Rules of Measurement.
Milwaukee Code of Ordinances § 295-205
in effect295-205. Rules of Measurement.
The following rules of measurement shall be used in the administration and enforcement of this chapter:
1. BUILD-TO LINE. The build-to line shall be measured so that the accuracy of the building placement shall be within one foot, except that no encroachment into public rights-of-way shall be permitted unless allowed or authorized pursuant to the provisions of ch. 245.
3. BUILDING HEIGHT. Building height shall be measured from finished grade to the highest point of the building. Where a building is located on a sloping lot, the building height shall be the average of the building height on each building elevation, measured at the mid-point of the elevation.
5. DISPLAY AREA. The display area of a sign shall be measured as the area, in square feet, of the smallest rectilinear polygon, with a maximum of 8 sides, that describes the portion of the sign which encloses all lettering, wording design, or symbols together with any background that, through the use of illumination, color or other techniques, helps the sign stand out from its surroundings. The following rules shall also be used in measuring display area:
a. Where a sign has multiple display surfaces and any 2 of these display surfaces are parallel and face in opposite directions, only one of the parallel display surfaces shall be included when calculating display area.
b. For an internally-illuminated awning sign, the display area shall be calculated as the height of the awning multiplied by its width.
c. The area of temporary signs shall not be included in computation of allowable area for permanent signage. Only one of the parallel display surfaces shall be included when calculating display area.
d. Where a sign contains elements of both type A and type B signs, neither element shall exceed the maximum size for its sign type, and the combined area of both elements shall not exceed 100% of the combined total permitted area for the 2 sign types. For example, a freestanding sign in an LB1 district could include a 40-square-foot type A element (40% of the maximum size of 100 square feet) and a 30-square-foot type B element (60% of the maximum size of 50 square feet).
Figure 295-205-5
MEASUREMENT OF DISPLAY AREA
[image omitted; see the official code]
7. FLOOR AREA. Floor area shall be measured as the sum of the actual gross horizontal area of all floors, mezzanine space and interior balconies located at or above the established grade of the lowest abutting street, excluding:
a. Attic space having less than 7 feet of head room.
b. Any space devoted to off-street parking or loading.
c. A utility room or furnace room.
9. FLOOR AREA, GROSS. Gross floor area shall be measured as the total horizontal area in square feet of all floors within the exterior walls of a building, but not including the area of unroofed inner courts or shaft enclosures.
11. FLOOR AREA RATIO. Floor area ratio shall be measured as the ratio of floor area to lot area. For example, a floor area ratio of 2:1 means that there are 2 square feet of floor area for every one square foot of lot area.
13. FRACTIONS. When calculations result in fractions, the results shall be rounded as follows:
a. Minimum Requirements. When a regulation is expressed in terms of a minimum requirement, any fractional result shall be rounded up to the next consecutive whole number. For example, if a minimum requirement of one tree for every 30 feet is applied to a 40-foot strip, the resulting fraction of 1.33 shall be rounded up to 2 required trees.
b. Maximum Amounts. When a regulation is expressed in terms of a maximum amount, any fractional result shall be rounded down to the next lower whole number. For example, if a maximum of one dwelling unit for every 3,000 square feet is applied to an 8,000-square-foot site, the resulting fraction of 2.67 shall be rounded down to 2 dwelling units.
15. LOT COVERAGE. When measuring lot coverage, the following shall not be included:
a. Eaves projecting less than 2.5 feet from a building.
b. Trellises, arbors, pergolas and similar structures which do not have solid roofs.
c. The portion of any uncovered and unenclosed deck, porch, landing, balcony, planter or stairway that is less than 36 inches above grade.
17. MEASURING DISTANCES. Distances shall be measured using the following standards:
a. Horizontal Distances. When determining distances for setbacks and structure dimensions, all distances shall be measured along a horizontal line from the appropriate line, edge of building, structure, storage area, parking area or other object. These distances shall not be measured by following the topography of the land.
b. Shortest Distances. When measuring a required distance, such as the minimum distance between a structure and a lot line, the measurement shall be made at the closest or shortest distance between the 2 objects, features or points.
c. Vehicle Stacking or Travel Areas. Minimum travel distance for vehicles, such as garage entrance setbacks and stacking lane distances, shall be measured down the center of the vehicle maneuvering lane. For example, a curving driveway or travel lane is measured along the arc of the driveway or traffic lane.
d. Distance Between Uses. Whenever the provisions of this chapter require measuring the distance between existing and proposed uses, the distance shall be measured as the shortest distance between lot lines of the 2 uses.
19. SIGN HEIGHT. The height of a sign shall be determined by measuring the distance between the highest point of the actual sign structure and the finished grade directly below it. Sign height shall be measured in feet.
21. TRANSMISSION TOWER HEIGHT. The following principles shall apply when measuring the height of a transmission tower:
a. The transmission tower height shall include the height of any reception/transmission systems extending above the top of the tower.
b. Transmission tower height shall be measured in feet.
c. For a freestanding tower, the height of such tower shall be the height of the tower above finished grade, measured at the center of the tower.
d. Unless otherwise noted in this chapter, whenever a transmission tower is mounted to a building or other structure, the height of such tower shall be considered to include both the height of the tower itself plus the height of the building or structure from the ground to the lowest point of attachment.
23. UPPER STORY SETBACK. The upper story setback shall be measured as the distance that the exterior wall of an upper floor is recessed from the exterior wall of the floor below.
Source: City of Milwaukee Legislative Reference Bureau, Milwaukee City Charter and Code of Ordinances (city.milwaukee.gov master PDFs)URL: https://city.milwaukee.gov/ImageLibrary/Groups/ccClerk/Ordinances/Volume-2/CH295-sub2.pdf#page=38Fetched: 10/26/2026