Overview
Code type
euclidean
Naming convention
mixed
| residential | U1-S (Single-Family), U1-T (Townhouse), U2 (Multi-Family) — 'U' prefix denotes 'Urban' use districts; -S/-T suffixes sub-type |
|---|---|
| commercial | U3 (Mixed-Use), U4 (General Commercial), ULB (Urban Local Business) |
| industrial | U5 (Light Industrial), U6 (Heavy Industrial) |
| height_overlays | H1 (35 ft), H2 (50 ft), H3 (75 ft) height districts layered on top of base U-districts; HA (airport approach) hard 35 ft cap |
| special_purpose_overlays | UB (Biomedical), UD (University), UHD (University Housing), UG (Government), UFP (Urban Floodplain) |
Akron uses a distinctive U-prefixed district scheme unique in Ohio (Cleveland uses Title VII numeric; Columbus/Cincinnati use conventional letter schemes). Height is treated as an independent overlay layer (H1/H2/H3/HA), not baked into each base district — an unusual choice that creates a two-axis zoning matrix. | sub_flags_raw=[charter-city, height-district-layering]
Worth knowing
- Two-axis zoning: every parcel carries both a U-district (use) AND an H-district (height) assignment. H1/H2/H3 height overlays operate independently from base U-district. HA airport-approach overlay further caps height to 35 ft regardless of base H-district. — [c§Chapter 153 Art. 2 height-district layering]
- Akron is a CHARTER city under Ohio Const. Art. XVIII §7 — ORC Chapter 713 enabling procedure is not automatically binding; Akron's zoning authority derives directly from the Constitution. Means state nonconforming-use floor (§713.15) does not attach automatically; charter-specific grandfather rules govern. — [c§Ohio Const. Art. XVIII §7; zoning/us/ohio/preemptions.md#charter-status]
- Parking specified as MAXIMUMS (not minimums) in certain districts — a progressive approach atypical for Rust Belt Ohio cities and notable for TOD / walkable redevelopment planning. Specific ratios not re-fetched this pass. — [partial §Chapter 153 parking article]
+ 7 more in Quirks & notes
Districts
com 2ind 2res_sf 1res_th 1res_mf 1mu 1
| Code | Name | Category | Min lot | Height | Coverage | FAR | Du/ac | Parking | Setbacks F/S/R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U1-S | Urban Single-Family (Class U1-S) | res_sf | 4,000 sf | 75 ft | —[1] | 0.6[2] | —[3] | —[4] | 25 / 25 / 5 |
| U1-T | Urban Townhouse (Class U1-T) | res_th | 3,000 sf | 75 ft | —[5] | 1.2[6] | 14.5[7] | —[8] | 20 / 0 / 20 |
| U2 | Urban Multi-Family (Class U2) | res_mf | 7,000 sf | 62 ft | —[9] | 1.5[10] | —[11] | —[12] | 30 / 10 / 30 |
| U3 | Urban Mixed-Use (Class U3) | mu | 5,000 sf | 50 ft | —[13] | 1.8[14] | — | —[15] | 15 / 0 / 10 |
| U4 | Urban Commercial (Class U4) | com | 7,500 sf | 50 ft | —[16] | 1.5[17] | — | —[18] | 20 / 5 / 15 |
| ULB | Urban Local Business (Class ULB) | com | 7,500 sf | 45 ft | —[19] | 1[20] | — | —[21] | 25 / 5 / 15 |
| U5 | Urban Light Industrial (Class U5) | ind | 15,000 sf | 35 ft | —[22] | 0.8[23] | — | —[24] | 30 / 15 / 30 |
| U6 | Urban Heavy Industrial (Class U6) | ind | 20,000 sf | 62 ft | —[25] | 1.2[26] | — | —[27] | 40 / 20 / 40 |
Confidence: confirmed partial under review not found
Overlays
UFP
Urban Floodplain
FPFEMA-designated 100-year flood hazard areas; primary anchor is the Cuyahoga River corridor through central and east Akron, Little Cuyahoga River, and tributary systems (Ohio & Erie Canal / Summit Lake drainage)
UB
Biomedical Overlay
INSDesignated biomedical corridor surrounding Summa Health / Akron City Hospital, Cleveland Clinic Akron General, and University of Akron medical/research facilities on the east side of downtown
UD
University Overlay
INSUniversity of Akron campus perimeter and core academic areas; ~218 acre campus in central-east Akron adjacent to downtown
UHD
University Housing Overlay
INSStudent residential neighborhoods adjacent to University of Akron campus (e.g., Spicer Hill / University Park north and east of campus core)
UG
Government Overlay
INSGovernment campus and civic center areas (Akron City Hall, Summit County Courthouse, Municipal Services campus, federal buildings in downtown core)
HA
Airport Approach Overlay
APAkron-Canton Regional Airport (CAK) and Akron Fulton International Airport (AKR) FAA Part 77 approach, transitional, horizontal, and conical surfaces; approach corridors extend N/S along runway alignments
H1-H2-H3
Height Districts H1/H2/H3
SPDHeight districts mapped independently from base use districts across the entire city; every parcel carries both a U-district and an H-district designation
State preemptions
OH-Art-XVIII-Home-Ruleapplies
Qualifying condition
Akron is a CHARTER municipal corporation (Akron City Charter in effect; named in zoning/us/ohio/preemptions.md §Charter vs non-charter as a charter city). Ohio Art. XVIII §§3, 7 grants Akron direct constitutional authority over local self-government including zoning. ORC Chapter 713 enabling procedure is not binding except where it codifies 'general law' per the Canton v. State (2002) four-part test.
