2.24.E Building Height | Sedona Land Development Code

E. Building Height

The height of a building shall be measured as the vertical distance above the natural grade to the top of a flat roof or parapet, the deck line of a mansard roof, or to the top of the ridgeline of the highest gable of a pitched roof or hip roof.

On previously developed and/or graded sites, the Director may require an alternative determination of the location of natural grade from which height will be measured, based on previous grading and the surrounding natural grade.

c. Buildings within a city-recognized floodplain may be measured from the regulatory floodplain elevation, as established by the city’s floodplain management study or a floodplain analysis prepared by a registered engineer.

Building height is measured by establishing the following:

An imaginary horizontal plane, from the highest point at natural grade within the footprint of the building. No part of a building or structure shall exceed 22 feet in height for single-family uses or 25 feet for multifamily uses in RM-1 and RM-2 zoning districts, as measured from this plane, except for those authorized exceptions in Section 2.24.E(3). This plane does not apply to multifamily projects in RM-3 zoning districts, multifamily projects in commercial zoning districts, mixed-use and other nonresidential buildings. (See “1” in Figure 2-6); and

An imaginary plane that parallels the existing natural terrain, measured vertically from any point of the building or structure to natural grade. No part of a building or structure, exclusive of the exceptions in Section 2.24.E(3) and/or the alternate standards in Section 2.24.E(4), shall exceed 22 feet in height as measured from this plane. (See “2” in Figure 2-6.)

e. Areas of rugged terrain with a width of less than 25 feet shall not be included when establishing imaginary planes.

building height — Figure 2-6: Building Height

In addition to the maximum height requirements as stated in Section 2.24.E(1)d, Plane Requirements, the maximum overall height of any building or structure shall not exceed 40 feet measured vertically from the highest parapet or roof ridge to the natural or finish grade at the lowest point adjacent to the building exterior, excluding posts and masonry piers supporting decks or patios. This maximum height limitation applies to flat, gable, and pitched roofs, but shall not apply to the other generally established exceptions set forth in Table 2.7. (See Figure 2-7.)

max overall building height — Figure 2-7: Maximum Overall Building Height

No building or part of a building shall exceed the maximum building height within any zoning district unless authorized in the table below or elsewhere in this Code.

Table 2.7 Authorized Exceptions to Height Requirements
Type of Exception	Extent of Exception
Chimneys, antennas, bell towers, spires, steeples, and other ornamental architectural features	Chimneys shall not exceed one foot above the minimum required by building code, up to a maximum of 10 feet above the maximum height requirement. All others may extend up to 10 feet above the maximum height requirement.
Elevators and associated supporting structure	May extend up to eight feet above the maximum height requirement provided that such structures shall not cover more than five percent of the total roof area of the building.
Mechanical equipment (other than elevators), stair towers, rooftop decks, and similar non-habitable structures	May extend up to eight feet above the maximum height requirement for mixed-use buildings, nonresidential buildings, or residential buildings containing two or more dwelling units, provided that such structures shall not cover more than five percent of the total roof area of the building. Mechanical equipment and rooftop decks shall be located a minimum of six feet back from the edge of the roof.
Pitched, gable or hip roof (parallel plane measurement only)	May extend up to five feet above the maximum height requirement as measured by the imaginary line in Section 2.24.E(1)d.2, provided the pitch of the roof is a minimum rise over run ratio of 3.5:12. This exception for pitched, gable, or hip roofs may be used only in conjunction with the parallel plane measurement in Section 2.24.E(1)d.2.
Rooftop solar equipment	May extend up to five feet above the maximum height requirement.
Flagpoles	Flagpoles are limited to a height of 22 feet as measured from natural grade. A maximum of one flagpole on a single lot is allowed in residential zoning districts. In nonresidential zoning districts, three flagpoles are allowed on one lot. When multiple flagpoles are used, the U.S. flag may be allowed an additional five feet in height. No other height exceptions, such as alternate standards, may be applied to flagpoles.

The alternate height standards in this section apply only to the parallel plane in subsection 2.24.E(1)d.2.

1. Where three or more buildings are located on a parcel, except for single-family residential uses, the maximum permitted height may be increased to allow greater building height diversity pursuant to the following:

Table 2.8 Alternate Height Standards for Multiple Buildings on a Site
Total Number of Buildings	Number of Buildings Eligible for Increased Height	Maximum Amount of Height Increase
3	1	A maximum of 10 percent of the total building footprint may include a height increase of up to a maximum of five feet.
4 to 6	2
7 to 9	3
10 to 12	4
More than 12	1:3 ratio
Note: Buildings that apply increased height must provide a minimum building separation of 15 feet.

2. Increases in height for multiple buildings located on a site shall not create adverse impacts on adjacent properties or the community, and such buildings shall comply with all applicable standards in Section 5.7, Site and Building Design.

1. An applicant may be eligible for greater height limits than otherwise established in this Code, as measured by the established imaginary plane in Section 2.24.E(1)d.2, provided the proposed development accumulates credits for unrelieved building planes or light reflectance values pursuant to Table 2.9, below. Each credit point earned is valued at one-half foot in greater height eligibility. Credit points can be earned by complying with either the largest unrelieved building plane requirement and/or the LRV percentage reduction.

2. The maximum additional height allowed through any single wall plane relief or reduced light reflectance value alternate standard, or combination of wall plane relief and reduced light reflectance value alternate height standards, shall not exceed five feet.

Example: If the maximum height is 22 feet and the applicant earns six credit points, then the eligible height increase is three feet for a total of 25 feet maximum height. The six credit points can be earned independently or in combination. An applicant could earn two credit points for a 500 square foot largest unrelieved building plane, and another four credit points for an LRV percentage of 22.

Table 2.9 Alternate Height Standards for Wall Plane Relief and Reduced LRV
Credit Point Value	Additional height eligibility (feet)	Largest Unrelieved Building Planes (sq. ft.), for Single-Family Residential	Largest Unrelieved Building Planes (sq. ft.), for All Other Uses	LRV (%) (Single-Family Residential)	LRV (%) (All Other Uses)
+10	5	n/a	200	n/a	n/a
+9	4.5	n/a	225	n/a	n/a
+8	4	200	250	n/a	n/a
+7	3.5	250	300	16	n/a
+6	3	300	350	18	n/a
+5	2.5	350	400	20	21
+4	2	400	450	22	22
+3	1.5	450	500	24	24
+2	1	500	550	26	26
+1	0.5	550	600	28	28
Baseline standard	by district	n/a	800 [1]	30	38
Notes: [1] Applies to nonresidential only.

[Ord. 2020-04 § 1, 9-8-20 (Res. 2020-16); Res. 2019-19 Exh. A, 10-8-19].