Cities | Plano

Plano Multiplex Rules 2026: Backyard Cottages, Duplexes and Small Lots

Plano zones every lot inside its city limits, so the first question for any project is the lot's district. Two City documents hold the rules: the Zoning Ordinance (districts, uses, yards, parking) and the Subdivision Ordinance (plats and lot layout), both published by the City as PDFs. Fees, flood rules and the heritage program sit in Chapter 16 of the separate Code of Ordinances. This page gives the main numbers, with the section for each, and links to seven detailed pages.

Plano Guide Pages

State Law in Plano, in Brief

Plano had 285,494 people in the 2020 Census. It lies in Collin County, which had 1,064,465, and Denton County, which had 906,422. So Plano passes the size test in the 2025 laws, by VanPlex count from 2020 Census figures. Plano wrote the laws into its codes before they took effect on September 1, 2025: Ordinance No. 2025-8-13 for zoning and Ordinance No. 2025-8-14 for subdivisions, both adopted August 25, 2025. The City's Land Use State Law page explains its notice signs as a response to "the significant departure from expected land use and development process in many areas."

• SB 15 became the Single-Family Small Lot standards in Sec. 15.1900.4: 3,000 square foot lots, 30 feet wide and 75 deep, with yards of 15, 5 and 10 feet and 1 parking space, on unplatted tracts of 5 acres or more at least 3,000 feet from an airport.
• SB 840 became a residential column in 12 nonresidential district tables, with apartments "permitted where required by state law," 1 parking space per home, and the state's 1,000-foot and 3,000-foot buffers. Several of those districts set minimum heights of 75 or 120 feet.
• HB 24 became the 60 percent protest rule in Sec. 4.700, with a majority Council vote for changes that add homes. An older sentence in Sec. 4.600.1 still calls for three-fourths; the statute and the newer section control for protests.

For SB 15 and SB 840 projects, Sec. 1.14 of the Subdivision Ordinance requires a posted sign and mailed notice to owners within 500 feet. There is no public hearing.

How a Lot Reaches Two, Three or More Homes

Source: Plano Zoning Ordinance, Article 9, Sec. 14.100, Sec. 15.1800 and Sec. 15.1900, September 1, 2025 edition.

Zoning Districts

Sec. 9.100 lists 16 residential districts: A, ED, SF-20, SF-9, SF-7, SF-6, UR, PH, SF-A, 2F, GR, MF-1, MF-2, MF-3, MH and RCD. The house districts step down from 85,000 square foot lots in A to 6,000 in SF-6. A detached house is permitted in all 16. In the use table, a "P" means permitted by right and an "S" means a specific use permit from the City Council. Many tracts carry a planned development ordinance with its own rules, and overlays add more. A rezoning to a listed district costs $3,000 plus $50 per acre, to a maximum of $20,000, since March 23, 2026. The zoning districts page has the tables and the rezoning steps.

Backyard Cottages and Duplexes

A backyard cottage is Plano's accessory dwelling unit: "a detached dwelling unit subordinate to and located on the same lot as" a house. Sec. 15.1800 allows one per lot on a lot of at least 6,000 square feet, between 400 and 1,100 square feet and no more than half the main home, no taller than the house, 10 feet from it and behind it, with 1 parking space that may not be tandem. Before the permit, the owner records a covenant that the cottage will never be sold apart from the house. The park fee does not apply to cottage permits.

Two City documents say different things about renting a cottage. The City's fact sheet lists rental income as a benefit; Sec. 13.900.1A says accessory buildings in residential districts "may not be rented." Duplexes are permitted in 8 districts. The 2F district lets the two halves be sold on separate lots. The cottages and duplexes page covers both.

Townhomes and Apartments

A building with 3 or more homes is a multifamily dwelling in Plano. The MF districts need an 8,400 square foot lot, allow 45 feet, and require 1 parking space per home. Since September 1, 2025, Sec. 15.2400 sets minimum unit sizes (500 square feet for an efficiency, 650 for one bedroom, 800 for two), MERV 13 filters and indoor noise limits. Townhomes in SF-A need 2,250 square feet per home and 2.25 parking spaces. The RCD district allows townhome lots of 1,200 square feet inside planned neighborhoods. On commercial land, the O-1, R and LC districts allow apartments up to 45 feet with no minimum height, while O-2, RC, RE, LI-1 and LI-2 require at least 75 feet and CE and RT at least 120 feet, so small buildings fit best on the first three. The townhomes and apartments page covers the commercial districts too.

Lots, Yards, Height and Parking

Standard SF-7 lots are 7,000 square feet, 65 feet wide and 100 feet deep, with a 30-foot front yard, side yards of 6.5 feet or 10 percent of width, and a 10-foot rear yard. Stormwater options allow 5,400 square foot lots in SF-7, SF-6 and 2F when a subdivision sets aside 10 percent open space. Most house districts allow 2 stories and 35 feet. Parking is 2 spaces for each house or duplex unit, 1 in GR and small lots. Subdivisions with lots 50 feet wide or less need rear alleys. The lot size page and the parking, setbacks and height page have the tables.

Heritage, Overlays and Flood

Heritage landmarks (H) and districts (HD) need a certificate of appropriateness for exterior work, and demolition can be delayed for up to 240 days. Neighborhood conservation districts set design standards through an adopted plan. The Expressway Corridor Overlay, adopted in January 2025, bars houses and duplexes in its R-ECA area and requires noise and air measures near highways. In a special flood hazard area, a new home's lowest floor must be 2 feet above the base flood elevation on the Collin County maps of November 21, 2024 or the Denton County maps of April 18, 2011. The heritage, overlays and flood page has the details.

What the Numbers Show

Plano had 293,028 people on July 1, 2025, by the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025 estimate. The Census Bureau's 2025 Building Permits Survey file shows Plano reported all 12 months, with these counts:

Source: Census Bureau Building Permits Survey, South Region places, 2025 annual. Plano's row shows 12 months reported, so the estimate and reported columns are the same.

The Census counts a building by the number of homes it holds, so a fourplex is one building of three to four units. The file gives counts only. It shows no two-unit or three-to-four-unit buildings permitted in Plano in 2025.

Plats, Permits and Fees

Dividing land needs a plat under the Subdivision Ordinance, which Code Sec. 16-131 adopts by reference. A minor plat, for four lots or fewer with no new street, can be approved by the Director of Planning. The City must act on a plat within 30 days of the official submission date, matching Local Government Code 212.009. Under the fee schedule effective March 23, 2026, a final plat costs $800 and a minor plat $500. A new house pays $0.48 per square foot for the building permit, plus $80 plan review and a $75 plumbing certificate, under Ordinance No. 2025-11-4. The park fee is $5,691 per new house. The plats, permits and fees page has the full lists.

Where to Go Next

Related on VanPlex: the how Texas zoning works page, financing 2 to 4 units and the Texas multiplex guide overview.

Frequently Asked Questions

Official sources (checked October 2026)