How many units can I build on a standard lot in B2-2?

A standard 25 × 125 ft Chicago lot (3,125 sq ft) divided by the 1,000 sq ft lot-area-per-unit standard permits 3 units by right. Transit-served lots may qualify for Connected Communities density bonuses.

How tall can I build in B2-2?

50 feet (§17-3-0408-A). Taller buildings need a variation, a planned development, or — on transit-served B-3/C-3 lots — the Connected Communities height bonus.

Can I put apartments in a B2-2 building?

Yes, above the ground floor. B2-2 allows dwelling units in upper stories at 1,000 sq ft of lot area per unit; the ground floor must generally remain commercial.

Are coach houses or conversion units allowed in B2-2?

Coach houses are permitted by right in B1–C2 districts; conversion units are permitted too, though some districts require special-use approval in certain cases (§17-3-0207). Buildings 20+ years old can add conversion units equal to 33% of existing units (§17-3-0309).

Do parking requirements in B2-2 change near transit?

Yes. The base requirement is 1 space per unit, but under the Connected Communities ordinance (§17-10-0102-B) lots within ½ mile of a CTA or Metra rail station — or ¼ mile of a designated bus corridor — can reduce residential parking minimums, up to 100% by right for CTA-rail- and bus-served lots outside downtown districts.

Chicago zoning district · Business

B2-2 zoning in Chicago: what you can build

B2-2 (Neighborhood Mixed-Use 2) is a business district allowing ground-floor retail, multi-unit residential, mixed-use buildings and offices, with a maximum floor area ratio (FAR) of 2.2, a height limit of 50 feet, 1,000 square feet of lot area required per dwelling unit. On a standard 25 × 125 ft lot (3,125 sq ft) the density standard permits 3 dwelling units above the ground floor. Dwelling units are generally not permitted on the ground floor in B-districts — the ground floor is reserved for commercial space.

Figures originally read from a Title 17 excerpt in a third-party zoning report dated 18 September 2024. On 24 August 2026 the bulk standards — floor area ratio, lot area per unit, building height and minimum lot area — were re-checked against the current adopted edition 2026-S-73 and found unchanged. Setbacks and parking ratios were not part of that pass and still rest on the 2024 reading. Data snapshot generated 2026-08-24. How this data is produced and checked →

Where B2-2 is mapped

The interactive map needs JavaScript. See the official City of Chicago zoning map instead, or browse every district as text below.

Planned Manufacturing (PMD)
Parks & Open Space (POS)
Planned Development (PD)
Downtown (DC/DR/DS/DX)
Residential (RS/RT/RM)
Business (B)
Commercial (C)
Manufacturing (M)
Transportation (T)
Other / unclassified

Zoning district boundaries: City of Chicago Data Portal. Basemap: © OpenFreeMap © OpenMapTiles © OpenStreetMap contributors.

B2-2 bulk & density standards

B2-2 — Neighborhood Mixed-Use 2 · Municipal Code of Chicago, Title 17
Maximum floor area ratio (FAR)	2.2 verified §17-3-0403-A, Municipal Code of Chicago
Maximum building height	50 ft verified §17-3-0408-A, Municipal Code of Chicago
Lot area per unit (density)	1,000 sq ft / unit verified ≈ 43.6 units per acre §17-3-0402-A, Municipal Code of Chicago
Setbacks (front / side / rear)	0 / 0 / 29.9 ft approximation Chicago setbacks are contextual formulas (averages of neighboring lots, % of lot width/depth). These are working scalars — confirm per lot. §17-3-0404..0406, Municipal Code of Chicago
Residential parking	1 space / unit verified Before TOD / Connected Communities reductions. §17-10-0207-C, Municipal Code of Chicago
Maximum lot coverage	70% approximation

Verified figures match the ordinance table verbatim at the cited section. Approximation flags contextual formulas (setbacks that depend on neighboring lots, use-group-dependent parking) reduced to a working scalar — the ordinance formula governs.

Permitted uses

B2-2 allows ground-floor retail, multi-unit residential, mixed-use buildings and offices. Dwelling units generally sit above the ground floor; the ground floor stays commercial.

ground-floor retail
multi-unit residential
mixed-use buildings
offices

Supplemental standards

Min. ground-floor floor-to-floor height	13 ft verified Applies to commercial ground-floor space in a multi-floor building (excludes off-street parking). Verbatim: "minimum floor-to-floor height of 13 feet". §17-3-0305, Municipal Code of Chicago
Min. ground-floor commercial area (% of lot)	20 % of lot verified §17-3-0305-B: at least 20% of lot area on lots with >=50 ft frontage. §17-3-0305-A: lots with <50 ft frontage instead require the greater of 800 sf or 25% of lot area. 20% is the common-case (>=50 ft) threshold. §17-3-0305-B, Municipal Code of Chicago

Transit changes these numbers

Under the Connected Communities ordinance (§17-10-0102-B), transit-served lots can cut residential parking minimums — up to 100% by right within ½ mile of a CTA rail station or ¼ mile of a designated bus corridor (outside downtown districts), and up to 50% near Metra. Full Connected Communities guide →

B2-2 — common questions

How many units can I build on a standard lot in B2-2?: A standard 25 × 125 ft Chicago lot (3,125 sq ft) divided by the 1,000 sq ft lot-area-per-unit standard permits 3 units by right. Transit-served lots may qualify for Connected Communities density bonuses.
How tall can I build in B2-2?: 50 feet (§17-3-0408-A). Taller buildings need a variation, a planned development, or — on transit-served B-3/C-3 lots — the Connected Communities height bonus.
Can I put apartments in a B2-2 building?: Yes, above the ground floor. B2-2 allows dwelling units in upper stories at 1,000 sq ft of lot area per unit; the ground floor must generally remain commercial.
Are coach houses or conversion units allowed in B2-2?: Coach houses are permitted by right in B1–C2 districts; conversion units are permitted too, though some districts require special-use approval in certain cases (§17-3-0207). Buildings 20+ years old can add conversion units equal to 33% of existing units (§17-3-0309).
Do parking requirements in B2-2 change near transit?: Yes. The base requirement is 1 space per unit, but under the Connected Communities ordinance (§17-10-0102-B) lots within ½ mile of a CTA or Metra rail station — or ¼ mile of a designated bus corridor — can reduce residential parking minimums, up to 100% by right for CTA-rail- and bus-served lots outside downtown districts.