Austin MF zoning explained: MF-1 through MF-6 density and standards

Last verified August 5, 2026 against the Austin Land Development Code · Kimbrough Gray · KiliGray Homes

Austin's MF districts set no units-per-acre limit. Density comes from a minimum site area per dwelling unit that varies by bedroom count — 2,500 to 3,500 sq ft in MF-1 down to 800 to 1,200 sq ft in MF-4 and MF-5. MF-6 sets no per-unit minimum at all.

Applies to: Property zoned MF-1 through MF-6. Compatibility standards, overlays and watershed rules apply on top, and density bonus programs can change these numbers substantially.

District	Designation text	Minimum site area per unit	Implied units/acre
MF-1	Up to 17 units per acre	2,500–3,500 sq ft	17.4
MF-2	Up to 23 units per acre	1,600–2,400 sq ft	27.2^†
MF-3	Up to 36 units per acre	1,200–1,800 sq ft	36.3
MF-4	36 to 54 units per acre	800–1,200 sq ft	36.3–54.5
MF-5	Up to 54 units per acre	800–1,200 sq ft	54.5
MF-6	Names no density	— none set	— none set

Designation text is from §§25-2-62 to 25-2-66; minimum site area per unit is from §§25-2-560 to 25-2-563. The designation text and the site area schedule reconcile for every district except MF-2. MF-6 sets no per-unit figure at all. † MF-2 is the one district where they disagree, and the code does not say which wins. §25-2-63 names 23 units per acre expressly; the 27.2 is only worked back from a minimum site area. We design to 23, as our practice rather than a stated rule.

There is no units-per-acre limit in the code

This is the thing that trips people up. If you go looking for "the MF-3 density limit" expecting a number of units per acre, you will not find one in the regulations. What §§25-2-560 to 25-2-563 actually set is a minimum site area for each dwelling unit — and it changes with the number of bedrooms.

So the density of an MF site is not a property of the zoning alone. It is a property of the zoning and the unit mix you choose. Build efficiencies and you fit far more units than the headline figure suggests; build three-bedroom family units and you fit noticeably fewer.

The arithmetic is simply site area divided by the per-unit minimum, rounded down.

Site area sq ft District Unit type

District	Efficiency	One bedroom	Two or more bedrooms
MF-1 §25-2-560	2,500 (17.4/acre)	3,000 (14.5/acre)	3,500 (12.4/acre)
MF-2 §25-2-561	1,600 (27.2/acre^†)	2,000 (21.8/acre)	2,400 (18.2/acre)
MF-3 §25-2-562	1,200 (36.3/acre)	1,500 (29/acre)	1,800 (24.2/acre)
MF-4 §25-2-563	800 (54.5/acre)	1,000 (43.6/acre)	1,200 (36.3/acre)
MF-5 §25-2-563	800 (54.5/acre)	1,000 (43.6/acre)	1,200 (36.3/acre)
MF-6	none set	none set	none set

Minimum site area per dwelling unit, in square feet, from §§25-2-560 to 25-2-563. The units-per-acre figures in brackets are derived from those areas — the code does not state them. MF-4 and MF-5 share one schedule because §25-2-563 covers both. † MF-2 is the one district where the two disagree, and the code does not say which wins. §25-2-63 names 23 units per acre for MF-2 in its own words; the 27.2 is only arithmetic worked back from a minimum site area. We design to 23 — the expressly stated figure — but that is our practice, not a rule the code states.

Worked example. A one-acre MF-3 site is 43,560 sq ft. At 1,800 sq ft per two-bedroom unit that is 24 units. Switch the same site to efficiencies at 1,200 sq ft and it is 36 units — half as many again, with no change to the zoning. This is why unit mix is a zoning decision on MF land, not just a marketing one.

Standard	MF-1	MF-2	MF-3	MF-4	MF-5	MF-6
Min lot size	8,000	8,000	8,000	8,000	8,000	8,000
Min lot width	50 ft	50 ft	50 ft	50 ft	50 ft	50 ft
Max height	40 ft	40 ft or 3 stories	40 ft	60 ft	60 ft	90 ft
Front setback	25 ft	25 ft	25 ft	15 ft	15 ft	15 ft
Street side	15 ft	15 ft	15 ft	15 ft	15 ft	15 ft
Interior side	5 ft	5 ft	5 ft	5 ft	5 ft	5 ft
Rear	10 ft	10 ft	10 ft	10 ft	10 ft	10 ft
Building coverage	45%	50%	55%	60%	60%	70%
Impervious cover	55%	60%	65%	70%	70%	80%
Floor-to-area ratio	none	none	0.75:1	0.75:1	1:1	none

From the §25-2-492 site development regulations table. Note the front setback drops from 25 ft to 15 ft between MF-3 and MF-4, and that FAR only appears in the middle of the range — MF-1, MF-2 and MF-6 have no floor-to-area ratio at all.

MF-1

The least dense multifamily district. §25-2-560(B) sets 2,500 to 3,500 sq ft of minimum site area per unit, depending on bedroom count, and the district caps out at 40 ft in height with 45% building coverage. Its "up to 17 units per acre" designation is one of the four MF designations that reconciles cleanly with the schedule.

