Mobile, Alabama Zoning Map
Zoning, overlays and hazards on every parcel — and an answer to what the code actually lets you build. Read from the city's adopted ordinance, not a third-party vendor.
What's in the Mobile dataset
Every field below is available for any Mobile parcel, on the map and through the AI.
Zoning
- District code & full name
- Category & ordinance article
- Parcel boundary & APN
- All 28 districts mapped
Use classes, resolved
- Permitted by right
- Conditional or by appeal
- Read per zoning district
Building controls
- Max building height (ft)
- Max coverage
- Max density du (per acre)
- Min front yard (ft)
Overlays, hazards & AI
- Flood hazard & environmental layers
- Ask the AI about any parcel
- Answers cited to ordinance section
What can you build in Mobile's largest districts?
Setback, height, lot and coverage standards. 4 districts shown; all 28 are in the app.
Buffer Business
- Min lot area
- 4,000 square feet (Urban sub-district) / 7,200 square feet (Suburban sub-district)
- Min lot width
- —
- Front yard
- 10 feet (Urban sub-district) / 25 feet (Suburban sub-district)
- Side yards
- 5 feet/and required buffer (Urban sub-district) / 5 feet/and required buffer (Suburban sub-district)
- Rear yard
- 5 feet/and required buffer (Urban sub-district) / 5 feet/and required buffer (Suburban sub-district)
- Max coverage
- 45% (Urban sub-district) / 45% (Suburban sub-district)
- Max height
- 45 feet (Urban sub-district) / 45 feet (Suburban sub-district) ft
Historic Business
- Min lot area
- Not Applicable
- Min lot width
- —
- Front yard
- 5 feet
- Side yards
- 5 feet/and required buffer
- Rear yard
- 0 or 5 feet/and required buffer
- Max coverage
- 50%
- Max height
- 45 feet ft
Light Industry
- Min lot area
- Not Applicable
- Min lot width
- —
- Front yard
- 25 feet
- Side yards
- Not Applicable
- Rear yard
- Not Applicable
- Max coverage
- 75%
- Max height
- 45 feet ft
Single-Family Residential
- Min lot area
- 6,000 square feet (Urban sub-district) / 7,200 square feet (Suburban sub-district) / Not Applicable (Conservation sub-district)
- Min lot width
- —
- Front yard
- 5 feet (Urban sub-district) / 25 feet (Suburban sub-district) / 5 feet (Conservation sub-district)
- Side yards
- 5 feet (Urban sub-district) / 5 feet (Suburban sub-district) / 5 feet (Conservation sub-district)
- Rear yard
- 5 feet (Urban sub-district) / 8 feet (Suburban sub-district) / 5 feet (Conservation sub-district)
- Max coverage
- 50% (Urban sub-district) / 35% (Suburban sub-district) / 75% per individual dwelling lot (Conservation sub-district)
- Max height
- 35 feet (Urban sub-district) / 35 feet (Suburban sub-district) / 35 feet (Conservation sub-district) ft
Dimensional standards for all 28 Mobile districts
Plus permitted use classes, overlays and hazard layers per parcel.
Mobile, Alabama Zoning Districts: What Do They Mean?
Zoning districts are areas regulated by specific laws that determine land use, building types, and development rules. Each district below shows its zone type and which uses it permits.
| Zone Code | Category | Permitted Uses | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
B-1 B-1 Buffer Business | Commercial |
| Standards & uses → |
B-2 B-2 Neighborhood Business | Commercial |
| Standards & uses → |
B-3 B-3 Community Business | Commercial |
| Standards & uses → |
B-4 B-4 General Business | Commercial |
| Standards & uses → |
Showing 4 of 28 districts
Start from what you're trying to build
Each one runs against the live Mobile dataset and returns the districts, standards and approvals involved.
How is Mobile zoned?
Mobile replaced its old zoning ordinance with a Unified Development Code, adopted by the City Council on 12 July 2022 and in force from the first quarter of 2023. It is codified as Chapter 64 of the City Code and establishes 28 districts. Adopting the UDC did not change any property's zoning district and came with no map changes.
The UDC is published as separate articles rather than one consolidated document, and they carry different amendment dates, so parts of the code are newer than others. Article 2 holds the districts and their dimensional tables. Article 3 holds the development standards — parking, landscaping, buffers, lighting, building design — which means a district's own numbers are never the whole answer. Article 3 also does not apply everywhere: it is switched off inside the Spring Hill Overlay, inside the Downtown Development District, and for Planned Developments.
The detail that most often trips up a zoning lookup in Mobile is sub-districts. Most base districts are split into Urban, Suburban and Conservation columns, each with its own numbers, and the sub-district is shown on the zoning map alongside the base district. Urban covers areas generally developed before 1950, on a walkable grid with smaller lots; Suburban covers the post-1950 pattern with larger lots; Conservation applies where wetlands, flood zones or other sensitive features shape development. So a question like "what is the minimum lot area in R-1?" has three answers, not one — 6,000 square feet Urban, 7,200 square feet Suburban, and not applicable in Conservation.
Downtown is governed separately by Appendix A, the Downtown Development District code adopted 20 January 2026, where heights are stated in stories rather than feet. Our district data for Mobile is read from the adopted code, not from a commercial data vendor, which has no Alabama coverage.
Mobile zoning: frequently asked questions
How many zoning districts does Mobile have?
28 under the Unified Development Code. Most of them are further split into Urban, Suburban and Conservation sub-districts with different dimensional standards in each, so the number of distinct rule sets is considerably higher than 28.
What are Mobile's Urban, Suburban and Conservation sub-districts?
They are three development contexts the code applies on top of the base district, each with its own column of numbers. Urban covers areas generally built before 1950 on a walkable grid with smaller lots. Suburban covers the post-1950 pattern with larger lots. Conservation applies where wetlands, flood zones or other environmental features drive the development pattern. The sub-district appears on the zoning map next to the base district.
What is the minimum lot area in Mobile's R-1 district?
It depends on the sub-district: 6,000 square feet in Urban and 7,200 square feet in Suburban, while the Conservation column does not set one. Any single number quoted without naming the sub-district is incomplete.
Do the citywide development standards apply everywhere in Mobile?
No. Article 3, which carries parking, landscaping, buffer, lighting and design requirements, does not apply inside the Spring Hill Overlay, inside the Downtown Development District, or to Planned Developments. Those areas run on their own standards.
How is downtown Mobile zoned?
Downtown is governed by Appendix A, the Downtown Development District code adopted 20 January 2026, which is the complete zoning code for that district. Its height limits are expressed in stories rather than in feet, and its district list supersedes the earlier one in Article 2.
Alabama zoning maps
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Zoning data is pre-development intelligence, not legal advice. Verify with the Mobile planning department before acquisition or design.