Overview
Code type
euclidean
Naming convention
—
| res_sf | lot-size-encoded |
|---|---|
| res_mf | use-type-index |
| commercial | letter-code |
Standard Euclidean. SF districts use lot-size-encoded convention (SF-20 = 20,000 sf, SF-9 = 9,000 sf, SF-7 = 7,000 sf, SF-6 = 6,000 sf). MF districts use sequential index (MF-1/2/3) with identical base dimensional standards (§9.1300–9.1500). Commercial/office districts use letter codes (O-1, O-2, R, LC, CC, UMU, BG, CB-1, CE, RC, RE, RT, LI-1, LI-2, NBD). PDs exist as site-specific rezonings governing discrete sites; PDs are NOT the dominant new-development path city-wide, so classification stays euclidean rather than hybrid-pd.
Worth knowing
- ECA (Expressway Corridor Overlay District) unique in Texas — Plano's environmental-health-motivated corridor overlay adopted Jan 20, 2025 via ZOA 2024-025 and expanded Sept 1, 2025 via ZOA 2025-007 to cover all land uses. Two subtypes: C-ECA (Conditional — MERV-13 filtration, intake orientation, 45 dBA interior noise, landscape edge) and R-ECA (Restricted — listed residential/institutional uses prohibited). §11.1100.
- Stormwater Incentive Options reduce SF-9/SF-7/SF-6/PH/SF-A/2F minimum lot size 3–22% if subdivision provides stormwater quality area ≥5% or ≥10% of gross platted area (§9.500.3, §9.600.3, §9.700.3, §9.900.3, §9.1000.3, §9.1100.3; ZOA 2017-026).
- ZOA 2025-007 (Ord. 2025-8-13) retrofitted all nonresidential districts (O-1, O-2, R, LC, CC, CB-1, CE, RC, RE, RT, LI-1, LI-2) with 'Multifamily and Mixed-use Residential Requirement' columns in dimensional tables — complies with TX SB 840 ministerial MF pathway. Typical standards: 1 space/DU, 25-ft setbacks, minimums 45 ft (O-1/R/LC/CC/NBD), 75 ft (O-2/CB-1/RC/RE/LI-1/LI-2), 120 ft (CE/RT).
+ 10 more in Quirks & notes
Districts
res_sf 10res_mf 5office 5commercial 4mu 4industrial 2res_th 1
| Code | Name | Category | Min lot | Height | Coverage | FAR | Du/ac | Parking | Setbacks F/S/R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Agricultural | res_sf | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| ED | Estate Development | res_sf | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| SF-20 | Single-Family Residence-20 | res_sf | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| SF-9 | Single-Family Residence-9 | res_sf | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| SF-7 | Single-Family Residence-7 | res_sf | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| SF-6 | Single-Family Residence-6 | res_sf | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| UR | Urban Residential | res_mf | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| PH | Patio Home | res_sf | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| SF-A | Single-Family Residence Attached | res_th | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| 2F | Two-Family Residence (Duplex) | res_sf | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| GR | General Residential (Douglass Community infill) | res_sf | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| MF-1 | Multifamily Residence-1 | res_mf | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| MF-2 | Multifamily Residence-2 | res_mf | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| MF-3 | Multifamily Residence-3 | res_mf | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| MH | Mobile Home | res_sf | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| RCD | Residential Community Design | res_mf | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| O-1 | Neighborhood Office | office | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| O-2 | General Office | office | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| R | Retail | commercial | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| LC | Light Commercial | commercial | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| CC | Corridor Commercial | commercial | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| UMU | Urban Mixed-Use | mu | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| BG | Downtown Business/Government | mu | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| CB-1 | Central Business-1 | mu | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| CE | Commercial Employment | office | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| RC | Regional Commercial | commercial | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| RE | Regional Employment | office | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| RT | Research/Technology Center | office | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| LI-1 | Light Industrial-1 | industrial | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| LI-2 | Light Industrial-2 | industrial | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| NBD | Neighborhood Business Design | mu | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
Confidence: confirmed partial under review not found
Overlays
PRESTON_RD
Preston Road Overlay District
corridorDNT
Dallas North Tollway Overlay District
corridorSH190
190 Tollway/Plano Parkway Overlay District
corridorSH121
State Highway 121 Overlay District
corridorPARKWAY
Parkway Overlay District
parkwayHERITAGE_H_HD
Heritage Resource Overlay Districts (H / HD)
historicREDEV
Redevelopment District
redevelopmentPRD
Planned Residential Development (PRD)
special-purposeNCD
Neighborhood Conservation Overlay Districts
historic-lightECA
Expressway Corridor Overlay District
environmentalFLOODPLAIN
FEMA Floodplain Overlay
floodplainTOD
Transit-Oriented Development / DART Station-Area
todDOWNTOWN
Downtown (BG district)
downtownAFFORDABLE_BONUS
Affordable Housing Density Bonus
affordable-bonusAIRPORT
Airport / Airspace (AICUZ / FAA Part 77)
airportState preemptions
TX SB 840 (2025)applies
Qualifying condition
Plano city population 296,718 (Census PEP 2024-07-01 vintage) ≥ 150,000 threshold; Collin County population 1,254,658 (Census PEP 2024-07-01 vintage) ≥ 300,000 threshold. Both gates passed. Plano's ZOA 2025-007 (Ord. 2025-8-13) explicitly amended O-1, O-2, R, LC, CC, CB-1, CE, RC, RE, RT, LI-1, LI-2 districts to add 'Multifamily and Mixed-use Residential Requirement' columns with state-law-compliant standards (1 space/unit parking, 25-ft setbacks, 45-ft min height).
