Savannah, GA Zoning

Euclidean-zoning. 32 districts · 13 overlays · 3 applicable state preemptions.

Overview

Code type
euclidean
Naming convention
mixed

NewZO (2019) is primarily Euclidean with named district codes. Residential R- districts are partially lot-size-encoded (R-6 = 6,000 sf min lot, R-10 = 10,000 sf, R-20 = 20,000 sf, R-30 = 30,000 sf are clear); R-4 / R-D / R-B-C / RIP-* break the pattern. Downtown D-CBD/D-C/D-N/D-R/D-W/D-E and Traditional TR/TN/TC districts are form-influenced with shape standards but remain under the Euclidean chapter.

Worth knowing
  • Code platform is encodeplus.com (city-hosted) — not municode/amlegal/ecode360 — so per-section URLs are deep-linked SPA fragments. DocumentCenter PDFs at savannahga.gov/DocumentCenter/View/{id}/Zoning-District---{code} are the reliable source for dimensional schedules.
  • Setbacks are measured FROM THE CENTERLINE of the street right-of-way (not from the lot line), with values that vary by street classification (freeway/parkway > major arterial > secondary arterial > collector > residential street > access easement). Downstream consumers must subtract half the street ROW width to derive the conventional lot-line setback.
  • Downtown Historic District is one of the most heavily-regulated historic districts in the US (National Historic Landmark District) with overlapping jurisdiction from City HPC, Chatham County-Savannah MPC, Georgia SHPO, and the National Park Service.

+ 8 more in Quirks & notes

Districts

cbd 7com 6res_sf 5res_mf 4mu 3spec 3ind 2off 1ag 1
CodeNameCategory Min lotHeight CoverageFAR Du/acParking Setbacks F/S/R
R-4R-4 One-Family Residential (Small-Lot)res_sf6,000 sf[4]35 ft[5]50[6]12[7][8]50[1] / 5[2] / 25[3]
R-6R-6 One-Family Residentialres_sf6,000 sf[12]50 ft[13]30[14]6[15][16]50[9] / 5[10] / 25[11]
R-10R-10 One-Family Residentialres_sf10,000 sf[20]50 ft[21]30[22]4[23][24]50[17] / 10[18] / 35[19]
R-20R-20 One-Family Residentialres_sf20,000 sf[28]35 ft[29]30[30]2[31][32]50[25] / 15[26] / 50[27]
R-30R-30 One-Family Residential (Estate)res_sf30,000 sf[33][34] / /
R-DR-D Residential-Dormitoryres_mf600 sf[36]75[37]70[38][39]50[35] / /
R-B-CR-B-C Residential-Business-Conservationmu6,000 sf[43]40 ft[44][45]50[40] / [{'variant': 'one-and-two-family', 'value': 5, 'citation': 'Article 5 — R-B-C Schedule'}, {'variant': 'multifamily', 'value': 10, 'citation': 'Article 5 — R-B-C Schedule'}, {'variant': 'nonresidential-abutting-R', 'value': 10, 'citation': 'Article 5 — R-B-C Schedule'}][41] / 5[42]
RIP-B1RIP-B1 Residential-Institutional-Professionalmu600 sf[49]40 ft[50]50[51][52]50[46] / [{'variant': 'one-and-two-family', 'value': 5, 'citation': 'Article 5 — RIP-B1 Schedule'}, {'variant': 'multifamily', 'value': 10, 'citation': 'Article 5 — RIP-B1 Schedule'}, {'variant': 'nonresidential-abutting-R', 'value': 10, 'citation': 'Article 5 — RIP-B1 Schedule'}][47] / 25[48]
B-NB-N Neighborhood Businesscom35 ft[55][56]30[53] / 10[54] /
B-CB-C Community Businesscom1,800 sf[59]35 ft[60][61]30[57] / 10[58] /
B-C-1B-C-1 Central Businesscbd600 sf[63][64]0[62] / /
B-GB-G General Businesscom[65] / /
O-IO-I Office-Institutionaloff40 ft[67][68]30[66] / /
I-LI-L Light Industrialind6,000 sf[72]35 ft[73][74]50[69] / [{'variant': 'residential', 'value': 5, 'note': 'or 10 from abutting R district property'}, {'variant': 'nonresidential-abutting-R', 'value': 10}][70] / 25[71]
I-HI-H Heavy Industrialind[78]45[75] / 20[76] / 20[77]
TRTraditional Residential (TR-1, TR-2, TR-3)res_mf[79] / /
TNTraditional Neighborhood (TN-1, TN-2, TN-3)mu[80] / /
TCTraditional Commercial (TC-1, TC-2)com[81][82] / /
D-CBDDowntown Central Business Districtcbd[84]0[83] / /
D-CDowntown Commercialcbd[85] / /
D-NDowntown Neighborhoodcbd[86] / /
D-RDowntown Residentialcbd[87] / /
D-WDowntown Waterfrontcbd[88] / /
D-EDowntown Expansioncbd[89] / /
MBMaritime Businesscom[90] / /
LBLimited Businesscom[91] / /
MFMultifamily Residential (MF-1, MF-2, MF-3)res_mf[92] / /
AAgriculturalag[93] / /
CONConservation (incl. Marsh, Park subvariants)spec[94] / /
PDPlanned Development (PD / PD-S / PD-L)spec / /
R-M-HManufactured Home Parkres_mf[95] / /
MILMilitary Installationspec / /

