Appleton, WI Building Setbacks & Zoning: Lot Coverage Limits (2026)

Appleton does not set one citywide lot-coverage number; each residential zoning district in Article V of Chapter 23 fixes its own ceiling under its "Development standards" subsection. Sec. 23-92(g)(2) caps the R-1A single-family district at 40% lot coverage on a minimum 8,000-square-foot lot. Sec. 23-93(2) raises that to 50% in the R-1B single-family district, which allows smaller 6,000-square-foot lots. Sec. 23-94(2) allows 75% coverage in the R-1C central city residential district, reflecting that district's smaller, older lots of record. Sec. 23-95(j) sets the R-2 two-family district at 60%. Non-residential districts run higher still: the AG agricultural district under Sec. 23-91(g)(7) is capped at just 20%, while several commercial and industrial districts reach 70%, and the CBD and P parking districts reach 90% to 100%.

The percentage is not just about the house: Sec. 23-43(g)(1)i.1 and j.1 fold every accessory building, driveway, parking lot, patio, deck, tennis or basketball court and swimming pool into the same lot-coverage calculation for R-1A through R-2 lots, and Sec. 23-43(g)(1)k-l apply the identical rule on R-3 lots. That means a homeowner who has already used a district's coverage allowance on the house and garage has effectively used up the driveway, patio and shed allowance too, and any expansion of paved or roofed area beyond the cap requires either redesign or a variance from the Board of Appeals under Sec. 23-67.