Overview
Worth knowing
- Planned Development (PD) as de facto zoning system — >60% of development uses PD, not base districts
- Code designed for smaller city (34k in 2000) but growth has massively outpaced (230k in 2024); PD mechanism provides actual zoning control despite base district structure
- The Fields megaproject (~2,500 acres, 35,000 units, 6-8M sf retail/office) exemplifies PD-dominated development model
+ 9 more in Quirks & notes
Districts
res_sf 5res_mf 4com 3ind 2res_th 1mu 1off 1
| Code | Name | Category | Min lot | Height | Coverage | FAR | Du/ac | Parking | Setbacks F/S/R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R-20 | Residential Estate 20 | res_sf | 20,000 sf | 35 ft | 0.25 | — | 2.18 | 2 | 30 / 20 / 30 |
| R-15 | Residential Estate 15 | res_sf | 15,000 sf | 35 ft | 0.3 | — | 2.9 | 2 | 25 / 15 / 25 |
| R-10 | Residential 10 | res_sf | 10,000 sf | 35 ft | 0.35 | — | 4.4 | 2 | 25 / 10 / 25 |
| R-7.5 | Residential Single-Family 7.5 | res_sf | 7,500 sf | 35 ft | 0.4 | — | 5.81 | 2 | 20 / 8 / 20 |
| R-4 | Residential Single-Family 4 (Small Lot) | res_sf | 4,000 sf | 35 ft | 0.45 | — | 10.9 | 2 | 20 / 5 / 20 |
| R-TH | Residential Townhome | res_th | 2,000 sf | 45 ft | 0.6 | 1.2 | 15 | 2 | 15 / 0 / 15 |
| MF-18 | Multifamily 18 | res_mf | 5,000 sf | 45 ft | 0.6 | 1.2 | 18 | 1.5 | 15 / 10 / 15 |
| MF-25 | Multifamily 25 | res_mf | 5,000 sf | 55 ft | 0.65 | 1.6 | 25 | 1.5 | 15 / 10 / 15 |
| MF-35 | Multifamily 35 | res_mf | 5,000 sf | 65 ft | 0.7 | 2 | 35 | 1.5 | 15 / 10 / 15 |
| MF-50 | Multifamily 50+ | res_mf | 5,000 sf | 85 ft | 0.75 | 3 | 50 | 1.5 | 15 / 10 / 15 |
| C-1 | Commercial Neighborhood | com | 5,000 sf | 45 ft | 0.7 | 1 | — | 3.5 | 20 / 10 / 15 |
| C-2 | Commercial General | com | 5,000 sf | 55 ft | 0.8 | 1.5 | — | 3.5 | 15 / 5 / 10 |
| C-3 | Commercial Heavy | com | 10,000 sf | 65 ft | 0.85 | 2 | — | 3 | 20 / 10 / 15 |
| MU | Mixed-Use | mu | 5,000 sf | 75 ft | 0.85 | 2.5 | 40 | 1.5 | 0 / 5 / 10 |
| OP | Office Park | off | 10,000 sf | 55 ft | 0.5 | 1.25 | — | 4 | 30 / 20 / 20 |
| I-1 | Industrial Light | ind | 20,000 sf | 50 ft | 0.6 | 1 | — | 2 | 25 / 15 / 15 |
| I-2 | Industrial Heavy | ind | 40,000 sf | 65 ft | 0.7 | 1.5 | — | 1.5 | 30 / 20 / 20 |
Confidence: confirmed partial under review not found
Overlays
PD
Planned Development (PD)
PDOptional overlay applied by city council adoption of a site-specific PD ordinance on contiguous tracts, typically >=10-20 acres. Each PD is its own regulatory document.
| flexibility | Standards negotiated by site plan. Full deviation from base district permitted subject to council approval. |
|---|---|
| site_plan_required | True |
| master_plan_integration | Can override base zoning for coherent development vision |
| typical_density_override | 25-55 du/ac in MF-PD, vs base 11-18 du/ac |
| typical_height_override | 55-80+ ft in mixed-use PD, vs base 35-45 ft |
| typical_parking_override | 0.5-1.0 spaces/unit with TDM, vs base 1.5-2.0 |
HPZ
Historic Preservation Overlay (HPZ)
HPProperty within locally designated Heritage District (downtown Main Street area) or listed in National Register.
| design_review | Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) required for exterior alterations, demolition, or adjacent new construction |
|---|---|
| demolition_restriction | Strong presumption against demolition of contributing structures |
| infill_height_cap | 35-45 ft near designated structures even if base would allow higher |
| contributing_properties | ~40-60 identified in downtown Frisco Heritage District |
FP
Floodplain Overlay (FP)
FPFEMA FIRM-mapped 100-year floodplain or regulatory floodway along Cottonwood Creek (east), Stewart Creek (central), Rowlett Creek (north/west), and tributaries.
| minimum_elevation | Base Flood Elevation (BFE) + 1-2 ft freeboard |
|---|---|
| no_rise_certification | Required in regulatory floodway; offsite mitigation if displacement |
| substantial_improvement_threshold | 50% of structure value triggers full elevation/flood-proofing |
| parking_restriction | Parking in BFE zone limited to above-grade or elevated structures |
| development_restriction | Limited in regulatory floodplain; fill above BFE+freeboard permitted with permit |
DAC/MU
Development Activity Center / Mixed-Use Corridor Overlay (DAC/MU)
TODProperty within designated corridor (Dallas North Tollway, US 380, SH 121/Dallas Parkway) or mixed-use activity node.
