Zoning districts · Article 65

Dorchester Neighborhood District zoning

Dorchester Neighborhood District is governed by Article 65 of the Boston Zoning Code. It covers about 17,257 parcels across 31 subdistricts. Below are the dimensional limits and off-street parking ratios from the Article 65 tables.

Last verified Oct 2026. All values shown were checked against Article 65 in the official Boston Zoning Code text published on Municode (current through Text Amd. No. 503, Sept 14, 2026). Table C is as adopted by Text Amd. No. 482, § 16 (July 3, 2025); Tables D–F were also checked against the BPDA Article 65 PDFs. Heights are in feet. Source: Boston Zoning Code, Article 65.

Subdistricts

Map code	Subdistrict type	Parcels
CF	Community Facilities	13
LC	Local Convenience	295
NS	Neighborhood Shopping	444
CC	Community Commercial	148
LI	Local Industrial	205
WS	Waterfront Service	21
CPS	Conservation Protection	3
1F-5,000	1F-5,000 Residential	1,585
1F-6,000	1F-6,000 Residential	1,064
1F-7,000	1F-7,000 Residential	780
2F-3,000	2F-3,000 Residential	129
2F-4,000	2F-4,000 Residential	203
2F-5,000	2F-5,000 Residential	5,006
2F-6,000	2F-6,000 Residential	1,225
2F-7,000	2F-7,000 Residential	32
3F-D-2,000	3F-D-2,000 Residential	403
3F-D-3,000	3F-D-3,000 Residential	1,016
3F-D-4,000	3F-D-4,000 Residential	16
1F-3,000	1F-3,000 Residential	67
3F-5,000	3F-5,000 Residential	3,083
3F-6,000	3F-6,000 Residential	1,017
MFR	MFR Multifamily Residential	103
MFR/LS	MFR/LS Multifamily Residential/Local Services	219
RH	RH Rowhouse Residential	74
OS-RC	Recreation Open Space	39
OS-P	Parkland Open Space	18
OS-CM	Cemetery Open Space	17
OS-A	Air-Right Open Space	12
OS-G	Community Garden Open Space	9
OS-UW	Urban Wild Open Space	5
OS-SL	Shoreland Open Space	6

Parcel counts come from City of Boston 2025 parcel data and BPDA zoning subdistrict boundaries, matched by Stratum. Each lot is counted in the subdistrict that contains it; road, rail and water strips are excluded. Open-space and other subdistricts not listed above are included in the district total.

