Bismarck Zoning Intelligence
Zoning, permitted uses, and development potential for Bismarck, North Dakota. 25 districts with their permitted uses and building controls.
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Zoning districts are shown at zoom 15 and closer. Zoom out for the Bismarck city outline and street context.
How is Bismarck zoned?
Bismarck regulates land through 25 zoning districts, and Agricultural is the largest at roughly 25,590 acres, more than twice the next largest classification.
A Rural Residential Single Family district follows at about 11,110 acres, with a further rural single family district at roughly 248, so agricultural and rural land together cover well over thirty-five thousand acres. This is a city with a great deal of room still to grow.
The residential naming uses two conventions. Single family and two family districts are coded R5 and R10, while multifamily districts are coded RM6, RM10, RM15, RM20 and RM30. The R and RM prefixes distinguish the two series, and the numbers within each are not comparable across them.
A Residential Office Multifamily district at roughly 673 acres combines housing and office use in one classification.
Public is the third largest classification at roughly 8,750 acres.
The commercial districts are lettered rather than graded by name: CA neighborhood commercial, CG heavy commercial at roughly 2,214 acres and CM a further heavy commercial district at about 156. Downtown is split into a core at roughly 131 acres and a fringe at about 63.
A Health Medical district covers roughly 64 acres. This is pre-development intelligence, not legal advice - verify with the local planning department before acquisition.
Bismarck, North Dakota 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. Bismarck'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 | Zone Type | Area |
|---|---|---|
A Agricultural | - | 25,589.7 ac |
RR Rural Residential Single Family | - | 11,109.8 ac |
P Public | - | 8,749.7 ac |
R5 Single Family Residential | - | 5,011.7 ac |
What are the building controls in Bismarck?
Setback, height, FAR, lot area, and density controls enforced across Bismarck zoning districts.
- Building height
- Coverage
- Density
- FAR
- Front setback
- Lot
- Lot width
- Multi
- Pervious
- Rear setback
- Side setback
Other North Dakota cities
Bismarck zoning: frequently asked questions
- How much of Bismarck is agricultural or rural?
- Agricultural covers roughly 25,590 acres and a Rural Residential Single Family district about 11,110, with a further rural single family district at roughly 248. Together that is well over thirty-five thousand acres.
- How are the residential districts coded?
- Through two series. Single family and two family use R5 and R10, while multifamily uses RM6, RM10, RM15, RM20 and RM30. The numbers within each series are not comparable across them.
- What is the Residential Office Multifamily district?
- A district covering roughly 673 acres that combines housing and office use in one classification rather than separating them.
- How is downtown zoned?
- Through a Downtown Core district at roughly 131 acres and a Downtown Fringe district at about 63, distinguishing the centre from the ring around it.
- How much public land is there?
- The Public district covers roughly 8,750 acres, the third largest classification in the city behind agriculture and rural residential land.
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Book a demo →Zoning data is pre-development intelligence, not legal advice. Verify with the Bismarck planning department before acquisition or design.