Bishop, CA Building Setbacks & Zoning: Lot Coverage Limits (2026)

Unincorporated Inyo County controls how much of a lot can be built upon primarily through minimum lot size, required yards, and height limits rather than a single flat lot-coverage percentage. In the R-1 (One Family Residence) zone, Chapter 18.30 requires every building site to be at least 5,800 square feet in area with an average width of at least 50 feet, and to provide the required front yard (25 feet) and interior side yards (5 feet); these yard and area rules together limit the developable footprint. The R-1 chapter does include a specific coverage-related provision for additions: an existing dwelling may be enlarged by an extension so as to occupy not more than 30 percent of the area of a required rear yard, provided the building after extension does not exceed 35 feet in height and is not less than 5 feet from any lot line. The RR (Rural Residential) zone in Chapter 18.21, with a one-acre minimum parcel, leaves large amounts of open land by virtue of the lot-size and yard requirements. Because Title 18 expresses intensity through lot size and yards rather than a uniform coverage percentage, owners should determine the precise minimum lot size, yard depths, and any extension or accessory-structure coverage rule for their specific zoning district through the Planning Department.