Cary, North Carolina Zoning Map
Zoning, overlays and hazards on every parcel - and an answer to what the code actually lets you build. Compiled from current zoning data for all 50 districts.
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Zoning
- District code & full name
- Parcel boundary & APN
- All 50 districts mapped
Building controls
- Front setback
- Side setback
- Rear setback
- Building height
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Cary, North Carolina Zoning Districts: What Do They Mean?
Zoning districts are areas regulated by specific laws that determine land use, building types, and development rules. Each district below shows its zone type. Cary's ordinance does not state permitted uses as citywide flags, so they are read from each district's own table rather than summarised here.
| Zone Code | Category | Area | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
PDD-MAJOR Major Planned Development District | - | 12,169.7 ac | Standards & uses → |
R40 Residential District | - | 5,426.5 ac | Standards & uses → |
R12 Residential District | - | 3,978.4 ac | Standards & uses → |
R/R Resource Recreation District | - | 2,755.1 ac | Standards & uses → |
Showing 4 of 50 districts
Start from what you're trying to build
Each one runs against the live Cary dataset and returns the districts, standards and approvals involved.
What does PDD-MAJOR actually permit?
The full standards for one district, read straight from the source.
Run it →How is Cary zoned?
Cary regulates land through 50 zoning districts, and the largest by a wide margin is a Major Planned Development District at roughly 12,170 acres, more than twice the largest conventional residential district.
A Minor Planned Development District at about 258 acres sits alongside it, and distinguishing major from minor planned development by scale rather than by use is a useful separation.
The conditional suffix is the organising mechanism elsewhere. Residential districts at 8 and 12, transitional residential, general commercial, office and institutional, office research and development, and multifamily all appear in conditional use versions, and multifamily also appears in a conditional zoning version. Together the conditional districts cover roughly 4,692 acres.
North Carolina's conditional zoning is a genuine legal instrument, not a formality: conditions negotiated for a specific site become part of its zoning, so the conditional version of a district is not interchangeable with the plain one.
The residential districts state lot size at 8, 12, 20 and 40, with R40 the largest conventional district at roughly 5,426 acres.
A Resource Recreation district covers roughly 2,755 acres and an Office Research And Development district about 1,748.
A Mixed Use District covers roughly 772 acres. This is pre-development intelligence, not legal advice - verify with the local planning department before acquisition.
Cary zoning: frequently asked questions
What is the difference between major and minor planned development?
Scale. The Major Planned Development District covers roughly 12,170 acres, the largest classification in the town, while the Minor version covers about 258 acres. Both are plan-based rather than use-based.
What does the conditional suffix mean?
That conditions negotiated for a specific site have become part of its zoning. North Carolina conditional zoning is a genuine legal instrument, so a conditional district is not interchangeable with its plain version.
How much land is under conditional zoning?
Roughly 4,692 acres across conditional versions of residential, transitional residential, general commercial, office and institutional, office research and development, and multifamily districts.
How is residential zoning coded?
By lot size at 8, 12, 20 and 40, with R40 the largest conventional district at roughly 5,426 acres and R12 second at about 3,978.
What is the Resource Recreation district?
A district covering roughly 2,755 acres for resource and recreation land, the fourth largest classification in the town.
North Carolina zoning maps
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Zoning data is pre-development intelligence, not legal advice. Verify with the Cary planning department before acquisition or design.