Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Morrow, Georgia

Morrow’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside Morrow city limits

  “zoning district regulations are set forth herein in the schedule of district regulations which is hereby adopted by reference as a part of this ordinance.”

• Minimum dwelling sizeSpecified

  Dwellings in the RS-80 single-family district

  • Excludes garages and porches
  • Developments must keep 1,400-1,499 sq ft homes to no more than 25 percent
  • 1,500-1,699 sq ft homes to no more than 65 percent
  • 1,700 sq ft or larger homes to at least 35 percent

  minimum heated floor area: >= 1400 sq ft

  “dwellings shall have a floor area of not less than 1,400 square feet of heated space, excluding garages and porches.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Residences in the AG Agricultural district

    “minimum floor area: 1,600 sq. feet for residences.”

• Minimum lot sizeSpecified

  RS-80 single-family district

  • No more than four houses per net acre; net acreage excludes the 15 percent set-aside
  • Minimum lot width 70 feet at the building line

  minimum lot area: >= 8000 sq ft

  “minimum lot area: every lot shall have a land area of not less than 8,000 square feet.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — AG Agricultural district

    “minimum lot area: one acre. minimum lot width: 100 feet at the building line.”

• SetbacksSpecified

  RS-80 single-family district

  • Front yard is 30 feet for an attached garage
  • No building closer than 35 feet to the district boundary

  minimum front yard: >= 35 feet (30 feet for attached garage) · minimum rear yard: >= 25 feet · minimum side yard: >= 8 feet

  “minimum front yard: a minimum of 35 feet at the street right-of-way; the street right-of-way shall be reduced to 30 feet at the street right-of-way for an attached garage.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — AG Agricultural district

    “minimum front yard: 50 feet. minimum rear yard: 40 feet. minimum side yard: 15 feet.”

• Lot coverageSpecified

  AG Agricultural district

  • Includes accessory buildings and structures

  maximum ground coverage: <= 25 percent

  “maximum ground coverage: 25 percent including accessory buildings and structures.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — RS-80 single-family district

    “maximum ground coverage: 40 percent of the lot.”

• Building heightSpecified

  AG Agricultural district

  • Farm structures 50 feet
  • Other structures 75 feet

  maximum height, single-family residences: <= 35 feet

  “maximum building height: single-family residences 35 feet. farm structures 50 feet. other structures 75 feet.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • Specified — Residential developments under the Sec. 902A residential construction standards (RS-80 itself states no height figure in the text reviewed)

    “maximum building height: 35 feet. maximum ground coverage: 40 percent of the impervious area.”

• Living in an RVProhibited

  Living in an RV, travel trailer or motorized dwelling parked or stored on a residential lot inside Morrow city

  • Applies to a residential lot or any location not approved for such use
  • Storage allowed only on lots over 15,000 sq ft, in side yards behind the front building line or in rear yards

  minimum lot size for RV parking: > 15000 sq ft

  “no such equipment shall be used for living, sleeping, housekeeping or home occupation purposes when parked or stored on a residential lot, or in any location not approved for such use.”

• Camping on your landLimited

  Camping or overnight RV stays in parking lots inside Morrow city

  • RVs may park in business lots over one acre for at most four hours in 24
  • Hotel and motel guests may park RVs in those lots
  • No parking lot in the city may be used for camping or overnight stays

  max RV parking in business lot: <= 4 hours per 24 hours (registered hotel or motel guests)

  “recreational vehicles may be parked in the parking lots of business parcels exceeding one acre for a maximum of four hours in a 24-hour period. overnight stays are considered camping;”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Additional single-family units on a lot in the AG Agricultural district inside Morrow city

  • One additional unit per ten acres beyond the lot area required for the principal residence
  • Additional units must meet all yard requirements of the district

  additional unit ratio: per 10 acres per additional unit

  “Single-family dwellings, including additional single-family units located on the same lot or parcel as the principal building on the basis of one single-family unit for each ten acres in addition to the lot area required for the principal residence.”

• Driveway accessRequired

  Residential development under the Sec. 902A residential construction standards inside Morrow city

  • Paved with concrete or asphalt
  • Single-family driveway no wider than 24 feet
  • No driveway may connect to an arterial or collector street
  • Driveways must not be used over 48 hours for resident parking

  maximum single-family driveway width: <= 24 feet

  “driveways are required to connect enclosed garages with the public street for all residential development. all such driveways shall be paved with concrete or asphalt surfaces consistent with adjacent lots in the development.”

• Building in a floodplainRequired

  New principal residential construction in the future-conditions floodplain inside Morrow city

  • Must meet sections 8-4-16, 8-4-17 and 8-4-18
  • Lowest floor at least three feet above base flood elevation or one foot above future-conditions flood elevation, whichever is higher
  • RVs on site must be under 180 consecutive days and highway-ready, or meet residential substantial-improvement standards

  lowest floor elevation above BFE: >= 3 feet (or one foot above future-conditions flood elevation, whichever is higher)

  “New construction of principal residential structures shall not be allowed within the limits of the future-conditions floodplain unless all requirements of section 8-4-16 , section 8-4-17 , and section 8-4-18 have been met.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Morrow or Clayton County directly.

• Building permit — Building permits inside Morrow city
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption inside Morrow city
• Building code adopted — Building code inside Morrow city
• Inspections — Building inspections inside Morrow city
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificates of occupancy inside Morrow city

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.