| Street or roadway type | Building line | What the section also requires |
|---|---|---|
| Central business district (any street) | No requirement (Sec. 42-151(a)) | — |
| Major thoroughfare (general) | 25 feet (Sec. 42-152(a)) | Applies unless otherwise authorized by chapter 42. |
| Major thoroughfare — single-family lot backing onto it (Sec. 42-152(b)) | 10 feet | A plat notation stating BOTH that the 15 feet behind the building line is restricted to use as a one-story, uninhabited garage, AND that vehicular access cannot be taken from the major thoroughfare. Without both notations Sec. 42-152(b) is unavailable; whether that leaves 25 feet depends on whether another provision of chapter 42 authorises something else, such as the 15-foot option in Sec. 42-153(b). |
| Major thoroughfare, planned ROW ≤80 ft — SF lot w/ alley/flag-staff/shared-driveway/PAE access (Sec. 42-153(b), city only) | 15 feet | All eight of Sec. 42-153(b): units along the thoroughfare front the street with an entry feature per Sec. 42-165; any crossing is substantially perpendicular; no parking within the building line; all parking 20 feet from the ROW; any vehicular gate set back 25 feet or more; a clearly defined pedestrian walkway to the development; and the sidewalk and safety buffer standards of ch. 40 art. XXII. Not available along a walkable places or TOD street. Sec. 42-153(b)(4) is permissive rather than a standard to meet — a decorative non-opaque fence may be provided along the thoroughfare; the subsection does not say it is the only fence allowed. |
| Collector street that is not an alley — front of lot (principal structure) | 25 feet (Sec. 42-156(a)) | Sec. 42-156(a) applies “except as otherwise required or authorized by this chapter”, and only to a collector street that is not an alley. |
| Collector street that is not an alley — back and sides of lot | 10 feet (Sec. 42-156(a)) | — |
| Local street that is not an alley — front of lot (principal structure) | 20 feet, or 10 feet under Sec. 42-156(b)(2) | The 10-foot figure requires a typical lot layout on the subdivision plat AND plat notations reflecting the requirements of Sec. 42-156. |
| Local street that is not an alley — back and side of lot | 10 feet (Sec. 42-156(b)(1)) | — |
| Garage or carport facing the street, collector or local street (Sec. 42-156(c)) | 20 feet, or 19 feet under Sec. 42-157(b) | The 19-foot figure is in-city only and carries Sec. 42-157(b)(3): at least ⅓ of the structure along the street must be occupiable space with the front door facing the street. On a narrow lot that cannot meet the ⅓, second-floor functional balconies — or at least 36 square feet of street-facing windows, one of them 3 by 5 feet or larger. |
| Collector or local street, city only — Sec. 42-157(b) performance standard, principal structure | 10 feet | The subdivision or development must be restricted to single-family residential use, on a collector or local street that is not an alley. The garage or carport figure becomes 19 feet, with the ⅓ occupiable-space rule above. |
| Collector or local street, city only — rear/side access or qualifying shared driveway (Sec. 42-157(c)) | 5 feet | One of two routes, each with everything in it. Either: vehicular access to a driveway, garage or carport is available ONLY from the rear or side of each lot through an alley, flag staff, permanent access easement or courtyard access drive, AND each dwelling unit on a lot adjacent to a public street has a front door with an entry feature per Sec. 42-165. Or: access to each lot is by shared driveway, AND that driveway meets division 2 of article III, AND the same entry-feature requirement is met, AND all electrical service is installed underground to the energy provider’s standards, including the dedication of any easements the underground installation requires. |
| Collector or local street — plat has a typical lot layout and notes restricting vehicular access to an approved public alley (Sec. 42-156(d)) | No front building line required (the city imposes none — not a mandate to build at the property line) | Corner lots are excepted. Note the street type: Sec. 42-156(d) sits in a section governing collector AND local streets, and its own words name neither — so it is not confined to local streets. |
| Collector or local street, city only — subdivision SOLELY a corner replat with shared driveways (Sec. 42-157(d)) | 0 feet | All five of Sec. 42-157(d): the subdivision is solely a replat of a lot on a corner at the intersection of two public streets; each lot provides shared driveways so every dwelling unit shares one with at least one other unit; each unit on a lot adjacent to a public street has a front door with an entry feature per Sec. 42-165; all electrical service is installed underground to the provider’s standards; and there is adequate room for required sidewalks and utilities within the right-of-way. |
| Private street / Type 2 permanent access easement (Sec. 42-158) | 5 feet, for habitable structures | Sec. 42-158 states the five-foot line for habitable structures along the right-of-way. It does not set a line for anything else. |
| Shared driveway, 18 feet or wider | 3 feet | — |
| Shared driveway, narrower than 18 feet (garage/carport) | 4 feet | — |
Summary for a single-family residential lot. Houston's own chart (Sec. 42-150(d)) is illustrative only; the text of each cited section controls in case of conflict — this table is built from the numbered sections, not the chart. "In the city only" figures do not apply in Houston's extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ).
This is how the code reads; confirm with the city — or ask a builder who's actually pulled this permit in Houston. The authoritative text is the Houston Code of Ordinances; permitting questions go to Houston Permitting Center.