MULTI-FAMILY RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENTS

Houston Code of Ordinances ch. 42, art. III, div. 6

in effect

Houston Code of Ordinances § 42-230 Application requirements.

Sec. 42-230. - Application requirements. (a) In addition to the information otherwise required to be submitted for a development plat in accordance with section 42-46, a development plat that provides for the development of one or more multi-family or multi-unit residential buildings shall provide the following information: (1) The number of separate buildings that will contain residential dwelling units; (2) The location of the principal entrance to each residential building; (3) The total number of dwelling units; (4) An itemized listing of residential dwelling units existing and proposed within the property indicating the number of bedrooms in and square footage of each dwelling unit; and (5) The number, location and dimensions of off-street parking spaces required to serve the dwelling units pursuant to section 42-234 of this Code or section 26-492. (b) When property is replatted to remove a one-foot restricted reserve, the subdivision plat shall additionally provide all of the information required for a development plat and required by subsection (a) of this section and shall be deemed a development plat for the purposes of this division. (Ord. No. 2013-343, § 3(Exh. A), 4-24-2013; Ord. No. 2023-801, § 3(Exh. A), 9-27-2023, eff. 11-27-2023)

Houston Code of Ordinances § 42-231 Private streets—General standards.

Sec. 42-231. - Private streets—General standards. (a) A development plat that contains a multi-family residential building shall provide at least one private street. The private street shall remain clear at all times for emergency vehicle access. No parking shall be allowed within the private street. Except as provided in section 42-235 of this Code, a private street shall comply with the requirements of this section. (b) Width: (1) The minimum right-of-way width for a private street shall be 28 feet, which is coterminous with the pavement width measured from edge-to-edge across the surface of the pavement. (2) At the option of an applicant, for a distance of not more than 100 feet from the intersection of the private street and the right-of-way of a public street, the right-of-way width of the private street may be comprised of two paving sections of not less than 20 feet each, separated by a curbed section of not less than five feet and not more than 20 feet in width. (c) Intersections: (1) Intersections along private streets shall be a minimum of 65 feet apart. (2) When a private street intersects with another private street at a 90-degree angle, the private street shall provide a 20-foot radius at the intersection. (3) When a private street intersects with another private street at an angle less than 90 degrees, but more than 80 degrees, the private street shall provide a 25-foot radius at the intersection. (d) The centerline radius of a reverse curve on a private street shall not be less 65 feet. Reverse curves shall be separated by a tangent of not less than 25 feet. (Ord. No. 2013-343, § 3(Exh. A), 4-24-2013)

Houston Code of Ordinances § 42-232 Points of access; termination.

Sec. 42-232. - Points of access; termination. (a) Except as otherwise provided in this section, the private street system serving each multi-family residential development shall form a loop that provides more than one point of access to the development from the public streets adjacent to the boundaries of the development. A divided entrance shall not constitute two separate points of access. (b) When two points of access are provided from the same public street, the private street shall not be deemed to have a second point of access unless the private street connecting the two points of access extends into the property ⅓ of the depth of the property. [image omitted; see the official code] (c) Notwithstanding the foregoing, a multi-family residential development on a tract of land of one acre or less shall not be required to provide more than one point of access to a public street. (d) A dead-end private street intersecting with a public street or with a private street may be extended up to 200 feet without a turnaround provided that a fire hydrant is located not more than 100 feet from the intersection of the dead end private street with the public street or looped private street. (e) A private street is exempt from complying with the provisions of subsections (a) and (b) if it terminates in a "P" turnaround configuration that is comprised of a center island that is 40 feet wide and 90 feet long surrounded on four sides by a 28 foot wide paved private street. The center island shall be established by a raised portion that has a radius of 20 degrees on each 40-foot wide end of the island. The interior of the center island may be used for parking, providing that no parking is allowed within the 28-foot private street. [image omitted; see the official code] (Ord. No. 2013-343, § 3(Exhs. A, B), 4-24-2013)

Houston Code of Ordinances § 42-233 Fire protection.

