Allowed and Prohibited Uses in the Dallas IM: Industrial Manufacturing District

The Dallas IM: Industrial/manufacturing district is designed to accommodate heavy industrial manufacturing activities, large-scale storage, and supporting commercial services while maintaining an 80 percent maximum lot coverage. Dallas regulations explicitly prohibit all residential main uses within this district and require a 30-foot side and rear yard setback when the property is adjacent to residential zoning. Technical standards for this district allow for a maximum building height of 110 feet and a total floor area ratio of 2.0 for all combined uses [Section 51A-4.123(d)].

Permitted Main Uses in the IM District

The Dallas Development Code identifies the following main uses as permitted within the IM: Industrial/manufacturing district. Symbols in brackets indicate additional requirements: [SUP] for a Specific Use Permit, [RAR] for Residential Adjacency Review, and [DIR] for Development Impact Review [Section 51A-4.123(d)(2)].

Industrial and Fabrication Uses

Alcoholic beverage manufacturing [RAR]
Gas drilling and production [SUP]
Gas pipeline compressor station [SUP]
Industrial (inside) [SUP may be required; otherwise RAR]
Industrial (inside) for light manufacturing
Industrial (outside) [SUP may be required; otherwise RAR]
Medical/infectious waste incinerator [SUP]
Metal salvage facility [SUP]
Mining [SUP]
Municipal waste incinerator [SUP]
Organic compost recycling facility [RAR]
Outside salvage or reclamation [SUP]
Pathological waste incinerator [SUP]
Temporary concrete or asphalt batching plant [SUP]

Wholesale, Distribution, and Storage Uses

Auto auction [SUP]
Building mover's temporary storage yard [SUP]
Contractor's maintenance yard [RAR]
Freight terminal [RAR]
Livestock auction pens or sheds [SUP]
Manufactured building sales lot [RAR]
Mini-warehouse
Office showroom/warehouse
Outside storage [RAR]
Petroleum product storage and wholesale [RAR]
Recycling buy-back center
Recycling collection center
Recycling drop-off container
Recycling drop-off for special occasion collection
Sand, gravel, or earth sales and storage [RAR]
Trade center
Vehicle storage lot [SUP]
Warehouse [RAR]

Commercial and Business Service Uses

Building repair and maintenance shop [RAR]
Bus or rail transit vehicle maintenance or storage facility [RAR]
Catering service
Commercial cleaning or laundry plant [RAR]
Custom business services
Custom woodworking, furniture construction, or repair
Electronics service center
Job or lithographic printing [RAR]
Labor hall [SUP may be required]
Machine or welding shop [RAR]
Machinery, heavy equipment, or truck sales and services [RAR]
Medical or scientific laboratory
Technical school
Tool or equipment rental
Vehicle or engine repair or maintenance [RAR]

Retail and Personal Service Uses

Alcoholic beverage establishments
Animal shelter or clinic (with or without outside runs; SUP may be required)
Auto service center [RAR]
Business school
Car wash [RAR]
Commercial amusement (inside or outside; SUP or DIR may be required)
Commercial motor vehicle parking [SUP required if near residential]
Commercial parking lot or garage [RAR]
Convenience store with drive-through [SUP]
Drive-in theater [SUP]
Dry cleaning or laundry store
Furniture store
General merchandise or food store (all sizes)
Home improvement center, lumber, brick or building materials sales yard [RAR]
Household equipment and appliance repair
Liquefied natural gas fueling station [SUP]
Motor vehicle fueling station
Nursery, garden shop, or plant sales
Paraphernalia shop [SUP]
Pawn shop
Personal service uses
Restaurant (with or without drive-in/through; RAR or DIR required)
Swap or buy shop [SUP]
Taxidermist
Temporary retail use
Theater
Truck stop [SUP]
Vehicle display, sales, and service [RAR]

Institutional, Office, and Utility Uses

Institutional: Adult day care, Cemetery/mausoleum [SUP], Child-care facility, Church, College/university, Hospital [SUP], Public/private school [SUP].
Office: Alternative financial establishment [SUP], Financial institution (with or without drive-in), Medical clinic/ambulatory surgical center, Office.
Utility: Electrical generating plant [SUP], Electrical substation, Local utilities, Police/fire station, Post office, Radio/TV/microwave tower [RAR], Refuse transfer station [SUP], Sanitary landfill [SUP], Sewage treatment plant [SUP], Tower/antenna for cellular communication, Water treatment plant [RAR].

Potentially Incompatible Industrial Uses

In the Dallas IM: Industrial/manufacturing district, the following specific activities are classified as "potentially incompatible" and are strictly permitted only by Specific Use Permit (SUP):

Asphalt or concrete batching
Fat rendering and slaughtering of animals or poultry
Ferrous or non-ferrous foundries
Petroleum or petroleum product refining
Radioactive waste disposal services
Textile bleaching and leather tanning
Wood pulp or fiber reduction or processing [Section 51A-4.203(a)].

Prohibited Uses in the IM District

Dallas code prohibits any use not specifically listed as permitted in the district [Section 51A-1.103(a)(3)]. Specifically:

Residential Uses: All residential main uses, including single-family, duplex, and multifamily dwellings, are strictly prohibited in the IM: Industrial/manufacturing district [Section 51A-4.123(d)(2)(I)].
Mining: Prohibited on city park land [Section 51A-4.203(b)(3.1)].
Outdoor Storage: Prohibited in required yards, landscaping areas, and parking areas [Section 51A-4.213(9)(H)(iii)].

Technical Development Standards

The following technical standards apply to all development within the Dallas IM: Industrial/manufacturing district [Section 51A-4.123(d)(4)].

Standard Type	Requirement
Minimum Front Yard	15 feet
Minimum Side Yard	30 feet if adjacent to/across alley from residential; 0 feet otherwise
Minimum Rear Yard	30 feet if adjacent to/across alley from residential; 0 feet otherwise
Maximum Floor Area Ratio (FAR)	2.0 for all uses combined (0.5 for retail/personal service only)
Maximum Building Height	110 feet
Maximum Lot Coverage	80 percent
Maximum Number of Stories	8 stories

Accessory Uses

Accessory uses are generally permitted in the Dallas IM: Industrial/manufacturing district if they are customarily incidental to the main use and located on the same lot. However, accessory outside storage is limited to 5 percent of the lot area and must be screened [Section 51A-4.217(a)].

Sections Cited

Section 51A-1.103
Section 51A-4.123(d)
Section 51A-4.203(a)
Section 51A-4.213
Section 51A-4.217