Brewery and Micro-Distillery Zoning in Arlington, Texas

Microbreweries, micro-distilleries, and wineries are permitted by-right in the Community Commercial (CC), General Commercial (GC), Highway Commercial (HC), Flex Hybrid (FH), Light Industrial (LI), Industrial Manufacturing (IM), and Regional Mixed-Use (RMU) districts. In the Downtown Business (DB) district, these uses are allowed only upon the approval of a Specific Use Permit (SUP). All such establishments in the City of Arlington must adhere to specific production caps, such as the 75,000-barrel annual limit for microbreweries, and meet off-street parking requirements calculated by floor area usage [Section 3.1.5, Section 12.3.4.A.7].

Permitted Districts and Approval Requirements

The City of Arlington Unified Development Code regulates microbreweries, micro-distilleries, and wineries under the "Industrial Service" or "Manufacturing" categories in the non-residential and mixed-use tables [Section 3.1.5]. The level of permission varies by the specific zoning district:

Zoning District Name	Abbreviation	Approval Requirement
Community Commercial	CC	Permitted By-Right (P)
General Commercial	GC	Permitted By-Right (P)
Highway Commercial	HC	Permitted By-Right (P)
Downtown Business	DB	Specific Use Permit (S)
Flex Hybrid	FH	Permitted By-Right (P)
Light Industrial	LI	Permitted By-Right (P)
Industrial Manufacturing	IM	Permitted By-Right (P)
Regional Mixed-Use	RMU	Permitted By-Right (P)
Neighborhood Mixed-Use	NMU	Prohibited
Business Park	BP	Prohibited

Establishments that include a "Taproom" may also be subject to the regulations for a "Bar" if more than 75 percent of the establishment's gross revenue is derived from the on-premise sale of alcoholic beverages for on-premise consumption [Section 12.3.3.E.1].

Use Definitions and Production Limits

The City of Arlington Unified Development Code provides specific definitions for small-scale alcohol production to distinguish them from heavy industrial manufacturing [Section 12.3.4.A.7]:

Microbrewery: A small-scale brewing facility designed for the production of malt liquors (such as beer and ale) using grains. The facility must be managed to brew no more than 75,000 barrels of beer per year.
Microdistillery: A small-scale facility designed for the manufacture, bottling, labeling, packaging, and sale of distilled spirits and other liquors.
Winery: A facility designed for the manufacture, bottling, labeling, packaging, and sale of wine. The wine produced may not contain more than 24 percent alcohol by volume.

Dimensional and Development Standards

Breweries and distilleries must comply with the dimensional standards of their respective base zoning districts in the City of Arlington. Below are the standards for the primary districts where these uses are permitted [Section 2.3]:

Standard	CC & GC Districts	HC District	DB District
Min. Street Setback (Front)	10 ft	20 ft	0 ft
Min. Side Setback	0 ft	20 ft	0 ft
Min. Rear Setback	0 ft	10 ft	0 ft
Setback Adjacent to Single-Family	20 ft	25 ft	20 ft
Max. Building Height	N/A	N/A	N/A
Max. Lot Coverage	N/A	N/A	N/A

Note: While many districts do not list a maximum height in the base table, the City of Arlington Unified Development Code requires that buildings within non-residential districts not exceed 45 feet in height within the first 75 feet of a shared property line with a single-family residential use [Section 4.1.7.E.1.a].

Off-Street Parking Requirements

In the City of Arlington, microbreweries and micro-distilleries are generally subject to "Parking Schedule B" because they are categorized as light manufacturing or industrial service uses [Section 5.4.3]. The number of required spaces is cumulative based on the different functions (office, sales, or storage) within the facility:

Use or Activity Type	Required Number of Parking Spaces
Office or administrative area	2 per 1,000 sq. ft. GFA
Indoor sales area (Taproom/Retail)	3 per 1,000 sq. ft. GFA
Indoor storage/manufacturing (1–3,000 sq. ft.)	3 per 1,000 sq. ft. GFA
Indoor storage/manufacturing (3,001–5,000 sq. ft.)	2 per 1,000 sq. ft. GFA
Indoor storage/manufacturing (5,001–10,000 sq. ft.)	1.25 per 1,000 sq. ft. GFA
Indoor storage/manufacturing (10,001+ sq. ft.)	0.8 per 1,000 sq. ft. GFA

[Section 5.4.3, Table 5.4-2]

Accessory Use: Mobile Food Establishments

The City of Arlington Unified Development Code allows "Mobile Food Establishments" (food trucks) as an accessory use to a microbrewery, microdistillery, or winery, but only in specific locations. These are permitted to operate concurrently with the brewery/distillery in the Downtown Business (DB) district and any non-residential or mixed-use district located within the Downtown Neighborhood Overlay (DNO) [Section 3.3.6.N].

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