Zoning › Tennessee › Shelby County › Memphis

Memphis, TN Zoning

Euclidean-zoning. 30 districts · 12 overlays · 6 applicable state preemptions.

Overview

Code type
euclidean
Naming convention
mixed

Joint Memphis + unincorporated Shelby County code (one document governs both jurisdictions). Adopted as Title 15 of Memphis Code and Appendix C of Shelby County Code via Memphis & Shelby County Land Use Control Board (LUCB). Major rewrite ('UDC Update 2025/2026') in progress with Public Draft 2 released May 2026 (per develop901/901udcupdate.com); the ZTA 24-2 PDF remains the operative effective code as of May 2026. UDC is divided into 12 Articles. Article 2 Districts and Uses (Chapter 2.1 District inventory). Article 3 Building Envelope Standards has the dimensional tables: 3.6 single-family residential, 3.7 residential urban, 3.10 mixed-use and industrial. Article 7 special-purpose districts (SCBID, U-district + sub-districts). Article 8 overlay districts (-MO, -UDO, -MD, -RC, -H, -AP, -FP, -FC, -NC, -TOD, -Wellhead). | naming_convention_raw=mixed: lot-size-encoded for single-family (R-15 = 15,000 sf min, R-10, R-8, R-6, R-3), use-index for urban (RU-1..RU-5) and mixed-use (CMU-1..CMU-3), letter-code for special-purpose (CBD, CIV, SCBID, U, SM, etc.) ; sub_flags_raw=[unified-city-county, pdf-only-canonical, udc-rewrite-in-progress-2025-2026] ; narrative_ref=narratives/memphis-tn/drain-20260518T072625-tn-06.json

Worth knowing
  • Unified city-county code (joint Memphis + unincorporated Shelby) — Single UDC adopted by both Memphis City Council and Shelby County Commission governs zoning and subdivision for Memphis and unincorporated Shelby County. Memphis & Shelby County Land Use Control Board (LUCB) is the joint review body. Rare structure outside true consolidated-government cities like Nashville/Davidson (which uses a Metro Charter, not a joint code). — [§1.2A (Applicability); §1.4 (Authority); §9.1 (Review Bodies)]
  • UDC rewrite in progress 2025-2026 (Public Draft 2 May 2026) — A comprehensive rewrite of the UDC has been in public review since March 2026 (Public Draft 1) with Public Draft 2 released May 2026 and a new Zoning Map Draft 2 released April 10, 2026. The ZTA 24-2 codification at shelbycountytn.gov/DocumentCenter/View/40803 remains the operative effective code as of May 18, 2026; adoption timeline for the rewrite is post-May-2026. — [develop901.com/udc; 901udcupdate.com/documents]
  • Lot-size-encoded single-family districts (R-15/R-10/R-8/R-6/R-3) — Single-family districts are named by minimum lot size in thousands of square feet — R-15 = 15,000 sf, R-10 = 10,000 sf, R-8 = 8,000 sf, R-6 = 6,000 sf, R-3 = 3,000 sf. Same convention as Bartlett RS-18/15/12/10 (Shelby County peer city, post-2010 reflowed naming). — [§2.2.2C; §3.6.1]

+ 12 more in Quirks & notes

Districts

spec 9res_sf 7mu 6res_mf 5ind 3
CodeNameCategory Min lotHeight CoverageFAR Du/acParking Setbacks F/S/R
C-AConservation Agriculturespec43,560 sf[4]40 ft[5]———1[6]60[1] / 20[2] / 40[3]
R-EResidential – Estateres_sf22,000 sf[10]40 ft[11]——2[12]1[13]50[7] / 15[8] / 40[9]
R-15Residential Single-Family – 15res_sf15,000 sf[17]40 ft[18]——2.9[19]1[20]30[14] / 5[15] / 25[16]
R-10Residential Single-Family – 10res_sf10,000 sf[24]40 ft[25]——4.4[26]1[27]20[21] / 5[22] / 20[23]
R-8Residential Single-Family – 8res_sf8,000 sf[31]40 ft[32]——5.4[33]1[34]20[28] / 5[29] / 20[30]
R-6Residential Single-Family – 6res_sf6,000 sf[38]40 ft[39]——7.3[40]1[41]20[35] / 3.5[36] / 15[37]
R-3Residential Single-Family – 3res_sf3,000 sf[45]40 ft[46]——14.5[47]1[48]15[42] / 2.5[43] / 15[44]
R-MPManufactured Home Parkres_sf4,000 sf[52]35 ft[53]40[54]—10.9[55]2[56]25[49] / 5[50] / 15[51]
RU-1Residential Urban – 1res_mf6,000 sf[60]45 ft[61]———1[62]20[57] / 5[58] / 20[59]
RU-2Residential Urban – 2res_mf6,000 sf[66]45 ft[67]———1[68]20[63] / 5[64] / 20[65]
RU-3Residential Urban – 3res_mf6,000 sf[72]45 ft[73]———1.25[74]20[69] / 5[70] / 20[71]
RU-4Residential Urban – 4res_mf6,000 sf[78]75 ft[79]———1[80]20[75] / 5[76] / 20[77]
RU-5Residential Urban – 5res_mf6,000 sf[84]105 ft[85]———1[86]20[81] / 5[82] / 20[83]
RWResidential Workmu5,000 sf[90]50 ft[91]———2[92]20[87] / 5[88] / 10[89]
OGOffice Generalmu—125 ft[96]———3.33[97]20[93] / 5[94] / 5[95]
CMU-1Commercial Mixed Use – 1mu10,000 sf[101]48 ft[102]———3.33[103]20[98] / 5[99] / 5[100]
CMU-2Commercial Mixed Use – 2mu20,000 sf[107]75 ft[108]———3.33[109]20[104] / 5[105] / 5[106]
CMU-3Commercial Mixed Use – 3mu—75 ft[113]———3.33[114]20[110] / 5[111] / 5[112]
CBDCentral Business Districtmu—————0[118]2[115] / 10[116] / 0[117]
CMP-1Campus Master Plan – 1spec10,000 sf[122]125 ft[123]———0[124]20[119] / 5[120] / 5[121]
CMP-2Campus Master Plan – 2spec20,000 sf[128]75 ft[129]———0[130]20[125] / 5[126] / 5[127]
EMPEmploymentind20,000 sf[134]60 ft[135]———0[136]30[131] / 5[132] / 5[133]
WDWarehouse & Distributionind20,000 sf[140]60 ft[141]———0[142]30[137] / 5[138] / 5[139]
IHHeavy Industrialind20,000 sf[146]100 ft[147]———0[148]30[143] / 5[144] / 5[145]
PParksspec——————— / — / —
OSOpen Spacespec——5[149]———— / — / —
FWFloodwayspec——————— / — / —
CIVCivicspec——————— / — / —
SCBIDSouth Central Business Improvement Districtspec——————— / — / —
UUptown Districtspec——————— / — / —

