Zoning requirements state that a lot must be at least four times the size of the building located on the lot. An architect draws up a plan for a building that is 20k sq. ft. At least how many acres does the lot need to be?

• A. 1 acre
• B. Approximately 1.84 acres
• C. 2.5 acres
• D. 3 acres

Answer: (B)

Zoning requires the lot size to be at least four times the building size. So for a 20,000 sq ft building, the minimum lot area is 4 × 20,000 = 80,000 sq ft. Convert to acres: 80,000 ÷ 43,560 ≈ 1.835, which rounds to about 1.84 acres. So the smallest lot that meets the rule is about 1.84 acres. One acre is only 43,560 sq ft (too small), while 2.5 or 3 acres are larger than the minimum.