Council Adopts Building Regulations Ordinance

At the conclusion of its April 16 special meeting, the Town Council voted unanimously to adopt a final building regulations ordinance that will take effect May 17. 
 
The highlight of the new building regulations ordinance is a single Floor Area Ratio (FAR) of 0.5 for all properties.  A FAR relates the square footage of a house to the square footage of its lot.  As an example, an 8000 square foot lot with a 0.5 FAR would allow construction of 4000 square feet.

The other provisions of the final ordinance are:

  • Every lot in Town, no matter how small, may build up to 3000 square feet.
  • For lots over 12,000 square feet, the FAR is 6000 square feet plus 0.25 times the amount of lot square footage over 12,000 square feet. 
  • For existing homes, attic and basement/cellar space is not counted in gross floor area. 
  • For new houses and additions, new attic space is counted in gross floor area.  
  • For new houses and additions, basement/cellar space is not counted in gross floor area. 
  • 240 square feet of an accessory building are exempt from gross square footage.  
  • No wall plane length shall be greater than 34 feet without an offset of at least 2 feet deep and 5 feet long on the front, sides and rear of a house.  
  • No wall plane height shall be greater than 36 feet. 
  • House height shall be reduced by two feet from the County limits unless the houses on the block are higher when an established building height is used. If the height of an existing main building exceeds the height limits specified in the ordinance, an addition shall not exceed the height of the main building.
  • Non-vegetative surfaces in front yards are limited to 35% coverage. The border streets of East-West Highway, Connecticut Avenue and Bradley Lane are exempt from this provision.  
  • Driveways may be no more than 10 feet wide up to the front building line.  Driveways may be wider past the front building line.   The border streets of East-West Highway, Connecticut Avenue and Bradley Lane are exempt from this provision. A driveway that is wider than ten (10) feet of May 17, 2008 may be replaced or repaired provided that the driveway width is not increased.
  • Only one 9 foot wide door for a front loading garage is allowed. 
  • Front loading garages shall be set back or forward a minimum of 3 feet.
The Town continues to offer the FAR Calculation Program. Upon request, the Town’s zoning consultant will calculate the estimated FAR of your existing home and the maximum buildable floor area allowed under the ordinance.  A sign-up sheet is available here. 
 
If you have questions about the ordinance or need additional assistance, please call the Town Office at 301-654-7144.