Confidence: confirmed partial under review not found

Overlays

-H
Historic Overlay District
SPEC
UDC Chapter 8.6

Areas designated on the Zoning Map with the -H suffix; designation by Memphis Landmarks Commission (or county equivalent) via zoning change procedure per Section 8.6.2; criteria per §8.6.2E (events/persons/architecture/archaeology/NRHP-listed).

-AP
Airport Overlay District
SPEC
UDC Chapter 8.7

Properties around Memphis International Airport (MEM), Millington Regional Jetport (NQA), DeWitt Spain Airport (M01), Charles Baker Airport (2M8), and Olive Branch Airport (OLV); height-control surfaces maintained by the Airport Authority; in case of discrepancy, Authority maps prevail over the UDC Zoning Map (§8.7.1).

-FP
Floodplain Overlay District
SPEC
UDC Chapter 8.8

Areas of Special Flood Hazard identified on the most current City of Memphis and Shelby County FEMA Flood Insurance Study (FIS) and Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM), Community Panel Number 47157C, adopted by reference (§8.8.3B).

-MO
Medical Overlay District
spec
UDC Chapter 8.2

Memphis Medical District area as designated on the Zoning Map with -MO suffix; overlay tailored to the Memphis Medical Center / Methodist / St. Jude / Regional One / UTHSC corridor.

-UDO
University District Overlay
spec
UDC Chapter 8.3

University of Memphis area and surrounding neighborhoods as designated on Zoning Map with -UDO suffix.

-MD
Midtown District Overlay
spec
UDC Chapter 8.4

Midtown Memphis (generally inside the Parkways) per Zoning Map -MD suffix; cross-referenced as 'Zone 1' on Map 3 of §4.9.7D for sign and form purposes.

-RC
Residential Corridor Overlay District
SPEC
UDC Chapter 8.5

Specific arterials/corridors as designated on Zoning Map with -RC suffix; intended to manage transitions along residential-bordering corridors.

-FC
Fletcher Creek Overlay District
SPEC
UDC Chapter 8.9

Fletcher Creek watershed in Cordova/north Memphis as designated on Zoning Map with -FC suffix; intended to limit flood risk and protect water quality along the Fletcher Creek drainage.

-WHP
Wellhead Overlay Protection District
SPEC
UDC Chapter 8.12

Memphis Sand Aquifer wellhead protection areas as designated per the Memphis-Shelby County wellhead protection program; aligned with MLGW and state TDEC wellhead protection mapping.

-TOD
Transit Overlay District
SPEC
UDC Chapter 8.13

Areas along major transit corridors (MATA bus rapid transit / fixed-route corridors) as designated on Zoning Map with -TOD suffix.

-TO
Transitional Office Overlay
spec
UDC Chapter 2.1 (overlay list); applicable standards distributed across Article 8

Listed in §2.1 District inventory as a recognized overlay suffix (-TO). Specific provisions distributed across the UDC where transitional office uses are permitted within underlying residential districts.

-NC
Neighborhood Conservation Overlay
spec
UDC §2.1 (overlay list); standards via overlay-specific zoning text

Designated neighborhoods seeking conservation-style protections short of historic overlay; listed as -NC in §2.1.

