St. Louis Setbacks & Height Limits — Residential Districts

Fact-checked against current St. Louis Title 26, including Ordinance 72027 effective July 11, 2025, on September 21, 2026.

St. Louis still uses its letter-based zoning districts:

• A — Single-Family Dwelling;
• B — Two-Family Dwelling;
• C, D, E — Multiple-Family Dwelling;
• F through K — commercial/industrial districts;
• L — Jefferson Memorial District.

However, the previous page's simple A/B/C/D setback-and-height table does not accurately describe the current code.

Front Setbacks Are Often Contextual

The City's Zoning Section explains that front setbacks are frequently determined by the existing building line.

A common path is to match an immediately adjacent existing structure. Where that does not resolve the requirement, the applicable district's building-line rules must be used.

That means “A = 25-ft front” or “C = 15-ft front” is not a safe citywide summary.

Side and Rear Yards Depend on District, Lot, and Building Form

The City explicitly warns that side yards vary by:

• zoning district;
• lot width in A and B;
• structure type;
• structure height.

Rear yards likewise vary by district. Residential garages/carports near an alley or rear boundary use different placement rules from the principal building.

The previous page's generic A/B/C/D linear setback table has therefore been removed.

Current Height Is Not the Old A/B/C/D Summary

The previous page listed D as a 70-ft residential district. Current Title 26 does not support that blanket statement.

For example, current Chapter 26.32 (D Multiple-Family Dwelling) provides a normal maximum of 3 stories / 45 ft, unless at least 40% of structures with the same frontage are higher, in which case the code permits the contextual exception described there.

E uses a different, taller framework; buildings may exceed 8 stories / 100 ft if they provide the additional side-yard setback required by Chapter 26.36.

Use the exact district chapter rather than the old comparison table.

2025 Minimum-Lot-Size Reform

St. Louis adopted Ordinance 72027, effective July 11, 2025, to reduce minimum lot-size barriers.

The ordinance reduced minimum lot-size requirements for single-family dwellings in districts A through E and reduced the two-family requirement in district B.

Current district text reflects those changes. For example, Chapter 26.32 now lists 2,000 sq ft as the minimum lot area for a detached single-family dwelling in D, subject to its lot-of-record exception.

Older “4,000 sq ft per single-family dwelling” summaries are stale.

Overlay Districts

St. Louis also uses:

• Community Unit Plans (CUP);
• Special Use Districts (SUD);
• Form-Based Zoning Districts (FBD).

Those overlays can change the practical development envelope from the base A–L district.

Historic-district review is a separate layer as well.

Accessory Structures and ADUs

Missouri does not provide a statewide ADU zoning mandate comparable to states with explicit municipal preemption.

St. Louis accessory and secondary residential proposals must therefore be checked against current local zoning, building code, use rules, and any overlay or historic controls. Do not infer one citywide ADU setback from the base-district label.

See the St. Louis ADU rules page for current local guidance.

How to Check a Property

1. Confirm the current district letter in Address Search / the zoning map.
2. Read the current Title 26 chapter for that district.
3. Determine the established front building line.
4. Apply district-specific side and rear-yard rules for the lot and building type.
5. Check CUP, SUD, FBD, historic, and other special controls.
6. Confirm parcel-specific questions with the St. Louis Zoning Section.

Official Sources

• City of St. Louis — Zoning FAQ
• St. Louis Title 26 Zoning
• St. Louis — Ordinance 72027
• St. Louis — Zoning District Map

This guide is informational only. Current Title 26, the established building line, overlays, and parcel-specific conditions control.