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

Unlike some city codes, Tulare County's Zoning Ordinance (Ord. 352) does not impose one across-the-board maximum building-coverage percentage on residential lots. Instead, the developable footprint is shaped by minimum lot area and the required yards. In the 'R-1' Single-Family Residential Zone (Section 6.F) and the 'R-A' Rural Residential Zone (Section 4.F), 'every main building hereafter erected or structurally altered shall have a lot area of not less than six thousand (6,000) square feet per family.' Required front, side, and rear yards (each 25% of lot depth or 10% of lot width, as applicable) must remain open and unobstructed from ground to sky, which effectively caps how much of the lot a building can occupy. The code does set a coverage limit on accessory structures: Section 15.C.2.e provides that 'accessory buildings may occupy not more than twenty-five (25) percent of a required rear yard,' provided the accessory building is one story and at least 15 feet from the main building; two-story accessory buildings may not occupy any part of a required rear yard. Larger parcels carry density rules - for example, the code allows additional main buildings only when extra lot area thresholds are met. Because there is no flat coverage percentage, total buildable area is best determined by applying the zone's lot-size and yard requirements; confirm specifics with the Tulare County RMA.