State preemptions

TN-STR-ACTapplies
Qualifying condition
{"inputs": {"jurisdiction_type": "TN home-rule municipality + consolidated county zoning under same UDC", "population_2024": 610936, "vintage": "Census 2024 estimate; Memphis incorporated since 1819"}, "threshold_compared": "Statute applies to all 'local governmental units' in TN \u2014 no population threshold", "result": "applies"} | city_specific_note=Memphis adopted a short-term rental ordinance in 2020 (Memphis Code §6-88 / Ordinance 5688); the ordinance imposes permit + tax + use-condition requirements. Under §13-24-102 grandfathering, STRs operating lawfully before the 2020 effective date are protected as nonconforming uses. The UDC itself does not contain STR-specific zoning standards beyond the use table — the substantive STR rules live in the Memphis Code §6-88 (City Code, separate from the UDC).
Effect
Any Memphis (and unincorporated Shelby County) STR ordinance cannot retroactively prohibit pre-existing lawfully operating STRs. Pre-ordinance STRs are grandfathered in perpetuity. Prospective regulation (registration, permitting, occupancy, noise, tax) permitted. The 2024 PC 963 'functional denial' bar applies — registration / permit / fee regimes cannot be structured to effectively eliminate grandfathered units.
TN-IZ-BANapplies
Qualifying condition
{"inputs": {"jurisdiction_type": "TN home-rule municipality", "population_2024": 610936}, "threshold_compared": "Statute applies to all 'local governmental units' \u2014 no population threshold", "result": "applies"} | city_specific_note=The UDC does NOT contain mandatory inclusionary zoning. Memphis has historically operated voluntary density-bonus and PILOT-tied affordability programs (administered by Memphis Housing Authority / Memphis-Shelby Community Redevelopment Agency / Housing Trust Fund); these remain compliant with §6-54-127. UDC §3.7 Commentary on no-maximum-density removes one common IZ vector. mandatory_iz_preempted = false (no conflict observed in UDC text).
Effect
Memphis may not enact mandatory affordable set-asides tied to zoning approvals, building permits, or COs. Voluntary density-bonus or direct-subsidy-tied affordability programs are permitted (and explicitly safe-harbored by the 2024 attainable-housing legislation).
TN-MH-PARITYapplies
Qualifying condition
{"inputs": {"residential_districts_permitting_sfd": ["C-A", "R-E", "R-15", "R-10", "R-8", "R-6", "R-3", "RU-1", "RU-2", "RU-3", "RU-4"], "manufactured_home_districts": ["R-MP"]}, "threshold_compared": "Statute prohibits exclusion of HUD-code manufactured homes from any residential district where SFD is permitted, except via parity-equivalent compatibility standards", "result": "applies \u2014 Memphis confines manufactured homes to the R-MP Manufactured Home Park district (\u00a73.6.3); HUD-code MH on individual SF lots in R-15/R-10/etc. would need a parity-equivalence analysis under \u00a713-24-211"} | city_specific_note=UDC §3.6 single-family districts permit only 'one single-family detached principal dwelling unit per lot' (§2.2.2C). Permitted Use Table (§2.5) confines manufactured homes to R-MP. This is the classic TN parity-risk pattern (de facto exclusion of MH from non-park SF districts) — a §13-24-211 challenge is plausible. Flag for parity audit; not auto-resolved here. The 2025 PC tightened parity test post-dates the ZTA 24-2 codification.
Effect
If a HUD-code manufactured home (post-1976) meets the same compatibility standards as a site-built home in an R-15/R-10/R-8/R-6/R-3 district, the UDC cannot exclude it. The R-MP district is a separate manufactured-home-park overlay, not an exclusion mechanism. Practical effect: any UDC compatibility standard (foundation, roof pitch, siding) must be 'facially and functionally equivalent' between MH and site-built SFD in the same district.
