CITY OF EVANSTON
DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, ZONING DIVISION
2100 RIDGE AVENUE # 3700 EVANSTON, ILLINOIS 60201
847/866-2930 FAX: 847/448-8126
e-mail:
aalterson@cityofevanston.org
city web site:
http://www.cityofevanston.org/
Residential Bulk Requirements
RESIDENTIAL DISTRICT REQUIREMENTS
For the R1, Single-family Residential District,
6-8-2-8: YARD REQUIREMENTS: The minimum yard requirements for the R1 District are as follows:
Residential Structures
(A) Front yard
27', parking prohibited
(B) Side yard abutting a street
15', parking prohibited
(C) Side yard
5'
(D) Rear yard
30'
Accessory Uses and Structures
(A) Front yard
Garages only 27'
(B) Side yard abutting a street
Garages only 15'
(C) Side yard
5'
(D) Rear yard
3' if in rear yard
6-8-2-7: BUILDING LOT COVERAGE: The maximum lot coverage in the R1 District is 30% (See note).
6-8-2-9: BUILDING HEIGHT: The maximum building height in the R1District is 35 feet or 2 ½ stories,
whichever is less, excluding basements and cellars.
For the R2, Single-family Residential District,
6-8-3-7: YARD REQUIREMENTS: The minimum yard requirements for the R2 District are as follows:
Residential Structures
(A) Front yard
27', parking prohibited
(B) Side yard abutting a street
15', parking prohibited
(C) Side yard
5'
(D) Rear yard
30'
Accessory Uses and Structures
(A) Front yard
Garages only 27'
(B) Side yard abutting a street
Garages only 15'
(C) Side yard
5'
(D) Rear yard
3' if in rear yard
6-8-3-6: BUILDING LOT COVERAGE: The maximum lot coverage in the R2 District is 40% (See note).
6-8-3-8: BUILDING HEIGHT: The maximum building height in the R2 District is 35 feet or 2 ½ stories,
whichever is less, excluding basements and cellars.
For the R3, Two-family Residential District,
6-8-4-6: YARD REQUIREMENTS: The minimum yard requirements for the R3 District are as follows:
Residential Structures
(A) Front yard
27', parking prohibited
(B) Side yard abutting a street
15', parking prohibited
(C) Side yard
5'
(D) Rear yard
30'
Accessory Uses and Structures
(A) Front yard
Garages only 27'
(B) Side yard abutting a street
Garages only 15'
(C) Side yard
5'
(D) Rear yard
3' if in rear yard
6-8-2-7: BUILDING LOT COVERAGE: The maximum lot coverage in the R3 District is 45% (See note).
6-8-2-8: BUILDING HEIGHT: The maximum building height in the R3 District is 35 feet or 2 ½ stories,
whichever is less, excluding basements and cellars.
1
For the R4, General Residential District,
6-8-5-7: YARD REQUIREMENTS: The minimum yard requirements for the R4 District are as follows:
Residential Structures
(A) Front yard
27', parking prohibited
(B) Side yard abutting a street
15', parking prohibited
(C) Side yard
5'
(D) Rear yard
25'
Accessory Uses and Structures
(A) Front yard
Garages only 27'
(B) Side yard abutting a street
Garages only 15'
(C) Side yard
5'
(D) Rear yard
3' if in rear yard
6-8-5-6: BUILDING LOT COVERAGE: The maximum lot coverage in the R4 District is 40% (See note).
6-8-5-8: BUILDING HEIGHT: The maximum building height in the R4 District is 35 feet or 2 ½ stories,
whichever is less, excluding basements and cellars.
For the R5, General Residential District,
6-8-6-7: YARD REQUIREMENTS: The minimum yard requirements for the R5 District are as follows:
Residential Structures
(A) Front yard
27', parking prohibited
(B) Side yard abutting a street
15', parking prohibited
(C) Side yard
3'
(D) Rear yard
25'
Accessory Uses and Structures
(A) Front yard
Garages only 27'
(B) Side yard abutting a street
Garages only 15'
(C) Side yard
5'
(D) Rear yard
3' if in rear yard
6-8-6-6: BUILDING LOT COVERAGE: The maximum lot coverage in the R5 District is 45% (See note).
6-8-6-8: BUILDING HEIGHT: The maximum building height in the R5District is 50 feet or 5 stories,
whichever is less, excluding basements and cellars.