Confidence: confirmed partial under review not found

Overlays

DHD
Downtown Historic District
HP
§8-3030 (Article 7 Overlay Districts)

National Historic Landmark District boundaries; downtown Savannah historic core including Oglethorpe ward grid

reviewCertificate of Appropriateness (COA) required for exterior alterations, additions, new construction, demolition, and signage
scopeMaterials, scale, massing, fenestration, demolition; design review by Historic District Board of Review per Article 7
VHD
Victorian Historic District
HP
§8-3030 (Article 7 Overlay Districts)

Victorian-era residential areas south of downtown core (roughly between Gwinnett St and Anderson St)

reviewCertificate of Appropriateness required for exterior alterations, additions, new construction, demolition
SHD
Streetcar Historic District
HP
§8-3030 (Article 7 Overlay Districts)

Streetcar-era residential neighborhoods (Thomas Square area)

reviewCertificate of Appropriateness required for exterior alterations
CBHD
Cuyler-Brownville Historic District
HP
§8-3030 (Article 7 Overlay Districts)

Cuyler-Brownville designated historic district boundaries

reviewCertificate of Appropriateness required for exterior alterations
FP
Floodplain Overlay
FP
§8-3033 (Floodplain Management) / Chapter 9 Building Code adoption

FEMA-designated Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHA) per Chatham County FIRM; zones A, AE, AO, AH, X, VE mapped

effectElevation and floodproofing requirements per FEMA NFIP minimums; lowest-floor elevation at or above Base Flood Elevation (BFE); local freeboard requirements may apply
flood_zonesA, AE, AO, AH, X, VE — six distinct flood zones mapped across city per Chatham County FIRM
WPO
Wetlands Protection Overlay
ENV
§8-3034 (Article 7 Overlay Districts — Environmental)

GA DNR Coastal Marshlands Protection Act jurisdictional areas and locally-designated wetland buffers

effectBuffer requirements (typically 25–50 ft from delineated wetland edge) and wetland impact mitigation per US Army Corps Section 404 and GA Coastal Marshlands Protection Act
buffer_ft25–50 ft from wetland edge per GA DNR rules
APO
Airport Overlay
AP
§8-3035 (Article 7 Overlay Districts — Airport)

Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport (KSAV) FAA Part 77 imaginary surfaces and approach/transitional surfaces; Hunter Army Airfield (KSVN) AICUZ zones

effectHeight restrictions per Part 77 imaginary surfaces; land-use restrictions in AICUZ Accident Potential Zones (APZ-I, APZ-II) and Noise Zones (65, 70, 75 dB DNL)
federal_layerFAA Part 77 (airspace), DoD AICUZ (Hunter Army Airfield), Section 163 obstruction evaluation
CTO
Corridor Transit Overlay
COR
§8-3037 (Article 7 Overlay Districts — Corridor)

