Permitted Uses
List of Permitted Uses in Zoning Districts
The following summaries of Permitted Uses are presented only as a general guide to the uses that are allowed in the Raleigh Zoning Districts, and are not intended as a complete listing. If you require more detailed information, refer to the Zoning Code, Section 10-2071, Schedule of Permitted Land Uses in Zoning Districts. Special Use Permits are required for uses indicated by (City Council) or (Board of Adjustment). Site plan approval by City Council or Planning Commission is determined by use, not zoning district; the most common instances of such site plan approval are listed by zone.
All RESOURCE MANAGEMENT DISTRICTS set limits on removal of existing trees – a permit must be obtained – fines and large-caliber replanting are penalties for illegal tree removal. Any of the following general use, conditional use zoning, and overlay zoning districts are Resource Management Districts: Conservation Management District, Metro-Park Protection Overlay District, Thoroughfare District, Special Highway Overlay District-1, Special Highway Overlay District-2, Special Highway Overlay District-3 and Special Highway Overlay District-4.
GENERAL USE DISTRICTS
RR: Rural Residential District
Single-family dwellings - (40,000 sq. ft. minimum lot size except 80,000 sq. ft. lot in Primary Reservoir Watershed Protection Area); cattery, kennels, or riding stables (Board of Adjustment); churches, shelter units; Cluster Unit Developments (20 acres minimum size; permits townhouses, group housing, multi-family and condominiums); home occupations; public schools, libraries, museums; private or parochial schools (Board of Adjustment); limited home business (Board of Adjustment); supportive housing and multi-family supportive housing; not for profit recreational uses (Board of Adjustment); temporary subdivision sales office; greenhouse, nursery and related sales office (Board of Adjustment), outdoor stadiums and theaters (City Council); telecommunication towers (City Council).
R-2: Residential-2 District
All Rural Residential uses with the exception of restricted agriculture, greenhouse/nurseries, cattery, kennels, or riding stables; single-family dwellings (20,000 sq. ft. minimum lot size)- maximum 2 dwelling units per acre; and group housing, condominiums, townhouses, and multi-family as part of a Cluster Unit Development (20 acres minimum size).
R-4: Residential-4 District
All Residential-2 uses; single-family dwellings (10,890 sq. ft. minimum lot size) - maximum 4 dwelling units per acre; townhouses, group housing, multi-family, and condominiums as part of a Cluster Unit Development (20 acres minimum size).
SP R-6: Special Residential-6 District
All Residential-4 uses; single-family dwellings (7,260 sq. ft. minimum lot size) and duplex dwellings (14,520 sq. ft. minimum lot size)- maximum 6 dwelling units per acre; Cluster Unit Development (10 acres minimum size).
R-6: Residential-6 District
All Special Residential-6 uses; single-family dwellings, (7,260 sq. ft. minimum lot size); multi-family dwellings, townhouses, condominiums, or group housing and accessory uses - maximum 6 dwelling units per acre; rest home; life care communities; congregate care living structures; Cluster Unit Development (10 acres minimum size).
MH: Manufactured Housing District
All Residential-6 uses - maximum 6 dwelling units per acre; manufactured housing parks including service buildings, recreation buildings and customary accessory buildings; minimum ten (10) acres in size (5,000 sq. ft. minimum plot size), and minimum ten (10) manufactured housing spaces available at first occupancy; manufactured housing subdivision (minimum 10 acres).
R-10: Residential-10 District
All Residential-6 uses; single-family dwellings (5,000 sq. ft. minimum lot size), duplex; multi-family dwellings, townhouses, condominiums or group housing - maximum 10 dwelling units per acre; rooming house, boarding house, or tourist home (Board of Adjustment); club for civic purposes (Board of Adjustment).
R-15: Residential-15 District
All Residential-10 uses; single-family dwellings (5,000 sq. ft. minimum lot size), duplex dwellings (6,500 sq. ft. minimum lot size); multi-family dwellings, townhouses, condominiums or group housing - maximum 15 dwelling units per acre.
R-20: Residential-20 District
All Residential-15 uses; single-family dwellings (5,000 sq. ft. minimum lot size), duplex dwellings (6,500 sq. ft. minimum lot size); multi-family dwellings, townhouses, condominiums or group housing - maximum 20 dwelling units per acre; social fraternity or sorority houses.
SP R-30: Special Residential-30 District
All Residential-20 uses; single-family dwellings (5,000 sq. ft. minimum lot size), multi-family dwellings (6,500 sq. ft. minimum lot size). All multi-family dwellings, townhouses, condominiums or group housing in excess of 2 attached units or 20 dwelling units per acre must meet additional standards; maximum 30 dwelling units per acre.
