[1]
Editor's Note: The Residential/Agricultural Setbacks Diagram is on file in the City offices.
The regulations for the residential zoning districts are designed to protect the residential character of areas so designated from the noise, congestion and heavy traffic of commercial and industrial activities; and encourage a suitable environment for family life by providing for openness of living areas and permitting appropriate neighborhood facilities and compatible community facilities.
A. 
RE Residential Estate District. The RE District is intended to provide for very low density urbanization where partial urban services are provided by the municipality and health and safety standards may be otherwise ensured by the individual on large lots. It is anticipated that the tracts in this district will be in close proximity to residential and commercial uses and be adequately served by police and fire protection, solid waste collection, water and sanitary waste disposal meeting Oklahoma State Health Department and local requirements. It is not intended that this district provide a location for a lower standard of residential or other development than is authorized in other districts.
B. 
R-1 Single-Family Residential Districts. The R-1 Districts are designed to provide quiet, low-density areas for single-family living with related recreational, religious and educational facilities protected from all commercial and industrial activity.
C. 
R-2 Combined Residential Districts. The R-2 Districts encourage similar basic restrictions of the R-1 Districts and permit a quiet, slightly higher population density area for family living protected from all commercial and industrial activity.
[Amended 8-12-2014 by Ord. No. 90618-12-2014 by Ord. No. 9061]
D. 
R-3 Multifamily Residential District. The R-3 Districts provide medium and high population density zone areas, containing a mixture of duplex, townhouse and multifamily dwellings along with limited home occupations and limited private and public community uses where lots are large enough for family living, but small enough to afford low development costs, economy of street and utilities, and proximity to schools, churches and shopping.
E. 
R-4 Mobile Home Subdivision District. This is a residential district in which the principal use of the land is for mobile homes located on lots which are owned by the mobile home owner. This district is intended to provide a single-family environment through the provision of adequate light, air and open space. Permitted uses shall be the same as those shown in § 361-43 for R-1 Districts.
[Amended 6-12-2018 by Ord. No. 9148; 12-11-2018 by Ord. No. 9170; 5-13-2025 by Ord. No. 9374]
The permitted uses in the residential districts are set forth in the table below. Where the letter "X" appears on the line of a permitted use and in the column of a district, the listed use is permitted in that district, subject to the general provisions of this chapter as set forth in the preceding sections. Where the letter "P" appears instead of the letter "X," this use is permitted subject to acquiring a conditional use permit as set forth in Article XXII.
Table of Permitted Uses in Residential Districts
Zoning Districts
RE
R-1
R-2
R-3
R-4
Permitted Uses
Accessory structure greater than 16 feet in overall height
X
P
P
P
P
Apartment hotel
X
Apartment house
X
Apiary or aviary
X
P
P
Arboretum or botanical garden
P
P
P
X
P
Bed-and-breakfast house
P
P
P
P
P
Boarding or rooming house
X
Cemetery; crematory; columbarium, mausoleum
P
P
P
P
P
Child-care center
P
P
P
P
P
Child-care home, family
X
X
X
X
X
Child-care home, large family
X
X
X
X
X
Church, synagogue or temple, including Sunday school facilities
P
P
P
X
P
Civil defense and related activities facility
P
P
P
P
P
College, junior college; not including trade school
P
P
P
X
P
Community center; public
P
P
P
X
P
Convalescent, maternity or nursing home
P
P
Dormitory
X
Electric regulation substation
P
P
P
P
P
Fire protection and related activities facility
P
P
P
P
P
Fraternity or sorority house
X
Gas pressure control station
P
P
P
P
P
Golf course, excluding miniature and commercial driving range
P
P
P
P
P
Greenhouse; no products sold on premises
X
X
X
X
X
Hospital, general
P
Hospital restricted to mental, narcotics or alcoholic patients; sanatorium
P
Library, private, nonprofit and public
P
P
P
P
P
Livestock, three head per acre (excluding swine)
X
Multiple-family dwelling
X
Museum or art gallery
P
P
P
P
Nursery school or day nursery
P
P
P
P
Nursery (trees and shrubs); no products sold on premises
