What is South Burlington's Form Based Code district?

South Burlington adopted a Form Based Code for its City Center area around Market Street and Garden Street, regulating building form, height, and street frontage rather than relying solely on conventional use and density limits, in order to create a walkable downtown the city previously lacked.

How do I find the zoning for a parcel in South Burlington?

Check the city's online GIS mapping portal, which shows parcel-level zoning district boundaries, alongside the Land Development Regulations published by the Department of Planning and Zoning.

Does Burlington International Airport affect zoning nearby?

Yes. Land near Burlington International Airport, which sits within South Burlington, carries airport-related industrial zoning and noise-compatibility considerations that should be checked in addition to the base zoning district.

South Burlington, Vermont · city zoning districts · 13 districts

South Burlington, VT zoning map & districts

South Burlington regulates land use under its Land Development Regulations (LDR), administered by the city's Department of Planning and Zoning with Development Review Board approval for site plans, conditional uses, and subdivisions. Chittenden County's fastest-growing suburb is anchored by the University Mall and Dorset Street commercial corridor, and its LDR mixes conventional Euclidean residential and commercial districts with a Form-Based Code adopted for the City Center area around Market Street and Garden Street — a deliberate effort to build a walkable downtown for a city that historically had none, using building-form and street-frontage standards rather than simple use and density limits.

The code South Burlington Land Development Regulations

South Burlington zoning map

South Burlington's Department of Planning and Zoning publishes the Land Development Regulations and zoning map, with parcel-level lookups available through the city's online GIS portal.

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

As elsewhere in Chittenden County, South Burlington is subject to Vermont's 2023 HOME Act duplex-by-right mandate on serviced lots and sits within Act 250's jurisdiction for qualifying larger projects. Burlington International Airport, located within the city, drives a distinct set of airport-adjacent industrial and noise-overlay zoning considerations that a developer working near the airport corridor needs to check specifically.

South Burlington zoning districts by family

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

Key districts in the South Burlington Land Development Regulations — a curated reference, not the exhaustive list. Confirm against the current adopted code.
Code	District	What it is for
Residential 4 districts
R1	Residential 1 District	Lowest-density district in South Burlington's numbered residential ladder.
R4	Residential 4 District	Mid-density residential district.
R7	Residential 7 District	Higher-density residential district.
R12	Residential 12 District	Highest-density district in the numbered residential ladder.
Mixed-use 1 district
T-4	Transect Zone 4 Urban Multi-Use	City Center form-based-code district for urban multi-use blocks.
Commercial 2 districts
C1	Commercial 1 District	General commercial district, also mapped with R12/R15 residential overlays.
C2	Commercial 2 District	Secondary general commercial district.
Downtown / core 2 districts
T-3	Transect Zone 3-City Center	City Center form-based-code district for mid-intensity downtown blocks.
T-5	Transect Zone 5 City Center	Most intensive tier of the City Center form-based code.
Industrial 1 district
IC	Mixed Industrial and Commercial District	Blended industrial/commercial district.
Special purpose 3 districts
IA	Institutional and Agricultural District	Institutional campuses and remaining agricultural land.
PR	Park and Recreation District	City-owned parkland and Winooski Valley Park District holdings.
MU	Municipal District	City-owned municipal facility sites.

South Burlington zoning — common questions

What is South Burlington's Form Based Code district?: South Burlington adopted a Form Based Code for its City Center area around Market Street and Garden Street, regulating building form, height, and street frontage rather than relying solely on conventional use and density limits, in order to create a walkable downtown the city previously lacked.
How do I find the zoning for a parcel in South Burlington?: Check the city's online GIS mapping portal, which shows parcel-level zoning district boundaries, alongside the Land Development Regulations published by the Department of Planning and Zoning.
Does Burlington International Airport affect zoning nearby?: Yes. Land near Burlington International Airport, which sits within South Burlington, carries airport-related industrial zoning and noise-compatibility considerations that should be checked in addition to the base zoning district.

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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 Vermont opens, and sooner if we need a test parcel.

Keep reading

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

Other Vermont cities

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

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