Owensboro, KY zoning: where a drive-thru restaurant is allowed
Is a drive-thru allowed in Owensboro, KY?
A drive-thru restaurant is allowed by right (no conditional use permit, special exception or rezoning) in these zoning districts: B-1, B-2, B-3, B-4, B-5.
It is not allowed in 13 districts: A-R, A-U, I-1, I-2, MHP, P-1, R-1A, R-1B, R-1C, R-1T, R-2MF, R-3MF, R-4DT.
1 district is not confirmed yet.
Drive-thru restaurant rule by zoning district
| District | Drive-thru restaurant | What the code says | Section | Source | Read on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A-R | Not allowed | Restaurants, including drive-in, drive through windows - cell blank for this zone; uses not listed are prohibited | Art. 8, 8.2 use B-13 | cms2.revize.com | 2026-11-13 |
| A-U | Not allowed | Restaurants, including drive-in, drive through windows - cell blank for this zone; uses not listed are prohibited | Art. 8, 8.2 use B-13 | cms2.revize.com | 2026-11-13 |
| B-1 | By right | Restaurants, including drive-in, drive through windows (P/15). P/15: drive-through window / outdoor food service at least 100 ft from any Residential Zone (8.4 cond. 15). Art. 15 B-1 location/development standards not read. | Art. 8, 8.2 table use B-13; 8.4 cond. 15 | cms2.revize.com | 2026-11-13 |
| B-2 | By right | Restaurants, including drive-in, drive through windows (P/15). P/15: drive-through window / outdoor food service at least 100 ft from any Residential Zone (8.4 cond. 15). B-2 inside the Downtown Overlay is governed by Article 21 (not read). | Art. 8, 8.2 table use B-13; 8.4 cond. 15 | cms2.revize.com | 2026-11-13 |
| B-3 | By right | Restaurants, including drive-in, drive through windows (P/15). P/15: drive-through window / outdoor food service at least 100 ft from any Residential Zone (8.4 cond. 15). B-3 intent 8.163: all uses must have controlled access to a designated arterial street or highway. | Art. 8, 8.2 table use B-13; 8.4 cond. 15 | cms2.revize.com | 2026-11-13 |
| B-4 | By right | Restaurants, including drive-in, drive through windows (P/15). P/15: drive-through window / outdoor food service at least 100 ft from any Residential Zone (8.4 cond. 15). | Art. 8, 8.2 table use B-13; 8.4 cond. 15 | cms2.revize.com | 2026-11-13 |
| B-5 | By right | Restaurants, including drive-in, drive through windows (P/15). P/15: drive-through window / outdoor food service at least 100 ft from any Residential Zone (8.4 cond. 15). | Art. 8, 8.2 table use B-13; 8.4 cond. 15 | cms2.revize.com | 2026-11-13 |
| EX-1 | Not confirmed | Not read closely enough to state a rule. | cms2.revize.com | 2026-11-13 | |
| I-1 | Not allowed | Restaurants, including drive-in, drive through windows - I-1/I-2 cells blank in 2010 table; 2025 copy adds C/55 = only in conjunction with accredited distillery/brewery Standalone drive-thru not allowed; a restaurant tied to an accredited distillery/brewery may get a conditional use (C/55, column position not confirmed). | Art. 8, 8.2 use B-13; 8.4 cond. 55 | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-13 |
| I-2 | Not allowed | Restaurants, including drive-in, drive through windows - I-1/I-2 cells blank in 2010 table; 2025 copy adds C/55 = only in conjunction with accredited distillery/brewery Standalone drive-thru not allowed; a restaurant tied to an accredited distillery/brewery may get a conditional use (C/55, column position not confirmed). | Art. 8, 8.2 use B-13; 8.4 cond. 55 | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-13 |
| MHP | Not allowed | Restaurants, including drive-in, drive through windows - not permitted in residential zones | Art. 8, 8.2 use B-13 | cms2.revize.com | 2026-11-13 |
| P-1 | Not allowed | Restaurants, including drive-in, drive through windows - cell blank for this zone; uses not listed are prohibited | Art. 8, 8.2 use B-13 | cms2.revize.com | 2026-11-13 |
| R-1A | Not allowed | Restaurants, including drive-in, drive through windows - not permitted in residential zones | Art. 8, 8.2 use B-13 | cms2.revize.com | 2026-11-13 |
| R-1B | Not allowed | Restaurants, including drive-in, drive through windows - not permitted in residential zones | Art. 8, 8.2 use B-13 | cms2.revize.com | 2026-11-13 |
| R-1C | Not allowed | Restaurants, including drive-in, drive through windows - not permitted in residential zones | Art. 8, 8.2 use B-13 | cms2.revize.com | 2026-11-13 |
| R-1T | Not allowed | Restaurants, including drive-in, drive through windows - not permitted in residential zones | Art. 8, 8.2 use B-13 | cms2.revize.com | 2026-11-13 |
| R-2MF | Not allowed | Restaurants, including drive-in, drive through windows - not permitted in residential zones | Art. 8, 8.2 use B-13 | cms2.revize.com | 2026-11-13 |
| R-3MF | Not allowed | Restaurants, including drive-in, drive through windows - not permitted in residential zones | Art. 8, 8.2 use B-13 | cms2.revize.com | 2026-11-13 |
| R-4DT | Not allowed | Restaurants, including drive-in, drive through windows - not permitted in residential zones | Art. 8, 8.2 use B-13 | cms2.revize.com | 2026-11-13 |
"By right" means permitted with site plan and building permit review only. Overlay districts, planned developments (PD/PUD) and conditions attached to a past rezoning can change the answer for a single parcel.
Official zoning map layer
To find the district for a parcel, query the jurisdiction's own GIS zoning layer: https://gis.owensboro.org/arcgis/rest/services/OMPC/OMPC/MapServer/13 (district field: ZON_CODE)
OMPC zoning (Owensboro + Daviess County, also Whitesville). DESCRIBE = district name. Code: OMPC Zoning Ordinance Art. 8 Zones & Uses table (OMPC PDF z08, 2010 text; Zoneomics copy amended to 2025). Read 2026-11-13.
Sources
How to confirm before you buy
- Look up the parcel on the official zoning map to get its district and any overlay.
- Open the code section linked in the table and read the use table and the drive-thru standards.
- Call the planning office and ask whether a drive-thru restaurant needs anything beyond site plan review at that address.
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.