Naperville, Illinois · city zoning districts · 17 districts
Naperville, IL zoning map & districts
Naperville's Zoning Ordinance is administered by the Transportation, Engineering & Development (TED) Business Group's Planning Division, with the Planning & Zoning Commission reviewing map amendments, conditional uses, and planned developments ahead of City Council approval. The city is known for strict design-review standards, particularly for the historic Downtown Core (DC) district and the Riverwalk, and for distinguishing Office, Commercial & Institutional uses (OCI) from Office, Research & Industrial uses (ORI) — a split that matters for corporate campuses and R&D/flex users along the East-West Corridor.
The code Naperville Zoning Ordinance
Naperville zoning map
Naperville's zoning map and ordinance text are maintained by the TED Business Group's Planning Division; parcel zoning is confirmed via the city's interactive zoning map or by contacting Planning directly.
There is no link to the official map here yet — confirm current district boundaries directly with the Naperville planning or zoning department.
A published summary is never the authority. The adopted ordinance and the city's official zoning map govern, and both change — verify the district and every standard on your parcel before you rely on it.
How zoning works in Naperville
Naperville sits across both DuPage and Will counties, but city zoning applies uniformly regardless of county line. Most substantial multifamily and mixed-use development downtown proceeds through planned-development approval rather than by-right zoning given the city's design-review culture; single-family districts (R1–R4) still cover most of the city's land area outside the core.
Naperville zoning districts by family
The 17 district codes below are the ones that decide most projects in Naperville, grouped by what they are for rather than by the order the ordinance prints them.
| Code | District | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| Residential 7 districts | ||
| R1 | Low Density Single-Family District | Base single-family detached district; largest minimum lot size. |
| R1A | Low Density Single-Family District | Confirmed variant in city GIS, was missing from prior list. |
| R1B | Medium Density Single-Family District | Confirmed variant in city GIS, was missing from prior list. |
| R2 | Single-Family & Low Density Multi-Family District | City GIS shows R2 permits some low-density multifamily, broader than 'single-family' alone. |
| R3 | Medium Density Multi-Family District | City GIS shows R3 is multifamily, not 'Single-Family' as previously listed. |
| R4 | High Density Multi-Family District | City GIS shows R4 is high-density multifamily, not 'Two-Family/Townhome' as previously listed. |
| E1 | Low Density Estate District | Confirmed in city GIS; was missing from prior list. |
| Mixed-use 2 districts | ||
| B1 | Neighborhood Shopping District | Small-scale, neighborhood-serving retail. |
| OCI | Office, Commercial & Institutional District | Corporate office, medical, and institutional campuses. |
| Commercial 3 districts | ||
| B2 | Community Shopping District | City GIS shows B2 as community shopping, not 'General Business' as previously listed. |
| B3 | General Commercial District | Larger-format and highway-oriented commercial. |
| B5 | Commercial Service District | Confirmed in city GIS; was missing from prior list. |
| Downtown / core 1 district | ||
| B4 | Central Business District | City GIS's actual downtown code; the prior list's 'DC' does not appear in Naperville's zoning data. |
| Industrial 2 districts | ||
| ORI | Office, Research & Light Industrial District | R&D, light-industrial, and flex/office parks. |
| I | Industrial District | Confirmed in city GIS; was missing from prior list. |
| Special purpose 2 districts | ||
| CU | College/University District | Confirmed in city GIS; was missing from prior list. |
| HS | Health Services District | Confirmed in city GIS; was missing from prior list. |
Naperville zoning — common questions
- What's the difference between OCI and ORI zoning in Naperville?
- OCI (Office, Commercial & Institutional) covers corporate office, medical, and institutional uses, while ORI (Office, Research & Industrial) targets R&D, light-industrial, and flex-office users. Many East-West Corridor campuses sit in one or the other depending on their use mix.
- How do I find the zoning district for a Naperville property?
- Naperville's Planning Division publishes an interactive GIS zoning map searchable by address; the Community Development Department can also confirm zoning and any overlay designations by parcel PIN.
- Is downtown Naperville development by-right or does it require special approval?
- Most substantial projects in the Downtown Core (DC) district and along the Riverwalk go through planned-development review given the city's design standards, rather than proceeding purely by-right, even when the base use is permitted.
Keep reading
← Illinois zoning — who holds the zoning power in Illinois, under which enabling statute, and the reforms that override local rules.
Other Illinois cities
- Chicago 53 districts · cited
- Aurora 15 districts
- Elgin 16 districts
- Joliet 14 districts
- Peoria 17 districts
- Rockford 13 districts
- Springfield 14 districts
The zoning reference → — every state, plus city-level district guides like this one.
Naperville zoning summaries on this page are provided for information, not legal advice. Confirm every project against the current adopted code for the jurisdiction.