Overview
Code type
rewrite-in-flight
Naming convention
mixed
| residential_rural_to_suburban | Letter+intensity-encoded with rural large-tract anchor: R (R-rural, 5-acre min), LRR (Limited Rural Residential), RRR (Restricted Rural Residential), RR (Rural Residential), SR (Suburban Residential), R-1 (suburban — Ch. 3332). Number suffix does NOT encode min lot in 1,000s sf. |
|---|---|
| residential_two_family_and_urban_infill | R-2 / R-2F (R-2F is two-family — §3332.14), R-3 (urban infill, 5,000 sf min — §3332.13), R-4 (highest-density single-family). |
| apartment_multifamily | Sequential AR series: AR-12 (Apartment Residential 12 — historic codification index; commonly cited at 3,600 sf/du with apartment complex on ≥20,000 sf lot per §3333.11), ARLD (Apartment Residential Low Density), AR-1, AR-2, AR-3, AR-4, AR-O (Apartment Office) — Ch. 3333. |
| low_to_high_density_special | Low/Limited Medium/Medium/High Density Residential — Chs. 3335, 3337, 3339, 3341. |
| commercial | C-1 Neighborhood (Ch. 3351), C-2 Office (Ch. 3353), C-3 Community-Scale (Ch. 3355), C-4 Regional-Scale (Ch. 3356), Highway-Oriented Commercial (Ch. 3357), Downtown District (Ch. 3359), Planned/Regional Commercial (Ch. 3361). |
| industrial | M Manufacturing (Ch. 3363), M-1 (Ch. 3365), M-2 (Ch. 3367), EQ Excavation/Quarrying (Ch. 3369). |
| special_purpose_and_overlay | Manufactured Home Park MHD (Ch. 3343), Planned Unit Development PUD (Ch. 3345), Planned Community District PCD (Ch. 3347), Institutional (Ch. 3349), University-College Research-Park (Ch. 3374), P-1 Private Parking (Ch. 3371), P-2 Public Parking (Ch. 3373), Limited Overlay (Ch. 3370), Planning Overlay (Ch. 3372 — meta-chapter for UCOs / RCOs / corridor overlays), University District Zoning Overlay (Ch. 3325), Traditional Neighborhood Development (Ch. 3320), East Franklinton District (Ch. 3323), Capitol Square Commission (Ch. 3319). |
| title_34_2024_code | Form-based + traditional mixed-use district scheme per 2024 Zoning Code (Ord. 2111-2024). Specific district codes not extracted from the 5.6MB PDF this pass (binary stream unparseable via WebFetch). Title 34 districts apply ONLY to parcels legislatively rezoned via ordinance; the first wave was 165 parcels along SR-161 between Worthington and Ponderosa Drive. |
Columbus operates TWO coexisting zoning code systems simultaneously: (1) Title 33 (Euclidean district scheme, predominant code, governs nearly all city parcels) and (2) Title 34 (2024 Zoning Code, form-leaning rewrite, adopted by Ord. 2111-2024 on July 29, 2024). Title 34 is being rolled out parcel-by-parcel via subsequent rezoning ordinances — it is NOT a uniform replacement of Title 33. This matches the spec-02 'rewrite-in-flight' archetype (LA Ch.1+Ch.1A, Cincinnati Title XI + LDC). v1 omitted Title 34 entirely. Title 33's §3309.12 Floodplain District was repealed by Ord. 2111-2024 — floodplain regulation is now handled outside the zoning code.