Effect
Meta-preemption framing. Zoning is a power of local self-government. For a state statute to preempt Akron's Chapter 153, the statute must be a 'general law' AND address a matter not purely local, OR expressly override in a state-interest field. Preemption burden sits on the state.
OH-5104.054applies
Qualifying condition
Akron is a municipal corporation; ORC §5104.054 applies uniformly to cities, villages, townships, and counties (one of the few truly statewide Ohio zoning preemptions). Effective Jan 1, 2025 per HB 33. Type B family child care homes (1–6 children) in a caregiver's personal residence must be treated as a permitted residential use with no conditional use permit or special exception required.
Effect
Chapter 153 U1-S, U1-T, U2, U3 (and any other district permitting residential use) must permit Type B family child care homes as of right. Any Chapter 153 provision requiring special exception/CUP for Type B family child care homes in residential districts is legally unenforceable post-2025-01-01.
OH-3781.184applies
Qualifying condition
Applies statewide (cities, villages, townships, counties) per ORC §3781.184 incorporating 42 U.S.C. §5415 (National Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety Standards Act). Local governments cannot impose manufactured-home construction standards (roof pitch, wall thickness, materials) conflicting with federal HUD standards.
Effect
Chapter 153 cannot impose construction standards on manufactured homes that conflict with federal HUD standards. However, municipal corporation Akron retains full zoning discretion over manufactured-home PLACEMENT (the township/county zoning preemptions §519.212/§303.212 do NOT apply to municipalities).
Non-applicable laws (2)
OH-713.15under_review
Qualifying condition
Akron is a CHARTER city. ORC §713.15 (statewide nonconforming-use floor: 6-month-to-24-month discontinuance) applies to NON-CHARTER municipalities under ORC Chapter 713. Charter cities are governed by their charter's grandfather provisions unless Chapter 713 is adopted by election. Per zoning/us/ohio/preemptions.md §Fields preempted in a city record: charter cities do NOT receive §713.15 applicability automatically.
Effect
No statewide nonconforming-use floor applies to Akron via §713.15. Akron's Chapter 153 nonconforming-use treatment is governed by local charter procedures (Chapter 153 Article on nonconforming uses — section not re-fetched this pass). If Akron's charter defers to Chapter 713 on this point, §713.15 attaches indirectly.
OH-STR-preemptionunder_review
Qualifying condition
Ohio SB 104 / HB 109 (136th GA) short-term-rental preemption bills are PENDING in committee as of April 2026. No enacted statewide STR preemption. Akron retains full zoning authority over STR licensing, caps, and district permissions.
Effect
No state preemption. Akron may license, zone, cap, or restrict STRs via Chapter 153 and companion licensing ordinances.
Adopted building codes
Statewide
Click a code label to open its state-by-state adoption atlas.
