Killeen | Parking, Setbacks and Height
Killeen Parking, Setbacks and Height: Spaces per Home, Yards by District and Height Limits
A setback, which Killeen's code calls a yard, is the open space a building must leave between itself and the lot lines. Each district in Chapter 31 sets its own yards and height, and Article V adds exceptions and the parking rules. This page gives the numbers for the home districts, the parking each type of home needs, the size of a space, and the places where Killeen asks for less parking or none. The Killeen overview gives the short version.
Killeen parking and yards in six facts
- Each single-family lot in Killeen needs two parking spaces of at least 180 square feet each, open or enclosed. Source: Killeen Code, Sec. 31-488
- R-1 and R-2 require a 20-foot front yard with no parking in it, and a 25-foot rear yard. Source: Killeen Code, Secs. 31-188, 31-233
- R-1, SF-2 and R-2 buildings may be no taller than 35 feet or 2.5 stories. Source: Killeen Code, Secs. 31-187, 31-194, 31-232
- A 90-degree parking space must be at least 9 feet wide and 20 feet long, with 24 feet of space to turn. Source: Killeen Code, Sec. 31-490
- No off-street parking is required in special parking district A, bounded by Avenue G, Park Street, Green Avenue and 12th Street. Source: Killeen Code, Sec. 31-488(8)
- In the North Killeen Revitalization Area, the Executive Director of Development Services may reduce or eliminate off-street parking. Source: North Killeen Revitalization Program, item OR-25-001
Yards and Height by District
| District | Front | Side | Rear | Height | Code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A-R1 | 30 ft | 20 ft; 25 ft beside a street | 40 ft | 45 ft | Secs. 31-173, 31-174 |
| SR-1 | 25 ft | 10 ft, and 20 ft between houses | 25 ft | 35 ft or 2.5 stories | Secs. 31-180, 31-181 |
| SR-2 | 35 ft | 10 ft; 20 ft beside a street | 10 ft | 3 stories | Secs. 31-185.3, 31-185.4 |
| R-1 | 20 ft | 5 ft; 15 ft beside a street | 25 ft | 35 ft or 2.5 stories | Secs. 31-187, 31-188 |
| SF-2 | 20 ft | 5 ft; 15 ft beside a street | 20 ft | 35 ft or 2.5 stories | Secs. 31-194, 31-195 |
| R-2 | 20 ft | 7 ft; 15 ft beside a street | 25 ft | 35 ft or 2.5 stories | Secs. 31-232, 31-233 |
| RT-1 | 15 ft; front garage 20 ft | 15 ft at the edge of the subdivision | 20 ft | At least 2 stories, at most 35 ft | Secs. 31-219, 31-220 |
| R-3F | 25 ft | 7.5 ft; 15 ft beside a street | 20 ft; 25 ft next to lower-density districts | 35 ft | Secs. 31-255.2, 31-255.3 |
| R-3A | 25 ft | 7.5 ft; 15 ft beside a street | 25 ft | 35 ft, more with larger setbacks | Secs. 31-256.2, 31-256.3 |
| Small lot (SB 15 land) | 15 ft | 5 ft | 10 ft | Not set in Sec. 31-475 | Sec. 31-475 |
Source: Killeen Code of Ordinances, Chapter 31, Article IV and Sec. 31-475, Supplement 38 Update 1. A side yard for an allowed nonresidential use, such as a church, is 25 feet in SR-1, R-1 and R-2.
Three details sit behind the table. The R-1 rear yard of 25 feet is "measured from the centerline of the easement as in the subdivision ordinance," so a rear utility easement counts toward it. R-1, R-2 and R-3F bar parking in the required front yard. And SR-1 needs "a minimum of twenty (20) feet between structures on adjacent lots," with no side yard under 10 feet.
Height is "the vertical distance from the grade to the highest point of the coping of a flat roof," to the deck line of a mansard roof, or "to the mean height level between eaves and ridge for gable, hip and gambrel roofs" (Sec. 31-2). A half story is a partial story under a sloped roof whose wall plates on two opposite walls are no more than 4 feet above the floor. Lot coverage, the share of a lot a building may cover, has no cap in most home districts. R-3 limits buildings to 40 percent of the lot, and small lots cap hard surfaces at 70 percent.
