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

Last verified August 5, 2026 against the Austin Land Development Code · 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 programmes can change these numbers substantially.

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.

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.

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 storeys	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-6 is the outlier in both directions

Every other MF district is bounded by a minimum site area per unit. MF-6 is not — §25-2-564 is Reserved, and no section sets a per-unit figure for it. Its designation in §25-2-67 is the only one that names no density at all; it simply describes multifamily and group residential use in a centrally located area.

It has no floor-to-area ratio either. So what actually bounds an MF-6 building is the 90-foot height limit, 70% building coverage, 80% impervious cover and the setbacks — the envelope, and nothing else.

That combination makes MF-6 substantially the most permissive residential district in the code, which is why the affordability provision below is written the way it is: the reward for building affordable units in a lower MF district is permission to use MF-6's standards.

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

§25-2-567 is a density bonus that predates the current programmes and is still on the books. On property zoned MF-2, MF-3, MF-4 or MF-5 that is either undeveloped or developed only with an agricultural use, a development may comply with MF-6 site development regulations if the director of the Neighborhood Housing and Community Development Department certifies compliance with the City's S.M.A.R.T. Housing Program, and one of these holds:

Rental — 10% of the residential units reserved as affordable for at least 40 years, for households at or below 60% of median family income for the Austin metropolitan statistical area.
Owner-occupied — 5% reserved for at least 99 years at or below 80% MFI, and a further 5% for at least 99 years at or below 100% MFI.

Read what that unlocks against the table above. An MF-2 site moving to MF-6 standards goes from 50% building coverage to 70%, from 60% impervious cover to 80%, and loses its per-unit site area minimum entirely.

One important limit. Subsection (C) says development under this section must still comply with the height regulations established elsewhere in the code. So this is not a straightforward route to 90 feet — the coverage and density standards travel, and height is handled separately.

Where the code contradicts itself: MF-2

The designation sections describe each district with a headline density. Those figures were plainly written from the site area schedules, and for four of the five districts they still reconcile:

MF-1 — §25-2-62 says "up to 17 units per acre". The 2,500 sq ft efficiency minimum gives 17.4. ✓
MF-3 — §25-2-64 says "up to 36". The 1,200 sq ft efficiency minimum gives 36.3. ✓
MF-4 — §25-2-65 says "36 to 54". The two-bedroom minimum gives 36.3 and the efficiency minimum 54.5. Both ends match exactly. ✓
MF-5 — §25-2-66 says "up to 54". Same schedule, 54.5. ✓

MF-2 does not. §25-2-63 says "up to 23 units per acre". But §25-2-561 sets a 1,600 sq ft minimum for an efficiency unit, and 43,560 ÷ 1,600 is 27.2 — not 23.

The source lines point at how this happened. §25-2-561 carries Ord. 20111215-096, from December 2011. The §25-2-63 designation's source line ends at Ord. 031211-11, from 2003. The regulation was amended; the description of it was not.

Which governs? §25-2-561 — the regulation, not the designation. Designation sections describe what a district is for and guide how it is applied in a rezoning; the operative standard is the site area minimum. But if you have read "up to 23 units per acre" somewhere and built a pro forma on it, that is where the number came from, and it is low.

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 neighbourhood 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 storeys 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.

Working out what you can build?

We build in Central Austin and deal with this code on every project. If you own a lot and want a straight answer about what fits on it, we're happy to take a look.

Talk to us about your lot

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.