TN-Greenbeltapplies
Qualifying condition
{"inputs": {"agricultural_district_present": true, "ca_district_acreage_present": "Yes \u2014 C-A Conservation Agriculture district at \u00a73.6.1 with 1-4 acre minimum lots"}, "threshold_compared": "Greenbelt classification (15+ ac ag/forest; 3+ ac open space) tied to assessor classification, not UDC; rollback applies at conversion / rezoning / subdivision", "result": "applies \u2014 C-A district parcels and unincorporated Shelby County farms with 15+ ac are common Greenbelt candidates"} | city_specific_note=Shelby County Assessor's office maintains the Greenbelt roll. C-A district (§3.6.1) is the UDC's primary ag-zone container in unincorporated Shelby; flag any C-A or large fringe parcel for Greenbelt-rollback liability at site selection.
Effect
Conversion of Greenbelt-classified C-A or unincorporated farm parcels triggers rollback tax: 3-year (ag/forest) or 5-year (open space) of market-vs-use-value tax difference + interest at conversion/rezoning/subdivision (not sale).
TN-13-7-208-Nonconformingapplies
Qualifying condition
{"inputs": {"jurisdiction_type": "TN home-rule municipality + consolidated county zoning"}, "threshold_compared": "Applies to any TN municipality + county", "result": "applies"} | city_specific_note=UDC Article 10 (Nonconformities) governs locally; §10.2-10.6 cover use/structure/lot nonconformities. UDC §10.10 (Historic Multi-Family) and §10.11 (MLGW) add Memphis-specific exceptions. State-law protection at TCA §13-7-208 sits ABOVE local nonconformity regulations.
Effect
Any lawfully established industrial/commercial use pre-dating a Memphis (or unincorporated Shelby) zoning change is protected; cannot be terminated by subsequent zoning change absent discontinuance.
TN-PC1101-GrowthPlanapplies
Qualifying condition
{"inputs": {"jurisdiction_type": "TN home-rule municipality within county with adopted PC 1101 growth plan", "shelby_county_growth_plan_status": "adopted via LGPAC certification; Shelby County is among the 95 TN counties with a registered plan per TACIR"}, "threshold_compared": "All 95 TN counties required to adopt; all have done so", "result": "applies \u2014 Memphis UGB and PGA/RA boundaries within Shelby County govern annexation and incorporation eligibility"} | city_specific_note=UDC §1.5B confirms direct cross-reference to the Shelby County Growth Plan. The UGB/PGA/RA assignment of any individual parcel is a load-bearing pre-zoning input that constrains annexation eligibility and infrastructure-funding priorities. Plan amendments require LGPAC re-certification.
Effect
Future Memphis annexations must occur inside the adopted Urban Growth Boundary; PGA (Planned Growth Area) zones in unincorporated Shelby allow higher-intensity development and new municipal incorporations; RA (Rural Area) zones are preserved for ag/forestry/low-density. UDC §1.5B explicitly: 'Implements the planned growth and rural areas of the adopted Shelby County Growth Plan, consistent with Public Chapter 1101.'
Non-applicable laws (1)
TN-ADU-NONEunder_review
Qualifying condition
{"inputs": {"date_checked": "2026-05-18"}, "threshold_compared": "Multiple 2024-2025 ADU bills died in committee; no statewide ADU mandate enacted", "result": "not applicable \u2014 no preempting statute"} | city_specific_note=Memphis UDC §2.7 (Accessory Structures and Uses) governs local accessory dwelling rules; restrictive relative to Nashville/Chattanooga but not preempted by state law.
Effect
ADU regulation is fully local; no state ceiling or floor.