Worth knowing
- Two coexisting zoning codes (Title 33 + Title 34)
- Floodplain district moved out of Title 33
- v1 was template-bled — beware historical underwriting outputs
+ 4 more in Quirks & notes
Districts
res_sf 10comm 9res_mf 8ind 4mu 2inst 2
| Code | Name | Category | Min lot | Height | Coverage | FAR | Du/ac | Parking | Setbacks F/S/R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R-rural | R-rural Area District | res_sf | 217,800 sf[2] | — | — | — | 0.2[3] | — | 25[1] / — / — |
| LRR | LRR — Limited Rural Residential | res_sf | — | — | — | — | — | — | 25[4] / — / — |
| RRR | RRR — Restricted Rural Residential | res_sf | — | — | — | — | — | — | 25[5] / — / — |
| RR | RR — Rural Residential | res_sf | — | — | — | — | — | — | 25[6] / — / — |
| SR | SR — Suburban Residential | res_sf | — | — | — | — | — | — | 25[7] / — / — |
| R-1 | R-1 Residential District | res_sf | — | — | — | — | — | — | 25[8] / — / — |
| R-2 | R-2 Residential District | res_sf | — | — | — | — | — | — | 25[9] / — / — |
| R-2F | R-2F Two-Family Residential District | res_mf | — | — | — | — | 12.1[11] | — | 25[10] / — / — |
| R-3 | R-3 Residential District | res_sf | 5,000 sf[13] | — | — | — | 8.71[14] | — | 25[12] / — / — |
| R-4 | R-4 Residential District (highest-density single-family) | res_sf | — | — | — | — | — | — | 25[15] / — / — |
| AR-12 | AR-12 Apartment Residential District | res_mf | — | — | — | — | 12.1[16] | — | — / — / — |
| ARLD | ARLD Apartment Residential Low Density District | res_mf | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| AR-1 | AR-1 Apartment Residential District | res_mf | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| AR-2 | AR-2 Apartment Residential District | res_mf | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| AR-3 | AR-3 Apartment Residential District | res_mf | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| AR-4 | AR-4 Apartment Residential District | res_mf | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| AR-O | AR-O Apartment Office District | res_mf | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| C-1 | C-1 Neighborhood Commercial District | comm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| C-2 | C-2 Office Commercial District | comm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| C-3 | C-3 Community-Scale Commercial District | comm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| C-4 | C-4 Regional-Scale Commercial District | comm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| CPD-HOC | CPD — Highway-Oriented Commercial District (chapter title 'Highway Oriented Commercial Development') | comm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| DD | Downtown District | comm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| PRC | PRC — Planned or Regional Commercial Development | comm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| M | M Manufacturing District | ind | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| M-1 | M-1 Manufacturing District | ind | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| M-2 | M-2 Manufacturing District | ind | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| EQ | EQ Excavation and Quarrying District | ind | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| MHD | MHD Manufactured Home Park District | res_sf | — | — | — | — | — | — | 25[17] / — / — |
| PUD | PUD Planned Unit Development District | mu | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| PCD | PCD Planned Community District | mu | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| I | I Institutional Use District | inst | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| P-1 | P-1 Private Parking District | comm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| P-2 | P-2 Public Parking District | comm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| UCRP | UCRP University-College Research Park | inst | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
Confidence: confirmed partial under review not found
Overlays
PLAN-OVL
Planning Overlay (meta-chapter — Urban Commercial Overlays, Regional Commercial Overlays, corridor overlays)
DTLIM-OVL
Limited Overlay
SPDUDZO
University District Zoning Overlay
DTTND
Traditional Neighborhood Development
DTEFD
East Franklinton District
SPDCAP-SQ
Capitol Square Special District
SPDAREA-COMM-HP
Area Commission Historic / Design Review (Italian Village, Victorian Village, German Village, Near East, others)
HPNFIP-SFHA
FEMA NFIP Special Flood Hazard Area (Federal Floor — local Title 33 implementation REPEALED)
FPFAA-PART-77
FAA Part 77 Airport Approach Surfaces (CMH and OSU)
APState preemptions
OH-Art-XVIII-Home-Ruleapplies
Qualifying condition
Columbus is a CHARTER municipal corporation (Columbus City Charter approved by voters 1914-05-05; effective 1916-01-01; named in zoning/us/ohio/preemptions.md as a charter city). Ohio Const. Art. XVIII §§3, 7 grants Columbus 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 Columbus's Title 33 and Title 34, 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
Columbus 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
Title 33 Ch. 3332 (R-rural through R-4 residential), Ch. 3333 (AR apartment districts), Chs. 3335/3337/3339/3341 (density-tier residential), and any other Title 33 or Title 34 district permitting residential use must permit Type B family child care homes as of right. Any 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
Title 33 (and Title 34) cannot impose construction standards on manufactured homes that conflict with federal HUD standards. However, municipal corporation Columbus retains full zoning discretion over manufactured-home PLACEMENT (the township/county zoning preemptions §519.212/§303.212 do NOT apply to municipalities). Columbus's MHD (Manufactured Home Park) district at Ch. 3343 sets placement parameters under local authority.
OH-DORAapplies
Qualifying condition
Columbus is a municipal corporation. ORC §4301.82 enables DORA designation by ordinance subject to population-tier size limits. Columbus has multiple designated DORAs (Short North, Downtown, Brewery District, others designated via ordinance).