| ground_floor_retail | Required/encouraged for height and setback bonuses |
|---|---|
| residential_above | Upper-floor residential/office in mixed-use projects |
| density_bonus | +25-50% density increase if mixed-use threshold met (e.g., 40% non-residential min) |
| height_bonus | +10-15 ft height if ground-floor retail and upper-floor residential/office |
| setback_reduction | 0-5 ft front setback allowed with active ground floor and public realm improvements |
| parking_reduction | Up to 20-30% reduction for transit proximity or TDM plan |
ENV
Environmental / Tree Preservation Overlay (ENV)
ENVMapped environmental features (wetlands, creek corridors) and heritage/protected native trees (>=19 inch dbh; Texas ash, live oak, bur oak, cedar elm, hackberry).
| tree_preservation | Heritage trees (>=19 in dbh) protected; removal requires mitigation at 1:1+ ratio |
|---|---|
| mitigation_value | $2,000-5,000+ per preserved specimen on-site; $300-800 per replaced tree |
| wetland_buffer | Applies to FEMA/USACE-mapped wetlands |
| riparian_buffer | Applies to creek corridors (Rowlett, Cottonwood, Stewart) |
| density_credit | Preservation of specimen trees on-site can justify 10-15% density increase in small-lot zones |
State preemptions
TX SB 840applies
Qualifying condition
Frisco city population ~230,000 >= 150,000 AND Collin County population ~1.065M >= 300,000. Both thresholds met. Frisco is explicitly enumerated in texas.md qualifying-cities list.
TX SB 15applies
Qualifying condition
Statewide. Applies to any lot <=4,000 sf. Frisco R-4 district has min lot 4,000 sf and R-TH has min lot 2,000 sf — both directly within SB 15 scope.
TX HB 2127applies
Qualifying condition
Statewide. Primarily addresses labor/business regulation; partial injunction leaves municipal zoning-dimensional authority intact.
TX HB 3903applies
Qualifying condition
Statewide. Addresses subdivision platting and STR registration framework.
Adopted building codes
Home rule; major cities on 2024 IBC
Click a code label to open its state-by-state adoption atlas.
Quirks & notes
- Planned Development (PD) as de facto zoning system — >60% of development uses PD, not base districts
- Code designed for smaller city (34k in 2000) but growth has massively outpaced (230k in 2024); PD mechanism provides actual zoning control despite base district structure
- The Fields megaproject (~2,500 acres, 35,000 units, 6-8M sf retail/office) exemplifies PD-dominated development model
- Dallas North Tollway corridor (8 miles) primary growth engine with mixed-use PD dominance
- SB 840 (2025) disrupts PD leverage for height/density trades — city loses ability to extract density bonuses or affordability in C/OP/I-1/MU by-right MF pathway
- SB 15 (2025) preempts R-4 and R-TH setback/parking/height/bulk controls on qualifying <=4,000 sf lots
- Lot-size encoding (R-20, R-15, R-10, R-7.5, R-4) — no inverse naming issues (unlike Grand Prairie)
- Multi-family districts encoded by density (MF-18, MF-25, MF-35, MF-50+) — clearer than lot-size basis
- Environmental overlay and tree preservation important due to creek corridors and heritage-tree density
- Floodplain overlay constrains development in Cottonwood/Stewart/Rowlett Creek corridors
- HPZ (Historic Preservation) minimal footprint (~2-3 blocks downtown) due to recent growth — few structures predate 1980s
- Comprehensive code rewrite likely imminent (2026-2027) to align with SB 840 / SB 15 reality
Formulas
Definitions
- height
- Grade to highest point of structure. Measured per standard.
- lot_coverage
- Building footprint / lot area.
- far
- Gross floor area / lot area.
- du_ac
- Dwelling units per gross acre.
- setback_front
- Front property line to nearest building face.
- setback_side
- Side property line to nearest building face.
- setback_rear
- Rear property line to nearest building face.
- parking
- Spaces per dwelling unit unless noted.
- pd_flexibility
- Planned Development allows deviation from base district standards through site plan approval.
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
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
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Floor area ratio
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Lot coverage
—%
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Setbacks (F / S / R)
— ft
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Parking
— /unit
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Max density
— du/ac
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Min lot size
— sf
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Copy zoning profile
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| District | Category | Height | FAR | Coverage | Setbacks | Parking | Density | Min lot | Overlays |
|---|
Sources & references
Research status
Publication gates
| primary url present | passed | |
|---|---|---|
| no aggregator cited | passed | |
| confidence tags full form | passed | |
| overlays have parameters trigger confidence | passed | |
| preempt section city specific | passed |
Data quality
85%completeness28 confirmed3 partial8 inferred
Documented gaps
- Exact PD approval process and variance limits not detailed
- Parking reduction percentages for mixed-use not quantified precisely
- Corridor overlay standards (DAC/MU) for specific segments not fully detailed
- Environmental buffer widths and mitigation requirements not specified
- Height bonuses in mixed-use and corridor areas not quantified
- SB 840 / SB 15 local implementation ordinance (if any) not reviewed
Known issues
freshness:volatiledata:gaps-present
Other cities in this state
Nearest-alphabetical profiles. Click through to compare zoning patterns side-by-side.