Every city is different. It's my understanding that a city as large as Houston, Texas has No City Zoning (other than the min. residential lot has to be 5,000 sq. ft., that's a 50'x100' very small lot) while New York City has one of the most complex Zoning Ordinances. City Zoning Ordinances were first implemented in the City of Euclid, Ohio to prevent incompatible development from being built next to each other. You would not want noisy industrial across the fence from single family homes. Some of the items in the Zoning Ordinance you need to be aware of when designing your new home are;

 

• Minimum square footage of the Living Space. It's not good to mix small homes right next to large Mac Mansions.
• How the Garage Doors face. In north Texas, it has always been taboo to have a Garage Door facing parallel to the street.
• The Minimum Distances from the property lines. This is the Front, Rear and Side Building Lines. These may also be found in your CCRs or Deed Restrictions.
• Maximum Building Height. Table 503 in the IBC states that most wood framed buildings have a maximum building height of 40'. Your city zoning may vary.
• Lot Coverage. You can not build a building that in many zonings cover more than 40% of the lot. But once again, check your city's zoning.
• Density (the number of units per acre)
• Primary Uses (Single Family, Multi-Family, Duplex, Agricultural, Commercial, Retail, etc..)

Since I do a lot of work in the City of Dallas, as an example, here is a LINK to their Zoning Rules Chart. You will need to check your city's web site or contact the city for your designated Zoning.

Maybe your property is zoned for Office or Retail but you want to build your home there. This is when you must make application of a change of zoning or apply for a Specific Use Permit, a SUP. In Texas a change of zoning requires that the city contact all property owners with-in 200 feet of your property and a hearing will be set after 30 days of that notice. The hearing will normally be presented to the City Council, Planning and Zoning Commission or the city's Board of Adjustments and those who received notice will have an opportunity to voice their differences or support for your request. You can expect a filing fee of something around $200.00.

Anyway... before starting the design process for your new Dream Home, or maybe even a room addition, you best review how your city's Zoning Ordinance will effect it.