Plano | Lot Size and Small Lots

Plano Lot Size and Small Lots: District Minimums and the SB 15 Small Lot Option

Lot size in Plano comes from two documents. The Zoning Ordinance sets the minimum area, width and depth for each district. The Subdivision Ordinance sets how lots are laid out on a plat, the recorded map that divides land into lots. Since September 1, 2025, a third route exists: the Single-Family Small Lot standards Plano adopted to follow SB 15. This page gives the numbers for each. The Plano overview has the summary.

Minimum Lots by District

Each district section in Article 9 has an area, yard and bulk table. Where a cell shows three numbers, they are the Standard Requirements, Stormwater Incentive Option 1 and Stormwater Incentive Option 2. Width is measured for an interior lot unless a corner figure is given; a corner lot touches two streets.

Source: Plano Zoning Ordinance, Secs. 9.200 to 9.1600, September 1, 2025 edition.

Three districts let the owner pick a different set of standards. Sec. 9.1100 says 2F land "may be developed in accordance with the standards in the Single-Family Residence-7 zoning district" or the 2F table. SF-A land may use the PH, 2F or single-family standards. MH land may use the PH, 2F, SF-A or SF-6 standards. The GR district sets a 3,000 square foot house lot and a 6,000 square foot duplex lot, both 90 feet deep, which matches the older lots of the Douglass Community.

The Stormwater Incentive Options

SF-9, SF-7, SF-6, PH, SF-A and 2F each offer two smaller-lot options tied to stormwater quality. Stormwater quality means keeping rain runoff clean before it reaches creeks. Under Option 1, the subdivision sets aside 5 percent of its area as usable open space designated as a stormwater quality area; under Option 2, 10 percent. In return the district allows smaller lots, shallower lots, shorter front yards and more lot coverage.

• SF-7: 7,000 square feet standard, 6,650 under Option 1, 5,400 under Option 2. Coverage rises from 45 to 47.5 to 50 percent.
• SF-6: 6,000, 5,700 and 5,400 square feet, with the same coverage steps.
• 2F: 8,000, 7,600 and 5,400 square feet; Option 2 also drops the width from 70 to 55 feet.
• PH: 4,000, 3,800 and 3,600 square feet; the front yard drops from 20 to 15 to 10 feet.

In some subdivisions an option is required. In each of these districts, a subdivision with a gross area of 10 acres or more that provides a stormwater quality area, where the City's stormwater quality requirements apply, "must be developed in accordance with Stormwater Incentive Option 1 or 2." The rule ties to Section 5.6 of the Subdivision Ordinance.

RCD Housing Types

The Residential Community Design district allows the smallest lots in Plano's residential districts. It sorts homes into tiers. Tier One types are the "lower density and modest scale" homes the code finds most fitting next to existing neighborhoods. Tier Two types are taller and closer together. At least 50 percent of the homes in an RCD district must be Tier One, and any housing type that is used must be at least 10 percent of the total.

Source: Plano Zoning Ordinance, Sec. 9.1700.4 and 9.1700.5.

RCD lots also have a maximum width, which keeps the street lined with homes. A district needs 5 acres for up to 100 homes and 10 acres for more, and the number of housing types rises from one to three as the home count grows. An RCD district needs a rezoning and an adopted development plan, so it suits a builder with a large site.

Single-Family Small Lots Under SB 15

SB 15, now Local Government Code 211.051 to 211.058, limits the lot rules a large city may apply to a tract that will be platted in an area zoned for single-family homes, is five acres or more, and has no recorded plat. It does not reach land within 3,000 feet of an airport or military base. A "small lot" under the law is a residential lot of 4,000 square feet or less.

Plano wrote the law into Sec. 15.1900. Under Sec. 15.1900.1E, property "in any district may be developed as Single-Family Small Lot (SFSL) lots" if it allows single-family homes, is at least 5 acres, "has not been previously platted," and lies at least 3,000 feet from an airport. The purpose statement says the standards follow "Texas Local Government Code Chapter 211, Subchapter D." The table compares Plano's numbers with the statute.

