Tyler, TX zoning: where a drive-thru restaurant is allowed
Is a drive-thru allowed in Tyler, TX?
A drive-thru restaurant is allowed by right (no conditional use permit, special exception or rezoning) in these zoning districts: C-1, C-2, DBAC, M-1, MU.
It needs a conditional or special use approval in: PCD, PMXD-1, PMXD-2.
It is not allowed in 18 districts: AG, AR, INT, M-2, NR, OSP, PMF, POD, PUR, R-1A, R-1B, R-1C, R-1D, R-2, R-MF, R-MH, RE, RPO.
Drive-thru restaurant rule by zoning district
| District | Drive-thru restaurant | What the code says | Section | Source | Read on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AG | Not allowed | Use table: 'Restaurant (With or W/out Drive-Thru)' cell blank. Not allowed. | Tyler UDC Sec. 10-49 | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-15 |
| AR | Not allowed | Use table: 'Restaurant (With or W/out Drive-Thru)' cell blank. Not allowed. | Tyler UDC Sec. 10-49 | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-15 |
| C-1 | By right | UDC Sec. 10-49 nonresidential use table: 'Restaurant (With or W/out Drive-Thru)' = X; Sec. 10-43: X = permitted by right. Drive-thru stacking per Article VI. | Tyler UDC Sec. 10-49, 10-43 | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-15 |
| C-2 | By right | UDC Sec. 10-49 nonresidential use table: 'Restaurant (With or W/out Drive-Thru)' = X; Sec. 10-43: X = permitted by right. Drive-thru stacking per Article VI. | Tyler UDC Sec. 10-49, 10-43 | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-15 |
| DBAC | By right | UDC Sec. 10-49 nonresidential use table: 'Restaurant (With or W/out Drive-Thru)' = X; Sec. 10-43: X = permitted by right. Drive-thru stacking per Article VI. | Tyler UDC Sec. 10-49, 10-43 | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-15 |
| INT | Not allowed | Use table: 'Restaurant (With or W/out Drive-Thru)' cell blank. Not allowed. | Tyler UDC Sec. 10-49 | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-15 |
| M-1 | By right | UDC Sec. 10-49 nonresidential use table: 'Restaurant (With or W/out Drive-Thru)' = X; Sec. 10-43: X = permitted by right. Drive-thru stacking per Article VI. | Tyler UDC Sec. 10-49, 10-43 | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-15 |
| M-2 | Not allowed | Use table: 'Restaurant (With or W/out Drive-Thru)' cell blank. Not allowed. | Tyler UDC Sec. 10-49 | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-15 |
| MU | By right | UDC Sec. 10-49 nonresidential use table: 'Restaurant (With or W/out Drive-Thru)' = X; Sec. 10-43: X = permitted by right. Drive-thru stacking per Article VI. | Tyler UDC Sec. 10-49, 10-43 | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-15 |
| NR | Not allowed | Restaurant not in the residential use table. Residential district. | Tyler UDC Sec. 10-48 | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-15 |
| OSP | Not allowed | Use table: 'Restaurant (With or W/out Drive-Thru)' cell blank. Not allowed. | Tyler UDC Sec. 10-49 | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-15 |
| PCD | Conditional | Use table: 'Restaurant (With or W/out Drive-Thru)' = P (planned district - requires approved site development plan). Needs site development plan approval within the planned district. | Tyler UDC Sec. 10-49, 10-40 | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-15 |
| PMF | Not allowed | Restaurant not in the residential use table. Residential district. | Tyler UDC Sec. 10-48 | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-15 |
| PMXD-1 | Conditional | Use table: 'Restaurant (With or W/out Drive-Thru)' = P (planned district - requires approved site development plan). Needs site development plan approval within the planned district. | Tyler UDC Sec. 10-49, 10-40 | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-15 |
| PMXD-2 | Conditional | Use table: 'Restaurant (With or W/out Drive-Thru)' = P (planned district - requires approved site development plan). Needs site development plan approval within the planned district. | Tyler UDC Sec. 10-49, 10-40 | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-15 |
| POD | Not allowed | Use table: 'Restaurant (With or W/out Drive-Thru)' cell blank. Not allowed. | Tyler UDC Sec. 10-49 | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-15 |
| PUR | Not allowed | Restaurant not in the residential use table. Residential district. | Tyler UDC Sec. 10-48 | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-15 |
| R-1A | Not allowed | Restaurant not in the residential use table. Residential district. | Tyler UDC Sec. 10-48 | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-15 |
| R-1B | Not allowed | Restaurant not in the residential use table. Residential district. | Tyler UDC Sec. 10-48 | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-15 |
| R-1C | Not allowed | Restaurant not in the residential use table. Residential district. | Tyler UDC Sec. 10-48 | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-15 |
| R-1D | Not allowed | Restaurant not in the residential use table. Residential district. | Tyler UDC Sec. 10-48 | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-15 |
| R-2 | Not allowed | Restaurant not in the residential use table. Residential district. | Tyler UDC Sec. 10-48 | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-15 |
| R-MF | Not allowed | Restaurant not in the residential use table. Residential district. | Tyler UDC Sec. 10-48 | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-15 |
| R-MH | Not allowed | Restaurant not in the residential use table. Residential district. | Tyler UDC Sec. 10-48 | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-15 |
| RE | Not allowed | Restaurant not in the residential use table. Residential district. | Tyler UDC Sec. 10-48 | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-15 |
| RPO | Not allowed | Use table: 'Restaurant (With or W/out Drive-Thru)' cell blank. Not allowed. | Tyler UDC Sec. 10-49 | zoneomics.com | 2026-11-15 |
"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.
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.