For the R6, General Residential District,
6-8-7-7: YARD REQUIREMENTS: The minimum yard requirements for the R6 District are as follows:
Residential Structures
(A) Front yard
27', parking prohibited
(B) Side yard abutting a street
15', parking prohibited
(C) Side yard
53
(D) Rear yard
25'
Accessory Uses and Structures
(A) Front yard
Garages only 27'
(B) Side yard abutting a street
Garages only 15'
(C) Side yard
5'
(D) Rear yard
3' if in rear yard
6-8-7-6: BUILDING LOT COVERAGE: The maximum lot coverage in the R4 District is 40% (See note).
6-8-7-8: BUILDING HEIGHT: The maximum building height in the R6 District is 85 feet or 8 stories,
whichever is less, excluding basements and cellars.
NOTE: OPEN PARKING DEBIT FOR RESIDENTIAL BUILDING LOT COVERAGE:
IN ALL RESIDENTIAL DISTRICTS, AREA COVERED IN BUILDING LOT COVERAGE CALCULATION INCLUDES
200 SQUARE FEET FOR EACH REQUIRED PARKING SPACE NOT ENCLOSED.
2
SOME DEFINITIONS FROM § 6-13-3 OF THE ZONING ORDINANCE
BUILDING: Anything constructed for the shelter or enclosure of persons, animals, or movable property of
any kind and that includes a roof and is permanently affixed to the land.
BUILDING, HEIGHT OF: The perpendicular distance at the center of a building's principal front
measured from the established grade to the high point of the roof for a flat roof, and to the mean height
level for gable, hip or gambrel roofs. Chimneys and spires shall not be included in calculating the height
nor shall mechanical penthouses, provided the penthouses cannot be seen from the street.
FLOOR AREA, GROUND: The sum of the gross horizontal area of the ground floor of a building,
measured from the exterior faces of the exterior walls or from the center line of walls separating 2
buildings. The ground floor area of a building also shall include recessed, unenclosed, or partially
enclosed areas under a floor above exterior stairways, porches, and similar areas but excluding open
terraces.
LOT COVERAGE, BUILDING: The ratio between the ground floor areas of all buildings or structures on a
lot and the total area of the lot.
STORY: That portion of a building included between the surface of any floor and the surface of the floor
above; or if there is no floor above, the attic, or space between the floor and the ceiling above. A
basement shall be counted as a story, except in residential districts. A cellar shall not be counted as a
story.
STORY, HALF: The top story of a building under a sloping roof, provided the sum of all areas of the top
story where the vertical clearance is 7½ feet or more does not exceed 60% of the area of the story
immediately below it (as measured within the outer face of all exterior walls).
LOT COVERAGE, BUILDING: The ratio between the ground floor areas of all buildings or structures on a
lot and the total area of the lot.
(Building lot coverage in simple is the ratio of structure with a roof to lot area. The Zoning Ordinance
treats uncovered paved area as open lot area. Parking pads, sidewalks, uncovered decks and patios,
basketball courts are not lot coverage.)
Note that City staff with computer access are reachable at: Firstinitiallastname@cityofevanston.org such
as: aalterson@cityofevanston.org for the zoning administrator Arthur Alterson. Please refer to the Zoning
Ordinance or the City Code in their entirety for a full understanding of what is permitted or prohibited.
Please, visit the City’s website at http://www.cityofevanston.org
This website provides access to the entire City Code, including the Zoning Ordinance. Just click on City
Code to the upper left of center on the home page. This will take you to an instruction page. Click where
it says View the City Code for Evanston. This will take you to a page of the City’s codifier showing the
table of contents for the entire City Code. The Zoning Ordinance is Title 6. Go to this and click.
To find out in which zoning district you live, click on How Do I …? in the left margin or page bottom of the
home page. On the How Do I…? page click on About My Place in the upper page center, under “find out
which Ward and Precinct I live in?” Put in your (or sombody else’s) address. Press the “Get Info” button.
This will take directly to the information for properties that are single tax parcels. Click where it says
Extended Information towards the bottom left. The screen that then appears contains all sorts of City
information, including zoning district. If the property is more than one tax parcel, the screen will instruct
Click to Use for the various constituent tax parcels.
\\CIVIC_FS_1\ZONING\FORMS\ResidentialBulkRequirements.doc
3