P
P
P
Nursery (trees and shrubs); sale of products on premises
P
P
P
P
P
Parish house, parsonage or rectory
X
X
X
X
X
Park, playground, or tot lot, public
X
X
X
X
X
Petroleum pipeline or pressure control station
P
P
P
P
P
Police protection and related activities facility
P
P
P
P
P
Postal services facility
P
P
P
P
P
Public off-street parking lot
P
P
X
P
Radio transmitting station or tower other than amateur
P
P
P
P
P
Recreational vehicle park
X
X
School, elementary, public or equivalent private
X
X
X
X
X
School, secondary, public or equivalent private
X
X
X
X
Sewage pressure control station
P
P
P
P
P
Single-family detached dwelling
X
X
X
X
X
Swimming pool, public
X
X
X
X
X
Telephone exchange station, relay tower
P
P
P
P
P
Television transmitting station or relay tower
P
P
P
P
P
Tennis courts, public
P
P
P
X
P
Towers, poles, whips, and antennas for nonprofit, noncommercial use over 45 feet in height measured from ground elevation
X
P
P
P
P
Townhouse (shall comply with townhouse provisions, § 361-20)
X
Truck gardens; no products sold on premises
X
X
X
X
X
Two-family dwelling
X
X
Utility rights-of-way
X
X
X
X
X
Water treatment plant, storage facility or pressure control station
P
P
P
P
P
Wind generators, accessory
P
P
P
P
P
Zoological garden, public
P
P
P
X
P
No lot or yard shall be established or reduced in dimension or area in any residential district that does not meet the minimum requirements set forth in the following sections. No building or structure shall be erected or enlarged that will cause maximum lot coverage or maximum height regulations to be exceeded for such district as set forth in the following sections.
A. 
A table of area and height regulations is as follows:
Minimum Lot Area
(acres)
Minimum Lot Frontage
(feet)
Maximum Coverage
Maximum Height
(feet)
Front Yard Setback
(feet)
Side Yard Setback
(feet)
Rear Yard Setback
(feet)
1, or as required
120
15%
35
40
10
40
B. 
All lots and improvements within the RE Residential Estate District shall meet the following requirements:
(1) 
All lots shall have an area of not less than that required for septic tank purposes as may be determined by the Oklahoma State Department of Health and the City of El Reno regulations where public sanitary sewer services are not available, but in no case shall the lot area be less than one acre of land, including street dedications, and not more than one principal building shall be placed on any one lot.
(2) 
Each lot shall have a frontage of not less than 120 feet.
(3) 
Not more than 15% of the lot area shall be covered with improvements. Paved areas are not considered improvements within the meaning of this provision.
(4) 
No improvement or structure shall exceed 35 feet in height above the mean elevation of the lot except upon the approval of the Board of Adjustment.
(5) 
All structures shall have not less than a forty-foot yard setback.
(6) 
All principal structures shall have not less than a ten-foot side yard setback. Accessory buildings may have side yards of not less than 10 feet.
(7) 
All structures shall have not less than a forty-foot rear yard setback.
(8) 
Within the RE District, the Board of Adjustment may permit the construction of residential structures without connecting to public water supply, provided that it is determined that public water supply is not available and/or will not become available within a reasonable period; and that said approval would not endanger the health, safety and protection of citizens in the area.
A. 
A table of area and height regulations is as follows:
Minimum Lot Area
(square feet)
Minimum Lot Frontage
(feet)
Maximum Coverage
Maximum Height
(feet)
Minimum Front Yard Setback
(feet)
Minimum Side Yard Setback
(feet)
Minimum Rear Yard Setback
(percent)
9,000
70
40%
35
25
10 (interior lots)
20% depth of lot
15 (street side of corner lots)
B. 
All lots and improvements within the R-1 District shall meet the following requirements:
(1) 
All lots shall have not less than 9,000 square feet of lot area, and not more than one principal building shall be placed on any one lot, except that not less than 12,000 square feet shall be required for uses other than single-family residences.
(2) 
Each lot shall have a frontage of not less than 70 feet. The frontage of any wedge-shaped lot which meets the requirements of minimum lot size may be a minimum of 35 feet; provided that the front building line on the lot shall be a minimum of 70 linear feet measured at an equal distance parallel to and from the front lot line.
