Guide to the R-20 Residential-20 Legacy District in Raleigh

In the City of Raleigh, R-20 (Residential-20) is classified as a Legacy District, meaning it exists under the previous Part 10 Zoning Code and is currently being phased out. The Raleigh Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) prohibits the addition of new R-20 districts to the Official Zoning Map and forbids any boundary modifications to existing R-20 areas [Section 1.3.4].

Status of R-20 as a Legacy District

The R-20 Residential-20 designation is not a primary district within the modern Raleigh Unified Development Ordinance. Instead, it is maintained as a "Legacy District" for properties that were zoned under the older code and have not yet been rezoned to a current UDO designation.

Key restrictions for the R-20 designation include:

• No New Districts: No new land in Raleigh may be zoned as R-20 [Section 1.3.4].
• Fixed Boundaries: The boundaries of existing R-20 districts may not be modified [Section 1.3.4].
• Phasing Out: These districts will eventually be replaced by modern UDO zoning districts (such as R-2 or R-4) [Section 1.3.4].

Allowed and Prohibited Uses

Because R-20 is a legacy district, its specific "detailed list" of allowed and prohibited uses is maintained from the previous Part 10 Zoning Code rather than being listed in the current UDO's main use table (Section 6.1.4). However, the Raleigh UDO establishes the following rules for how uses are interpreted in legacy areas:

Use Limitations and Transitions

If a property's conditional zoning ordinance limits its uses to the former R-20 legacy district, those specific use limitations continue to apply. However, there is a critical exception: if a use was allowed under the old R-20 rules but is now explicitly prohibited in the new UDO general use residential districts, that use is no longer allowed [Section 1.2.3].

General Prohibitions

The Raleigh UDO imposes a blanket prohibition on certain activities in all residential-type areas, including legacy districts:

• Commercial/Industrial Character: Any use that is primarily business, commercial, or industrial in nature is prohibited unless it is specifically listed as an exception (such as certain "Home Occupations" or "Live-Work" units) [Section 6.1.5].
• Administrative Offices: School administrative personnel offices are prohibited if located outside of a school campus within a residential area [Section 6.1.5].
• Junk Vehicles: The storage of two or more unlicensed, uninspected, or wrecked vehicles is prohibited [Section 6.1.5].

Current Residential District Comparison

For property owners in R-20 areas looking to understand how their land compares to the modern Raleigh UDO districts, the most similar active designation is R-2 (Residential-2), which also utilizes a 20,000 square foot minimum lot size.

Standard	R-2 (Conventional)	R-4 (Conventional)	R-6 (Conventional)
Minimum Lot Area	20,000 sf	10,000 sf	6,000 sf
Minimum Lot Width	80'	65'	50'
Primary Street Setback	20'	20'	10'
Side Setback	10'	10'	5'
Rear Setback	30'	30'	20'
Max Height	40' / 3 stories	40' / 3 stories	40' / 3 stories

[Table Data Source: Section 2.2.1]

Rules of Interpretation

When a legacy district like R-20 is involved in a conflict with new UDO standards, the Raleigh UDO applies the following hierarchy:

1. UDO Controls: The newer UDO regulations for height, setbacks, parking, and landscaping are controlling if they are more stringent than the legacy rules [Section 1.2.3].
2. Calculation Methods: All calculations for height and setbacks must follow the modern UDO methodologies, regardless of the property's legacy zoning [Section 1.2.3].
3. Approval Process: Any new development or alteration on R-20 land must follow the current UDO approval processes and administrative procedures [Section 1.2.3].

Sections Cited

• Section 1.2.3 Rules of Interpretation
• Section 1.3.4 Legacy Districts
• Section 2.2.1 Detached House (Conventional Development)
• Section 6.1.4 Allowed Principal Use Table
• Section 6.1.5 Prohibited Uses