Table C — Residential Subdistricts Dimensional Regulations

Requirement	1F-3,000 (1 family detached)	1F-3,000 (any other dwelling or use)	1F-5,000 (1 family detached)	1F-5,000 (any other dwelling or use)	1F-6,000 (1 family detached)	1F-6,000 (any other dwelling or use)	1F-7,000 (1 family detached)	1F-7,000 (any other dwelling or use)	2F-3,000 (1 or 2 family detached or semi-attached)	2F-3,000 (any other dwelling or use)	2F-4,000 (1 or 2 family detached or semi-attached)	2F-4,000 (any other dwelling or use)	2F-5,000 (1 or 2 family detached or semi-attached)	2F-5,000 (any other dwelling or use)	2F-6,000 (1 or 2 family detached or semi-attached)	2F-6,000 (any other dwelling or use)	2F-7,000 (1 or 2 family detached or semi-attached)	2F-7,000 (any other dwelling or use)	3F-5,000 (semi-attached dwelling, row house or townhouse building)	3F-5,000 (any other dwelling or use)	3F-6,000 (semi-attached dwelling, row house or townhouse building)	3F-6,000 (any other dwelling or use)	3F-D-2,000 (triple-decker detached)	3F-D-2,000 (any other dwelling or use)	3F-D-3,000 (triple-decker detached)	3F-D-3,000 (any other dwelling or use)	3F-D-4,000 (triple-decker detached)	3F-D-4,000 (any other dwelling or use)	MFR and MFR/LS (1, 2 or 3 family detached or semi-attached dwelling)	MFR and MFR/LS (any other dwelling or use)	Rowhouse (RH) (row house or townhouse building)	Rowhouse (RH) (any other dwelling or use)
Max. floor area ratio (FAR)	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.4	0.4	0.9	0.9	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.4	0.4	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.4	0.4	1.3	1.3	1.3	1.3	1.3	1.3	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0
Max. building height	35 ft⁽¹⁾	35 ft⁽¹⁾	35 ft⁽¹⁾	35 ft⁽¹⁾	35 ft⁽¹⁾	35 ft⁽¹⁾	35 ft⁽¹⁾	35 ft⁽¹⁾	35 ft⁽¹⁾	35 ft⁽¹⁾	35 ft⁽¹⁾	35 ft⁽¹⁾	35 ft⁽¹⁾	35 ft⁽¹⁾	35 ft⁽¹⁾	35 ft⁽¹⁾	35 ft⁽¹⁾	35 ft⁽¹⁾	35 ft⁽¹⁾	35 ft⁽¹⁾	35 ft⁽¹⁾	35 ft⁽¹⁾	40 ft⁽¹⁾	40 ft⁽¹⁾	40 ft⁽¹⁾	40 ft⁽¹⁾	40 ft⁽¹⁾	35 ft⁽¹⁾	40 ft⁽¹⁾	40 ft⁽¹⁾	40 ft⁽¹⁾	40 ft⁽¹⁾
Min. lot area (sq ft)	3,000	3,000	5,000	5,000	6,000	6,000	7,000	7,000	3,000 for 1 or 2 units	3,000	4,000 for 1 or 2 units	4,000	5,000 for 1 or 2 units	5,000	6,000 for 1 or 2 units	6,000	7,000 for 1 or 2 units	7,000	5,000 for up to 2 units	5,000	6,000 for up to 2 units	6,000	2,000	2,000	3,000	3,000	4,000	4,000 for 1 or 2	3,000 per building of 1 or 2 units	4,000 for first 4 units	3,000 for up to 4 units per building	4,000 for first 4 units
Min. lot width (ft)	40	50	40	50	50	60	60	70	30	30	40	50	40	50	40	50	50	60	40	50	40	50	30	30	30	30	40	40	40	30	30 for each building	30
Min. lot frontage (ft)	40	50	40	50	50	60	60	70	30	30	40	50	40	50	40	50	50	60	40	50	40	50	30	30	30	30	40	40	40	30	30 for each building	30
Min. usable open space per dwelling unit (sq ft)	750⁽²⁾	none⁽²⁾	1,250⁽²⁾	none⁽²⁾	1,450⁽²⁾	none⁽²⁾	1,750⁽²⁾	none⁽²⁾	600⁽²⁾	none⁽²⁾	600⁽²⁾	none⁽²⁾	750⁽²⁾	none⁽²⁾	750⁽²⁾	none⁽²⁾	1,250⁽²⁾	none⁽²⁾	750⁽²⁾	none⁽²⁾	750⁽²⁾	none⁽²⁾	300⁽²⁾	300⁽²⁾	300⁽²⁾	300⁽²⁾	300⁽²⁾	300⁽²⁾	400⁽²⁾	400⁽²⁾	200⁽²⁾	400⁽²⁾
Min. front yard (ft)	15⁽³⁾	15⁽³⁾	15⁽³⁾	15⁽³⁾	15⁽³⁾	15⁽³⁾	15⁽³⁾	15⁽³⁾	5⁽³⁾	10⁽³⁾	15⁽³⁾	15⁽³⁾	15⁽³⁾	15⁽³⁾	15⁽³⁾	15⁽³⁾	15⁽³⁾	15⁽³⁾	15⁽³⁾	15⁽³⁾	15⁽³⁾	15⁽³⁾	5⁽³⁾	5⁽³⁾	5⁽³⁾	5⁽³⁾	7⁽³⁾	7⁽³⁾	5⁽³⁾	5⁽³⁾	5⁽³⁾	5⁽³⁾
Min. side yard (ft)	10⁽⁴⁾	10⁽⁴⁾	10⁽⁴⁾	10⁽⁴⁾	10⁽⁴⁾	10⁽⁴⁾	12⁽⁴⁾	12⁽⁴⁾	5⁽⁴⁾	7⁽⁴⁾	10⁽⁴⁾	10⁽⁴⁾	10⁽⁴⁾	10⁽⁴⁾	10⁽⁴⁾	10⁽⁴⁾	10⁽⁴⁾	10⁽⁴⁾	10⁽⁴⁾	10⁽⁴⁾	10⁽⁴⁾	10⁽⁴⁾	5⁽⁴⁾	5⁽⁴⁾	5⁽⁴⁾	5⁽⁴⁾	5⁽⁴⁾	5⁽⁴⁾	10⁽⁴⁾	10⁽⁴⁾	5⁽⁴⁾	10⁽⁴⁾
Min. rear yard (ft)	20	40	20	40	20	40	40	50	20	20	20	30	20	30	20	30	20	30	20	30	20	30	15	15	15	15	30	30	20	30	20	30
Add'l lot area per dwelling unit (sq ft)	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	2,500	N/A	3,000	N/A	N/A	1,000	N/A	1,500	N/A	2,000	1,000	1,000	3,000 for up to 4 units per building	1,000
Max. height (stories)	2-1/2	2-1/2	2-1/2	2-1/2	2-1/2	2-1/2	2-1/2	2-1/2	2-1/2	2-1/2	2-1/2	2-1/2	2-1/2	2-1/2	2-1/2	2-1/2	2-1/2	2-1/2	2-1/2	2-1/2	2-1/2	2-1/2	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3
Max. rear yard occupancy (%)	25	20	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	20	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	25	20	25	20	25	20	25	20	25	20	25	20	25	25

