Overview
Code type
euclidean
Naming convention
mixed
Residential R1-R4 single-family, R5/R7/R8 multifamily, R6 manufactured home, R9 MIXED-USE (not residential density). O1-O3 office. C1-C5 commercial (C3=Regional Business, C4/C5=geographically-bounded Oyster Point). M1-M2 industrial (NO M3). P1 Park. Article XXXI overlays. v1 fabricated R1-R9 as a nine-tier residential ladder and invented M3 — both refuted.
Districts
res_sf 4res_mf 3office 3commercial 3industrial 2res_mh 1mixed_use 1public 1commercial_special 1commercial_industrial_special 1
| Code | Name | Category | Min lot | Height | Coverage | FAR | Du/ac | Parking | Setbacks F/S/R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R1 | R1 Single-Family Dwelling District | res_sf | —[4] | —[5] | —[6] | —[7] | —[8] | —[9] | —[1] / —[2] / —[3] |
| R2 | R2 Single-Family Dwelling District | res_sf | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| R3 | R3 Single-Family Dwelling District | res_sf | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| R4 | R4 Single-Family Dwelling District | res_sf | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| R5 | R5 Low Density Multiple-Family Dwelling District | res_mf | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| R6 | R6 Manufactured Home District | res_mh | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| R7 | R7 Medium Density Multiple-Family Dwelling District | res_mf | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| R8 | R8 High Density Multiple-Family Dwelling District | res_mf | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| R9 | R9 Mixed Use District | mixed_use | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| P1 | P1 Park District | public | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| O1 | O1 Office District | office | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| O2 | O2 Office Park District | office | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| O3 | O3 Office/Research and Development District | office | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| C1 | C1 Retail Commercial District | commercial | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| C2 | C2 General Commercial District | commercial | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| C3 | C3 Regional Business District (RBD) | commercial | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| C4 | C4 Oyster Point Business District | commercial_special | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| C5 | C5 Oyster Point Business/Manufacturing District | commercial_industrial_special | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| M1 | M1 Light Industrial District | industrial | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
| M2 | M2 Heavy Industrial District | industrial | — | — | — | — | — | — | — / — / — |
Confidence: confirmed partial under review not found
Overlays
O-AICUZ
Air Installation Compatible Use Zone (Fort Eustis / JBLE)
APApplies to parcels under Fort Eustis (JBLE) Felker Army Airfield approach surfaces + AICUZ noise contours (northern Newport News); Langley AFB contours touch only the NE corner
| apz_structure | CZ / APZ-I / APZ-II per DoD AICUZ |
|---|---|
| noise_contours_db_dnl | 65-70 / 70-75 / >75 |
| use_density_restrictions | per Navy/AF AICUZ study — incompatible uses restricted in inner contours |
O-CBPA
Chesapeake Bay Preservation Area
ENVResource Protection Area (RPA — 100-ft tidal-shore and perennial-stream buffer) + Resource Management Area (RMA) — citywide applicability where criteria met
| rpa_buffer_ft | 100 |
|---|---|
| plan_of_development_required | True |
| statutory_floor | Va. Code §62.1-44.15:67 et seq. |
| implementation_chapter | Ch. 37.1 Art. V (NOT Ch. 45) |
| usable_land_rule_ch45_cross_ref | ≥80% of min lot area above flood level; ≥50% free of easements/servitudes |
O-FP
Floodplain Protection (FEMA SFHA)
FPFEMA Special Flood Hazard Area (Zone AE, VE) along James River and tidal tributaries
| base_flood_elevation_plus_freeboard | True |
|---|---|
| floodway_fill_prohibited | True |
| compensatory_storage_floodfringe | True |
| elevation_or_floodproofing_required | True |
O-HP
Historic Preservation (Hilton Village / downtown)
HPHilton Village Historic District (NRHP-listed 1969; 1920s planned-community garden suburb) + downtown historic core
| certificate_of_appropriateness_required | True |
|---|---|
| exterior_modification_review | True |
| demolition_review | True |
State preemptions
VA-Dillon-Ruleapplies
Effect
All Ch. 45 provisions must trace to express Title-15.2 delegation; ultra-vires actions void
VA-SB-531-ADUapplies
Effect
Mandates ADU as permitted accessory use in single-family districts. $500 fee cap; setback/height conditions capped at primary-dwelling standards. Non-compliant Ch. 45 provisions unenforceable on 2027-07-01
VA-SB-544-STR-OWNER-OCCUPIEDapplies
Effect
Cannot require SUP/CUP for owner-occupied primary-residence STRs under ordinances enacted after 2023-12-31. Registration framework permitted
VA-15.2-2290-MHapplies
Effect
Cannot impose MH-specific standards stricter than those applied to site-built dwellings
VA-15.2-2288.7-SOLARapplies
Effect
Roof-mounted residential solar by-right subject only to district height/setback + historic overlay; ground-mounted default-permissive unless Newport News ordinance opts out (opt-out status not verified this pass)
VA-15.2-2291-GROUP-HOMESapplies
Effect
≤8-resident licensed group homes (MH/DD per subsec. A; aged/infirm/disabled per subsec. B) treated as single-family residential; no conditions stricter than family residences
VA-15.2-2316-WIRELESSapplies
Effect
Small-cell approvals ministerial; moratoriums prohibited; fee + decision-timeline caps
VA-SB-974-HB-2660-SITE-PLANapplies
Effect
Designated-agent administrative review; compressed timelines (40/30/20 day schedule); planning-commission review removed from administrative track. Newport News Ch. 45 + subdivision-ordinance compliance status pending verification
VA-Chesapeake-Bay-Preservationapplies
Effect
RPA (100-ft buffer) + RMA framework; plan-of-development required per §62.1-44.15:74. Newport News implements via Ch. 37.1 Art. V (§37.1-48 et seq.), NOT Ch. 45 — structural quirk
Adopted building codes
Statewide — VA Uniform SBC
Click a code label to open its state-by-state adoption atlas.
Quirks & notes
Formulas
Definitions
- height
- Grade to highest point of structure.
- 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.
Capacity calculations
- max_footprint_sf
lot_area_sf * lot_coverage- max_gfa_sf
lot_area_sf * far- buildable_width_ft
lot_width_ft - setback_side_ft * 2- buildable_depth_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
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| District | Category | Height | FAR | Coverage | Setbacks | Parking | Density | Min lot | Overlays |
|---|
Sources & references
Primary source
Citations
- [1] nf
- [2] nf
- [3] nf
- [4] nf
- [5] nf
- [6] nf
- [7] na
- [8] nf
- [9] nf
Research status
Publication gates
| gate 1 primary url present | passed | |
|---|---|---|
| gate 2 no aggregator cited | passed | |
| gate 3 confidence tags full form | passed | |
| gate 4 overlays have parameters trigger confidence | passed | |
| gate 5 preempt section city specific | passed |
Data quality
55%completeness
Documented gaps
- Per-district dimensional standards — fetch each newportnews.elaws.us/code/coor_ch45_artVI through coor_ch45_artXXVI to extract §45-NNNN dimensional tables
- Article XXXI overlay enumeration — fetch newportnews.elaws.us/code/coor_ch45_artXXXI for specific overlay §-references
- ADU by-right compliance status vs 2026 SB 531 (effective 2027-07-01)
- SB 974/HB 2660 site-plan designated-agent review compliance status
- Hilton Village specific §-reference and design standards
- Oyster Point C4/C5 geographic boundaries
Known issues
freshness:volatiledata:gaps-present
Other cities in this state
Nearest-alphabetical profiles. Click through to compare zoning patterns side-by-side.