Grand Prairie | Parking, Setbacks and Height

Grand Prairie Parking, Setbacks and Height: Garage Rules, District Yards and Lot Coverage

Once the zoning district allows a building, four numbers decide whether it fits on the lot: the parking count, the setbacks (the open yards between a building and the lot lines), the height limit and the lot coverage. Grand Prairie sets parking in Article 10 of the Unified Development Code (UDC) and the other three in the Article 6 tables. Appendix W raises several of them for new subdivisions. This page gives the numbers district by district. The Grand Prairie overview has the summary.

Parking by Housing Type

Sec. 10.7.2 holds the parking schedule. Under Sec. 10.3.1.A, partial spaces are "rounded to the next highest number of usable parking spaces, and shall be non-stacked," which means one car may not block another. Article 10 was last amended November 4, 2025 by Ordinance No. 11809-2025, and that edition sets apartment parking at one space per unit.

Source: Grand Prairie UDC Article 10, Sec. 10.7.2 schedule and Secs. 10.7.4 and 10.7.5 (November 4, 2025). The schedule has no row that names the 2F district.

For apartments, Sec. 10.7.4 counts garage spaces toward the minimum, each at least 12 by 20 feet, and requires covered spaces for "no less than twenty percent 20%" of the required total, with roof posts wrapped in masonry. At least 10 percent of required spaces must be marked for guests, and every uncovered space must be lit. Tandem spaces behind a garage count only for townhouses, attached homes and apartments using the preferred standard, and only with 20 feet of pavement in front of the garage door. SB 840, in Local Government Code 218.102, bars a city from requiring more than one space per unit for apartments on commercial land, and SB 15 bars more than one space per small lot. Grand Prairie's numbers match both limits.

Two paths reduce parking. Under Sec. 10.13.1, the Development Review Committee may approve a reduction of up to 15 percent, based on a report "defining and documenting the feasibility of such reduction." Under Sec. 10.13.3, the Zoning Board of Adjustments and Appeals may cut up to 25 percent, or one space, for most uses when demand "does not warrant the number of off-street parking spaces required." Existing parcels on the 300 East to 400 West blocks of Main Street are exempt from on-site parking, though new construction there is reviewed at site plan.

Driveways and Where Cars May Park

Section 6 of Article 10 covers residential driveways. Every new driveway needs a building permit, and the definition in Sec. 10.6.9 sets the "minimum driveway width" at 18 feet.

• No vehicle may park in a front, side or rear yard unless the spot is a driveway or parking area of poured concrete or pavers, or a paved side or rear yard behind a solid fence at least 6 feet high.
• Front driveways are concrete, 4 inches of 4,000 PSI concrete with #3 bars at 24 inches each way.
• Asphalt is allowed in front only where the street is asphalt and more than half of the driveways on that block face are paved with something other than concrete.
• "New gravel or crushed stone driveways and paving surfaces are not permitted within residential districts."
• In residential districts, a garage or carport may not store a truck, trailer or van larger than a pickup or panel truck of 1 1/2 tons; a travel trailer or camper may be stored off-street.

New subdivisions under Appendix W, Section 2, add garage rules: garages must be side entry, J-swing or rear accessible, with at least 24 feet of driveway from the street to the garage door. A street-facing garage is allowed only if the door sits at least halfway between the front and rear yards, has 45 feet of driveway, and has at least three bays. A two-car-wide single door may not face the street.

Yards, Height and Coverage by District

The yard figures are minimum distances in feet. "Street" is the side yard along a street on a corner lot. Rear yards are 10 feet in most house districts, rising to between 20 and 40 feet when the rear faces an arterial street (10 feet on a small lot). A rear-entry garage door needs 20 feet in most districts, 25 in SF-E and 10 on a small lot.

Source: Grand Prairie UDC Article 6, Tables 6A and 6B (September 2, 2025), read by the x position of each cell. In SF-Z the house sits on one side line with 10 feet on the other. Apartment yards are on the townhomes and apartments page.

