Elizabeth, NJ Building Setbacks & Zoning: Lot Coverage Limits (2026)

110(F) defines impervious surface as a surface that is resistant to infiltration by water, including but not limited to roofs, pavement and sidewalks, and then sets three separate coverage ceilings depending on lot size and use. Residential lots between 2,500 and 3,500 square feet, the size of many of Elizabeth's older rowhouse and single-family parcels, top out at 77 percent impervious coverage. Mid-size residential lots of 3,501 to 4,500 square feet drop to a 65 percent maximum, and any residential lot of 4,501 square feet or larger is capped at 60 percent, reflecting the code's intent to preserve more open, permeable ground as lots grow.

Non-residential lots follow a flatter rule: a 75 percent maximum applies citywide unless otherwise specified by individual zone requirements, but the code carves out the Mixed-Residential Commercial 1 and 2 (MRC-1, MRC-2) zones for a higher 80 percent ceiling, recognizing the denser build-out those districts are meant to accommodate. 110(G), which sets an 11 percent minimum floor area ratio for non-residential principal buildings and caps accessory buildings at 10 percent of the principal building's square footage; a project can meet the impervious-coverage ceiling and still need to satisfy the floor-area-ratio floor independently.