Maximum Residential House Height in the City of Fort Worth

In the City of Fort Worth, the standard maximum height for a residential house is 35 feet across nearly all one-family, two-family, and townhouse districts. However, the City of Fort Worth allows for a higher limit of 45 feet or 3-1/2 stories in the Agricultural (AG) district, and the Urban Residential (UR) district uses a story-based measurement allowing up to three or four stories depending on specific height bonuses.

Standard Height Limits by District

For most residential construction in the City of Fort Worth, the maximum height is explicitly set at 35 feet. This limit applies to standard detached dwellings, zero-lot-line homes, and townhouses.

District Type	District Designations	Maximum Height Limit
Agricultural	AG	45 feet or 3-1/2 stories
One-Family Residential	A-2.5A, A-43, A-21, A-10, A-7.5, A-5	35 feet
Restricted One-Family	AR	35 feet
Two-Family Residential	B	35 feet
Zero Lot Line/Cluster	R1	35 feet
Townhouse/Cluster	R2	35 feet
Manufactured Housing	MH	35 feet
Urban Residential	UR	3 stories (up to 4 with bonus)

District-Specific Regulations

Agricultural (AG) District

In the City of Fort Worth Agricultural (AG) district, residential structures are permitted to reach a maximum of 3-1/2 stories or 45 feet. One-family dwellings in this district are allowed provided they are incidental to a farm, ranch, or nursery operation [Section 4.200].

Urban Residential (UR) District

The Urban Residential (UR) district in the City of Fort Worth regulates height by stories rather than a fixed foot measurement for the total building. The standard limit is three stories, with each floor allowed a maximum height of 14 feet as measured from the finished slab to the highest wall top plate [Section 4.713].

The City of Fort Worth provides a "height bonus" in the UR district, allowing for a fourth story if the development provides structured parking for 100% of the off-street parking or includes a publicly accessible pocket park [Section 4.713].

Multifamily Districts

While primarily intended for denser development, single-family and two-family houses may be built in City of Fort Worth multifamily districts (CR, C, and D). In these cases, the construction must follow the property development standards of the A-5 through R2 districts, which effectively maintains the 35-foot height limit for those specific house types [Section 4.710, Section 4.711, Section 4.712].

Exceptions and Height Increases

The City of Fort Worth provides several methods and exceptions regarding building height:

General Increase Rule: In districts "A" through "F" and district "I," a building's height may be increased by one foot for every one foot that the front, side, and rear yards are increased beyond the minimum required setbacks [Section 6.100].
Permitted Projections: Certain structures are exempt from height limits in the City of Fort Worth, including elevator penthouses, cooling towers, tanks, ornamental cupolas, domes, and spires [Section 6.100].
Measurement Standards: For most residential buildings, height is measured from the average elevation of the finished grade along the front of the building to the highest point of the roof surface (for flat roofs) or the mean height level between eaves and ridge (for sloped roofs) [Section 6.100].

Sections Cited

§ 4.200 Agricultural District ("AG")
§ 4.202 Manufactured Housing ("MH") District
§ 4.700 One-Family ("A-2.5A") District
§ 4.701 One-Family ("A-43") District
§ 4.702 One-Family ("A-21") District
§ 4.703 One-Family ("A-10") District
§ 4.704 One-Family ("A-7.5") District
§ 4.705 One-Family ("A-5") District
§ 4.706 One-Family Restricted ("AR") District
§ 4.707 Two-Family ("B") District
§ 4.708 Zero Lot Line/Cluster ("R1") District
§ 4.709 Townhouse/Cluster ("R2") District
§ 4.710 Low Density Multifamily ("CR") District
§ 4.711 Medium Density Multifamily ("C") District
§ 4.712 High Density Multifamily ("D") District
§ 4.713 Urban Residential ("UR") District
§ 6.100 Height