RM-6 Residential Multi-Unit District A Chicago zoning district · Title 17
Medium- to high-density apartment buildings. RM districts carry the city's highest residential floor-area ratios; RM-6 and RM-6.5 require Planned Development review for tall buildings.
Example on a 100 × 125 ft lot. The dashed box is the maximum zoning envelope, the buildable footprint after setbacks, raised to the §17-8-0512 Planned Development height threshold (110 ft). The solid building is an illustrative example at FAR 4.4: covering the full footprint reaches only ~8 stories before the floor-area cap binds, so a taller building needs a smaller floor plate. The entrance is at grade with no raised basement, so the building is step-free for accessibility. Front yard is context-dependent (average of adjacent lots); actual varies.
Specifications
- Zoning Ordinance reference
- §17-2-0100
View in the Chicago Zoning Ordinance - Floor area ratio (FAR)
- 4.4
- Maximum building height
- No fixed limit; tall buildings require Planned Development review and height is negotiated with the Department of Planning & Development. §17-8-0512.
- Lot area per unit (density)
- 300 sq ft of lot area per dwelling unit. 135 sq ft per efficiency unit; 135 sq ft per SRO unit.
- Minimum lot area
- 1,650 sq ft
- Rear yard open space
- —
- On-site open space
- 36 sq ft of usable on-site open space per dwelling unit (min. dimension 5 ft if private, 15 ft if common). Outdoor only — not parking, loading, or mechanical areas. §17-2-0308.
- Parking requirements
- 1 space per dwelling unit. §17-10-0207.
Setbacks
- Front yard
- The lesser of 15 ft or 12% of lot depth, or the average of the adjacent lots. §17-2-0305.
- Side yard
- None if the building abuts a street or alley, or covers 50% or less of the lot; otherwise at least 10% of lot width or building height (max 20 ft). §17-2-0309.
- Rear yard
- The lesser of 50 ft or 30% of lot depth; 28% for a detached house; 24% for a building of no more than 19 units in which at least 33% of the units are accessible. §17-2-0306.
Allowed Uses
Curated from the §17-2-0207 use table. P = permitted by-right; S = special-use approval required. Always confirm against the full ordinance text.
- Detached house
- Two-flat
- Townhouse
- Multi-unit (3+) residential
- Elderly housing & single-room occupancy
- Assisted living
- Conversion unit & coach house
- Day care; schools; religious assembly
- Parks & recreation; community gardens
- Colleges & universities; hospital
- Bed & breakfast; vacation rental
- Residential support service (RM6-6.5)
- Domestic violence shelter; nursing home
- Group living not otherwise classified
- Temporary overnight shelter; transitional shelters
- Lodge or private club
- Government health center
- Community / recreation centers; police station
- Major utilities; non-accessory parking
- Freestanding wireless towers
In Chicago, RM-6 allows a floor area ratio of 4.4 and a minimum lot area of 1,650 sq ft, with a height limit of No fixed limit; tall buildings require Planned Development review and height is negotiated with the Department of Planning & Development. §17-8-0512.. The figures above are the RM-6 standards as the Chicago Zoning Ordinance states them, each citation linking to the section it comes from in our hosted copy of Title 17. What a specific lot allows also depends on its frontage, depth, corner or through geometry, and any overlay it sits in — run the RM-6 numbers for your lot to see those applied.
Reference figures are modeled from the Chicago Zoning Ordinance (Title 17) for general guidance and do not constitute zoning or legal advice. Lot-specific limits depend on frontage, depth, adjacencies and overlays — analyze a specific address for exact figures. Always confirm against the official ordinance.