Effect
Within designated DORA boundaries, the baseline open-container prohibition is waived; liquor permit holders may sell for outdoor consumption. Does NOT override zoning use standards — DORAs are a liquor-control overlay, not a zoning overlay.
OH-Opportunity-Zone-Tax-Creditapplies
Qualifying condition
Several Columbus census tracts (in Linden, Near East, Franklinton, Hilltop, and South Side) were federally designated Opportunity Zones under 26 U.S.C. §1400Z-1. ORC §122.84 layers a 10% nonrefundable Ohio income tax credit on top of federal OZ designations for investors in Ohio Qualified Opportunity Funds.
Effect
No zoning fields preempted. State tax-credit overlay flagged for downstream underwriting on OZ-designated Columbus tracts.
OH-CRA-Community-Reinvestment-Areaapplies
Qualifying condition
Columbus operates numerous Community Reinvestment Areas per ORC §§3735.65–3735.70 (downtown, Linden, Near East, dozens of others). Specific roster not re-fetched this pass.
Effect
No zoning fields preempted. CRA is an opt-in tax-abatement framework that runs parallel to zoning. Captured for downstream underwriting flag.
Non-applicable laws (5)
OH-713.15does_not_apply_charter_city
Qualifying condition
Columbus is a CHARTER city (1914 charter, effective 1916). 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: charter cities do NOT receive §713.15 applicability automatically.
Effect
No statewide nonconforming-use floor applies to Columbus via §713.15. Title 33 nonconforming-use chapter governs per local charter authority.
OH-713-Municipal-Zoning-Enablingdoes_not_apply_charter_city
Qualifying condition
Columbus is a CHARTER city; ORC Chapter 713 (procedural zoning enabling for non-charter cities) is not automatically binding on Columbus's charter-derived authority. Columbus's charter governs zoning adoption and amendment procedure.
Effect
Chapter 713 procedural floors (§713.06 PC authority, §713.12 30-day public hearing notice, §713.15 nonconforming) do not automatically attach. Columbus's charter + Title 33 Chs. 3305 (Administration), 3307 (BZA), 3310/3317 (Amendments) govern.
OH-519-21-Township-Agricultural-Preemptiondoes_not_apply_municipal_corporation
Qualifying condition
Columbus is a municipal corporation, not an unincorporated township. ORC §519.21 applies only to townships under Chapter 519.
Effect
No statewide ag preemption applies; Columbus retains full zoning authority over agricultural use within corporate limits.
OH-519-212-Township-Manufactured-Home-Zoningdoes_not_apply_municipal_corporation
Qualifying condition
Columbus is a municipal corporation. ORC §519.212 (permanently-sited manufactured home placement preemption) applies only to townships.
Effect
No statewide manufactured-home placement preemption; Columbus retains full zoning authority via Title 33 Ch. 3343 (MHD Manufactured Home Park District).
OH-STR-preemptionnot_yet_law
Qualifying condition
Ohio SB 104 / HB 109 (136th GA) short-term-rental preemption bills are PENDING in committee as of April-May 2026. No enacted statewide STR preemption. Columbus retains full zoning authority over STR licensing, caps, and district permissions.
Effect
No state preemption. Columbus may license, zone, cap, or restrict STRs via Title 33/Title 34 and companion licensing ordinances.
Adopted building codes
Statewide
Click a code label to open its state-by-state adoption atlas.
Quirks & notes
- Two coexisting zoning codes (Title 33 + Title 34)
- Floodplain district moved out of Title 33
- v1 was template-bled — beware historical underwriting outputs
- Building line is a function of thoroughfare-plan ROW, not a fixed setback
- Rear yard governed by percentage rule, not fixed feet
- Area Commission framework is design-review machinery, not historic-district preemption
- AR-12 number does NOT encode min lot size in 1,000s sf
Formulas
Definitions
- height
- Maximum vertical distance from grade to top of structure; measured per Title 33 definitions in Ch. 3303. Detached private garage and carport capped at 15 ft absolute per §3332.38.
- lot_coverage
- Building footprint area divided by total lot area. Explicit lot_coverage caps are NOT surfaced for most Title 33 base districts in this pass — coverage is implied via setback + envelope geometry and the §3332.27 rear-yard rule. v1 carried 0.5 for all districts; this is a CONVERTER ARTIFACT, not a Title 33 numeric. Demoted.
- far
- Floor Area Ratio. v1 carried 0.5 for all districts; this is a CONVERTER ARTIFACT, not a Title 33 numeric. Title 33 residential districts do not generally impose FAR caps in the published dimensional tables. Demoted.