Every single-family district in Table 6A also requires 6 feet between buildings. Article 30 measures building height from the higher of "the average established grade at the street line" or "the average natural front yard ground level" to the top of a flat roof, the deck line of a mansard roof, or "the mean height level between eaves and ridge for hip and gable roofs." Chimneys, cupolas and similar features are left out.

Apartment Yards and Building Spacing

Apartment yards grow with height. Table 6C sets a 30-foot front yard in MF-1, MF-2 and MF-3, cut to 5 feet when units front the street, and rear and interior side yards of 45 feet plus 1 foot for every foot of height above 35 feet. A rear yard on an alley starts at 30 feet. Buildings in an apartment complex stand at least 15 feet apart, and Sec. 6.9.1 requires 20 feet between facing walls around an inner court, with no balcony or canopy reaching into it. MF-1 and MF-2 allow 50 feet of height; MF-3 allows 60 feet, or 50 feet within 100 feet of one and two family zoning.

Apartments on commercial land under SB 840 follow different numbers. Appendix S sets their setbacks and buffers at the lesser of the commercial setback on the site or 25 feet, and their height at the greater of the commercial height or 45 feet. Table 6D gives most commercial districts a 25-foot front yard and no rear yard, with 20 feet when the rear adjoins residential land. The townhomes and apartments page compares Appendix S with the statute.

What May Sit in a Yard

Sec. 6.6.1 sets the rules for required yards:

• Eaves, roof extensions, fireplaces, bay windows and architectural wing walls may project up to 24 inches into a front, side or rear yard.
• Side and rear yards stay "open and unobstructed" to the sky from 30 inches above grade, except for permitted accessory structures, planting and lighting.
• A lot with streets on both front and rear keeps a front yard on both streets, unless a screening fence is required along the rear.
• Where one side of a block is split between districts, the front yard of the strictest district applies to the whole frontage.
• A structure legally built before January 1, 1972 with a 25-foot front yard, 5-foot side yards and a 10-foot rear yard is deemed to meet the current setbacks.

Plat lines and code yards can differ. Under Sec. 6.6.1.F, where a recorded plat shows a building line deeper than the district requires, "the front, side or rear yard setback established by this code shall take a precedence over such building line established by the plat." A building line set by City Council ordinance is followed instead.

Appendix W changes the front yard for new subdivisions of five or more lots: no house may be closer than 17 feet, and the 17-foot line is allowed for a J-swing or side-swing garage that takes no more than 30 percent of the front, or for a covered porch at least 5 feet deep and 8 feet wide. Rear and side lot lines next to a street right-of-way wider than 50 feet need a 20-foot building line. Each lot must have at least 24 feet of driveway between the right-of-way and the building face.

Height Exceptions and Lot Coverage

Under Sec. 6.10.2, chimneys, elevator shafts, flagpoles, air conditioning equipment and solar collectors "may be constructed 15' higher than the maximum height requirement." Such features may take no more than 30 percent of the roof, or 75 percent for solar panels, must be set back from the roof edge one foot for each foot they rise, and may not interfere with the airport zones in Appendix N. The Zoning Board of Adjustments and Appeals may vary these limits after reviewing elevation drawings.

Sec. 6.11.1 defines lot coverage as "the percentage of the total area of a lot occupied by the base (first story floor) of all buildings located on the lot, including accessory structures, detached garages, carports, patio covers and gazebos but excluding sidewalks, driveways, uncovered patios, pools, spas, and hot tubs." Covered porches count as part of the house, and pergolas of up to 500 square feet do not count. Whatever is left must stay open to the sky. In a new subdivision under Appendix W, no lot may exceed 60 percent coverage, which is above the 50 percent in the house districts; because Appendix W applies the more restrictive standard, the 50 percent district cap still governs those lots.

Where to Go Next

Related on VanPlex: the Grand Prairie overview, SB 15 small lots and how Texas zoning works.

Frequently Asked Questions

Official sources (checked October 2026)