Designated CAT (Chatham Area Transit) corridors and Coastal Region MPO transit-priority corridors

effectEnhanced pedestrian and transit-oriented design standards; build-to-zones, glazing minimums, parking placement modifications
HO
Hotel/Short-Term Rental Overlay
SPEC
§8-3038 (STR/Hotel use restrictions) and supplemental STR ordinance Ch. 6 of City Code

Geographic areas with adopted STR density caps; Downtown Historic District + Victorian District have explicit STR caps per neighborhood

effectSTR density cap (commonly 20% of dwellings in subject blocks for non-owner-occupied), registration requirement, occupancy limits, hotel use restrictions
density_cap_pct20% in many designated neighborhoods (Downtown/Victorian)
AHDB
Affordable Housing Density Bonus
AH
§8-3039 (Article 7 — Affordable Housing Density Bonus); adopted November 2024

Projects providing 10%+ of units at 30% AMI affordability threshold for minimum 30-year period

effectDensity bonus up to 30% above base du/ac for qualifying affordable projects; potential parking reductions
affordability_threshold30% AMI (Area Median Income) — stricter than typical 60–80% AMI thresholds in peer cities
adoptedNovember 2024
DRO
Demolition Review Overlay
HP
§8-3040 (Article 7 — Demolition Review)

Structures within designated demolition-review areas (typically older neighborhoods outside formal historic districts)

effectDemolition delay (typically 60–180 days), required documentation, and review by HPB or staff before demolition permit issuance
AEO
Armoring/Erosion Overlay
ENV
§8-3041 (Article 7 — Shoreline Armoring/Erosion)

Shoreline and riverbank parcels along Savannah River, marshes, and tidal creeks subject to erosion

effectShoreline armoring standards (riprap, bulkhead, living shoreline); grading and vegetation requirements within buffer zones
FED-AVIATION
FAA Part 77 / AICUZ federal overlay (Savannah/Hilton Head Intl + Hunter AAF)
MIL
Federal — 14 CFR Part 77 (FAA), DoD AICUZ Study for Hunter Army Airfield

Part 77 imaginary surfaces around KSAV (Savannah/Hilton Head International) and KSVN (Hunter Army Airfield); AICUZ APZ + Noise Zones around Hunter AAF

effectFederal height/land-use constraints supersede local zoning; per FM-P this is recorded as federal_overlay reference for any base district where Part 77 or AICUZ overrides height/use
federal_overlay_refsFAA Part 77 surfaces KSAV/KSVN; AICUZ Hunter Army Airfield

State preemptions

GA Zoning Procedures Law (O.C.G.A. §§36-66-1 et seq.)applies
Qualifying condition
Procedural preemption applies to all Georgia cities and counties exercising zoning power; Savannah is a Georgia municipality with adopted zoning (NewZO 2019). No threshold gates this law.
Source
O.C.G.A. §§36-66-1 through 36-66-6; zoning/us/georgia/preemptions.json (ga-zpl-36-66)
Effect
Requires published public notice 15–45 days before hearing, sign posting on parcel-specific rezonings at least 15 days in advance, public hearing, written adopted policies/procedures, and written standards for exercising zoning power. Non-compliance renders zoning action void ab initio.
GA Manufactured Home Act (O.C.G.A. §§8-2-130 et seq.)applies
Qualifying condition
Partial subject-matter preemption of HUD-Code construction/safety standards applies to all GA cities; Savannah cannot impose construction standards on HUD-Code manufactured homes beyond what the state DCA adopts. Placement, lot size, setbacks, foundation/skirting standards remain local.
Source
O.C.G.A. §8-2-132, §8-2-160; zoning/us/georgia/preemptions.json (ga-mh-8-2-131)
Effect
Local zoning may regulate WHERE manufactured homes are placed and dimensional/aesthetic standards, but not federal HUD-Code construction standards. Savannah ordinance Article 5 includes an R-M-H Manufactured Home Park district that establishes placement rules consistent with this preemption.
GA Constitutional Home Rule (Ga. Const. Art. IX, §II, ¶IV)applies
Qualifying condition
Self-executing constitutional grant of zoning power to GA municipalities and counties; Savannah operates under this authority for NewZO adoption.
Source
Georgia Constitution of 1983, Article IX, Section II, Paragraph IV; zoning/us/georgia/preemptions.json (ga-home-rule-art-ix)
Effect
Provides constitutional baseline of local zoning authority. State preemption is limited and must be express by general law.
Non-applicable laws (1)
OCGA §44-7-22 / HB 1395 / SB 374 — Short-Term Rental Preemptiondoes_not_apply
Qualifying condition
No enacted state preemption of local STR zoning regulation in Georgia as of May 2026. HB 1395 (2024) and SB 374 (2024) did not pass. Savannah's existing STR ordinance (Hotel/STR overlay and code provisions) remains enforceable.
Source
zoning/us/georgia/preemptions.json (ga-str-44-7-22); GA General Assembly 2024–2025 session bill status
Effect
Savannah retains full authority over STR zoning. Local STR/Vacation Rental ordinance restrictions on STR density in residential districts continue to apply.