Run a specific lot through the density calculator above to see the unit count that implies.

MF-3

§25-2-562(B) sets 1,200 to 1,800 sq ft of minimum site area per unit, a 40 ft height limit applies, and — unlike MF-1 and MF-2 — a 0.75:1 floor-to-area ratio caps the building as well. Its "up to 36 units per acre" designation matches the schedule's efficiency-unit row exactly.

See the density calculator above for a specific lot — MF-2 is the one MF district where that same arithmetic does not reconcile.

MF-4

MF-4 shares its 800 to 1,200 sq ft minimum site area per unit with MF-5, under §25-2-563(B), and is where the front setback drops from 25 ft to 15 ft. Its designation — "36 to 54 units per acre" — is the only one stated as a range, and both ends match the schedule's two-or-more-bedroom and efficiency rows exactly.

Compute a specific lot with the density calculator above.

MF-5

MF-5 uses the same 800 to 1,200 sq ft schedule as MF-4 (§25-2-563(B)) but carries the highest floor-to-area ratio of any MF district with one at all — 1:1 against MF-4's 0.75:1 — plus 60% building coverage. Its "up to 54 units per acre" designation matches the schedule's efficiency-unit row.

Try a specific lot with the density calculator above.

MF-6 is the outlier in both directions

Every other MF district is bounded by a minimum site area per unit. MF-6 is not — no section sets one, and its designation names no density figure either. It has no floor-to-area ratio. What actually bounds an MF-6 building is the envelope alone: the 90-foot height limit, 70% building coverage, 80% impervious cover and the setbacks — the most permissive residential envelope in the code.

Getting MF-6 standards on MF-2 to MF-5 land

Property zoned MF-2 through MF-5 can sometimes reach MF-6's more generous coverage and density numbers under an older affordability incentive, §25-2-567. It does not raise the height cap — that stays governed by the underlying district.

Where the code contradicts itself: MF-2

Four of the five density-bearing MF designations reconcile cleanly with their site area schedule: MF-1, MF-3, MF-4 and MF-5 all match the schedule within rounding. MF-2 does not — §25-2-63 says "up to 23 units per acre," but §25-2-561's efficiency-unit minimum implies 27.2. We design to the stricter figure, 23 — it governs. For a one-bedroom or two-bedroom scheme the schedule is already below 23 anyway, so the gap only matters for an all-efficiency building; the 27.2 figure is an artifact of that one schedule row, not usable capacity.

What we check first on MF land

Unit mix, before anything else. The density table is the whole project on an MF site, and the difference between an efficiency-heavy and a family-unit scheme is the difference between two quite different buildings on the same dirt.

Then the front setback step between MF-3 and MF-4. Twenty-five feet to fifteen sounds small; on a shallow site it is often the difference between one bay of parking and none, and it moves the building forward enough to change how the street reads.

Then compatibility. These base numbers are the start of the analysis, not the end — multifamily next to single-family attracts compatibility standards, and neighborhood plan overlays sit on top of both. We treat the §25-2-492 row as the ceiling before any of that is applied, never as the answer.

Common questions

How many units per acre does MF-3 zoning allow in Austin?

The code sets no units-per-acre figure. §25-2-562 sets a minimum site area per dwelling unit of 1,200 sq ft for an efficiency, 1,500 for a one bedroom and 1,800 for two or more bedrooms — which works out at roughly 36, 29 and 24 units per acre respectively.

What is the difference between MF-2 and MF-3 zoning in Austin?

Density and envelope. MF-3 requires 1,200 to 1,800 sq ft of site area per unit against MF-2's 1,600 to 2,400, and allows 55% building coverage and 65% impervious cover against 50% and 60%. MF-3 also carries a 0.75:1 floor-to-area ratio where MF-2 has none.

What is the maximum height in Austin MF zoning?

40 ft in MF-1 and MF-3, 40 ft or three stories in MF-2, 60 ft in MF-4 and MF-5, and 90 ft in MF-6. Compatibility standards and overlays can reduce these.

Does MF-6 zoning have a density limit in Austin?

No per-unit site area minimum and no floor-to-area ratio. §25-2-564 is Reserved. What bounds an MF-6 building is the 90 ft height limit, 70% building coverage, 80% impervious cover and the setbacks.

Can I build to MF-6 standards on MF-3 land in Austin?

Potentially, under §25-2-567. The site must be undeveloped or in agricultural use, the development must be certified under the S.M.A.R.T. Housing Program, and either 10% of rental units are affordable at 60% MFI for 40 years, or 5% at 80% MFI plus 5% at 100% MFI for 99 years if owner-occupied. Height regulations elsewhere in the code still apply.

What is the minimum lot size for multifamily zoning in Austin?

8,000 sq ft with a 50 ft minimum width, and it is the same in every MF district from MF-1 to MF-6. Lot size does not vary with density — site area per unit does.

Send us an address and we will tell you what we find

We do this research ourselves on every project we take on — zoning, floodplain, watershed, trees, whether it is a legal lot. Send us an address and we will run it and tell you what we find. It works the same whether you own a vacant lot, a house you are thinking of adding a unit to, or a house you are thinking of replacing. No charge and no strings, and if it is a bad lot we will say so.

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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.