Setbacks are the minimum required distance from property lines that a building must meet as determined by its zoning district.
These distances are dependent on relative direction. Specifically, each parcel will have a front, side, and rear setback minimum. Side setbacks are further divided into interior side (when the side is adjacent to another parcel) and street side (when the side is adjacent to a street).
For instance the setback requirements for the most common zoning district, Medium-Density Single-Family Residential (R1-M) are:
Front: 25 ft
Rear: 25 ft
Side (interior): 6 ft
Side (street): varies depending on the classification of the adjacent street
All minimum setbacks are measured from the property line to the nearest drip edge of the building. On most buildings, the drip edge is the building eaves.
Setbacks can be found in the
Height and Area Regulations Chart, which is organized by zoning districts.