Exceptions to the Yard and Height Rules
Article V, Division 2 adjusts the district numbers:
- Front yard averaging. In R-1, SF-2, R-2, R-3, R-3F and R-3A, where 25 percent or more of the frontage on one side of a block has front yards deeper than required, no other lot on that side may have a front yard less than "the least depth of any such existing front yards," unless the Board of Adjustment allows it (Sec. 31-472(b)). Where 25 percent of the frontage has shallower yards, the Board may allow a smaller front yard (Sec. 31-472(a)).
- Porches and eaves. Open, unenclosed terraces or porches, eaves and roof extensions may reach 4 feet into the required front yard, with columns up to 12 inches as the only supports (Sec. 31-472(c)).
- Side yards. A roof overhang, open fire escape or outside stairway may reach 3 feet into a side yard but no closer than 3 feet to the lot line. A corner lot keeps a buildable width of at least 30 feet. A lot of record under 50 feet wide may shrink its side yards to keep 30 feet of buildable width, but never below 5 feet (Sec. 31-473).
- One building. "For the purpose of side yard regulations, a two-family dwelling or multifamily dwelling shall be considered as one (1) building occupying one (1) lot" (Sec. 31-473(c)).
- Backyard buildings. Accessory buildings to homes may be 20 feet tall and together may cover no more than 25 percent of a required rear yard, at least 5 feet from the main building, the rear lot line and interior side lines. Pools go only in side or rear yards, at least 5 feet from side lines and 10 feet from the rear line (Sec. 31-474).
- Height exceptions. Chimneys, spires, flagpoles and similar features are exempt from height limits. Schools and public buildings may reach 60 feet and churches 75 feet when each yard grows one foot for each extra foot of height. No structure may exceed the height an airfield zoning ordinance allows where one applies (Sec. 31-471).
Parking Spaces Each Home Needs
| Use | Spaces | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Single-family lot | 2 per lot | Sec. 31-488(1) |
| Small lot under Sec. 31-475 | At least 1 per home | Sec. 31-475 |
| Duplex | 2 per home | Sec. 31-489 |
| Townhouse (RT-1) | 2 per home, plus 0.5 visitor space per home | Secs. 31-221, 31-489 |
| Three-plex | 4, 6 or 8 per building, by bedrooms | Sec. 31-489 |
| Four-plex | 8 or 10 per building, by bedrooms | Sec. 31-489 |
| Apartment | 1-2/3 per home | Sec. 31-489 |
| Guest house (A-R1, SR-2) | 1 more space | Secs. 31-172, 31-185.2 |
Source: Killeen Code of Ordinances, Secs. 31-488 and 31-489, with the district sections named, Supplement 38 Update 1.
The general rules are in Sec. 31-487. Parking spaces, aisles and turning areas need an all-weather surface, which Sec. 31-2 defines as Portland cement concrete, an impervious asphalt surface over a compacted base, or another surface the building official approves. Fractional spaces are rounded to the nearest whole space. Spaces that require a car to turn on a public street do not count, "except in 'R-1,' 'SF-2,' 'RM-1,' 'R-2,' 'RT-1,' 'R-MP,' and 'R-MS' uses," so a driveway that backs onto the street counts for a house or duplex and is left out of the count for a fourplex or apartment lot. Parking for homes must be on the same lot, except that in RT-1 one of the required spaces may be within 100 feet (Sec. 31-488(3)).
Two state laws cap these numbers on some land. On a small lot that SB 15 covers, Local Government Code 211.055 bars a city from requiring "more than one parking space per unit," covered parking or off-site parking, and Sec. 31-475 asks for one. On a multifamily site on commercial land that SB 840 covers, Section 218.102 bars "more than one parking space per dwelling unit" or a parking garage. The Sec. 31-489 schedule asks for 1-2/3 spaces per apartment and up to 10 for a fourplex, so on those sites the state limit controls. The triplexes, fourplexes and apartments page covers which business land that is.
Size of a Space and of the Turning Area
Sec. 31-490 sets the sizes. A 90-degree space is at least 9 feet wide and 20 feet long, with turning space of at least 24 feet. A 60-degree space is 9 feet wide and 19 feet long, with 20 feet of turning space. A 45-degree space is 8 feet wide and 18 feet long, with 18 feet. Turning space next to a street is measured from the curb line, and an alley beside the spaces may count as part of the turning space. Spaces provided beyond the minimum must meet the same sizes. Sec. 31-488 asks for spaces of at least 180 square feet on single-family and multifamily lots.
