How is zoning organized in Racine?

Racine uses a conventional zoning structure administered by the Department of City Development, with residential, commercial, and industrial districts and a planned-development track for larger redevelopment sites. The City Plan Commission reviews rezonings before Common Council approval.

How do I find the zoning for a Racine address?

Racine's Department of City Development maintains an online zoning map that returns the current district for any address, alongside the published zoning ordinance text.

What should developers know about Racine's legacy industrial sites?

Racine has significant lakefront and river-adjacent land that was historically zoned and used for heavy manufacturing, much of which is now targeted for adaptive reuse. Zoning on these parcels often intersects with environmental remediation requirements, so both should be confirmed early in due diligence.

Racine, Wisconsin · city zoning districts · 13 districts

Racine, WI zoning map & districts

Racine's zoning ordinance is administered by the city's Department of City Development and follows a conventional residential/commercial/industrial district structure. As a lakefront manufacturing city, much of the current zoning and redevelopment activity centers on adaptive reuse of legacy industrial sites near the Root River and Lake Michigan shoreline, alongside more standard residential and commercial districts covering the rest of the city.

The code Racine Zoning Ordinance

Racine zoning map

The City of Racine's Department of City Development publishes the zoning ordinance and a parcel-level zoning map through the city's website.

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

Rezonings and conditional uses go through the City Plan Commission before Common Council approval. Developers evaluating former industrial parcels in Racine should expect environmental and reuse considerations to factor as heavily as the underlying zoning district itself.

Racine zoning districts by family

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

Key districts in the Racine Zoning Ordinance — a curated reference, not the exhaustive list. Confirm against the current adopted code.
Code	District	What it is for
Residential 6 districts
R-1	Single-Family Residence District	The city's baseline single-family district.
R-2	Two-Family Residence District	Step up from R-1 permitting duplexes; present on the current zoning map but missing from the prior list.
R-3	Limited General Residence District	Modest step up in density from the single-family tiers.
R-4	General Residence District	Multi-family residential, denser than the R-3 tier.
R-5	Multi-Family Residence District	Denser multi-family tier above R-4, confirmed on the current zoning map.
R-6	High-Density Multi-Family Residence District	The city's highest-density residential tier, confirmed on the current zoning map.
Commercial 3 districts
O	Restricted Office District	Office-only uses, buffering residential from retail traffic.
B-1	Neighborhood Convenience District	Small commercial nodes serving nearby blocks only.
B-3	General Commercial District	Standard commercial corridor zoning.
Downtown / core 2 districts
B-4	Central Business District	Downtown Racine's core commercial zone.
B-5	Central Service District	Service and support uses adjacent to the downtown core.
Industrial 2 districts
I-1	Restricted Industrial District	Lower-impact industrial uses, often adjacent to housing.
I-2	General Industrial District	Standard industrial zoning across the city.

Racine zoning — common questions

How is zoning organized in Racine?: Racine uses a conventional zoning structure administered by the Department of City Development, with residential, commercial, and industrial districts and a planned-development track for larger redevelopment sites. The City Plan Commission reviews rezonings before Common Council approval.
How do I find the zoning for a Racine address?: Racine's Department of City Development maintains an online zoning map that returns the current district for any address, alongside the published zoning ordinance text.
What should developers know about Racine's legacy industrial sites?: Racine has significant lakefront and river-adjacent land that was historically zoned and used for heavy manufacturing, much of which is now targeted for adaptive reuse. Zoning on these parcels often intersects with environmental remediation requirements, so both should be confirmed early in due diligence.

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

Keep reading

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

Other Wisconsin cities

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

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