How tall can my house be?

**Two and a half storeys, and not more than 35 feet.** You have to satisfy both.

**Your covenant** permits one single-family dwelling **not exceeding two and one-half storeys in height**. It says nothing about feet.

**Freeman Township** sets both: a maximum of **2½ storeys** and a maximum of **35 feet** in the Single Family Residential district.

So the two agree on storeys, and the Township adds a limit in feet that the covenant does not address. Both apply.

**What a "half storey" means is not defined** in either document, and it is one of the more commonly argued points in residential zoning — it usually turns on headroom and floor area within a sloped roof. If your design has habitable attic space, ask the **Township Zoning Administrator** how it will be counted before you finalise plans.

**Accessory buildings are measured differently** — between 8 and 14 feet, taken to the midpoint between eaves and ridge on a gable, hip or gambrel roof.

**Some things do not count toward building height** under the Township ordinance, which lists structures excluded from the height of the building. Ask if a chimney, cupola or similar feature is a concern.

**Approval comes first.** Plans must be approved in writing by the Architectural Committee before work starts, and the Township requires a zoning compliance permit and a building permit.

*Source: Restrictive Covenants, Article VII, Section 1; Freeman Township Zoning Ordinance No. 8, Table 1.*