Zoning Library: where a drive-thru can be built, city by city
A free, plain-language library of local zoning codes, built for people who put drive-thru and net lease deals together. For each city or county we list every zoning district, say whether a drive-thru restaurant is allowed by right, needs a conditional approval or is not allowed, and link the rule to the code section it came from.
On file today: 130 jurisdictions in 23 states, 7,495 zoning districts (729 by right, 541 conditional, 2,845 not allowed, 3,380 still to confirm). Updated 2026-11-15; new cities are added every day.
Browse by state
- Alabama6 jurisdictions
- Arizona4 jurisdictions
- Arkansas1 jurisdiction
- California2 jurisdictions
- Colorado4 jurisdictions
- Florida15 jurisdictions
- Georgia27 jurisdictions
- Illinois1 jurisdiction
- Indiana1 jurisdiction
- Kentucky2 jurisdictions
- Louisiana4 jurisdictions
- Missouri1 jurisdiction
- Nebraska1 jurisdiction
- Nevada1 jurisdiction
- New Mexico1 jurisdiction
- North Carolina30 jurisdictions
- Oklahoma1 jurisdiction
- Pennsylvania1 jurisdiction
- South Carolina6 jurisdictions
- Tennessee3 jurisdictions
- Texas16 jurisdictions
- Virginia1 jurisdiction
- Wisconsin1 jurisdiction
How to read it
- By right
- Permitted use. Site plan and building permit review only: no conditional use permit, special exception or rezoning.
- Conditional
- Needs a conditional use permit, special use permit or special exception, usually with a public hearing.
- Not allowed
- A drive-thru restaurant is not a listed use in that district.
- Not confirmed
- Not read closely enough yet, or the code does not settle it (planned developments, overlays).
The codes are read with AI research help. A rule is only stated when it was read in the code itself with medium or better confidence, and it always keeps its section number and source link so you can check it. Everything else is marked "Not confirmed yet".
For AI tools and developers
Every page has a data.json beside it with the same facts and source links. Full index: index.json · llms.txt · sitemap.xml. You may quote and cite this library; please link to the page you used.
Why this library exists
I'm Luke Smith. I find land for drive-thru brands like 7 Brew, Ellianos Coffee and Starbucks, sign the tenant, build the shop and sell it as a net lease property. Every deal starts with the same question: is the use allowed here without a rezoning? Getting that answer takes too long, so we read the codes (with AI research help), and I publish what we find with a link back to every source so you can check it yourself.
If you have a site that fits a drive-thru, or you want to learn how these deals are put together, join the free Reverse Deal Finder community on Skool, see cap rates and land prices by brand, or call 1-760-392-1525. Brokers welcome: I pay commissions.