R-30: Residential-30 District
All Residential-20 uses; single-family dwellings (5,000 sq. ft. minimum lot size), duplex dwellings (6,500 sq. ft. minimum lot size); multi-family dwellings, townhouses, condominiums or group housing - maximum 30 dwelling units per acre.
CM: Conservation Management District (Resource Management District)Restricted agriculture uses (tree and vine crops), fish hatcheries; public parks, recreational uses related to residential development; private recreational camps not operated for profit, cemeteries; watersheds, wells, water reservoirs, water control structures. This district may carry a residential density which can be transferred to contiguous residentially zoned property under the same ownership when a site plan is approved.
AP: Agricultural Productive District
Agriculture, both general and restricted (farming, pastures, gardening, orchards, livestock); cattery, kennel, or riding stables (Board of Adjustment); forestry; nurseries, greenhouses (wholesale or retail sales); not for profit recreational uses (Board of Adjustment); public parks, playgrounds, golf courses; public utility substation and power transmission lines; private airfield or landing strip (Board of Adjustment); single-family dwellings (related to agricultural use) - one (1) family per acre; telecommunication towers (City Council over 250’ high).
RB: Residential Business District
All Residential-10 uses- maximum 10 dwelling units per acre; offices and studios of professional and service occupations and agencies permitted in the office and institutional districts; food stores including meat and seafood markets and other stores engaging in the retail sale of specialized foods; eating establishments primarily engaged in the retail sale of prepared food and drinks for consumption on the premises; personal service retail uses such as laundries, dry cleaning pick-up stations, beauty and barber shops, shoe repair; fraternal or social organizations permitted in Residential-30 districts. Maximum floor area for commercial uses - 5,000 sq. ft. No drive thru windows permitted. Retail (less than 25,000 sq. ft. total) within 400 feet of residences or residential zone requires Planning Commission approval.)
O&I-1: Office and Institution-1 District
All residential uses - maximum 25 dwelling units per acre; government buildings and grounds; charitable institution; parking lot, funeral home, radio and TV studios; office or studio of a professional or business agent, or political, labor or service association; colleges; nonresidential related service facilities (Board of Adjustment); profit-making recreational uses; emergency shelter type B. Most Office & Institution uses more than 25,000 sq. ft. within 400 feet of a residential use or zone require Planning Commission approval.
O&I-2: Office and Institution-2 District
All Office and Institution-1 uses, maximum 40 dwelling units per acre; hotels, motels and motor courts. Most O&I uses and hotel/motel more than 25,000 sq. ft. within 400 feet of a residential use or zone requires Planning Commission approval.
O&I-3: Office and Institution-3 District
All Office and Institution-1 uses (except dwellings of all types) with a maximum height of 25 feet and additional landscaped yards. (See O&I-1 for office/institution approval procedures.)
BC: Buffer Commercial District
All Office and Institution-2 uses - maximum 10 dwelling units per acre; convenience and personal services retail, including appliance stores, barber shops, clothing stores, drug stores, paint stores, variety stores or other similar uses where the business is conducted entirely within the building; hotels, motels and motor courts; restaurants. Maximum floor area for each commercial use - 3,000 sq. ft. No drive-thru windows, and outdoor uses such as gas pumps. Retail (less than 2,500 sq. ft. total) within 400 feet of residence or residential zone requires Planning Commission approval.
SC: Shopping Center District
All Buffer Commercial uses - maximum 30 dwelling units per acre; cattery, kennel or riding stable (Board of Adjustment); parking lots, garages and filling stations; retail sales of all kinds; custom manufacturing; shopping centers; individual storage facilities; adult establishments (Board of Adjustment). Single retail uses greater than 70,000 sq. ft. and shopping centers greater than 130,000 sq. ft. require City Council approval. All other shopping centers or retail within 400 feet of residence or residential zone requires Planning Commission approval.
NB: Neighborhood Business District
All Shopping Center uses - maximum 10 dwelling units per acre; emergency shelter type A. (City Council Site Plan.) (See Shopping Center for approval procedures for retail; See O&I-2 for approval procedures for hotel/motel and office/institutions.)
BUS: Business District
All Neighborhood Business uses - maximum 10 dwelling units per acre; bottling plant, laundry and dry cleaning plants and machine shops; wholesale and warehouse businesses; restricted manufacturing within the fire limits established by the City Code; railroad freight or passenger stations. City Council site plan approval in downtown area.
TD: Thoroughfare District (Resource Management District)
All Business District uses including retail, office, and hotel/motel; maximum 40 dwelling units per acre; indoor, outdoor recreation uses; public utilities plants, industrial uses, except mining or quarries, open landfills, rifle ranges, junk yards, manufactured housing and other uses not permitted in the Industrial-1 and 2 Districts. (see Shopping Center for approval procedures for retail; see O&I-2 for approval procedures for hotel/motel and office/institutions.
