zoneoptics
Spotsylvania County Unincorporated, Virginia · District

R-3

Residential 3 District
ResidentialSingle FamilyAll Spotsylvania County Unincorporated districts0

Dimensional standards

R-3 lot requirementsSTREETbuildable areaFront 40 ftRear 35 ftSide 10 ftMin width 80 ftMIN LOT AREA1 acMIN FRONTAGE80 ftMAX HEIGHT35 ftMAX FAR0.2MAX DENSITY1 du/ac
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
1 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.
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.)

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

FrontSetbackThe distance a building must be held back from a lot line.
40 ft
RearSetbackThe distance a building must be held back from a lot line.
35 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.
0%

Housing

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

Uses

Permitted by right8

Conditional / special use15

Accessory1

  • Accessory uses as permitted by article 5, division 2

From the ordinance

Density: With public water and sewer: 1 du per acre. Minimum lot area: 1 acre. Minimum lot width: 80 ft. Yards: front 40, side 10, rear 35. Height: 35 ft.
Sec. 23-6.8.4