zoneoptics
Spotsylvania County Unincorporated, Virginia · General provision

Sec. 23-6.11.4

Single FamilyAll Spotsylvania County Unincorporated districts0

Dimensional standards

lot requirementsSTREETbuildable areaFront 30 ftRear 5 ftSide 10 ftMin width 80 ftMIN LOT AREA1 acMIN FRONTAGE80 ftMAX HEIGHT35 ftMAX FAR0.2MAX DENSITY0.5 du/acMIN OPEN SPACE15%
Plan view of the district’s stated lot requirements. Solid line: the property line. Dashed: the setback lines the ordinance imposes; a building must stay inside the tinted envelope. Drawn from the figures extracted below — illustrative, not a survey.

Lot

Minimum lot areaMinimum lot areaThe smallest parcel on which the district allows anything to be built.
43,560 sq ftsq ftSquare feet. An acre is 43,560 sq ft; a typical suburban lot is 7,000–10,000. (1 acacre43,560 square feet — about the size of an American football field without the end zones.)
Minimum lot widthLot widthHow wide a lot must be, usually measured at the front setback line.
80 ft
Minimum frontageFrontageThe length of a lot line that touches a public street.
80 ft

Density

Maximum density
0.5 du/acredu/acreDwelling units per acre — the number of homes allowed on each acre of land.
Lot area per dwelling unitLot area per dwelling unitLand required for each home — the same limit as du/acre, expressed per unit instead of per acre.
87,120 sq ftsq ftSquare feet. An acre is 43,560 sq ft; a typical suburban lot is 7,000–10,000. (2 acacre43,560 square feet — about the size of an American football field without the end zones.)

SetbacksSetbackThe distance a building must be held back from a lot line.

FrontSetbackThe distance a building must be held back from a lot line.
30 ft
RearSetbackThe distance a building must be held back from a lot line.
5 ft
SideSetbackThe distance a building must be held back from a lot line.
10 ft

Height & bulk

Maximum heightMaximum heightThe tallest a building may be, given in feet, in storeys, or both — whichever binds first.
35 ft
Maximum floor area ratioFloor area ratio (FAR)Total floor area divided by lot area — an FAR of 2.0 permits 20,000 sq ft of floor on a 10,000 sq ft lot.
0.2
Minimum open spaceOpen spaceLand a development must leave unbuilt, sometimes required to be usable or planted.
15%

Housing

Single-familySingle-family dwellingOne dwelling unit on its own lot, usually detached from its neighbours.
by_right

Uses

Permitted by right9

Conditional / special use12

Accessory1

  • Accessory uses, subject to the requirements of article 5, division 3

From the ordinance

Density: 1 du per 2 acres. Min lot area: 1 acre lakefront, 2 acres non-lakefront. Min lot width: 80 ft cluster. Yards: front 30, side 10, rear 5. Height: 35 ft. Open space: 15% cluster.
Sec. 23-6.11.4