(3) 
Not more than 40% of the lot area shall be covered with improvements. Paved areas are not considered improvements within the meaning of this provision.
(4) 
The primary structure shall not exceed 35 feet in height above the mean elevation of the lot. Accessory structures shall not exceed 16 feet above the mean elevation of the lot. Primary and accessory structures shall be constructed in compliance with § 361-28 of this code.
[Amended 3-10-2015 by Ord. No. 9079; 12-11-2018 by Ord. No. 9170]
(5) 
All structures shall have not less than a twenty-five-foot front yard setback.
(6) 
For a single-family dwelling of one story, the minimum width of the side yard shall be 10 feet for interior lot lines and 15 feet for the side yard abutting the side street on a corner lot. For buildings of more than one story, the minimum width of the side yard on interior lot lines shall be not less than 10 feet. For a principal building other than a single-family dwelling, the minimum width of the side yard shall be not less than the height of the building, but in no case less than 15 feet.
(7) 
A rear yard of 20% of the depth of the lot shall be provided for the principal building. Unattached buildings of accessory use may be located in the rear yard of a main building; provided, however, that no accessory building shall be located closer than 10 feet to the rear lot line.
A. 
A table of area and height regulations is as follows:
[Amended 8-7-2007 by Ord. No. 5020]
Minimum Lot Area
(square feet)
Minimum Lot Frontage
(feet)
Maximum Coverage
Maximum Height
(feet)
Minimum Front Yard Setback
(feet)
Minimum Side Yard Setback (feet)
Minimum Rear Yard Setback
6,000 for single-family dwellings
60 for single-family dwelling
45%
35
25
5 (interior)
10 (exterior)
20% depth of lot or 20 feet, whichever is less
10,000 for two-family dwellings
80 for two-family dwelling
B. 
All lots and improvements within the R-2 Combined Residential District shall meet the following requirements:
(1) 
All lots shall have not less than 6,000 square feet for single-family dwellings and not less than 10,000 square feet for two-family dwellings and other uses, and not more than one principal building shall be placed on any one lot except as otherwise specified.
(2) 
Each lot shall have a frontage of not less than 60 feet for single-family dwellings and 80 feet for two-family dwellings and all other uses. The frontage of any wedge-shaped lot may be a minimum of 35 feet, provided that the width of the lot at the front building line on the lot shall be not less than that specified above.
(3) 
Not more than 45% of the lot area shall be covered with improvements. Paved areas are not considered improvements within the meaning of this provision.
(4) 
The primary structure shall not exceed 35 feet in height above the mean elevation of the lot. Accessory structures shall not exceed 16 feet above the mean elevation of the lot. Primary and accessory structures shall be constructed in compliance with § 361-28 of this code.
[Amended 3-10-2015 by Ord. No. 9079; 12-11-2018 by Ord. No. 9170]
(5) 
All structures shall have not less than a twenty-five-foot front yard setback.
(6) 
For a single- or two-family dwelling of one story, the minimum width of the side yard shall be five feet for interior lot lines and 10 feet for the side yard abutting the side street on a corner lot. For buildings of more than one story, the minimum width of the side yard on interior lot lines shall be not less than 10 feet. For a principal building other than a single- or two-family dwelling, the minimum width of the side yard shall be not less than the height of the building, but in no case less than 15 feet.
(7) 
A rear yard setback of 20 feet, or of 20% of the depth of the lot, whichever is less, shall be provided for the principal building. Unattached buildings of accessory use may be located in the rear yard of a main building; provided, however, that no accessory building shall be located closer than 10 feet to the rear lot line. In cases where a lot abuts a public right-of-way, the rear yard setback requirements may be figured using the center line of the right-of-way as the basis for establishing the setback, provided that all principal structures shall be set at least 10 feet from the rear property line and all accessory structures shall be set at least five feet from the rear property line.
[Amended 8-7-2007 by Ord. No. 5020]
[Amended 5-14-2013 by Ord. No. 9033]
A. 
A table of area and height regulations is as follows:
[Amended 8-12-2014 by Ord. No. 9061]
Minimum Lot Area
(square feet)
Minimum Lot Frontage
(feet)
Maximum Coverage
Maximum Height
(feet)
Minimum Front Yard Setback
(feet)
Minimum Side Yard Setback
(feet)
Minimum Rear Yard Setback
Duplex: 10,000
60
40%
35
25
5
20% depth of lot
Multi-family:
100
50%
35
 1/1
1/1
20% depth of lot
10,000, plus 2,000 each unit over two
15 min.
