Austin office zoning compared: NO, LO and GO

Last verified August 7, 2026 against the Austin Land Development Code · Kimbrough Gray · KiliGray Homes

Neighborhood office (NO) allows 35 feet or two stories at 35 percent building coverage and 0.35:1 floor-to-area ratio. Limited office (LO) allows 40 feet or three stories at 50 percent and 0.7:1. General office (GO) allows 60 feet at 60 percent and 1:1, and its front setback drops from 25 feet to 15.

Applies to: Property zoned neighborhood office (NO), limited office (LO) or general office (GO). The personal services cap in §25-2-588 applies only in LO; the clear-glass requirement in §25-2-585 reaches GO but not NO or LO.

Three rungs, and the jump is between LO and GO

The office districts step up evenly on paper, but the meaningful change happens at the top. NO and LO both keep a 25 foot front setback — the same figure a house carries. GO drops it to 15 feet, and simultaneously raises height to 60 feet and floor-to-area ratio to 1:1.

So NO and LO are dimensioned to stand in a residential street. GO is dimensioned to stand on an arterial.

District Lot size sq ft

	NO	LO	GO
Max height	35 ft or 2 stories	40 ft or 3 stories	60 ft
Floor-to-area ratio	0.35:1	0.7:1	1:1
Building coverage	35%	50%	60%
Impervious cover	60%	70%	80%
Front yard	25 ft	25 ft	15 ft
Street side yard	15 ft	15 ft	15 ft
Interior side / rear	5 ft / 5 ft	5 ft / 5 ft	5 ft / 5 ft
Min lot size	5,750 sq ft	5,750 sq ft	5,750 sq ft
Min lot width	50 ft	50 ft	50 ft

From §25-2-492. All three share the same lot minimums and the same 5 foot interior side and rear yards — the districts differ in bulk, not in footprint geometry.

NO is deliberately house-shaped

Neighborhood office is the most restrictive commercial district in Austin that a residential street is likely to contain: 35 feet, two stories, 35 percent building coverage and a 25 foot front setback. Those are close to single-family figures, and that is the design intent — the district exists so a small office can occupy a residential block without reading as commercial.

The consequence for a builder is that an NO lot next to your site is not a source of bulk. On a 5,750 square foot lot, NO yields roughly 2,000 square feet of floor area at 0.35:1. GO on the same lot yields 5,750.

The LO personal services cap is 1,000 sq ft — not 5,000. §25-2-588 caps a personal services use in LO at 1,000 square feet of gross floor area. The similarly-named personal improvement services use is capped at 5,000 square feet, but that cap lives in §25-2-587 and applies in LR, a different district. Different use, different section, different number.

The clear-glass rule reaches GO, but not NO or LO

§25-2-585 imposes two extra requirements on a building that is both taller than 35 feet and adjacent to an LA, RR or SF-1 district: exterior glass must be clear or lightly tinted, and exterior light illuminating the building above the second floor is prohibited.

It applies in GO, LR, CS and CS-1. NO and LO are not listed. For NO the omission makes no practical difference — a district capped at 35 feet cannot exceed 35 feet — but LO permits 40 feet and is still outside the section. That is how the code reads.

Note also which residential districts trigger it: LA, RR and SF-1 only. An office building next to SF-2 or SF-3 — which is most of Central Austin — does not engage this section at all. Compatibility standards are what operate there.

Common questions

What is the difference between NO, LO and GO zoning in Austin?

Bulk. NO allows 35 feet or two stories at 35 percent coverage and 0.35:1 floor-to-area ratio; LO allows 40 feet or three stories at 50 percent and 0.7:1; GO allows 60 feet at 60 percent and 1:1. GO also drops the front setback from 25 feet to 15. All three share a 5,750 square foot minimum lot and 5 foot interior side and rear yards.

How tall can a building be in Austin GO zoning?

60 feet under the §25-2-492 table. If the building exceeds 35 feet and is adjacent to an LA, RR or SF-1 district, §25-2-585 additionally requires clear or lightly tinted exterior glass and prohibits exterior light above the second floor.

What is neighborhood office (NO) zoning in Austin?

The most restrictive office district — 35 feet, two stories, 35 percent building coverage, 60 percent impervious cover and a 25 foot front setback. Dimensionally it is close to a large house, which is the intent: it lets a small office sit in a residential street without reading as commercial.

How big can a personal services business be in Austin LO zoning?

A personal services use may not exceed 1,000 square feet of gross floor area under §25-2-588. Do not confuse this with the 5,000 square foot cap on personal improvement services, which applies in LR under a different section.

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We are homebuilders, not the City of Austin. This page explains how we read the code in practice — it is not legal advice and it is not an official determination. Always confirm with Austin Development Services before you rely on it for a project. The authoritative text is the Austin Land Development Code; permitting questions go to Austin Development Services Department.