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

Section 244-6 of the Land Use and Development Regulations defines lot coverage as the percentage of the total lot area which is covered by impervious surfaces, principal buildings, and accessory buildings and uses, a definition last amended by Ordinance No. 27-10 in 2010. In the R-1 Residential Zone, § 244-47D sets the numeric limits for existing lots at a maximum building coverage of 15% and a maximum lot coverage of 50%, identical for both interior and corner lots, alongside a minimum one-acre lot size, 43,560 square feet, and a 40-foot front yard, 50-foot rear yard and 20-foot side yard setback for the principal building.

New lots created by subdivision after the section's adoption must instead meet the tighter R-3 zoning standards unless connected to public sewer. The R-1 numbers sit on the permissive end of the Township's residential coverage scale: the AR Agricultural Retention Zone caps building coverage at 20% and total coverage at 40% under its own schedule, and the schedule for houses of worship on smaller lots elsewhere in the code allows up to 70% lot coverage, so the applicable percentage always depends on which zone and use table governs the parcel.

Because the definition folds driveways, patios, sheds and pools into impervious surfaces along with the house itself, an R-1 property owner adding a shed, pool deck or expanded driveway must total every impervious feature on the lot against the 50% ceiling, not just the footprint of the house, before applying for a building permit from the Construction Official.