zoneoptics
Williamsburg, Virginia · District

RS-1

Single-Family Dwelling District
ResidentialSingle FamilyAll Williamsburg districts0

Dimensional standards

RS-1 lot requirementsSTREETSTREETbuildable areaFront 35 ftRear 25 ftSide 15 ftStreet side 17.5 ftMin width 100 ftMIN LOT AREA17,500 sq ftMIN FRONTAGE25 ftMAX HEIGHT35 ftMAX DENSITY2.49 du/acMIN OPEN SPACE25%
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.
17,500 sq ftsq ftSquare feet. An acre is 43,560 sq ft; a typical suburban lot is 7,000–10,000. (0.4 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.
100 ft
Minimum frontageFrontageThe length of a lot line that touches a public street.
25 ft

Density

Maximum density
2.49 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.
17,500 sq ftsq ftSquare feet. An acre is 43,560 sq ft; a typical suburban lot is 7,000–10,000. (0.4 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.
35 ft
RearSetbackThe distance a building must be held back from a lot line.
25 ft
SideSetbackThe distance a building must be held back from a lot line.
15 ft
Street sideSetbackThe distance a building must be held back from a lot line.
17.5 ft

Height & bulk

Maximum heightMaximum heightThe tallest a building may be, given in feet, in storeys, or both — whichever binds first.
35 ft
Minimum open spaceOpen spaceLand a development must leave unbuilt, sometimes required to be usable or planted.
25%

Housing

Single-familySingle-family dwellingOne dwelling unit on its own lot, usually detached from its neighbours.
by_right
Two-family
prohibitedProhibitedNot allowed in the district at all, short of rezoning or a variance.
Three-family
prohibitedProhibitedNot allowed in the district at all, short of rezoning or a variance.
Four-plus family
prohibitedProhibitedNot allowed in the district at all, short of rezoning or a variance.

Uses

Permitted by right9

Conditional / special use11

Accessory1

Extracted standards

6 individual requirements pulled out of this section’s prose, each with the sentence it came from.

Other

From the ordinance

Minimum lot area 17,500 sq ft; front yard 35 ft; side yard 15 ft; rear yard 25 ft; max height 35 ft.
Sec. 21-136 through 21-144