Table D — Community Facilities, Neighborhood Business, Local Industrial and Waterfront Service Subdistricts Dimensional Regulations

Requirement	Community Facilities	Local Convenience	Neighborhood Shopping	Community Commercial	Local Industrial	Waterfront Service
Max. floor area ratio (FAR)	2.0	1.0	1.0	2.0	2.0	1.0⁽¹⁾⁽²⁾
Max. building height	65 ft	40 ft	40 ft	45 ft	45 ft	35 ft⁽¹⁾⁽²⁾
Min. lot area (sq ft)	none	none	none	none	none	none
Min. lot width (ft)	none	none	none	none	none	none
Min. lot frontage (ft)	none	none	none	none	none	none
Min. usable open space per dwelling unit (sq ft)	50⁽³⁾	50⁽³⁾	50⁽³⁾	50⁽³⁾	N/A	N/A
Min. front yard (ft)	none⁽⁴⁾	none⁽⁴⁾⁽⁵⁾	none⁽⁴⁾⁽⁵⁾	none⁽⁴⁾	none⁽⁴⁾	none⁽⁴⁾
Min. side yard (ft)	none⁽⁶⁾	none⁽⁶⁾	none⁽⁶⁾	none⁽⁶⁾	none⁽⁶⁾	none⁽⁶⁾
Min. rear yard (ft)	20⁽⁷⁾	20⁽⁷⁾	20⁽⁷⁾	20⁽⁷⁾	none⁽⁷⁾	12⁽⁷⁾

(1) No maximum rear-yard occupancy by accessory buildings in a Waterfront Service Subdistrict.
(2) In a Waterfront Service Subdistrict, residential use items 1–8a follow the lot area, usable open space and yard rules of the nearest residential subdistrict, with a 25 ft minimum rear yard.
(3) In Neighborhood Business Subdistricts, usable open space may be met on balconies or roofs.
(4) No below-grade plaza, terrace or basement access in a required front yard without Board of Appeal approval; in Neighborhood Business Subdistricts front yards must be at grade.
(5) See Section 65-41.1 (Street Wall Continuity).
(6) In Neighborhood Business Subdistricts, side yards are required only where a side lot line abuts a Residential Subdistrict.
(7) In Neighborhood Business Subdistricts, rear-yard level limits apply where the yard does not abut a street.

Table E — Conservation Protection Subdistrict Dimensional Regulations

Requirement	Conservation Protection
Max. floor area ratio (FAR)	0.5⁽²⁾
Max. building height	35 ft⁽²⁾
Min. lot area (sq ft)	none
Min. lot width (ft)	none
Min. lot frontage (ft)	none
Min. front yard (ft)	none
Min. side yard (ft)	none
Min. rear yard (ft)	none

(1) Projects may be subject to Site Plan review under Section 80B-2 or 80E-2.
(2) For Planned Development Areas, see Section 65-11 for maximum height, FAR and units per acre.
(3) Max. 4.5 dwelling units per acre on lots under 15 acres; 8 per acre on lots of 15 acres or more.

Table F — Off-Street Parking Requirements (spaces per 1,000 sq ft of gross floor area)

Use	Ratio
Banking and Postal Uses	1.0
Community Uses	1.0
Elementary or Secondary School	0.7
Kindergarten	0.7
Other Educational Uses	1.0
Health Care Uses	1.0
Industrial Uses	0.5
Office Uses	2.0
Police Station	1.5
Fire Station	1.0
All other Public Service Uses	0.0
Research and Development Uses	0.5
Retail Uses	2.0
Service and Trade Uses	2.0
Storage Uses, Major	0.5
Transportation Uses	0.25
Vehicular Uses	0.5
Wholesale Uses	0.25

Spaces per 1,000 square feet of gross floor area, as listed in Table F (as amended by Text Amd. 464, 2023, and 482, 2025). Table F does not apply to projects subject to Large Project Review (Section 65-44). Seat-based ratios for cultural, entertainment, funerary, worship, restaurant and open space uses are in the second part of Table F. Residential ratios are not shown: the per-dwelling-unit rows in the 2011 BPDA PDF do not appear in the current Table F, and we could not confirm the current rule against a second source.

Where the Code gives a height without a unit, we show it in feet.

Numbers in parentheses, like ⁽¹⁾, are footnotes in the Code table. They often add conditions or exceptions, so read them in Article 65.

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Stratum is not affiliated with the City of Boston or the Boston Planning Department (formerly the BPDA). This summary is for early design and is not a legal determination. Zoning is amended over time, and overlay districts, map amendments and the table footnotes can change what applies to a parcel. Always verify with the Boston Zoning Code and the city before relying on these numbers.