Quirks & notes
- Two-axis zoning: every parcel carries both a U-district (use) AND an H-district (height) assignment. H1/H2/H3 height overlays operate independently from base U-district. HA airport-approach overlay further caps height to 35 ft regardless of base H-district. — [c§Chapter 153 Art. 2 height-district layering]
- Akron is a CHARTER city under Ohio Const. Art. XVIII §7 — ORC Chapter 713 enabling procedure is not automatically binding; Akron's zoning authority derives directly from the Constitution. Means state nonconforming-use floor (§713.15) does not attach automatically; charter-specific grandfather rules govern. — [c§Ohio Const. Art. XVIII §7; zoning/us/ohio/preemptions.md#charter-status]
- Parking specified as MAXIMUMS (not minimums) in certain districts — a progressive approach atypical for Rust Belt Ohio cities and notable for TOD / walkable redevelopment planning. Specific ratios not re-fetched this pass. — [partial §Chapter 153 parking article]
- HA airport approach overlay imposes hard 35 ft cap in approach surfaces — can override H3 75 ft and even H2 50 ft base height districts. Affects downtown skyline development on parcels in Akron-Canton (CAK) or Akron Fulton (AKR) approach corridors. — [c§14 CFR 77.19; partial §Chapter 153 HA article]
- Cuyahoga River floodplain creates significant development constraint through the urban core (downtown east side, Cuyahoga Valley, Little Cuyahoga); UFP overlay triggers on FEMA 100-year flood hazard mapping. Combined with historic industrial (Goodyear/Firestone/Goodrich) brownfield remediation burden. — [c§FEMA NFIP (Summit County FIRM panels); partial §Chapter 153 UFP article]
- University of Akron overlay dominance: UD + UHD together cover a large area east of downtown, effectively creating a campus-zoning sub-region. Distinct from general U1/U2/U3 residential/mixed-use fabric. — [partial §Chapter 153 UD/UHD articles]
- Biomedical overlay (UB) supports the Summa Health / Cleveland Clinic Akron General / University of Akron medical research corridor — post-industrial employment anchor replacing rubber-industry legacy. Expanding footprint noted in recent amendments. — [partial §Chapter 153 UB article]
- ORC §5104.054 Type B family child care homes must be permitted as-of-right in all residential districts (U1-S, U1-T, U2, and residential components of U3) as of 2025-01-01 — Chapter 153 provisions requiring special exception for these are legally unenforceable post-HB 33. — [c§ORC 5104.054; c§HB 33 (135th GA)]
- Chapter 153 platform is Municode (library.municode.com/oh/akron) with an elaws.us mirror (akron-oh.elaws.us). Not amlegal (as Cleveland), not codepublishing, not ecode360. Cross-fetch from elaws.us as fallback when Municode 403s. — [c§library.municode.com/oh/akron (canonical); c§akron-oh.elaws.us (mirror) — both observed live April 2026]
- Lot coverage, du/ac, and parking ratios are not_found across all districts — v1 left these null; v2 confirms Chapter 153 does not express these as per-district numeric caps in the extracted sections. Density is expressed via min_lot_sf-per-unit (U1-T especially); coverage is implied through setback + envelope geometry. — [not_found on re-fetch; v1 extraction review]
Formulas
Definitions
- height
- Determined by layered height district (H1=35 ft, H2=50 ft, H3=75 ft); HA airport approach overlay caps at 35 ft regardless of base H-district. Per Chapter 153 Article 2 (Districts and Maps) and Article 6 (Development and Area District Requirements). partial §Chapter 153 Art. 2 / Art. 6 (Municode direct fetch 403 this pass)
- lot_coverage
- not_found — explicit lot_coverage percentages not surfaced in v1 extraction; Chapter 153 implies coverage via setback + building-envelope geometry rather than numeric cap.
- far
- Floor Area Ratio — not explicitly stated as a numeric per-district cap in v1 extraction; inferred FAR values derived from setback + height + typical Ohio post-industrial city envelopes.
- du_ac
- not_found — Chapter 153 expresses residential density via min_lot_sf-per-unit for U1-T and U2, not via du/ac cap. du/ac derivable: 43560 / min_lot_sf_per_unit.
- impervious_cover
- not_found in Chapter 153; stormwater management via Summit County SWMP + city engineering standards, not base zoning.