Sec. 42-233. - Fire protection. (a) Fire hydrants shall be located along each private street in a manner that will allow fire fighting apparatus to park and connect by hose to a hydrant not more than 300 feet away and reach any part of any building within the development with a 200-foot long hose extending from the equipment. The hose distance shall be measured as laid on the ground, around buildings, fences and other obstacles, and not as an aerial radius from a hydrant or parked equipment. Notwithstanding the foregoing, fire hydrants shall be located not more than 600 feet apart, unless the fire chief approves a different configuration where, in his professional judgement, fire protection needs can be adequately provided. (b) If a multi-family residential building will be constructed over and across a private street, the unobstructed overhead clearance of the multi-family residential building shall be not less than 14 feet measured between the highest point of the private street paving under the building and the lowest part of the building or associated parts thereof. (c) The fire chief shall review and approve each development plat that provides for one or more multi-family residential buildings and shall provide the director with recommendations regarding the adequacy of the design of the development to provide sufficient emergency access to all buildings by firefighters and fire fighting equipment, considering the kinds of equipment and methods of fire-fighting in use by the fire department of the city, the location of buildings in the proposed development and their relationship to existing and proposed fire hydrants and any other factors that may affect the safety and general welfare of the public and the occupants of the buildings to be constructed. (Ord. No. 2013-343, § 3(Exh. A), 4-24-2013)

Houston Code of Ordinances § 42-234 Parking.

Sec. 42-234. - Parking. (a) Each development plat containing a multi-family residential development shall provide off-street parking spaces in accordance with the following schedule: Unit Size | Parking Spaces Required Per Unit Efficiency | 1.25 One bedroom | 1.333 Two bedrooms | 1.666 Three or more bedrooms | 2 In determining the total number of spaces required, any fraction of one-half or less shall be counted as the next smaller whole number and any fraction in excess of one-half shall be counted as the next higher whole number. (b) Parking space arrangements, sizes of spaces and driveway openings shall be in conformance with the Building Code. A parking space shall not be in tandem unless the tandem parking space is reserved for use by occupants of the same residential unit to which the space is in tandem. (Ord. No. 2013-343, § 3(Exh. A), 4-24-2013; Ord. No. 2021-1037, § 20(Exh. I.47), 12-1-2021, eff. 4-1-2022)

Houston Code of Ordinances § 42-235 Performance standards.

Sec. 42-235. - Performance standards. A multifamily residential development with a density of 30 dwelling units or more per acre that meets each of the performance standards of this section shall be exempt from the requirements of sections 42-231, 42-232(a), 42-232(b), 42-233(a), and 42-233(b) of this Code: (1) The development provides fire truck access to all fire hydrants by a 20-foot wide fire lane along which no parking is allowed, a 28-foot wide private street or a public street. The fire lane or private street may loop through the development or may terminate at a dead end if the dead end is less than 500 feet. A dead end longer than 150 feet but less than 500 feet must have an "L", "T" or 90-foot diameter circular turnaround, as depicted in figures 1, 2, and 3. No dead end may be greater than 500 feet; (2) Fire hydrants are located no further than 20 feet, measured perpendicularly, from the edge of the pavement of the fire lane, private street or public street. Access to the fire hydrants through any fence is provided by gates with 911 access; (3) One fire hydrant is located within 100 feet of the property line on any fire lane or private street, as shown in figure 4. (4) Fire hydrants are located so that a fire truck can drive a maximum of 200 feet from a fire hydrant and then use a maximum 300 feet hose length from the edge of pavement at the fire truck around all buildings, as the hose lays on the ground around all obstacles, including but not limited to fences, walls, buildings, structures and trees, as shown in figure 5; and (5) The maximum distance between fire hydrants is 600 feet, as shown in figure 6. [image omitted; see the official code] Figure 1. "L" Turn Around [image omitted; see the official code] Figure 2. "T" Turn Around [image omitted; see the official code] Figure 3. 90' Diameter Turn Around [image omitted; see the official code] Figure 4 [image omitted; see the official code] Figure 5 [image omitted; see the official code] Figure 6 (Ord. No. 2013-343, § 3(Exhs. A, B), 4-24-2013)

Houston Code of Ordinances § 42-236 Open space.

