What does RS-9 zoning mean in Winston-Salem?

RS-9 is a Residential Single Family district under the joint city-county UDO allowing detached houses at a moderate lot-size threshold; the number in the RS-series corresponds to the minimum lot size tier.

How do I find the zoning for an address in Winston-Salem?

The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Planning Department's GIS zoning application returns the current district for any parcel in the city or unincorporated county.

Why does Winston-Salem zoning cover Forsyth County too?

Winston-Salem and Forsyth County adopted a single joint Unified Development Ordinance, so one set of zoning districts and standards applies across both the city and the unincorporated county under a shared planning department.

Winston-Salem, North Carolina · city zoning districts · 9 districts

Winston-Salem, NC zoning map & districts

Winston-Salem and Forsyth County share a single joint Unified Development Ordinance covering zoning, subdivision, and environmental regulation across the city and county, administered by the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Planning Department. As with Durham, a given district code applies the same way whether the parcel sits inside city limits or in unincorporated Forsyth County — which government reviews the permit depends on the parcel's jurisdiction, not on the zoning text itself.

The code Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Unified Development Ordinances (UDO)

Winston-Salem zoning map

The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Planning Department maintains the official zoning map and UDO text; parcel zoning is verified through the joint city-county GIS zoning application.

There is no link to the official map here yet — confirm current district boundaries directly with the Winston-Salem 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.

Winston-Salem zoning districts by family

The 9 district codes below are the ones that decide most projects in Winston-Salem, grouped by what they are for rather than by the order the ordinance prints them.

Key districts in the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Unified Development Ordinances (UDO) — a curated reference, not the exhaustive list. Confirm against the current adopted code.
Code	District	What it is for
Residential 4 districts
RS9	Residential Single Family-9	Corrected from 'RS-9': official GIS attribute values are unhyphenated (RS9).
RS40	Residential Single Family-40	Corrected from 'RS-40': official GIS attribute values are unhyphenated.
RM8	Residential Multifamily-8	Corrected from 'RM-8': official GIS attribute values are unhyphenated.
RM18	Residential Multifamily-18	Corrected from 'RM-18': official GIS attribute values are unhyphenated.
Commercial 3 districts
GB	General Business	Confirmed via Forsyth County GIS zoning layer.
LB	Limited Business	Confirmed via Forsyth County GIS zoning layer.
HB	Highway Business	Confirmed via Forsyth County GIS zoning layer.
Industrial 2 districts
LI	Light Industrial	Confirmed via Forsyth County GIS zoning layer.
GI	General Industrial	Confirmed via Forsyth County GIS zoning layer.

Winston-Salem zoning — common questions

What does RS-9 zoning mean in Winston-Salem?: RS-9 is a Residential Single Family district under the joint city-county UDO allowing detached houses at a moderate lot-size threshold; the number in the RS-series corresponds to the minimum lot size tier.
How do I find the zoning for an address in Winston-Salem?: The Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Planning Department's GIS zoning application returns the current district for any parcel in the city or unincorporated county.
Why does Winston-Salem zoning cover Forsyth County too?: Winston-Salem and Forsyth County adopted a single joint Unified Development Ordinance, so one set of zoning districts and standards applies across both the city and the unincorporated county under a shared planning department.

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

Keep reading

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

Other North Carolina cities

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

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