Lakewood, NJ Building Setbacks & Zoning: Lot Coverage Limits (2026)
Key Facts
- R-40 max building coverage
- 25% of lot area
- Places of worship in R-40
- 20% building coverage
- R-40 minimum lot area
- 2 acres
- Governing section
- UDO Section 18-902B4
- Coverage range townwide
- 20% to 45% by district
Summary
In Lakewood Township's R-40 Residential zoning district, the Unified Development Ordinance caps building coverage at 25% of the lot alongside a 2-acre minimum lot area, under UDO Section 18-902B4. The UDO defines building coverage as the building area covered by all permanent buildings on a lot expressed as a percentage of total lot area, with impervious coverage adding paved surfaces on top of that.
4. Design Regulations - For all permitted uses except for Places of Worship: a. Minimum Lot Area — 2 acres. b. Minimum Lot Width — 200 feet. c. Front Yard Setback — 50 feet. d. Rear Yard Setback — 20 feet. e. Side Yard Setback — 15 feet with an aggregate of 40 feet. f. Accessory Building: (1) Side Yard Setback — 10 feet. (2) Rear Yard Setback — 10 feet. g. Maximum Building Coverage — 25%. h. Maximum Building Height — 35 feet.
Full Breakdown
Article IX of the UDO, Zoning Districts and Regulations, sets out separate Design Regulations for each of Lakewood's residential and non-residential districts under Sections 18-902 and 18-903. For the R-40 Residential zone, Section 18-902B4 lists the standards for all permitted uses except places of worship: a minimum lot area of 2 acres, minimum lot width of 200 feet, front yard setback of 50 feet, rear yard setback of 20 feet, side yard setback of 15 feet with a 40-foot aggregate, and a maximum building coverage of 25%, alongside a 35-foot height cap.
Places of worship in the same district get a stricter 20% building coverage cap under Section 18-902B5. ' Every one of the 47 zoning districts listed in Section 18-901 carries its own building coverage figure under the matching subsection of Section 18-902 or 18-903, ranging as low as 20% in low-density residential and agricultural districts up to 45% of gross tract area for some planned and affordable-housing tracts, so the applicable cap always depends on the specific zoning district a lot sits in, which the Planning or Zoning Board confirms at site plan or subdivision review under Article VI.
Violations & Fines
Exceeding the maximum building coverage figure for a lot's zoning district is a zoning violation enforceable by the Department of Code Enforcement and Zoning, and a property owner who builds beyond the cap without a variance from the Zoning Board of Adjustment under UDO Article III can be denied a certificate of occupancy and ordered to remove or reduce the noncompliant construction.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the maximum building coverage allowed in Lakewood Township's R-40 zone?
Does Lakewood's coverage limit include driveways and patios, or just the house?
Is the maximum building coverage the same in every Lakewood Township zoning district?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lakewood
Compare Lakewood to another location·View the New Jersey building setbacks & zoning overview
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Lot Coverage Limits in Nearby Cities
How other cities in this county handle lot coverage limits.