Chicago zoning district · Downtown
DX-5 zoning in Chicago: what you can build
DX-5 (Downtown Mixed-Use 5) is a downtown district allowing multi-unit residential, mixed-use buildings, offices and ground-floor retail, with a maximum floor area ratio (FAR) of 5, 200 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 DX-5 is mapped
Zoom in for district codes
- 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.
DX-5 bulk & density standards
| Maximum floor area ratio (FAR) | 5 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) | 200 sq ft / unit verified ≈ 218 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 | 0.45 spaces / unit approximation Before TOD / Connected Communities reductions. §17-10-0208, Municipal Code of Chicago |
| Maximum lot coverage | 90% 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
DX-5 allows multi-unit residential, mixed-use buildings, offices and ground-floor retail.
- multi-unit residential
- mixed-use buildings
- offices
- ground-floor retail
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 →
DX-5 — common questions
- How many units can I build on a standard lot in DX-5?
- A standard 25 × 125 ft Chicago lot (3,125 sq ft) divided by the 200 sq ft lot-area-per-unit standard permits 15 units by right. Transit-served lots may qualify for Connected Communities density bonuses.
- Do parking requirements in DX-5 change near transit?
- Yes. The base requirement is 0.45 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.