Sec. 42-236. - Open space. (a) Except as otherwise provided in this section, each multi-family residential development in the extraterritorial jurisdiction shall provide open space in accordance with the following schedule: Dwelling Unit Size | Square Feet Of Open Space Required Per Dwelling Unit Efficiency | 200 1 Bedroom | 240 2 Bedrooms | 320 3 Bedrooms | 440 4 Bedrooms | 500 For purposes of this section, "open space" shall mean land within the multi-family residential development that is not covered by buildings, covered walkways, parking spaces, private streets or driveways. (b) In lieu of the requirements of subsection (a) of this section, a multi-family residential development in the extraterritorial jurisdiction may provide for open space by complying with each of the following conditions: (1) At least ten percent of the total land area in the multi-family residential development, exclusive of land within the building line requirement area, shall be provided as open space; (2) Enclosed amenities, such as an exercise or game room, shall constitute no more than ten percent of the open space provided; (3) Each area provided as open space is at least 20 feet wide by 60 feet long; (4) Any street trees required to be planted to comply with this Code are located in the street right-of-way; and (5) The development plat or subdivision plat provides for the construction of sidewalks that are a minimum of five feet in width within the right-of-way of each street that is adjacent to the development. (c) The aggregate open space requirement of subsection (a) of this section may be reduced by 15 percent if the development meets each of the following conditions: (1) At least 25 percent of the dwelling units have individual enclosed garages within the buildings where the dwelling units are located; and (2) Areas within the building line requirement are not used for parking. (d) The aggregate open space requirement of subsection (a) of this section may be reduced according to the following schedule if the development meets each of the following conditions: (1) Any street trees required to be planted to comply with city ordinance are located in the street right-of-way; and (2) The development plat or subdivision plat provides for the construction of sidewalks that are a minimum of five feet in width within the right-of-way of each street that is adjacent to the development. Development Density | Reduction in Aggregate Open Space 30—39 units per acre | 15% 40—49 units per acre | 30% 50—59 units per acre | 45% 60 units per acre or more | 60% (e) A multi-family residential development in the extraterritorial jurisdiction with five or more stories shall not be required to provide open space. (Ord. No. 2013-343, § 3(Exh. A), 4-24-2013)

Houston Code of Ordinances § 42-237 Multi-unit residential (MUR) performance standards

Sec. 42-237. - Multi-unit residential (MUR) performance standards (a) The intent of the multi-unit residential (MUR) development standards is to incentivize a greater range of naturally occurring affordable housing options, encourage more small-scale multi-unit housing options, to promote more compact development patterns and encourage residential units to face the street. It is also designed to promote access and proximity to mobility options and better utilize land closer to existing infrastructure. [image omitted; see the official code] (b) The multi-unit residential performance standards applicable to developments are shown in the table, and summarized, with depictions below. The full text of performance standards is contained in subsection (c). The following chart is a summary of certain performance standards contained in this section and is intended for illustrative purposes only. In case of any conflict between the charts, drawings, or text, the text shall control. [image omitted; see the official code] (c) Multi-unit residential performance standards are as follows: (1) Site Dimensions a. A site must have a minimum of 50' frontage on a 50 feet street. b. A site can be no more than 150' deep from the street containing a roadway. c. The minimum size of a site required is 3500 square feet. [image omitted; see the official code] (2) A site must contain at least 3 dwelling units but no more than 8 dwelling units. No more than 4 units may be located within a site on a local street. (3) The building line requirement along a public street right-of-way, not including an alley is 5 feet except along major thoroughfares. A reduced building line of 15 feet is authorized along major thoroughfares with a right-of-way of 80 feet or less. All structures along the public street must face the street with an entry feature, and provide a pedestrian connection to the sidewalk in accordance with section 42-165. (4) A fence, if installed in a front yard must be constructed of a non-opaque, decorative material and may be no more than 4' in height. (5) Vehicular Access a. Where the property abuts an alley, vehicular access is provided from that alley. b. On an interior site without alley access, or along an undeveloped alley, one driveway to or from a street is allowed. c. On a corner site without alley access, vehicular access is provided from the side street if not a major thoroughfare. No more than two driveways, one per street frontage, are allowed per site. d. A driveway to or from a street may be no wider than 16 feet. One-way driveways are permitted for corner property and must meet the design manual. [image omitted; see the official code] (6) Parking requirements for multi-unit residential developments must meet section 26-492. In addition, one guest parking space must be provided for every 6 dwelling units. (7) All required parking spaces must be provided on-site and must be located to the side or rear of any improvements on the property; see the example below. [image omitted; see the official code] (8) Building height may not exceed 30 feet as measured from average grade to the highest roof surface. Roof surface is defined, in accordance with Section D of the International Fire Code, as the measurement to the eave of a pitched roof, the intersection of the roof to the exterior wall, or the top of a parapet wall, whichever is greater. (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_DIV6MUMIREDEFetched: 10/26/2026