Montgomery, 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 Montgomery dataset
Every field below is available for any Montgomery parcel, on the map and through the AI.
Zoning
- District code & full name
- Category & ordinance article
- Parcel boundary & APN
- All 50 districts mapped
Use classes, resolved
- Read per zoning district
Building controls
- Max building height (ft)
- Max coverage
- Maximum block perimeter
- Maximum building height (stories)
Overlays, hazards & AI
- Flood hazard & environmental layers
- Ask the AI about any parcel
- Answers cited to ordinance section
What can you build in Montgomery's largest districts?
Setback, height, lot and coverage standards as written in Article VII. 4 districts shown; all 50 are in the app.
Residential Agriculture
- Min lot area
- 1½ acres
- Min lot width
- 150
- Front yard
- 50
- Side yards
- 25
- Rear yard
- —
- Max coverage
- 20%
- Max height
- 35 ft
Institutional Area
- Min lot area
- 40,000
- Min lot width
- 200
- Front yard
- 50
- Side yards
- 50
- Rear yard
- —
- Max coverage
- 25%
- Max height
- —
Office Complex (Zero Lot Lines)
- Min lot area
- 3,000
- Min lot width
- 20
- Front yard
- 20
- Side yards
- —
- Rear yard
- 20
- Max coverage
- 60%
- Max height
- 45 ft
Patio-Garden Home
- Min lot area
- 3,500
- Min lot width
- 35
- Front yard
- 20
- Side yards
- 8*
- Rear yard
- 15
- Max coverage
- —
- Max height
- 35 ft
Dimensional standards for all 50 Montgomery districts
Plus permitted use classes, overlays and hazard layers per parcel.
Montgomery, 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. Montgomery's ordinance does not state permitted uses as citywide flags, so they are read from each district's own table rather than summarised here.
| Zone Code | Category | Details |
|---|---|---|
AGR-1 AGR-1 Residential Agriculture | Agricultural | Standards & uses → |
AGR-2 AGR-2 General Agriculture | Agricultural | Standards & uses → |
B-1-a B-1-a Central Business | Commercial | Standards & uses → |
B-1-b B-1-b Central Business | Commercial | Standards & uses → |
Showing 4 of 50 districts
Start from what you're trying to build
Each one runs against the live Montgomery dataset and returns the districts, standards and approvals involved.
How is Montgomery zoned?
Montgomery's zoning law is Appendix C of the city's Code of Ordinances, adopted as Ordinance No. 38-63 and amended continuously since; the text in force today is codified through Ordinance No. 4-2026, enacted 5 March 2026. It establishes 50 districts, listed in Article I and regulated one by one in Article VII.
The districts run from the large-lot residence zones (R-125 down to R-50) through mobile-dwelling, townhouse and patio-garden categories and a planned unit development option, into the two central business districts B-1-a and B-1-b, the general and highway commercial districts B-2 and B-3, the planned commercial districts B-4 and B-5, three industrial districts, three office districts, and institutional, agricultural, waterfront recreation, utility and flood hazard districts. A "Q" qualified district can be combined with a base district to attach conditions.
What makes Montgomery different from most cities is how it grants uses. There is no citywide permitted-use matrix. Each district's table in Article VII lists uses by class letter and sorts them into three rows: classes permitted by right, classes permitted on appeal, and classes restricted. "Permitted on appeal" means a special exception requiring written approval from the Board of Adjustment; "restricted" means a variance is needed. Crucially, the same letter means different things in different tables — an "A" in a residential table is single-family dwellings, while an "A" in a business table is a group of retail and service uses. Any answer about what is allowed has to be read against the class legend printed with that district's own table.
Our district data for Montgomery is read from the adopted ordinance rather than from a commercial data vendor, which has no Alabama coverage.
Montgomery zoning: frequently asked questions
How many zoning districts does Montgomery have?
50, listed in Article I of Appendix C and regulated individually in Article VII. They cover residence, business, industrial, office, institutional, agricultural, waterfront recreation, utility and flood hazard categories, plus a qualified combining district.
How does Montgomery say which uses are allowed?
By class letter, per district, rather than by a citywide use table. Each district's Article VII table lists the classes permitted by right, the classes permitted on appeal, and the classes restricted. That is why a simple "permitted uses" list does not exist for Montgomery the way it does for many cities.
What is the difference between a use permitted on appeal and a restricted use?
A use permitted on appeal is a special exception: it can be approved by the Board of Adjustment in writing, subject to conditions protecting the district's character. A restricted use requires a variance, and no permit issues for it without Board of Adjustment approval. Both go through the Board, but they are different standards.
Does class "A" mean the same thing everywhere in the code?
No, and this is the most common way to get a Montgomery answer wrong. In the residential tables class A is single-family dwellings; in the business tables it is a group of retail, office and service stores; in the industrial table it is light industry. The class legend is printed with each district's own table.
Who handles rezonings and variances in Montgomery?
The Land Use Division of the city's Community Development Department administers rezonings, variances, special exceptions, development-plan review and zoning complaints. Amendments to the district map are governed by Article IV of the ordinance.
Isn't there a new Montgomery zoning ordinance?
A rewritten Zoning Ordinance and Subdivision Regulations were published as a public draft under the Envision Montgomery 2040 comprehensive plan. That draft is not the adopted code. Appendix C, as codified through Ordinance No. 4-2026, is still the law, and it is what the districts and standards on this page are read from.
Alabama zoning maps
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Zoning data is pre-development intelligence, not legal advice. Verify with the Montgomery planning department before acquisition or design.