How many units can I build on a standard lot in DR-10?

A standard 25 × 125 ft Chicago lot (3,125 sq ft) divided by the 115 sq ft lot-area-per-unit standard permits 27 units by right. Transit-served lots may qualify for Connected Communities density bonuses.

Do parking requirements in DR-10 change near transit?

Yes. The base requirement is 0.3 spaces 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 · Downtown

DR-10 zoning in Chicago: what you can build

DR-10 (Downtown Residential 10) is a downtown district allowing multi-unit residential, with a maximum floor area ratio (FAR) of 10, 115 square feet of lot area required per dwelling unit. Downtown districts trade under Chicago’s FAR-driven bulk rules — base FAR can be increased further through the downtown floor-area bonus system.

Figures read from the City-published text of Title 17, chapter 17-4, on 6 June 2026. Data snapshot generated 2026-08-24. How this data is produced and checked →

Where DR-10 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.

DR-10 bulk & density standards

DR-10 — Downtown Residential 10 · Municipal Code of Chicago, Title 17
Maximum floor area ratio (FAR)	10 verified §17-4-0405-A, Municipal Code of Chicago
Minimum lot area	2,500 sq ft approximation §17-4-0402, Municipal Code of Chicago
Lot area per unit (density)	115 sq ft / unit verified ≈ 379 units per acre §17-4-0404-A, Municipal Code of Chicago
Setbacks (front / side / rear)	0 / 0 / 0 ft approximation Chicago setbacks are contextual formulas (averages of neighboring lots, % of lot width/depth). These are working scalars — confirm per lot. §17-4-0406, Municipal Code of Chicago
Residential parking	0.3 spaces / unit approximation Before TOD / Connected Communities reductions. §17-10-0208, Municipal Code of Chicago
Maximum lot coverage	100% 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

DR-10 allows multi-unit residential.

multi-unit residential

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 →

DR-10 — common questions

How many units can I build on a standard lot in DR-10?: A standard 25 × 125 ft Chicago lot (3,125 sq ft) divided by the 115 sq ft lot-area-per-unit standard permits 27 units by right. Transit-served lots may qualify for Connected Communities density bonuses.
Do parking requirements in DR-10 change near transit?: Yes. The base requirement is 0.3 spaces 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.

Compare DR-10

No direct comparisons published for this district yet.