Source: Plano Zoning Ordinance, Sec. 15.1900.4; Local Government Code 211.054 and 211.055 (SB 15).

Plano's lot size, width, depth, yards and parking sit exactly at the state limits, and its open space and coverage rules stay inside them. Sec. 15.1900.4C adds that SFSL buildings are exempt from any Sec. 13.500 rule "that increase the required minimum setback due to state preemption," and sets one rule of its own: a garage must sit 5 feet or less, or 20 feet or more, from the travel lane it opens onto.

Plano's version reaches more land than the statute. The statute covers areas "zoned for single-family homes"; Plano allows SFSL in any district that permits a detached or attached single-family home, which includes the MF districts and several commercial districts. Even in the R-ECA area of the Expressway Corridor Overlay, where Sec. 11.1100.5C bars most housing, single-family homes built under Sec. 15.1900.1E stay allowed.

How a Small Lot Subdivision Is Reviewed

• Site plan. Sec. 3.100.3 adds SFSL subdivisions to the list of projects that go through site plan review. Sec. 15.1900.2 requires a preliminary site plan, which the Planning and Zoning Commission approves, and plans submitted after September 1, 2025 must carry the note "THIS PLAN IS SUBMITTED IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE STANDARDS FOR SMALL LOT SUBDIVISION IN TEXAS LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODE CHAPTER 211, SUBCHAPTER D."
• Notice. Under Sec. 1.14 of the Subdivision Ordinance, owners within 500 feet receive written notice when the plat for construction is approved. The applicant must post signs and file an affidavit, and civil engineering permits are not released until the City accepts it.
• No hearing. The City's Land Use State Law page says these developments "must be approved if they meet the city's adopted development regulations."

The City's page also says it mails a courtesy notice to registered neighborhood groups within 1,500 feet. Sec. 1.14 lists the 500-foot owner notice and the sign; the 1,500-foot group notice is City practice stated on its page.

Layout Rules in the Subdivision Ordinance

Sec. 5.2 of the Subdivision Ordinance applies to every plat. The rules that shape small-lot projects:

• Frontage. At least 24 feet on a dedicated street for a house, duplex or patio home, 15 feet for a townhome, and 20 feet on an alley, unless a planned development district varies it.
• Narrow lots. A narrow lot subdivision has "lots with lot widths of 50 feet or less." Each one must have an alley along the rear property line, and its blocks may not exceed 600 feet.
• Blocks. No longer than 1,200 feet, no more than 20 lots on one side, and at least 200 feet wide.
• Grading. The center of a house or duplex lot may not be more than 3 feet above the top of the street curb, and house lots under 20,000 square feet must be graded to meet the neighbors' ground level.
• Thoroughfares. House lots may not front a Type A to D thoroughfare (a major road on the City's plan) unless they face a parallel access road.

The alley rule matters for most small lots. SFSL lots are 30 feet wide, SF-A lots 25, PH lots 40 and UR lots 50, so a new subdivision of any of these is a narrow lot subdivision and needs a rear alley. In the Zoning Ordinance, Sec. 13.200.4 prohibits through lots, which are lots with a street at both front and back.

Older Lots and Larger Roads

Sec. 13.300.1 protects lots that existed before the ordinance: a lot smaller than the district minimum "which was an official 'lot of record' prior to the adoption of this ordinance may be used for a single-family dwelling." The same sentence adds that "no lot existing at the time of passage of this ordinance shall be reduced in area, width, or depth below the minimum requirements."

Lots next to major roads must be larger. Sec. 13.500.3C adds 10 feet to the side setback and 10 feet to the lot width for a lot siding onto a Type D or larger thoroughfare without an alley between. Sec. 13.500.4H adds 15 feet to the rear setback and 10 feet to the lot depth for a lot backing onto one. Both increases shrink or drop when at least 10 feet of right-of-way, land given to the City along the road, is dedicated for landscaping.

Where to Go Next

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

Frequently Asked Questions

Official sources (checked October 2026)