Source
US Census Bureau PEP 2024 vintage; Plano Zoning Ordinance §§10.200–10.1500 (post-ZOA 2025-007 dimensional tables).
Effect
Multifamily residential by-right (ministerial approval) on commercial / office / retail / warehouse / mixed-use parcels; density floor ≥36 du/ac or city's highest MF density (whichever greater); height floor ≥45 ft; setback cap ≤25 ft; parking cap ≤1 space/unit.
TX SB 15 (2025)applies
Qualifying condition
SB 15 applies per-parcel where lot_area_sf ≤ 4,000. Plano has base districts with minimums below 4,000 sf: UMU-SFA (700 sf, §10.700), BG-SFA (700 sf, §10.800), NBD-Live-Work (1,500 sf, §10.1600), RCD Tier-Two Townhome/Stacked-Townhome (1,200 sf, §9.1700), RCD Tier-Two SF-1.5 (1,500 sf, §9.1700), RCD Tier-One SF-2 (2,000 sf, §9.1700). Applies as a ceiling on city enforcement for qualifying parcels.
Source
TX SB 15 (89th Leg., 2025); Plano §§9.1700, 10.700, 10.800, 10.1600.
Effect
On lots ≤4,000 sf, limits city regulation of setbacks, parking, height, and bulk (FAR). Use restrictions and life-safety authority retained by city.
Adopted building codes
Home rule; major cities on 2024 IBC
Click a code label to open its state-by-state adoption atlas.
Amendment history
| Date | Kind | Citation |
|---|---|---|
| adoption | ||
| amendment effective | ||
| amendment effective | ||
| amendment effective | ||
| amendment effective | ||
| code compile date |
Quirks & notes
- ECA (Expressway Corridor Overlay District) unique in Texas — Plano's environmental-health-motivated corridor overlay adopted Jan 20, 2025 via ZOA 2024-025 and expanded Sept 1, 2025 via ZOA 2025-007 to cover all land uses. Two subtypes: C-ECA (Conditional — MERV-13 filtration, intake orientation, 45 dBA interior noise, landscape edge) and R-ECA (Restricted — listed residential/institutional uses prohibited). §11.1100.
- Stormwater Incentive Options reduce SF-9/SF-7/SF-6/PH/SF-A/2F minimum lot size 3–22% if subdivision provides stormwater quality area ≥5% or ≥10% of gross platted area (§9.500.3, §9.600.3, §9.700.3, §9.900.3, §9.1000.3, §9.1100.3; ZOA 2017-026).
- ZOA 2025-007 (Ord. 2025-8-13) retrofitted all nonresidential districts (O-1, O-2, R, LC, CC, CB-1, CE, RC, RE, RT, LI-1, LI-2) with 'Multifamily and Mixed-use Residential Requirement' columns in dimensional tables — complies with TX SB 840 ministerial MF pathway. Typical standards: 1 space/DU, 25-ft setbacks, minimums 45 ft (O-1/R/LC/CC/NBD), 75 ft (O-2/CB-1/RC/RE/LI-1/LI-2), 120 ft (CE/RT).