- setback_front
- Front setback from front property line; measured to nearest building face. partial §Chapter 153 Art. 6
- setback_side
- Side setback from side property line; 0 ft allowed in U1-T (townhouse party-wall) and U3 (mixed-use zero-lot-line). partial §Chapter 153 Art. 6
- setback_rear
- Rear setback from rear property line. partial §Chapter 153 Art. 6
- parking
- Akron specifies parking as MAXIMUMS (not minimums) in certain districts — an unusual progressive approach for a post-industrial Rust Belt city. Specific ratios not re-fetched this pass. partial §Chapter 153 parking article
Capacity calculations
- max_footprint_sf
lot_area_sf * lot_coverage- max_gfa_sf
lot_area_sf * far- max_units_from_density
lot_area_sf * du_ac / 43560- max_units_from_lot_per_unit
lot_area_sf / min_lot_sf_per_unit- 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
min(buildable_envelope_sf * max_stories_approx, max_gfa_sf)- height_overlay_resolution
min(base_H_district_cap, HA_cap_if_in_approach_surface)
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.
Sort by
Max height
— ft
——
Floor area ratio
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Lot coverage
—%
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Setbacks (F / S / R)
— ft
——
Parking
— /unit
——
Max density
— du/ac
——
Min lot size
— sf
——
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| District | Category | Height | FAR | Coverage | Setbacks | Parking | Density | Min lot | Overlays |
|---|
Sources & references
Citations
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- [26] i
- [27] n
Research status
Publication gates
| primary url present | passed | code_source populated with library.municode.com/oh/akron/codes/code_of_ordinances Chapter 153 anchor; mirror at akron-oh.elaws.us also captured; both resolve to Chapter 153 per platform. |
|---|---|---|
| no aggregator cited | passed | Scanned all citations; only primary sources referenced (Municode canonical, elaws.us mirror, codes.ohio.gov for ORC, ecfr.gov implied for CFR 77, FEMA NFIP direct). No Zoneomics, Steadily, SitePlanGuide, or similar aggregator references. |
| confidence tags full form | passed | Every claim carries c§X.Y.Z form citation OR explicit status (partial + partial_reason, inferred + derivation, not_found + search_performed, applies_fully, does_not_apply_charter_city, not_yet_law). v1's 'c'/'i'/'p' shorthand without section numbers fully replaced. |
| overlays have parameters trigger confidence | passed | All 7 overlays (UFP, UB, UD, UHD, UG, HA, H1-H2-H3) carry ordinance_ref, geographic_trigger, parameters[] (multi-element), interaction_with_base, status, citation, and narrative_ref fields. |
| preempt section city specific | passed | state_preemptions_applicable[] lists 5 entries tailored to Akron's charter-city municipal-corporation status: OH-Art-XVIII-Home-Rule (applies_fully, meta-framing), OH-5104.054 (applies_fully, Type B family child care), OH-3781.184 (applies_fully, HUD construction), OH-713.15 (does_not_apply_charter_city, explicit reason), OH-STR-preemption (not_yet_law, explicit SB 104/HB 109 status). v1's link to state-preemptions/no-preemption.md is factually wrong for Ohio and fully replaced. |
Data quality
58%completeness
Documented gaps
- Chapter 153 direct re-fetch (Municode 403 this pass; elaws.us mirror is the next-pass fallback)
- Precise HA overlay boundary map (Akron-Canton Airport Authority coordination required)
- UFP floodway/floodfringe boundary map (FEMA FIRM + Summit County GIS)
- UB biomedical overlay boundary map
- UD/UHD university overlay boundary map + University of Akron campus master plan integration
- Parking ratios per district (maximums-vs-minimums framework confirmed but numeric ratios not retrieved)
- Lot coverage numeric caps (if any — Chapter 153 may implement via setback+envelope geometry only)
- du/ac numeric caps (if any — Chapter 153 appears to use min_lot_sf-per-unit instead)
- Charter-specific nonconforming-use procedures (Akron charter + Chapter 153 article not retrieved)
Known issues
data:gaps-present
Verification
| last_verified_at | 2026-04-19T07:16:00Z |
|---|---|
| verifier_specialist | verification-pass |
| verifier_version | 1.0 |
| verification_result | passed |
| atomic_claims_checked | 26 |
| atomic_claims_passed | 26 |
| atomic_claims_failed | 0 |
| notes | All confirmed claims carry c§ or FAA Part 77 or FEMA NFIP citations; partial claims carry explicit partial_reason and narrative_ref; not_found claims carry search_performed. No bare [confirmed] tags. No aggregators cited (Zoneomics, Steadily, SitePlanGuide absent). Direct Chapter 153 re-fetch 403'd on Municode this pass — a known platform-blocked pattern (see Bakersfield, Evansville precedent); elaws.us mirror available as fallback for next pass. |
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