Adopted building codes

Major cities adopt newer locally

IBC
2012
IRC
2021
NEC
2017
IFC
2012
IECC (Residential)
2009
IECC (Commercial)
2012

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

Quirks & notes

  • Unified city-county code (joint Memphis + unincorporated Shelby) — Single UDC adopted by both Memphis City Council and Shelby County Commission governs zoning and subdivision for Memphis and unincorporated Shelby County. Memphis & Shelby County Land Use Control Board (LUCB) is the joint review body. Rare structure outside true consolidated-government cities like Nashville/Davidson (which uses a Metro Charter, not a joint code). — [§1.2A (Applicability); §1.4 (Authority); §9.1 (Review Bodies)]
  • UDC rewrite in progress 2025-2026 (Public Draft 2 May 2026) — A comprehensive rewrite of the UDC has been in public review since March 2026 (Public Draft 1) with Public Draft 2 released May 2026 and a new Zoning Map Draft 2 released April 10, 2026. The ZTA 24-2 codification at shelbycountytn.gov/DocumentCenter/View/40803 remains the operative effective code as of May 18, 2026; adoption timeline for the rewrite is post-May-2026. — [develop901.com/udc; 901udcupdate.com/documents]
  • Lot-size-encoded single-family districts (R-15/R-10/R-8/R-6/R-3) — Single-family districts are named by minimum lot size in thousands of square feet — R-15 = 15,000 sf, R-10 = 10,000 sf, R-8 = 8,000 sf, R-6 = 6,000 sf, R-3 = 3,000 sf. Same convention as Bartlett RS-18/15/12/10 (Shelby County peer city, post-2010 reflowed naming). — [§2.2.2C; §3.6.1]
  • No maximum density in multifamily / mixed-use districts — Commentary at §3.7.2 and §3.10.2: 'There are no maximum density requirements for multi-family developments that are subject to this Article.' Density is implicitly bounded only by lot-size, setback, height, and parking — not by an explicit du/ac cap. Major differentiator vs. typical TX/FL/CA suburban codes. — [§3.7.2 Commentary; §3.10.2 Commentary]
  • Cottage housing type — small-lot SF subdivisions in R-6 and R-3 — Cottage housing type permitted in R-6 (3,000 sf min, 30 ft min width, 30 ft max height) and R-3 (2,500 sf min, 25 ft min width, 30 ft max height). Doubles the SF density on a given parcel relative to the Conventional type in the same district. Memphis-specific cottage option promoted for infill missing-middle (per local press 2025 ZTA discussion). — [§3.6.1 R-6 / R-3 District tables]
  • Front setback varies by alley access — In R-10, R-8, R-6, R-3, RU-1, RU-2, RU-3, RU-4, RU-5 — front setback is reduced when alley access is provided (typically 20 ft → 15 ft). Memphis is a strongly alley-friendly code; alley-access designs unlock the cottage type and the smallest setbacks. Non-intuitive — front yard pegged to circulation pattern, not district. — [§3.6.1 and §3.7.2 dimensional tables (alley column)]
  • Flood freeboard 24 inches above BFE (residential and non-residential) — Memphis-Shelby Floodplain Overlay -FP requires lowest floor (residential + non-residential) elevated to 24 inches above the Base Flood Elevation in all zones with established BFE — higher than typical 12 in (state NFIP minimum is BFE, 12 in is most common municipal freeboard). In unnumbered A zones, lowest floor must be 3 ft above highest adjacent grade. — [§8.8.5A(1)(a); §8.8.5B(1)(a); §8.8.5A(1)(b)]
  • CBD opt-in form standards (§3.10.2F) — Property owners in the CBD district may opt INTO the CBD District Form Standards (§3.10.2F: 2-15 ft setback range, 90% primary-street required building frontage, 50% nonres / 20% res transparency, 14 ft / 11 ft floor heights) in lieu of the default 'None / none' envelope. Form-based opt-in is unusual — most form-based codes apply by-right to a designated zone. — [§3.10.2B fn 2; §3.10.2F]
  • RU-5 105 ft apartment height — RU-5 Apartment housing type max height = 105 ft (§3.7.2 RU-5 row). Tallest by-right residential outside CBD. Combined with no-maximum-density rule, RU-5 is the highest by-right multifamily envelope in the UDC. — [§3.7.2 RU-5 District table]
  • Sole-source aquifer — Wellhead Overlay Protection District (-WHP) — Memphis is served by the Memphis Sand Aquifer, an EPA-designated sole-source aquifer. §8.12 establishes a Wellhead Overlay Protection District (-WHP) governing land uses with hazardous-substance handling within wellhead protection zones. Rare in Sunbelt cities; aligned with MLGW + TDEC wellhead mapping. — [§8.12 (Wellhead Overlay Protection District); EPA sole-source aquifer designation]
  • Five active airports trigger -AP overlay — Airport Overlay District (-AP) at §8.7 references FIVE airports: Memphis International (MEM), Millington Regional Jetport (NQA), DeWitt Spain (M01), Charles Baker (2M8), and Olive Branch (OLV — Mississippi). Multi-airport airspace constraint is unusual — most TN cities have only 1-2 (the OLV cross-state reach is a Shelby/DeSoto cross-border consideration). — [§8.7.2]
  • Shelby County Growth Plan (PC 1101) explicitly cross-referenced — UDC §1.5B (Intent) explicitly references implementation of the adopted Shelby County Growth Plan consistent with Public Chapter 1101. Any parcel-level zoning analysis must be paired with its UGB / PGA / RA assignment under the LGPAC-certified Shelby County growth plan. — [§1.5B; T.C.A. §6-58-101 et seq.]
  • PDF-only canonical source (542 pages, 22 MB) — The ZTA-24-2 codification is a single 542-page consolidated PDF hosted by shelbycountytn.gov. The text-only Title 15 mirror at library.municode.com is Cloudflare-gated to scripted access. PDF extraction (pdftotext) is the only reliable path to dimensional tables. — [primary_url]
  • Designated frontages override base district standards — Properties along streets with designated frontages (assigned on the Zoning Map) are subject to §3.10.3 Frontage Standards — these supersede the base district §3.10.2B undesignated-frontage envelope for new construction. Designated frontages are activated through the §9.5 Zoning Change process, side-by-side with the underlying district. — [§3.10.3A; §3.10.3F]
  • TN-MH-PARITY risk on R-MP-only manufactured home siting — UDC effectively confines manufactured homes to the R-MP Manufactured Home Park district (§3.6.3). HUD-code MH placement on individual SF lots in R-15/R-10/R-8/R-6/R-3 is not explicitly contemplated; under TCA §13-24-211 (post-2025 'facially and functionally equivalent' parity test), this confinement could be vulnerable to a parity challenge. Flag for parity audit. — [§3.6.3 vs. §13-24-211]

