Williamsburg
Zoning districts
14 districts, grouped by category.
Commercial
5Downtown Business District
- Max height
- 35 ft
- Front setback
- 0 ft
- Max density
- 14 du/ac
- Permitted uses
- 5
Corridor Business District
- Max height
- 45 ft
- Front setback
- 35 ft
- Max density
- 14 du/ac
- Permitted uses
- 32
Urban Business District
- Max height
- 45 ft
- Front setback
- 15 ft
- Max density
- 14 du/ac
- Permitted uses
- 33
Culinary Arts District
- Max height
- 45 ft
- Front setback
- 35 ft
- Max density
- 14 du/ac
- Permitted uses
- 24
Limited Business Corridor District
- Max height
- 35 ft
- Front setback
- 25 ft
- Permitted uses
- 12
Mixed use
3Economic Development District 2
- Max height
- 45 ft
- Front setback
- 15 ft
- Max density
- 12 du/ac
- Permitted uses
- 32
Limited Business Neighborhood District
- Max height
- 35 ft
- Front setback
- 15 ft
- Max density
- 8 du/ac
- Permitted uses
- 19
Limited Business Mixed-Use District
- Max height
- 35 ft
- Front setback
- 35 ft
- Max density
- 14 du/ac
- Permitted uses
- 20
Residential
5Multifamily Dwelling District
- Min lot
- 10,000 sq ft
- Max height
- 35 ft
- Front setback
- 25 ft
- Max density
- 8 du/ac
- Permitted uses
- 10
Multifamily Dwelling District
- Min lot
- 10,000 sq ft
- Max height
- 35 ft
- Front setback
- 25 ft
- Max density
- 14 du/ac
- Permitted uses
- 10
Single-Family Dwelling District
- Min lot
- 17,500 sq ft (0.4 ac)
- Max height
- 35 ft
- Front setback
- 35 ft
- Max density
- 2.49 du/ac
- Permitted uses
- 9
Single-Family Dwelling District
- Min lot
- 10,000 sq ft
- Max height
- 35 ft
- Front setback
- 35 ft
- Max density
- 4.36 du/ac
- Permitted uses
- 9
Single-Family Dwelling District
- Min lot
- 5,000 sq ft
- Max height
- 35 ft
- Front setback
- 25 ft
- Permitted uses
- 9
General provisions
250 rules that bind every district rather than one — sign regulations, parking, floodplain and the rest of the code’s citywide chapters.
Signs located on public rights-of-way that are erected and maintained by a governmental entity authorized by City Council, for the purpose of identifying and providing directions to residential, institutional and/or commercial uses that do not have adequate visibility from freeway/expressway, principal arterial or minor arterial streets. Such signs, including their size and location, shall be approved by City Council.
One flag is permitted on an individual lot; in addition, one United States flag and one Commonwealth of Virginia flag may also be displayed. Flags may be building mounted or displayed from a flagpole. Flags or flagpoles mounted on the roof of a building shall be prohibited. The height of a flagpole shall not exceed 25 feet. The maximum size of a flag shall not exceed 40 square feet.
Nonconforming uses may continue, but cannot be enlarged; if use ceases for more than 24 months, it must conform.
The archaeological protection district is established to ensure that archaeological resources in the city are studied and, based on the findings of the study, that significant resources are either preserved or recovered through a resource management plan.
The various special flood hazard districts shall include the SFHAs... New construction or substantial improvement of any residential structure in Zones AE, and A with detailed base flood elevations shall have the lowest floor, including basement, elevated to or above the base flood level plus 18 inches.
The bed and breakfast establishment shall not have more than one full-time live-in manager and one non-resident employee at any time, and any such manager or employee shall be employed solely for the purpose of assisting with the operation of the bed and breakfast establishment.
The bed and breakfast establishment shall not have more than one full-time live-in manager and one non-resident employee at any time, and any such manager or employee shall be employed solely for the purpose of assisting with the operation of the bed and breakfast establishment.
The bed and breakfast establishment shall not have more than one full-time live-in manager and one non-resident employee at any time, and any such manager or employee shall be employed solely for the purpose of assisting with the operation of the bed and breakfast establishment.
The bed and breakfast establishment shall not have more than one full-time live-in manager and one non-resident employee at any time, and any such manager or employee shall be employed solely for the purpose of assisting with the operation of the bed and breakfast establishment.
The bed and breakfast establishment shall not have more than one full-time live-in manager and one non-resident employee at any time, regardless of the number of bedrooms rented or the type of approval (special exception or special use permit) obtained.
The bed and breakfast establishment shall not have more than one full-time live-in manager and one non-resident employee at any time
The bed and breakfast establishment shall not have more than one full-time live-in manager and one non-resident employee at any time, regardless of the number of bedrooms rented or the type of approval (special exception or special use permit) obtained.
The city does not permit manufactured homes in any zoning district.
The city does not permit recreational vehicles in any zoning district.
One flag is permitted on an individual lot; in addition, one United States flag and one Commonwealth of Virginia flag may also be displayed. The height of a flagpole shall not exceed 25 feet. The maximum size of a flag shall not exceed 40 square feet.
Review all permit applications to determine whether the proposed development is in an area where the base flood elevation is known... the floodplain administrator shall require the applicant to provide an elevation certificate.
Review all permit applications to determine whether the proposed development is in an area where the base flood elevation is known and the proposed development is a structure... the floodplain administrator shall require the applicant to provide an elevation certificate.
Review all permit applications to determine whether the proposed development is in an area where the base flood elevation is known and the proposed development is a structure... the floodplain administrator shall require the applicant to provide an elevation certificate.
A landscaped open space for transitional screening at least 25 feet in width shall be provided along side and rear property lines when adjacent to a lot in a residential zoning district, except that no transitional screening open space shall be required when adjoining multifamily residential zoning districts.
The bed and breakfast establishment shall not have more than one full-time live-in manager and one non-resident employee at any time, regardless of the number of bedrooms rented or the type of approval (special exception or special use permit) obtained.
Source documents
The chapters of the adopted code that were retrieved, read and extracted from. Everything above traces back to one of these.
- Chapter 164.6K charsRead →
- Chapter 1021.7K charsRead →
- Chapter 1142.9K charsRead →
- Chapter 12119.4K charsRead →
- Chapter 2135.6K charsRead →
- Chapter 3877.8K charsRead →
- Chapter 4279K charsRead →
- Chapter 556.6K charsRead →
- Chapter 6194.1K charsRead →
- Chapter 7123.6K charsRead →
- Chapter 853.5K charsRead →
- Chapter 949.3K charsRead →