What is the R-5 zoning district in Bozeman?

R-5, Residential Mixed-Use High Density, was added in Bozeman's 2023 UDC update as the city's highest-density residential district, created specifically to expand housing supply near downtown and transit alongside the city's elimination of off-street parking minimums.

Does Bozeman have parking minimums for new development?

No — Bozeman eliminated citywide off-street parking minimums in 2023, one of the first mid-size U.S. cities to do so, meaning developers set their own parking supply based on project needs rather than a code-mandated minimum.

How do I find the zoning for a parcel in Bozeman?

The Community Development Department maintains an interactive zoning map under the Unified Development Code and issues zoning-verification letters confirming the district and standards for a specific parcel.

Bozeman, Montana · city zoning districts · 15 districts

Bozeman, MT zoning map & districts

Bozeman consolidated its zoning into a Unified Development Code (UDC), administered by the Community Development Department, with rezonings and text amendments reviewed by the Community Development Board before City Commission action. Bozeman drew national attention in 2023 when it became one of the first mid-size U.S. cities to eliminate off-street parking minimums citywide and to add a dedicated high-density residential district (R-5) explicitly aimed at increasing housing supply near downtown and transit; those local changes sit alongside the state's separate 2023 duplex and ADU mandates, both of which also apply to Bozeman as a city over 5,000 residents.

The code Bozeman Unified Development Code

Bozeman zoning map

The Community Development Department maintains Bozeman's zoning map and UDC text and offers zoning-verification letters for specific parcels.

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

As a constitutional self-government charter city, Bozeman has broader home-rule zoning authority than Montana's general-government municipalities, which it has used to move faster on infill and missing-middle reform than the statewide mandates alone require. The UDC's mixed-use districts — REMU (Residential Emphasis Mixed-Use) and NEHMU (Northeast Historic Mixed-Use, covering the Northeast Neighborhood) — are geared toward transit- and walkability-focused infill near downtown, while UMU (Urban Mixed-Use) and the B-2/B-3 business districts cover the city's commercial corridors and downtown core.

Bozeman zoning districts by family

The 15 district codes below are the ones that decide most projects in Bozeman, grouped by what they are for rather than by the order the ordinance prints them.

Key districts in the Bozeman Unified Development Code — a curated reference, not the exhaustive list. Confirm against the current adopted code.
Code	District	What it is for
Residential 5 districts
R-1	Residential Low Density	Lowest-density single-family district.
R-2	Residential Moderate Density	Single-family with duplexes allowed by right.
R-3	Residential Medium Density	Smaller multi-family and rowhouse-scale development.
R-4	Residential High Density	Larger apartment buildings.
R-5	Residential Mixed-Use High Density	Added in the 2023 UDC update; highest-density residential district, aimed at infill near downtown.
Mixed-use 3 districts
REMU	Residential Emphasis Mixed-Use	Mixed-use infill emphasizing residential density near downtown.
NEHMU	Northeast Historic Mixed-Use	Mixed-use district covering the Northeast Neighborhood's historic industrial-residential mix.
UMU	Urban Mixed-Use	General mixed-use commercial/residential corridor district.
Commercial 3 districts
B-1	Neighborhood Business	Small-scale neighborhood commercial.
B-2	Community Business	General commercial corridor district.
BP	Business Park	Office and light-commercial park development.
Downtown / core 1 district
B-3	Downtown Business	Bozeman's downtown core district.
Industrial 2 districts
M-1	Light Manufacturing	Light industrial and manufacturing uses.
M-2	Manufacturing and Industrial	Heavier industrial uses.
Special purpose 1 district
PLI	Public Lands and Institutions	Schools, parks, and other public/institutional uses.

Bozeman zoning — common questions

What is the R-5 zoning district in Bozeman?: R-5, Residential Mixed-Use High Density, was added in Bozeman's 2023 UDC update as the city's highest-density residential district, created specifically to expand housing supply near downtown and transit alongside the city's elimination of off-street parking minimums.
Does Bozeman have parking minimums for new development?: No — Bozeman eliminated citywide off-street parking minimums in 2023, one of the first mid-size U.S. cities to do so, meaning developers set their own parking supply based on project needs rather than a code-mandated minimum.
How do I find the zoning for a parcel in Bozeman?: The Community Development Department maintains an interactive zoning map under the Unified Development Code and issues zoning-verification letters confirming the district and standards for a specific parcel.

Working in Montana? 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 Montana opens, and sooner if we need a test parcel.

Keep reading

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

Other Montana cities

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

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