.06.05 chart (fetched directly this session): minimum lot area 12,500 square feet, minimum lot width 125 feet, minimum lot depth 125 feet; front yard 50 feet; side yard 1 story = 25 feet (20 feet adjacent to other districts, 30 feet adjacent to a dedicated street), 2 story = 60 feet (20 feet, 30 feet), 3 story = 60 feet (20 feet, 30 feet); rear yard mirrors the same tiered structure; maximum height is None unless within 200 feet of single-family or two-family zoning or development, in which case 40 feet applies; maximum lot coverage 50 percent. Confirm the current zoning map, any PD or SUP conditions, and the cited section text before acting.
- C-1Commercial
Commercial-1
General commercial district (Sec. 2.04.06). Per the Sec. 2.06.05 chart (fetched directly this session): minimum lot area 8,000 square feet, minimum lot width 100 feet, minimum lot depth 100 feet; front yard 30 feet; side yard 1 story = 25 feet (20 feet adjacent to other districts, 30 feet adjacent to a dedicated street), 2 story = 60 feet (20 feet, 30 feet); rear yard 1 story = 30 feet (30 feet, 30 feet), 2 story = 60 feet (30 feet, 30 feet); maximum height 40 feet; maximum lot coverage 50 percent. Confirm the current zoning map, any PD or SUP conditions, and the cited section text before acting.
- C-2Commercial
Commercial-2
General commercial district, a second intensity tier alongside C-1 (Sec. 2.04.07). Per the Sec. 2.06.05 chart (fetched directly this session): minimum lot area 5,000 square feet, minimum lot width 100 feet, minimum lot depth 100 feet; front yard 30 feet; side yard 1 story = 25 feet (20 feet adjacent to other districts, 30 feet adjacent to a dedicated street), 2 story = 60 feet (20 feet, 30 feet); rear yard 1 story = 30 feet (30 feet, 25 feet), 2 story = 60 feet (30 feet, 25 feet); maximum height 40 feet; maximum lot coverage 60 percent. Confirm the current zoning map, any PD or SUP conditions, and the cited section text before acting.
- ITIndustrial
Information and Technology
Campus-style district for information, technology, and related uses; minimum district size is 25 gross acres (Sec. 2.04.08). Confirm the current zoning map, any PD or SUP conditions, and the cited section text before acting.
- IIndustrial
Industrial
General industrial district (Sec. 2.04.09). Per the Sec. 2.06.05 chart (fetched directly this session): minimum lot area 43,560 square feet, minimum lot width 200 feet, minimum lot depth 200 feet; front yard 25 feet; side yard 15 feet / 25 feet on corner lots; rear yard 30 feet; maximum height None; maximum lot coverage 80 percent. Confirm the current zoning map, any PD or SUP conditions, and the cited section text before acting.
- PDSpecial purpose
Planned Development
Each Planned Development has its own use and dimensional standards set in the adopting PD ordinance (Sec. 2.05.01); the base zoning ordinance applies only where the PD ordinance is silent. The city's zoning GIS layer carries a PD field (for example PD-283 at a tested Frisco townhome/patio home point) that flags when a parcel sits inside a PD. Always read the specific PD ordinance for the property, not just this pack. Confirm the current zoning map and the cited section text before acting.
- SUPSpecial purpose
Specific Use Permit
Sec. 2.05.02 (SUP or "S" - Specific Use Permits) confirmed live on eCode360 as its own numbered district-level section, distinct from the general Subsection 6.15 SUP application procedure this pack already covers. A Specific Use Permit layers added conditions onto a base district and does not replace it; the GIS zoning layer's SUP field is non-null (for example a real SUP number) only where one has been granted. Confirm the current Sec. 2.05.02 text, the specific SUP ordinance for the parcel, and any recorded SUP field value before acting.
- HLSpecial purpose
Historic Landmark
Overlay district for designated historic landmark properties, with added design review (Sec. 2.05.03). Confirm the current zoning map, any PD or SUP conditions, and the cited section text before acting.
- PROSpecial purpose
Preston Road Overlay Design District
Design overlay confirmed live on eCode360 as Sec. 2.05.04 (PRO - Preston Road Overlay Design District), a distinct overlay from the Tollway Overlay (TO) that this pack already listed; both were previously folded into one "Tollway Overlay" summary, which understated that Preston Road carries its own numbered section. Applies its own architectural and site standards along Preston Road frontage, layered on top of the base district. Confirm the current Sec. 2.05.04 text and the Preston Road and Dallas North Tollway Overlay District Standards document before acting.
- TOSpecial purpose
Tollway Overlay
Design overlay applied along the Dallas North Tollway frontage, confirmed live on eCode360 as Sec. 2.05.05 (TO - Tollway Overlay Design District), with its own architectural and site standards layered on top of the base district (Preston Road and Dallas North Tollway Overlay District Standards). Confirm the current zoning map, any PD or SUP conditions, and the cited section text before acting.
- US380Special purpose
US 380 Overlay Design District
Design overlay confirmed live on eCode360 as Sec. 2.05.06 (US 380 Overlay Design District), applying its own standards along the US 380 corridor on top of the base district. This overlay was previously only mentioned in this pack's scope note, not given its own district row. Confirm the current Sec. 2.05.06 text and the US 380 Overlay District Standards document before acting.
- CGROSpecial purpose
Cotton Gin Road Overlay Design District
Design overlay confirmed live on eCode360 as Sec. 2.05.07 (Cotton Gin Road Overlay Design District), applying its own standards along the Cotton Gin Road corridor on top of the base district. This overlay was previously only mentioned in this pack's scope note, not given its own district row. Confirm the current Sec. 2.05.07 text before acting.
Rules by topic
- Permitted usesWhat you can do by right in each zoning district.
- Special land usesUses that need special approval before they are allowed.
- SetbacksHow far buildings must sit from property lines.
- Building heightHeight limits by district, and the exceptions.
- Lot coverageHow much of a lot buildings may cover.
- Lot size and widthMinimum lot area and width requirements.
- ParkingRequired spaces, driveway rules, and surfaces.
- Accessory dwelling unitsWhether a second dwelling unit is allowed.
- Garages, sheds, and accessory structuresSize caps, setbacks, and height limits for detached structures.
- FencesHeight limits, placement, and prohibited materials.
- SignsWhat signs are allowed and where.
- Home occupationsRunning a business from a residence.
- Variances and appealsWho decides, what standard applies, and the sequence.
Common questions
- Can I add an accessory dwelling unit?
- Can I build a fence?
- Can I run a home business here?
- Can I use this property for retail?
- Do I need special approval for my use?
- How do I request a variance?
- How much parking is required?
- How tall can I build?
- Is Frisco currently rewriting its zoning ordinance into a new Unified Development Code?
- What can I build on this property?
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