Chicago Cityscape
@chicagocityscape.com
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Real estate information platform for development in Chicago, Cook County, and Lake County (Illinois and Indiana). chicagocityscape.com
Real estate information platform for development in Chicago, Cook County, and Lake County (Illinois and Indiana). chicagocityscape.com
![map of chicago showing where apartments are allowed in Chicago
overlaid text:
Title
Where apartments are allowed in Chicago
Subtitle
The plurality of Chicago's land is zoned to allow only single-detached houses [magenta swatch]
Right-hand notes
Existing zoning is shown. Existing zoning matters in two ways. Property owners who wish to make additions must comply with the current zoning district rules, not the rules that applied when their property was built.
For new construction, new multi-unit houses are not allowed in RS districts (represented by magenta, comprising 38.9% of zoned land area).
There is an exception in RS-3 zoning districts where if 60% of the houses on the same side of the same block have two or more units then any property on the same side of the same block may have a two-flat. Within the Predominance of the Block (606) District, this exception has been formally codified by ordinance, so RS-3 parcels there are shown on this map as allowing multi-unit buildings (lilac) rather than single-family only (magenta).
Legend — Residential
- Magenta: Apartments & condos not allowed (RS) — 38.9% of zoned land area
- Lilac: Apartments & condos allowed (*) — 22.6% of zoned land area
Legend — Other zoning districts
- Tan: Planned Developments — Unknown which allow residential, 14.1% of zoned
- Brown: All other zones, No residential allowed — 24.4% of zoned land area
Footnotes
* Apartments & condos are allowed in RT, RM, B, C, DR, DC, and DX zoning districts.
Map created by Steven Vance, September 2026. Data from Chicago Department of Planning & Development (zoning map as of August 2026). Groupings and calculations by the author using PostGIS.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:dcuycllcu4svm2kar4tgdhno/bafkreigcm6l7ubnsrnadjhrv3riizqpgr2ga4mqrr4ztpg4wm37otehxuu)