Adopted building codes

Statewide w/ GA amendments

2024
2024
2023
2018
IECC (Residential)
2015
IECC (Commercial)
2015

Click a code label to open its state-by-state adoption atlas.

Amendment history

DateKindCitation
2026-05-20retrieved atFetched from encodeplus.com and savannahga.gov DocumentCenter PDFs
2019-09-01effectiveEffective Sept 1, 2019 per Chapter 3, Zoning
2019-07-18adoptionAdopted by City Council July 18, 2019 (NewZO)

Quirks & notes

  • Code platform is encodeplus.com (city-hosted) — not municode/amlegal/ecode360 — so per-section URLs are deep-linked SPA fragments. DocumentCenter PDFs at savannahga.gov/DocumentCenter/View/{id}/Zoning-District---{code} are the reliable source for dimensional schedules.
  • Setbacks are measured FROM THE CENTERLINE of the street right-of-way (not from the lot line), with values that vary by street classification (freeway/parkway > major arterial > secondary arterial > collector > residential street > access easement). Downstream consumers must subtract half the street ROW width to derive the conventional lot-line setback.
  • Downtown Historic District is one of the most heavily-regulated historic districts in the US (National Historic Landmark District) with overlapping jurisdiction from City HPC, Chatham County-Savannah MPC, Georgia SHPO, and the National Park Service.
  • B-C-1 Central Business permits zero front setback; downtown D-CBD/D-C similarly permit zero or minimal setbacks (full schedule not extracted in this pass).
  • AHDB Affordable Housing Density Bonus (adopted Nov 2024) uses a 30% AMI affordability threshold — stricter than the 60–80% AMI typical in peer cities.
  • Six FEMA flood zones (A, AE, AO, AH, X, VE) mapped across city — substantial portion of southside and waterfront in SFHA.
  • Hunter Army Airfield (KSVN) within city limits creates AICUZ overlay; Savannah/Hilton Head International (KSAV) just outside city limits adds FAA Part 77 imaginary surfaces — federal aviation layers constrain height across much of the city.
  • Hotel/STR overlay restrictions remain enforceable — no GA state STR preemption enacted; HB 1395 / SB 374 (2024) did not pass.
  • Conservation district family includes Marsh Conservation and Park Conservation subvariants, used as alternatives to restrictive residential districts.
  • Walkability and transit-oriented language embedded in 2019 NewZO rewrite — Traditional Residential / Neighborhood / Commercial districts are form-influenced within an otherwise Euclidean code.
  • v1 record's R-1/R-2/R-3 district codes were converter artifacts — actual code uses R-4, R-6, R-10, R-20, R-30, R-D, R-B-C and a RIP-* family. v2 sweep corrects to the canonical NewZO codes.

