Restaurant and Bakery Zoning in the City of Fort Worth

In the City of Fort Worth, restaurants and bakeries are primarily permitted in commercial, industrial, and mixed-use zoning districts. While Neighborhood Commercial (E) and General Commercial (F) districts allow these uses by right, the Neighborhood Commercial Restricted (ER) district requires a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) for restaurants, and the Floodplain (O-2) district requires a special exception.

Permitted Districts for Restaurants and Bakeries

The City of Fort Worth categorizes food service and production under several classifications in its use tables, specifically "Restaurant, café, cafeteria" and "Bakery." The following table outlines the permissions across various City of Fort Worth nonresidential and industrial districts [Section 4.803].

District Permission Table

District Category	District Name	Restaurant, Café, Cafeteria	Bakery (Retail)
Commercial	ER: Neighborhood Commercial Restricted	CUP*	P
	E: Neighborhood Commercial	P	P
	FR: General Commercial Restricted	P*	P
	F: General Commercial	P*	P
	G: Intensive Commercial	P*	P
	H: Central Business	P	P
Industrial	I: Light Industrial	P*	P
	J: Medium Industrial	P*	P
	K: Heavy Industrial	P*	P
Special	AG: Agricultural	P*	Not Listed
	O-2: Floodplain	SE*	Not Listed
	MU-1: Low Intensity Mixed-Use	P	P
	MU-2: High Intensity Mixed-Use	P	P

Key:

• P: Permitted by right.
• P*: Permitted subject to supplemental standards.
• CUP: Conditional Use Permit required.
• SE: Special Exception required from the Board of Adjustment.
• Not Listed: Use is typically not permitted or not explicitly categorized in that district.

Supplemental District Regulations

Mixed-Use and Form-Based Districts

In the City of Fort Worth mixed-use districts, such as Near Southside (NS), Camp Bowie (CB), Trinity Lakes (TL), and Berry/University (BU), restaurants and bakeries are generally permitted as part of the "Mixed-Use" or "Commercial" designations to encourage walkable, urban environments [Section 4.1300, Section 4.1302].

Office Midrise (O-M) District

Within the City of Fort Worth Office Midrise (O-M) district, bakeries are permitted as an accessory use to an office building, provided the bakery does not exceed 3,000 square feet [Section 4.1102].

Floodplain (O-2) District

Restaurants may be allowed in the City of Fort Worth O-2 Floodplain district only as a special exception. This requires a site plan approved by the plan commission and a determination that the structure is flood-proofed and will not create a hazard to the movement of flood waters [Section 4.204(d)].

Technical Standards and Definitions

Definition of a Restaurant

According to the City of Fort Worth zoning code, a "Restaurant" is a place regularly open in a bona fide manner for the service of food to customers for compensation. This definition includes establishments authorized to sell alcoholic beverages, provided the gross receipts from alcohol do not exceed 50% of the total gross receipts [Section 9.101].

Off-Street Parking Requirements

The City of Fort Worth mandates specific parking ratios for food-related businesses to ensure adequate facilities for patrons and employees [Section 6.201].

Use Classification	Minimum Parking Requirement
Restaurant, Cafeteria	1 space per 100 square feet of floor area
Bakery (Retail)	4 spaces per 1,000 square feet of floor area
Large Retail Store (with restaurant)	1 space per 250 square feet of gross floor area [Section 5.134]

Note: A 25% reduction in the required parking may be granted for the conversion of a building from a more restricted use to a restaurant [Section 6.201(b)].

Sections Cited

• Section 4.100 Districts Established
• Section 4.204 Floodplain ("O-2") District
• Section 4.803 Non-Residential District Use Table
• Section 4.1102 Office Midrise ("O-M") District
• Section 4.1300 Low Intensity Mixed-Use ("MU-1") District
• Section 4.1302 High Intensity Mixed-Use ("MU-2") District
• Section 5.134 Store, Large Retail
• Section 6.201 Off-Street Parking Requirements
• Section 9.101 Defined Terms