Zoning Information

Zoning Information

Zoning involves the division of land into areas known as zoning districts. These districts serve as a tool to guide and direct growth and development in the city. The districts and their rules are found in a document known as the Zoning Ordinance. You can consider the Zoning Ordinance as the local rule book for development.
In Park Ridge there are two main categories of districts, Residential and Commercial. In Park Ridge there are five main commercial districts. They are: Office (O), Retail and Office (B-1), General Commercial (B-2), General Commercial, Wholesale, and Service (B-3), and Uptown (B-4).

Each commercial district has a list of permitted (allowed) uses. Some uses are allowed in multiple districts while others may only be permitted in one district. Certain uses have rules that only apply to them but not to others. You will find the list of permitted uses in Section 8.3 of the Zoning Ordinance. Use rules are found in Section 10.3 of the Zoning Ordinance.

In addition to the main use, there can be accessory buildings, uses or structures. Fences, garages, and mechanical equipment are a few examples. Rules for accessory buildings, structures and uses are found in Section 11.4 of the Zoning Ordinance. Other sections of the Zoning Ordinance contain rules for parking, lighting, signs, and more.

There are many rules and each development is unique, but don’t worry. The City offers pre-development meetings with staff to answer questions about your specific project.

Zoning Ordinance of the City of Park Ridge
Zoning LookupUse the Community Portal search tool to look up the zoning for an address (select the "Zoning Information" tab).
The Zoning Map is updated annually and can be found here.

Zoning DistrictsIn Park Ridge there are two main categories of districts, Residential and Commercial. The main districts for each category are listed below:
Residential:  Single-Family (R-1) and (R-2), Two-Family (R-3), and Mutli-Family (R-4)
Commercial: Office (O), Retail and Office (B-1), General Commercial (B-2), General Commercial, Wholesale, and Service (B-3), and Uptown (B-4).

Permitted Uses
Each district has a list of permitted (allowed) uses. You can find the list of permitted residential uses in Section 7.2 and the commercial uses in Section 8.3 of the Zoning Ordinance. Some uses may have rules that apply only to them but not to others. Use rules are found in Section 10.3..

Accessory Buildings Structures and Uses
In addition to the principal (main) use, there may be accessory buildings, uses or structures. Fences, garages, and mechanical equipment are a few examples. Rules for accessory buildings, structures and uses are found in Section 11.4 of the Zoning Ordinance. Other sections of the Zoning Ordinance contain rules for parking, lighting, signs, and more.

Yard and Bulk
Each district has required yards and bulk rules. Residential rules are found in section 7.3 and commercial in section 8.4

The Zoning Calculations workbook can help accurately  calculate Floor Area Ratio (FAR), Lot Coverage (LC) as well as Open Space (OS)

Setbacks and Encroachments
The required yards determine the setback for the principal (main) building. However, certain accessory uses may encroach (be located) in a required yard. Section 11.5 lists uses and the yards they may encroach into.