Formulas

Definitions

height
Chapter 3.2.6 contains height exceptions for parapets, mechanical, chimneys, etc.
setbacks
Side (interior), Side (total) and Side (street) are separately specified in 3.6 and 3.7.
lot_coverage
parking

Capacity calculations

udo_minimum_lot_area_residential
Minimum lot for single-family RU/R districts varies sharply by district (15,000 R-15 down to 2,500 R-3 cottage)
flood_freeboard
Lowest floor (residential and non-residential) must be elevated >= 24 inches above the Base Flood Elevation in Areas of Special Flood Hazard with established BFE (=24 in)
flood_freeboard_unnumbered_a
In unnumbered A zones without established BFE, lowest floor must be elevated to at least 3 ft above highest adjacent grade (=36 in_above_HAG)
cmp1_transitional_area_width
CMP-1 Transitional Use Area at boundary of campus district (=100 ft)
cmp2_transitional_area_width
CMP-2 Transitional Use Area at boundary of campus district (=200 ft)
formal_open_space_threshold
New majority-residential developments >= 15 acres must provide 0.6% formal open space (Section 3.8.3, see also 6.2.3) (=0.6 pct_of_development_area)

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

Primary source
Memphis and Shelby County Unified Development Code (UDC)
Adopted Aug 10, 2010; effective Jan 1, 2011; current through ZTA 24-2 (extracted from 542-page consolidated PDF) · retrieved 2026-05-18
Citations
  1. [1] §3.6.1 C-A District table
  2. [2] §3.6.1 C-A District table (interior; total = 40 ft)
  3. [3] §3.6.1 C-A District table
  4. [4] §3.6.1 C-A District table (w/ public water & public sewer: 1 acre = 43,560 sf; tiered 4 ac / 2 ac / 1 ac / 1 ac depending on water+sewer service)
  5. [5] §3.6.1 C-A District table
  6. [6] §4.5.3 Single-Family table
  7. [7] §3.6.1 R-E District table
  8. [8] §3.6.1 R-E District table (interior; total = 30 ft)
  9. [9] §3.6.1 R-E District table
  10. [10] §3.6.1 R-E District table (w/ public water & public sewer: 22,000 sf; tiered to 4 ac / 2 ac for unsewered)
  11. [11] §3.6.1 R-E District table
  12. [12] Computed from 22,000 sf min lot ≈ 1.98 du/ac (~2 du/ac)
  13. [13] §4.5.3 Single-Family table
  14. [14] §3.6.1 R-15 District table
  15. [15] §3.6.1 R-15 District table (interior; total = 10 ft; street = 20 ft)
  16. [16] §3.6.1 R-15 District table
  17. [17] §3.6.1 R-15 District table
  18. [18] §3.6.1 R-15 District table
  19. [19] Computed from 15,000 sf min lot
  20. [20] §4.5.3 Single-Family table
  21. [21] §3.6.1 R-10 District table (without alley access; 15 ft with alley)
  22. [22] §3.6.1 R-10 District table (interior, Conventional; Side Yard housing type allows 0/total 10; street = 10)
  23. [23] §3.6.1 R-10 District table
  24. [24] §3.6.1 R-10 District table
  25. [25] §3.6.1 R-10 District table
  26. [26] Computed from 10,000 sf min lot
  27. [27] §4.5.3 Single-Family table
  28. [28] §3.6.1 R-8 District table (without alley; 15 with alley)
  29. [29] §3.6.1 R-8 (interior, Conventional; Side Yard = 0/total 10)
  30. [30] §3.6.1 R-8 District table
  31. [31] §3.6.1 R-8 District table
  32. [32] §3.6.1 R-8 District table
  33. [33] Computed from 8,000 sf min lot
  34. [34] §4.5.3 Single-Family table
  35. [35] §3.6.1 R-6 District table (without alley; 15 with alley)
  36. [36] §3.6.1 R-6 District table (interior, Conventional alley/no-alley = 3.5/5; Side Yard housing type = 0/total 7/10)
  37. [37] §3.6.1 R-6 District table
  38. [38] §3.6.1 R-6 District table; Cottage type = 3,000 sf
  39. [39] §3.6.1 R-6 District table (30 ft for Cottage)
  40. [40] Computed from 6,000 sf min Conventional; Cottage at 3,000 sf doubles to ~14.5 du/ac
  41. [41] §4.5.3 Single-Family table
  42. [42] §3.6.1 R-3 District table (alley access only — R-3 effectively requires alley)
  43. [43] §3.6.1 R-3 District table (interior; total = 5; street = 10; Side Yard housing type = 0/total 5)
  44. [44] §3.6.1 R-3 District table
  45. [45] §3.6.1 R-3 District table; Cottage type = 2,500 sf
  46. [46] §3.6.1 R-3 District table (30 ft for Cottage)
  47. [47] Computed from 3,000 sf min Conventional; Cottage at 2,500 sf ~17.4 du/ac
  48. [48] §4.5.3 Single-Family table (lots <40 ft = 1.0/DU)
  49. [49] §3.6.3B(1)(c)
  50. [50] §3.6.3B(1)(d)
  51. [51] §3.6.3B(1)(d)
  52. [52] §3.6.3B(1)(a) — individual MH lot minimum within a park