IND-1: Industrial-I District
General manufacturing, wholesaling, warehousing and other industrial uses; indoor and outdoor recreation; landfills; quarrying; transportation terminals; wrecked, dismantled car storage (Board of Adjustment), outdoor storage yards (Board of Adjustment); private penal facility (City Council); no dwellings permitted, except caretaker, parish house, or within the Downtown Residential Housing Overlay District and Pedestrian Business Overlay Districts. Approval procedures for retail as per Shopping Center and office/hotel as per O&I-2.
IND-2: Industrial-II District
General manufacturing, wholesaling, warehousing and other industrial uses; indoor and outdoor recreation; landfills; quarrying; transportation terminals; wrecked, dismantled car storage (Board of Adjustment), outdoor storage yards (Board of Adjustment); private penal facility (City Council); no dwellings permitted, except caretaker, parish house, or within the Downtown Residential Housing Overlay District and Pedestrian Business Overlay Districts. Approval procedures for retail as per Shopping Center and office/hotel as per O&I-2.
OVERLAY DISTRICTS
AOD: Airport Overlay District
Allows uses permitted in the underlying zoning district except the following:
Dwelling units (unless within hotel), day-care facilities, schools, churches, colleges, universities; above ground bulk storage and uses susceptible to fire and explosions; mining, quarries, open landfills; storage yards for wrecked, dismantled or partially dismantled automotive vehicles; unshielded bituminous concrete plants; off-premise signs. Other regulations deal with lighting, roof top materials, height of buildings, and setbacks from public right-of-ways.
DOD: Downtown Overlay District
All uses are permitted in the underlying zoning district. With City Council site plan approval, residential uses within the Industrial zoning districts and additional density in other districts may be permitted (up to 320 units per acre). Subject to City Council site plan approval, exceptions to setbacks, height, parking, floor area ratio and building lot coverage may also be approved.
HOD: Historic Overlay District
All uses as permitted in underlying zoning district. Exterior changes require issuance of Certificate of Appropriateness by the Historic Districts Commission.
MPOD: Metro-Park Protection Overlay District (Resource Management District)
All uses permitted in the underlying zoning district, except uses which would result in adverse environmental impact due to noise, odor, exterior lighting, hazardous waste. Regulates impervious surface coverage, height, and buffering of park lands as well as establishing watercourse buffers for watercourses draining into park lands. Permit required for removal of existing trees.
NCOD: Neighborhood Conservation Overlay District
All uses permitted in the underlying zoning district unless a "build environmental characteristic" regulated by the Neighborhood Plan adopted by City Council (on file in the Planning Department).
PBOD: Pedestrian Business Overlay District
All uses permitted in the underlying zoning district, except vehicular display areas. Allows up to 320 dwelling units per acre pursuant to design standards - City Council site plan approval. Reduces the off-street parking requirements for commercial properties; requires the planting of street trees and improvements of sidewalks according to Streetscape Plan; setbacks, signage, pedestrian ways, height determined by Streetscape Plan; requires bicycle parking facilities.
PDD: Planned Development Conditional Use Overlay District
All uses permitted in the Thoroughfare District, in accordance with a Master Plan is approved by City Council. Alternatives to normal standards for parking, building setbacks and heights, street right-of-way widths, and other standards are permitted. Upon City Council approval, all subsequent approvals of individual site plans can be by City Administration.
WPOD: Watershed Protection Overlay District
All uses permitted in underlying zoning district, except certain uses in the Primary Reservoir Watershed Protection Area. Regulates minimum lot size, stream buffers, storm water run-off, and impervious surface coverage.
SHOD-1: Special Highway Overlay District 1 (Resource Management Districts)
All uses permitted in underlying zoning district, except off-premise signs. Establishes additional regulations on setbacks, points of ingress and egress, landscaping, minimum lot area, building height, and signs. Permit required for existing tree removal.
SHOD-2: Special Highway Overlay District 2 (Resource Management Districts)
All uses permitted in underlying zoning district, except off-premise signs. Establishes additional regulations on setbacks, points of ingress and egress, landscaping, minimum lot area, building height, and signs. Permit required for existing tree removal.
SHOD-3: Special Highway Overlay District 3 (Resource Management Districts)
All uses permitted in underlying zoning district, except off-premise signs. Establishes additional regulations on setbacks, points of ingress and egress, landscaping, minimum lot area, building height, and signs. Permit required for existing tree removal.
SHOD-4: Special Highway Overlay District 4 (Resource Management Districts)
All uses permitted in underlying zoning district, except off-premise signs. Establishes additional regulations on setbacks, points of ingress and egress, landscaping, minimum lot area, building height, and signs. Permit required for existing tree removal.
For More Information Contact:
Kim Pruitt
Planning Technician
Planning Department
One Exchange Plaza, Suite 304
Raleigh, NC 27602
919-516-2623
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