Entry feature performance standards for units fronting the street
Houston Code of Ordinances § 42-165
in effectSec. 42-165. - Entry feature performance standards for units fronting the street
A reduced building line within the city boundary will be allowed for single family and multi unit residential developments having rear or side access to the units, if units fronting the street meet the following entry feature criteria:
1. Each structure with frontage on a street, not including an alley, must provide at least one entry feature;
2. To be considered street-facing, an entry feature must face the street it is intended to serve. An entrance directly accessed from a porch, stoop or recessed entry on the street-facing side, counts as a street-facing entrance, regardless of if it faces the street;
3. The required entrance must provide both pedestrian ingress and egress to the first story of a building;
4. The required entrance must provide access to occupiable space within the first story of a building;
5. The required entrance must have a separate pedestrian access gate if a fence is provided, and a minimum 3-foot wide pedestrian connection to the nearest public sidewalk or public street;
6. The required entrance must include a porch, a stoop, or a recessed entry. A porch or stoop may encroach up to 4 feet into a required building line, provided there is adequate room for required sidewalks and all utilities; and
7. A porch or stoop may encroach up to 4 feet into the required building line, but may not have occupiable space above the first floor.
[image omitted; see the official code]
(Ord. No. 2023-801, § 3(Exh. A), 9-27-2023, eff. 11-27-2023)
Source: City of Houston, Code of Ordinances and City Charter (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/tx/houston/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=COOR_CH42SUDEPL_ARTIIIPLST_DIV3BULI_SDAGEREBULI_S42-165ENFEPESTUNFRSTFetched: 10/26/2026