Parking lots for 30 or more cars need lighting of at least one footcandle across the lot, except for the uses in items (1)a to g of the schedule, which include apartments, townhouses and duplexes (Sec. 31-487(j)). A footcandle is a unit of light on a surface. Sidewalks in a parking area must be at least 4 feet wide.
Where Killeen Asks for Less Parking
- Special parking district A. Sec. 31-488(8) describes "an area bounded by the innermost rights-of-way or straight line extensions of the rights-of-way of Avenue G, Park Street, Green Avenue and 12th Street" and says "No off-street parking shall be required within special parking district 'A.'" The City manager may also waive a traffic impact analysis there (Sec. 26-190).
- North Killeen. The North Killeen Revitalization Program, amended by the City Council on January 7, 2025 (item OR-25-001), says the Chapter 31 parking rules "may be reduced or eliminated by the Director if it is deemed that doing so will advance the City's revitalization efforts." The Director is the Executive Director of Development Services. The program area runs from W. S. Young on the east to Fort Hood Street on the west, and from the northern city limits south to West Hallmark Avenue and Terrace Drive. The same ordinance sets 20-foot front, 10-foot rear and 5-foot side setbacks for nonconforming lots there.
- Older R-3 lots. On an R-3 lot platted before the zoning ordinance began, the parking rules "shall not be mandatory" if the spaces will not fit in the 60 percent of the lot not covered by buildings, but no fewer than 1-1/3 spaces per dwelling lot (Sec. 31-249).
- Planned unit developments. In a PUD, parking "should generally follow regulations for applicable uses" but "may be increased or decreased as deemed necessary by the planning and zoning commission" (Sec. 31-802(h)).
Landscaping in the Front Yard
Article V, Division 11 sets planting rules that use front yard space. Each house in SR-1, SR-2 and R-1 needs two canopy trees, at least one in the front yard, eight three-gallon shrubs in the front yard, and ground cover (Sec. 31-880). In SF-2 and R-2 the rule is one canopy tree and eight shrubs per home in the front yard (Sec. 31-882). An R-3F lot needs one canopy tree and three shrubs per home, and an R-3A lot one tree and six shrubs for every two homes, placed at the front or side of the building (Secs. 31-884 and 31-885). New trees must be at least 1.5 caliper inches, a measure of trunk thickness, and 6 feet tall. The FY 2027 Fee Schedule lists the landscape permit at $120 for one and two-family lots and $220 for commercial and multifamily lots.
Where the Code Has Gaps or Conflicts
- Sec. 31-173 reads "forty-five (45) feet, or three (3)" and stops, with no word after "three." Ask the City whether A-R1 means three stories.
- Sec. 31-488(5) and (7) refer to a "BL-1" district, which Sec. 31-121 does not list.
- R-1 limits a house to 2.5 stories, while Local Government Code 211.055(a)(6) bars a city from requiring fewer than three full stories on a small lot that SB 15 covers. The state law controls on those lots.
- B-1 to B-5 set height "as required by the Standard Building Code," while Chapter 8 now adopts the 2024 International codes, under Ordinance No. 25-068 of December 2, 2025. Ask the building official which limit applies.
Best For
- ✓ An R-2 duplex lot with room for four spaces outside the 20-foot front yard.
- ✓ A site in special parking district A, where no off-street parking is required.
- ✓ A North Killeen project where the Director can cut the parking count.
Usually Fails When
- ✕ A fourplex plan counts spaces that back onto the street.
- ✕ Neighbors on the block have deeper front yards and the design uses the 20-foot minimum.
- ✕ A small lot design stops at 2.5 stories because of the R-1 limit without asking the City.
What To Verify Before Spending Money
- → The front yards already built on your side of the block.
- → Whether the lot is in special parking district A or the North Killeen Revitalization Area.
- → Any rear easement that the R-1 rear yard is measured from.
Where to Go Next
Related on VanPlex: the Killeen overview, SB 15 small lots, and SB 840 commercial to residential.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many parking spaces does a house need in Killeen?
What is the front setback in Killeen R-1?
How tall can a house be in Killeen?
Can my front setback be smaller than my neighbors' in Killeen?
How big is a parking space in Killeen?
Can I park in a driveway that backs onto the street in Killeen?
Where in Killeen is no parking required?
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What landscaping does a new duplex need in Killeen?
Do side yard setbacks apply to each home in a Killeen duplex?
Official sources (checked October 2026)
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