- RCD (Residential Community Design, §9.1700) — density is a RANGE (10–20 du/ac net), not a ceiling; projects <10 du/ac not permitted. Housing-type mix required (≥10% of total units per provided type). Min district 5 ac (≤100 units) or 10 ac (>100 units). 15% public usable open space required.
- BG (Downtown) uses 'shy zone' build-to approach measured from right-of-way cross-section edge, not property line — 4 ft Downtown Couplet/Gateway, 3 ft Mixed-Use Local/Mews, 10 ft Residential Local (§10.800.5A). Two-thirds of front facade must fall within 10 ft of shy zone.
- CE (Commercial Employment) has step-function height based on distance from residential zoning: 2 story (0–400 ft), 4 story (401–600 ft), 6 story (601–800 ft), unlimited beyond (§10.1000.3). Required minimum contiguous area 200 acres.
- CB-1 requires minimum contiguous 100 acres (§10.900.5A.i); 75-ft min height for MF/mixed-use residential (§10.900.3).
- RC and RE use identical residential-transition setback-slope formula: base 50 ft OR 3×height−30 ft from residential district boundary (whichever more restrictive); 140 ft/8 story cap within 1,000 ft of residential; 1-to-1 height/setback ratio beyond (§10.1100.3, §10.1200.3).
- UMU has minimum lot coverage (60%) in addition to setbacks — enforces urban density (§10.700.3 — unusual provision; most districts only cap coverage).
- Stormwater/Parking Reduction Program allows reductions to parking minimums for stormwater/tree preservation/transit-adjacency (§16.1100, §16.1200).
- GR (General Residential, Douglass Community) is a cultural-heritage infill district with 1 space/DU parking (departs from citywide 2/DU baseline) and mandatory horizontal overlapping siding, ≥6:12 roof pitch, covered porch ≥40 sf (§9.1200.3, §9.1200.4).
- PRD (Planned Residential Development) was deleted in 1992; legacy designations only, no new PRDs can be created (§11.900).
- Code rewrite flagged — Nov 2024 Diagnostic Report at planocompplan.org notes the Zoning Ordinance was designed for greenfield development but the city is now built out; a UDC-format rewrite is under consideration.
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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Max density
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| District | Category | Height | FAR | Coverage | Setbacks | Parking | Density | Min lot | Overlays |
|---|
Sources & references
Primary source
Primary research this run: full Plano Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance PDF fetched from CivicPlus-hosted asset fc707d33-03b6-4993-9a8a-9244962a2c91 (consolidated Sept 1, 2025). Articles 9, 10, 11, 13, 16 dimensional tables extracted verbatim. ZOA 2020-013 (RCD) and ZOA 2024-025 (ECA) fetched separately from Plano Novus Agenda.
Research status
Publication gates
| primary url present | passed | https://www.plano.gov/1277/Zoning-Ordinance (city-hosted, not an aggregator); full ordinance PDF fetched at content.civicplus.com/api/assets/fc707d33-03b6-4993-9a8a-9244962a2c91 |
|---|---|---|
| no aggregator cited | passed | Scan clean — no zoneomics/steadily/siteplanguide/sitedesignguide/siteplancreator/propwire/zonara/unzoned references |
| confidence tags full form | passed | 180 dimensional fields confirmed with §-citations drawn from primary ordinance text fetched this run (Articles 9, 10, 11, 13, 16). Remaining 'not_found' entries are explicit gaps where ordinance uses different parameterization (build-to-line, site dimensions) rather than du/ac or FAR; 'not_applicable' entries have explicit reason text. |
| overlays have parameters trigger confidence | passed | All 16 overlay entries (PRESTON_RD, DNT, SH190, SH121, PARKWAY, HERITAGE_H_HD, REDEV, PRD, NCD, ECA, FLOODPLAIN, TOD, DOWNTOWN, AFFORDABLE_BONUS, AIRPORT) have parameters[], geographic_trigger, status, citation — including explicit not_found/not_applicable entries with paired fields. |
| preempt section city specific | passed | 2 Texas laws (SB 840, SB 15) with city-specific qualifying_condition_checked including numeric inputs (Plano pop 296,718 / Collin 1,254,658, 2024 Census vintage) AND ordinance-text cross-references (ZOA 2025-007 explicit retrofit to add MF/mixed-use columns to all nonres districts). |
Data quality
99%completeness180 confirmed1 partial4 not found
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