Formulas

Definitions

height
Maximum height in feet measured to highest point of roof structure; historic-district overlay COA review may impose stricter limits
lot_coverage
Maximum Building Coverage (percent) as listed in each district's Schedule of Development Standards
far
du_ac
Maximum Density (units per net acre) as listed in each district's Schedule of Development Standards; expressed per net residential acre
impervious_cover
setback_front
Minimum Front Yard Setback measured from Center Line of Street Right-of-Way; varies by street classification (freeway/parkway, major arterial, secondary arterial, collector, residential street, access easement)
setback_side
Minimum Side Yard Setback (feet); Residential vs Nonresidential rows; many districts use '10 ft from abutting R district property' for nonresidential
setback_rear
Minimum Rear Yard Setback (feet); many districts use 'adjoining R district property's setback' for nonresidential
parking
Off-street parking minimums per §8-3089 'Minimum Space Requirements for Off-Street Parking Areas' — not normalized into a single ratio; varies by use category and district

Capacity calculations

max_footprint_sf
lot_area_sf * lot_coverage
max_gfa_sf
max_units_from_density
lot_area_sf * du_ac / 43560
buildable_width_ft
lot_width_ft - setback_side_ft * 2
buildable_depth_ft
lot_depth_ft - setback_front_ft - setback_rear_ft
buildable_envelope_sf
buildable_width_ft * buildable_depth_ft
max_stories_approx
max_height_ft / 10
max_gfa_from_envelope
buildable_envelope_sf * max_stories_approx
parking_required
per use category — see §8-3089

Massing explorer

Interactive 3D comparison across every district. Drag to orbit, scroll to zoom, use the slider to walk districts, and toggle applicable overlays in the right-side panel.

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District Category Height FAR Coverage Setbacks Parking Density Min lot Overlays

Sources & references

Citations
  1. [1] §Article 5 — R-4 Schedule of Development Standards
  2. [2] §Article 5 — R-4 Schedule of Development Standards
  3. [3] §Article 5 — R-4 Schedule of Development Standards
  4. [4] §Article 5 — R-4 Schedule of Development Standards
  5. [5] §Article 5 — R-4 Schedule of Development Standards
  6. [6] §Article 5 — R-4 Schedule of Development Standards
  7. [7] §Article 5 — R-4 Schedule of Development Standards
  8. [8] §8-3089
  9. [9] §Article 5 — R-6 Schedule of Development Standards
  10. [10] §Article 5 — R-6 Schedule of Development Standards
  11. [11] §Article 5 — R-6 Schedule of Development Standards
  12. [12] §Article 5 — R-6 Schedule of Development Standards
  13. [13] §Article 5 — R-6 Schedule of Development Standards
  14. [14] §Article 5 — R-6 Schedule of Development Standards
  15. [15] §Article 5 — R-6 Schedule of Development Standards
  16. [16] §8-3089
  17. [17] §Article 5 — R-10 Schedule of Development Standards
  18. [18] §Article 5 — R-10 Schedule of Development Standards
  19. [19] §Article 5 — R-10 Schedule of Development Standards
  20. [20] §Article 5 — R-10 Schedule of Development Standards
  21. [21] §Article 5 — R-10 Schedule of Development Standards
  22. [22] §Article 5 — R-10 Schedule of Development Standards
  23. [23] §Article 5 — R-10 Schedule of Development Standards
  24. [24] §8-3089
  25. [25] §Article 5 — R-20 Schedule of Development Standards
  26. [26] §Article 5 — R-20 Schedule of Development Standards
  27. [27] §Article 5 — R-20 Schedule of Development Standards
  28. [28] §Article 5 — R-20 Schedule of Development Standards
  29. [29] §Article 5 — R-20 Schedule of Development Standards
  30. [30] §Article 5 — R-20 Schedule of Development Standards
  31. [31] §Article 5 — R-20 Schedule of Development Standards
  32. [32] §8-3089
  33. [33] i
  34. [34] §8-3089
  35. [35] §Article 5 — R-D Schedule of Development Standards
  36. [36] §Article 5 — R-D Schedule of Development Standards
  37. [37] §Article 5 — R-D Schedule of Development Standards
  38. [38] §Article 5 — R-D Schedule of Development Standards
  39. [39] §8-3089
  40. [40] §Article 5 — R-B-C Schedule of Development Standards
  41. [41] §Article 5 — R-B-C Schedule of Development Standards
  42. [42] §Article 5 — R-B-C Schedule of Development Standards
  43. [43] §Article 5 — R-B-C Schedule of Development Standards
  44. [44] §Article 5 — R-B-C Schedule of Development Standards
  45. [45] §8-3089
  46. [46] §Article 5 — RIP-B1 Schedule of Development Standards
  47. [47] §Article 5 — RIP-B1 Schedule of Development Standards
  48. [48] §Article 5 — RIP-B1 Schedule of Development Standards
  49. [49] §Article 5 — RIP-B1 Schedule of Development Standards
  50. [50] §Article 5 — RIP-B1 Schedule of Development Standards
  51. [51] §Article 5 — RIP-B1 Schedule of Development Standards
  52. [52] §8-3089
  53. [53] §Article 5 — B-N Schedule of Development Standards
  54. [54] §Article 5 — B-N Schedule of Development Standards
  55. [55] §Article 5 — B-N Schedule of Development Standards
  56. [56] §8-3089
  57. [57] §Article 5 — B-C Schedule of Development Standards
  58. [58] §Article 5 — B-C Schedule of Development Standards
  59. [59] §Article 5 — B-C Schedule of Development Standards
  60. [60] §Article 5 — B-C Schedule of Development Standards
  61. [61] §8-3089
  62. [62] §Article 5 — B-C-1 Schedule of Development Standards
  63. [63] §Article 5 — B-C-1 Schedule of Development Standards
  64. [64] §8-3089
  65. [65] §8-3089
  66. [66] §Article 5 — O-I Schedule of Development Standards
  67. [67] §Article 5 — O-I Schedule of Development Standards
  68. [68] §8-3089
  69. [69] §Article 5 — I-L Schedule of Development Standards
  70. [70] §Article 5 — I-L Schedule of Development Standards
  71. [71] §Article 5 — I-L Schedule of Development Standards
  72. [72] §Article 5 — I-L Schedule of Development Standards
  73. [73] §Article 5 — I-L Schedule of Development Standards
  74. [74] §8-3089
  75. [75] §Article 5 — I-H Schedule of Development Standards
  76. [76] §Article 5 — I-H Schedule of Development Standards
  77. [77] §Article 5 — I-H Schedule of Development Standards
  78. [78] §8-3089
  79. [79] §8-3089
  80. [80] §8-3089
  81. [81] §8-3216
  82. [82] §8-3089
  83. [83] i
  84. [84] §8-3089
  85. [85] §8-3089
  86. [86] §8-3089
  87. [87] §8-3089
  88. [88] §8-3089
  89. [89] §8-3089
  90. [90] §8-3089
  91. [91] §8-3089
  92. [92] §8-3089
  93. [93] §8-3089
  94. [94] §8-3089
  95. [95] §8-3089