  53. [53] §3.6.3B(1)(e)
  54. [54] §3.6.3B(1)(b) building coverage (40% residential; 60% nonresidential)
  55. [55] Computed from 4,000 sf individual lot ~10.89 du/ac
  56. [56] §4.5.3 Manufactured Home line
  57. [57] §3.7.2 RU-1 (without alley); 15 with alley
  58. [58] §3.7.2 RU-1 Conventional (interior; total = 10); varies by housing type
  59. [59] §3.7.2 RU-1 table
  60. [60] §3.7.2 RU-1 Conventional/SF; multiple housing types: Cottage 3,000 / Semi-attached 3,000 / Two-Family 6,000 / Townhouse 2,000 / Large Home 8,000 / Stacked Townhouse 2,000
  61. [61] §3.7.2 RU-1 (40 ft Conventional/Side-Yard; 45 ft Townhouse / Large Home / Stacked Townhouse)
  62. [62] §4.5.3
  63. [63] §3.7.2 RU-2 (without alley); 15 with alley; townhouse and stacked townhouse use front min/max 2-20 ft per CBID/Zone 1/UDO footnote 1
  64. [64] §3.7.2 RU-2 Conventional (interior)
  65. [65] §3.7.2 RU-2 table
  66. [66] §3.7.2 RU-2 Conventional; Cottage 2,500 / Semi-attached 3,000 / Two-Family 6,000 / Townhouse 1,500 / Large Home 8,000 / Stacked Townhouse 1,500
  67. [67] §3.7.2 RU-2 (40 SF/Two-Family; 45 Townhouse/Large Home/Stacked Townhouse)
  68. [68] §4.5.3 — RU-2 multifamily falls into 'all other zoning districts' tier (0.15 guest + 1.5 per BR with studio at 1.0)
  69. [69] §3.7.2 RU-3 (without alley); 15 with alley
  70. [70] §3.7.2 RU-3 Conventional
  71. [71] §3.7.2 RU-3 table
  72. [72] §3.7.2 RU-3 Conventional; Cottage 2,500 / Semi-Attached 3,000 / Two-Family 6,000 / Townhouse 1,300 / Large Home 8,000 / Stacked Townhouse 1,300 / Apartment 10,000
  73. [73] §3.7.2 RU-3 (40 SF; 45 multifamily housing types)
  74. [74] §4.5.3 — multifamily in RU-3 specifically
  75. [75] §3.7.2 RU-4 Conventional (without alley)
  76. [76] §3.7.2 RU-4 Conventional
  77. [77] §3.7.2 RU-4 table
  78. [78] §3.7.2 RU-4 Conventional; Townhouse 1,100 / Stacked Townhouse 1,100 / Apartment 8,000
  79. [79] §3.7.2 RU-4 (40 SF; 50 Townhouse/Large Home/Stacked Townhouse; 75 Apartment)
  80. [80] §4.5.3 Multifamily-in-RU-4/RU-5 row
  81. [81] §3.7.2 RU-5 Large Home (without alley); Townhouse/Stacked/Apartment use front min/max 2-20 ft
  82. [82] §3.7.2 RU-5 (interior)
  83. [83] §3.7.2 RU-5 Large Home; 15 ft Stacked Townhouse / Apartment
  84. [84] §3.7.2 RU-5 Large Home; Townhouse 1,000 / Stacked Townhouse 1,000 / Apartment 6,000
  85. [85] §3.7.2 RU-5 (50 Townhouse/Large Home/Stacked Townhouse; 105 Apartment)
  86. [86] §4.5.3 Multifamily-in-RU-4/RU-5 row
  87. [87] §3.10.2B
  88. [88] §3.10.2B
  89. [89] §3.10.2B
  90. [90] §3.10.2B RW row (Apartment and Nonresidential)
  91. [91] §3.10.2B RW
  92. [92] §4.5.3 Live/Work row
  93. [93] §3.10.2B
  94. [94] §3.10.2B
  95. [95] §3.10.2B
  96. [96] §3.10.2B OG
  97. [97] §4.5.3 Office in OG district
  98. [98] §3.10.2B; reducible to 0 with frontage standards per §3.10.2B.1
  99. [99] §3.10.2B
  100. [100] §3.10.2B
  101. [101] §3.10.2B CMU-1
  102. [102] §3.10.2B CMU-1
  103. [103] §4.5.3 use-specific table
  104. [104] §3.10.2B
  105. [105] §3.10.2B
  106. [106] §3.10.2B
  107. [107] §3.10.2B CMU-2
  108. [108] §3.10.2B CMU-2
  109. [109] §4.5.3
  110. [110] §3.10.2B
  111. [111] §3.10.2B
  112. [112] §3.10.2B
  113. [113] §3.10.2B CMU-3
  114. [114] §4.5.3
  115. [115] §3.10.2B (None / opt-in to CBD Form Standards §3.10.2F)
  116. [116] §3.10.2F
  117. [117] §3.10.2F
  118. [118] §4.5.3 use-specific; CBD parking-setback rules per §3.10.2B
  119. [119] §3.10.2B
  120. [120] §3.10.2B
  121. [121] §3.10.2B
  122. [122] §3.10.2B CMP-1
  123. [123] §3.10.2B CMP-1
  124. [124] §3.10.2G(3)(g) — Chapter 4.5 applies in CMP-
  125. [125] §3.10.2B
  126. [126] §3.10.2B
  127. [127] §3.10.2B
  128. [128] §3.10.2B CMP-2
  129. [129] §3.10.2B CMP-2
  130. [130] §3.10.2G(3)(g)
  131. [131] §3.10.2B
  132. [132] §3.10.2B
  133. [133] §3.10.2B
  134. [134] §3.10.2B EMP
  135. [135] §3.10.2B EMP
  136. [136] §4.5.3
  137. [137] §3.10.2B
  138. [138] §3.10.2B
  139. [139] §3.10.2B
  140. [140] §3.10.2B WD
  141. [141] §3.10.2B WD
  142. [142] §4.5.3
  143. [143] §3.10.2B
  144. [144] §3.10.2B
  145. [145] §3.10.2B
  146. [146] §3.10.2B IH
  147. [147] §3.10.2B IH (60 ft default; 100 ft >100 ft from residential district)
  148. [148] §4.5.3
  149. [149] §2.2.1B(2) — not more than 5% of area may be impervious

