Is Auburn zoned separately from Lewiston?

Yes. Although Auburn and Lewiston function as a joint metro area across the Androscoggin River, each city maintains its own independent zoning ordinance, Planning Board, and zoning map.

How do I find the zoning for an address in Auburn, Maine?

Use the city's GIS mapping tool or contact the Auburn Planning and Permitting Department to confirm the zoning district for a specific parcel.

Does Auburn have rural or agricultural zoning?

Yes — Auburn includes a substantial amount of lower-density and rural land outside its urban core, in contrast to the denser build-out concentrated near downtown and the riverfront.

Auburn, Maine · city zoning districts · 13 districts

Auburn, ME zoning map & districts

Auburn's development standards are set by the Auburn Zoning Ordinance, administered by the city's Planning and Permitting Department. Auburn sits across the Androscoggin River from Lewiston and functions as part of a joint Lewiston-Auburn metro area, with some shared regional planning initiatives, but maintains its own independent zoning code and Planning Board.

The code Auburn Zoning Ordinance

Auburn zoning map

The interactive map needs JavaScript. See the official Auburn Zoning | AccessAuburn (City of Auburn GIS Hub) instead.

Residential 54
Commercial 22
Special purpose 16
Downtown / core 10
Industrial 8
Mixed-use 1

Source: Auburn Zoning | AccessAuburn (City of Auburn GIS Hub), retrieved 2026-08-30. Basemap: © OpenFreeMap © OpenMapTiles © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Find a district by address

District lookup only. No bulk standards and no ordinance citations are held for this city yet. Not a zoning verification.

Source: the official Auburn Zoning | AccessAuburn (City of Auburn GIS Hub) , retrieved 2026-08-30 — the authoritative source for current boundaries.

The Auburn Planning and Permitting Department maintains the zoning map and ordinance text; parcel zoning can be confirmed through the city's GIS tool or directly with the 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 Auburn

Compared to Lewiston, Auburn has a larger share of lower-density and rural/agricultural land outside its urban core, plus commercial development around the Auburn-Lewiston Municipal Airport and along the Route 4/Center Street corridors. Site-specific district review is important given the range from dense downtown parcels to outlying rural acreage.

Auburn zoning districts by family

The 13 district codes below are the ones that decide most projects in Auburn, grouped by what they are for rather than by the order the ordinance prints them.

Key districts in the Auburn Zoning Ordinance — a curated reference, not the exhaustive list. Confirm against the current adopted code.
Code	District	What it is for
Residential 5 districts
RR	Rural Residential	Large-lot residential district at Auburn's rural edge.
SR	Suburban Residential	Standard suburban single-family district.
UR	Urban Residential	Denser residential district closer to the urban core.
LDCR	Low Density Country Residential	Very-large-lot country residential district.
MFS	Multi Family Suburban	Suburban multifamily apartment district.
Mixed-use 1 district
T-4.1	Traditional Main Street Neighborhood	Walkable main-street-style mixed-use district.
Commercial 2 districts
NB	Neighborhood Business	Small-format retail serving surrounding neighborhoods.
GB	General Business	Broader general commercial district.
Downtown / core 3 districts
T-5.1	Downtown Traditional Center	Traditional downtown center district.
T-5.2	Downtown City Center	Auburn's most intensive downtown district.
T-6	Great Falls Metropolitan	Highest-intensity district, centered on the Great Falls riverfront area.
Industrial 1 district
ID	Industrial	Citywide industrial district.
Special purpose 1 district
AG	Agriculture And Resource Protection	Protected agricultural and resource land.

Auburn zoning — common questions

Is Auburn zoned separately from Lewiston?: Yes. Although Auburn and Lewiston function as a joint metro area across the Androscoggin River, each city maintains its own independent zoning ordinance, Planning Board, and zoning map.
How do I find the zoning for an address in Auburn, Maine?: Use the city's GIS mapping tool or contact the Auburn Planning and Permitting Department to confirm the zoning district for a specific parcel.
Does Auburn have rural or agricultural zoning?: Yes — Auburn includes a substantial amount of lower-density and rural land outside its urban core, in contrast to the denser build-out concentrated near downtown and the riverfront.

Working in Maine? Get on the list.

The parcel layer lands in the order demand does. Illinois went first because that's where the deals were; the next state is decided by who tells us what they're trying to underwrite. Tell us where you're building and what you wanted to run — you'll hear from us when Maine opens, and sooner if we need a test parcel.

Keep reading

← Maine zoning — who holds the zoning power in Maine, under which enabling statute, and the reforms that override local rules.

Other Maine cities

The zoning reference → — every state, plus city-level district guides like this one.

Auburn zoning summaries on this page are provided for information, not legal advice. Confirm every project against the current adopted code for the jurisdiction.