Research status

Publication gates

primary url presentpassedcode_source = https://online.encodeplus.com/regs/savannah-ga/ — city-hosted, not aggregator
no aggregator citedpassedscan clean — no zoneomics/steadily/siteplanguide/sitedesignguide/siteplancreator/propwire/zonara/unzoned references
confidence tags full formpassed95+ confirmed standards carry §Article 5 — <district> Schedule of Development Standards citations; overlays carry §8-3030 through §8-3041 citations
overlays have parameters trigger confidencepassed13 overlays each carry name+code+type+ordinance+trigger+params (non-empty)+base_interaction+confidence — including federal aviation overlay per FM-P
preempt section city specificpassed4 state_preemptions_applicable entries (ZPL, Manufactured Home Act, STR-does-not-apply, Home Rule) — each with city-specific qualifying_condition_checked grounded in Savannah's status as a GA municipality and primary statute citations

Data quality

55%completeness95 confirmed78 partial3 inferred
Documented gaps
  • Downtown D-CBD/D-C/D-N/D-R/D-W/D-E dimensional schedules (height, FAR, setbacks, build-to)
  • Traditional Residential TR-1/TR-2/TR-3 dimensional schedules
  • Traditional Neighborhood TN-1/TN-2/TN-3 dimensional schedules
  • Traditional Commercial TC-1/TC-2 dimensional schedules (§8-3216 section located, table not parsed)
  • Multifamily MF-1/MF-2/MF-3 dimensional schedules
  • Maritime Business (MB) and Limited Business (LB) schedules
  • Agricultural, Conservation (Marsh/Park), R-M-H Manufactured Home Park schedules
  • Parking ratios — §8-3089 governs by use category, not by district; consolidated use→ratio table not extracted
  • R-30 schedule of standards (only inferred from R-N naming pattern)

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