Research status

Publication gates

primary url presentpassedhttps://shelbycountytn.gov/DocumentCenter/View/40803/Unified-Development-Code-ZTA-24-2 (city-hosted, not aggregator)
no aggregator citedpassedscan clean — no zoneomics/steadily/siteplanguide/sitedesignguide/siteplancreator/propwire/zonara/unzoned references
confidence tags full formpassedAll 23 fully-populated districts carry §-citations to UDC chapter/section; 10 partial districts carry overlay-citation and what_is_confirmed/what_is_missing pairs
overlays have parameters trigger confidencepassedAll 12 overlays have non-empty parameters, geographic_trigger, status (confirmed or partial), and citation; partial overlays carry what_is_confirmed + what_is_missing
preempt section city specificpassed7 state-preemption entries; TN is not on the schema's 'active-preemption states' list but populated for completeness — each entry has qualifying_condition_checked with inputs/threshold/result (TN-STR-ACT, TN-IZ-BAN, TN-MH-PARITY, TN-Greenbelt, TN-13-7-208, TN-PC1101-GrowthPlan, TN-ADU-NONE)

Data quality

85%completeness142 confirmed11 partial
Documented gaps
  • Lot coverage % not tabulated in §3.6.1/§3.7.2/§3.10.2 for most districts — UDC envelope is setback + height + frontage driven (R-MP is the only district with explicit lot coverage 40%/60%)
  • Maximum density (du/ac) not tabulated in RU and mixed-use districts per §3.7.2 / §3.10.2 explicit Commentary — density is implicit from min-lot-size + housing type
  • 9 overlay districts marked partial (-MO, -UDO, -MD, -RC, -FC, -WHP, -TOD, -TO, -NC) — overlay existence + citation + interaction confirmed; full per-overlay parameter inventory deferred (each spans 5-19 pages of UDC §8)
  • Special-purpose umbrella districts SCBID (§7.2, 16 pp.) and U (§7.3, 13 pp.) marked partial — sub-district enumeration confirmed via §2.1 listing but per-sub-zone dimensional tables deferred
  • UDC rewrite Public Draft 2 (May 2026) not yet adopted — re-verify upon adoption
  • TN-MH-PARITY risk flagged but not litigated — R-MP-only manufactured home siting may face §13-24-211 parity challenge under post-2025 'facially and functionally equivalent' test

Verification

last_verified_at2026-05-21T00:00:00Z
verifier_specialistmanual-pdf-reextraction
verifier_version2.0
verification_resultpassed
atomic_claims_checked142
atomic_claims_passed142
atomic_claims_failed0
notesPDF fetched (22 MB, 25,654 text lines via pdftotext) from shelbycountytn.gov/DocumentCenter/View/40803 (UDC-ZTA-24-2). All 33 base districts extracted from §2.1 inventory; 8 fully populated (C-A, R-E, R-15, R-10, R-8, R-6, R-3, R-MP) from §3.6.1; 5 RU districts (RU-1..RU-5) from §3.7.2; 11 mixed-use/industrial districts (RW, OG, CMU-1..3, CBD, CMP-1, CMP-2, EMP, WD, IH) from §3.10.2B. 4 special-purpose districts (P, OS, FW, CIV) cited at §2.1 / §2.2.1 (intent-only — dimensional tables not separately tabulated). 2 umbrella special-purpose districts (SCBID, U) marked partial — full sub-district dimensional inventory deferred (16 pages each). 12 overlay districts identified from §2.1; 3 fully populated (-H, -AP, -FP); 9 partial (-MO, -UDO, -MD, -RC, -FC, -WHP, -TOD, -TO, -NC) with overlay existence + citation confirmed but full parameter sets deferred. Every dimensional value carries §-citation. No aggregator citations. Parking ratios extracted from §4.5.3 Use Category table with use-specific breakdowns. State preemption analysis covers TN-STR-ACT, TN-IZ-BAN, TN-MH-PARITY (with parity-risk flag), TN-Greenbelt, TN-13-7-208, TN-PC1101-GrowthPlan, TN-ADU-NONE — all with qualifying_condition_checked populated.
narrative_refnarratives/memphis-tn/drain-20260518T072625-tn-06.json
last_verified_evidence{"verified_at": "2026-05-21T00:00:00Z", "method": "re-fetch primary PDF + pdftotext + line-by-line dimensional compare", "url": "https://shelbycountytn.gov/DocumentCenter/View/40803/Unified-Development-Code-ZTA-24-2", "sections_resampled": ["§3.6 Residential Single-Family Districts at line 4967: C-A District 'Tract or Lot (min) Area (acres): 4|2|1|1 ; Width (ft.): 120|120|120|120 ; Building setback (min ft.) Front: 60|60|60|60 ; Side (interior): 20|20|20|20 ; Rear: 40|40|40|40 ; Height (max ft.): 40|40|40|40' — matches profile C-A (min_lot_sf=43560 i.e. 1 acre min, width=120, front=60, side=20, rear=40, height=40) exactly", "§3.6.1 R-E District table (line 4988): 'Area: 4 acres|2 acres|22,000 sq. ft.|22,000 sq. ft. ; Width (ft.): 120|120|110|110 ; Front: 50|50|50|50 ; Side (interior): 15|15|15|15 ; Rear: 40|40|40|40 ; Height: 40' — matches profile R-E (min_lot_sf=22000, width=110, front=50, side=15, rear=40, height=40) exactly", "§3.6.1 R-15 District table (line 5005): 'Area (sq. ft.): 15,000|15,000 ; Width: 100|100 ; Front: 30|30 ; Side (interior): 5|5 ; Rear: 25|25 ; Height: 40|40' — matches profile R-15 (15000/100/30/5/25/40) exactly", "§3.6.1 R-10 District table (line 5021): 'Area (sq. ft.): 10,000|10,000|10,000 ; Width: 60|60|60 ; Front (without alley): 20|20|20 ; Side (interior): 5|5|0 ; Rear: 20|20|20 ; Height: 40' — matches profile R-10 (10000/60/20/5/20/40) exactly", "Article 8 Overlay Districts TOC (lines 168-180): §8.6 Historic Overlay (-H), §8.7 Airport Overlay (-AP), §8.8 Floodplain Overlay (-FP), §8.5 Residential Corridor (-RC), §8.4 Midtown (-MD), §8.3 University District (-UDO), §8.2 Medical (-MO) — all overlay codes in profile resolve to actual Article 8 sub-sections"], "match_rate_pct": 100, "outcome": "verified-and-bumped"}

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