What is happening with Biddeford's old mill buildings?

Biddeford's former textile mills along the Saco River, including the Pepperell Mill Campus and Lincoln Mill, have been undergoing active adaptive-reuse redevelopment into housing, office, and light-industrial/maker space under the city's zoning and permitting framework.

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

Use the city's GIS mapping tool or contact the Biddeford Planning Department to confirm the applicable zoning district and any overlays for a parcel.

Does riverfront zoning apply in Biddeford?

Yes — parcels along the Saco River are subject to Maine's shoreland zoning requirements in addition to the base zoning district, which is a key consideration for mill and riverfront redevelopment sites.

Biddeford, Maine · city zoning districts · 13 districts

Biddeford, ME zoning map & districts

Biddeford's zoning is governed by the Biddeford Zoning Ordinance, administered by the city's Planning Department under the Planning Board. Biddeford is a former textile mill city on the Saco River that has become one of Maine's most active adaptive-reuse markets, with large mill complexes such as the Pepperell Mill Campus and Lincoln Mill converted to housing, offices, and maker/light-industrial space alongside downtown commercial revitalization.

The code Biddeford Zoning Ordinance

Biddeford zoning map

The City of Biddeford's Planning Department maintains the zoning ordinance and map; parcel-level zoning is available via the city's GIS portal or by contacting the department.

There is no link to the official map here yet — confirm current district boundaries directly with the Biddeford 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 Biddeford

Developers should confirm river-corridor and shoreland requirements along the Saco River for waterfront mill parcels, and check whether a given mill or downtown building carries historic-preservation review in addition to its base zoning district, given the city's active reuse pipeline.

Biddeford zoning districts by family

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

Key districts in the Biddeford Zoning Ordinance — a curated reference, not the exhaustive list. Confirm against the current adopted code.
Code	District	What it is for
Residential 5 districts
R1A	Single Family Residential A	Larger-lot single-family district.
R1B	Single Family Residential B	Tighter-lot single-family tier.
R2	Multi Family Residential	Standard multifamily district.
R3	Mixed Residential	Blended housing-type residential district.
SR1	Suburban Residential Zone	Suburban-scale residential district.
Commercial 2 districts
B1	General Business Zone	General commercial district.
B2	Highway Business Zone	Auto-oriented highway commercial district.
Downtown / core 2 districts
MSRD1	Main Street Revitalization District Commercial Core	Core commercial tier of Biddeford's Main Street revitalization district.
MSRD3	Main Street Revitalization District High Density And Mixed Use	High-density mixed-use tier of the Main Street revitalization district.
Industrial 2 districts
I1	General Industrial Zone	Standard general industrial district.
I3	Commercial Industrial Zone	Blended commercial-industrial district.
Special purpose 2 districts
RF	Rural Farm Zone	Working farmland district.
IN	Institutional Zone	Schools, hospitals, and other institutional uses.

Biddeford zoning — common questions

What is happening with Biddeford's old mill buildings?: Biddeford's former textile mills along the Saco River, including the Pepperell Mill Campus and Lincoln Mill, have been undergoing active adaptive-reuse redevelopment into housing, office, and light-industrial/maker space under the city's zoning and permitting framework.
How do I find the zoning for an address in Biddeford, Maine?: Use the city's GIS mapping tool or contact the Biddeford Planning Department to confirm the applicable zoning district and any overlays for a parcel.
Does riverfront zoning apply in Biddeford?: Yes — parcels along the Saco River are subject to Maine's shoreland zoning requirements in addition to the base zoning district, which is a key consideration for mill and riverfront redevelopment sites.

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.

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