Gainesville › Unified Land Development Code

Article 3 — General Provisions, Chapter 3-2 — GENERAL MEASUREMENTS AND EXCEPTIONS

current as of 2025-12-16verified current · checked 2026-08-24Officialofficial source ↗11 sections · full chapter

§ 3-2-1

Height

(a)No building or structure shall be erected or altered to exceed the height limits established for the zoning district it is in, or any other provision of this ULDC, except as otherwise specifically provided by this ULDC.

(b)Except as may otherwise be required by Section 7-1-5., height limitations of this ULDC shall not apply to chimneys, smokestacks, church spires and steeples, domes, flag poles, public monuments, observation towers, water towers, non-commercial radio and television towers, electricity transmission towers, utility poles, agricultural uses such as silos and windmills, and similar structures.

§ 3-2-2

Density

(a)No lot shall be developed with a number of dwelling units that exceeds the residential density for the zoning district in which the lot is located.

(b)Guest houses and caretaker residences, where allowed, shall not be counted towards density calculations.

§ 3-2-3

Lots

No lot shall hereafter be platted, established, or developed unless it meets or exceeds the minimum lot size for the zoning district in which the lot is located as established by this ULDC;

provided, however, that where a zoning district or overlay district allows the reduction of lot size, the overall density requirements for the applicable zoning district or overlay district shall apply unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

§ 3-2-4

Lot Width

No lot shall be platted, established, or developed that fails to meet the minimum lot width for the zoning district or overlay district in which the lot is located as established by this ULDC, except as otherwise specifically provided.

§ 3-2-5

Street Frontage

(a)No lot shall be platted, established, or developed that fails to maintain a minimum of 40 feet of street frontage on a public street, or on an approved private street;

provided, however, that fee-simple lots for attached residential dwelling units may be platted to lot widths and with street frontages specified for such uses in this ULDC.

(b)The street frontage requirements of this ULDC shall not prevent a building, structure, or activity from being accessed through an access easement, so long as the lot on which it is located meets the minimum required street frontage.

§ 3-2-6

Yards and Building Setbacks

(a)No lot shall be developed, and no building or structure shall be erected or altered in a manner to have narrower or smaller rear yards, front yards, or side yards than specified for the zoning district or overlay district in which the property is located, or for the specific use if such regulations are established in this ULDC.

(b)Where this ULDC establishes a build-to line, no building or structure shall be erected or altered in a manner inconsistent with the build-to lines specified for the zoning district or overlay district in which the property is located, unless otherwise specifically provided in this ULDC.

(c)All setbacks are measured at a right angle (perpendicular) to the applicable reference line.

(d)All principal and accessory structures must be located at or behind the required zoning district setbacks, except when otherwise specifically stated in this ULDC.

§ 3-2-7

Building Coverage

No lot shall be developed, and no building or structure shall be erected or altered in a manner that exceeds the maximum building coverage or floor-area ratio specified for the zoning district or overlay district in which it is located, or for the use if specific regulations for such use are established by this ULDC.

§ 3-2-8

Impervious Surface Coverage

No lot shall be developed, and no building, structure, or improvement shall be erected, installed, or altered in a manner that exceeds the maximum impervious surface coverage specified for the zoning district or overlay district in which it is located, or for the use if specific regulations for such use are established by this ULDC.

§ 3-2-9

Landscaping or Open Space

(a)No lot shall be developed, and no building or structure shall be erected or altered in a manner to have less than the minimum percentage of landscaping or open space than specified for the zoning district or overlay district in which the property is located, or for the specific use if a such regulations are established by this ULDC, except as otherwise specifically provided in this ULDC.

(b)No lot shall be developed, and no building or structure shall be erected or altered in a manner that reduces the minimum required width of a landscape strip specified for the zoning district or overlay district in which the property is located, or for the specific use if such regulations are established by this ULDC, except as otherwise specifically provided in this ULDC.

§ 3-2-10

Buffers and Tree Protection Zones

(a)No lot shall be developed, and no building or structure shall be erected or altered in a manner to have narrower or smaller buffers than specified for the zoning district or overlay district in which the property is located, or for the specific use if such regulations are established by this ULDC, except as otherwise specifically provided in this ULDC. The application of buffer requirements established by this ULDC supersede any required yards.

(b)No part of a required buffer shall be included as a part of the buffer required for another lot, building, or use.

(c)No lot shall be developed, and no building or structure shall be erected or altered in a manner that encroaches on a required tree protection zone, unless otherwise specifically provided by this ULDC.

§ 3-2-11

Acquisition for Public Purpose

When a portion of a lot is acquired for a public purpose and such acquisition renders the lot with less than the required lot area, lot width, or not in compliance with other dimensional requirements of this ULDC, or where such remaining lot has an existing building or structure that does not meet required building setbacks of this ULDC, the provisions of this Article shall not be construed to prevent the development of the lot in accordance with requirements for nonconforming lots established in this ULDC; nor shall it be construed to prevent the continuation of the existing building or structure that otherwise conforms to the requirements of this ULDC..