- du_per_acre
- Dwelling units per acre. For SF tier, derived from min_lot_sf-per-unit (43560 / min_lot_sf). For AR-12, computed from §3333.11's 3,600 sf per du = 12.1 du/ac.
- building_line_default
- Per §3332.21, the building line (front yard) equals one-half of the designated right-of-way width of the frontage street per the Columbus thoroughfare plan; if the street is not on the plan, the default is 25 ft. Applies in R-rural, LRR, RRR, RR, SR, R-1, R-2, R-3, R-2F, R-4, and MHD districts.
- rear_yard_general_rule
- Per §3332.27 (general Title 33 §), rear yard ≥25% of total lot area (a coverage-based rule, not a fixed-feet rule). Applied generally across residential districts.
Capacity calculations
- max_du_sf_district
lot_area_sf / min_lot_area_per_unit_sf (district-specific)- max_du_ar_12
lot_area_sf / 3600- max_du_apartment_complex
lot_area_sf / 20000 (minimum lot floor; district-specific maximum density applies above the floor)- buildable_envelope_sf_approx
(lot_width_ft - 2*setback_side_ft) * (lot_depth_ft - setback_front_ft - setback_rear_ft)- max_stories_approx
max_height_ft / 10
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
—
——
Lot coverage
—%
——
Setbacks (F / S / R)
— ft
——
Parking
— /unit
——
Max density
— du/ac
——
Min lot size
— sf
——
Copy zoning profile
Loading…
| District | Category | Height | FAR | Coverage | Setbacks | Parking | Density | Min lot | Overlays |
|---|
Sources & references
Citations
- [1] artial §3332.21 — default 25 ft where street not on thoroughfare plan; otherwise one-half of designated ROW width
- [2] §3332.06 — 'no less than five acres in area' = 217,800 sf
- [3] inferred
- [4] artial §3332.21 — default 25 ft per Title 33 building-line rule
- [5] artial §3332.21
- [6] artial §3332.21
- [7] artial §3332.21
- [8] artial §3332.21 — applies to R-1 per §3332.21 enumeration
- [9] artial §3332.21 — applies to R-2 per §3332.21 enumeration
- [10] artial §3332.21 — applies to R-2F per §3332.21 enumeration
- [11] inferred
- [12] artial §3332.21 — applies to R-3 per §3332.21 enumeration
- [13] §3332.13 — 'in an R-3 area district, a single-family dwelling or other principal building shall be situated on a lot of no less than 5,000 square feet in area'
- [14] inferred
- [15] artial §3332.21 — applies to R-4 per §3332.21 enumeration
- [16] inferred
- [17] artial §3332.21 — applies to MHD per §3332.21 enumeration
Research status
Publication gates
| primary url present | passed | https://library.municode.com/oh/columbus/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TIT33ZOCO (Title 33) + Title 34 mirror |
|---|---|---|
| no aggregator cited | passed | scan clean — no zoneomics/steadily/siteplanguide/siteplancreator/propwire/zonara/unzoned references |
| confidence tags full form | passed | 7 confirmed fields each carry §-citation; partial/not_found fields carry paired companion fields (search_performed, not_captured_reason, conditional) |
| overlays have parameters trigger confidence | passed | all 9 overlays carry parameters[], geographic_trigger, status, and §-citation |
| preempt section city specific | passed | 11 preemption laws with Columbus-specific qualifying_condition_checked (population 905,748 / county 1,323,807 / charter status 1914 / OZ tracts in Linden,Near East,Franklinton,Hilltop,South Side / multiple designated CRAs) |
Data quality
42%completeness7 confirmed32 partial3 inferred95 not found
Documented gaps
- Title 34 district codes and dimensional standards not extracted — requires offline pdftotext of the 5.6MB Title 34 PDF
- Title 33 max_height_ft for residential and commercial districts not surfaced via snippet harvest — Municode SPA gating blocks direct fetch
- Title 33 commercial (C-1, C-2, C-3, C-4) and industrial (M, M-1, M-2, EQ) dimensional tables not extracted
- Title 33 Ch. 3312 parking ratios per use class not extracted
- Per-overlay UCO/RCO parameters not extracted (only chapter-level confirmation)
- Post-2024 local floodplain implementation chapter location not identified (§3309.12 repealed; replacement TBD)
Known issues
data:gaps-present
Other cities in this state
Nearest-alphabetical profiles. Click through to compare zoning patterns side-by-side.