15 min.
Single-family: 6,000
B. 
All lots and improvements within the R-3 Multifamily Residential District shall meet the following requirements:
(1) 
All lots shall have an area of not less than 10,000 square feet for a two-family dwelling, or 10,000 square feet plus 2,000 square feet for each dwelling unit over two for multifamily dwellings. For uses other than dwelling purposes, the lot area shall not be less than 10,000 square feet except as otherwise specified.
(2) 
Each lot shall have a frontage of not less than 60 feet for a two-family dwelling, and 100 feet for a multifamily dwelling and all other uses. The frontage of any wedge-shaped lot may be a minimum of 35 feet, provided that the width of the lot at the front building line shall be not less than that specified above.
(3) 
Not more than 50% of the lot area shall be covered with improvements, except that a duplex shall not exceed 40% coverage. Paved areas are not considered improvements within the meaning of this provision.
(4) 
The primary structure shall not exceed 35 feet in height above the mean elevation of the lot. Accessory structures shall not exceed 16 feet above the mean elevation of the lot. Primary and accessory structures shall be constructed in compliance with § 361-28 of this code.
[Amended 12-11-2018 by Ord. No. 9170]
361 R_3 Roof Flat.tif
361 R_3 Roof Hip.tif
361 R_3 Roof Mansard.tif
FLAT ROOF
measured to
highest point
of coping
GABLE, HIP, OR
GAMBREL ROOF
measured to average
height of highest gable
MANSARD ROOF
measured to
deckline
(5) 
The primary structure shall not exceed 40 feet in height above the mean elevation of the highest and lowest points of that portion of a lot covered by the structure. (See § 361-10 for complete definitions of "building height" and "structure height.") Buildings with flat roofs shall not exceed 35 feet in height above the mean elevation of the highest and lowest points of that portion of the lot covered by the structure. Accessory structures shall not exceed 20 feet in height or 80% the height of the primary structure (whichever is higher) above the mean elevation of the lot.
[Amended 3-10-2015 by Ord. No. 9079]
(6) 
A minimum front yard setback of 25 feet shall be provided on all duplex dwellings. One foot of setback for each one foot of height shall be provided for all uses other than single-family and duplex, but not less than a fifteen-foot front yard shall be provided.
(7) 
For dwellings and accessory buildings located on corner lots, there shall be a side yard setback from the intersecting street of not less than 15 feet. One foot of setback for each one foot of height for all uses other than duplex shall be provided.
(8) 
A rear yard of 20% of the depth of the lot shall be provided for the principal building. Unattached buildings of accessory use may be located in the rear yard of a main building; provided, however, that no accessory building shall be located closer than 10 feet to the rear lot line.
A. 
Accessory uses that are incidental to permitted uses in the residential districts that are not detrimental to the adjacent property or character of the zone, including guest houses, private garages, and sheds, are permitted, subject to the area and height regulations above.
B. 
Accessory uses shall not occupy more than 30% of the rear or interior side yard, with no accessory use constructed upon a lot until the construction of the main building has been actually commenced, and no accessory use may be utilized unless the main building on the lot is also being used.
C. 
Accessory uses may include the following accessory signs: bulletin boards, identification signs, nameplates, real estate signs and subdivision signs.
D. 
Accessory uses shall be permitted in an interior side yard.
A. 
Prior to and as a prerequisite to the issuance of a building permit for a residential or commercial building, the Zoning Administrator shall determine that the property is accessible by a presently open public street or private drive connecting to an open public street.
B. 
In cases where the property does not abut an open City street, but does abut a dedicated street right-of-way over which a street has not been constructed, building permits shall be withheld until such time as access has been secured.
C. 
The City Council may, as a condition of the issuance of such a permit, require the construction of a roadway over said right-of-way to such specifications as it deems necessary given the nature of the area and use expected. Nothing in this chapter shall be construed as authorizing construction in said right-of-way absent a formal opening of such a right-of-way by the City Council.