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

The R-1 bulk table at § 41:5-2 of Newark's Zoning and Land Use Regulations, adopted November 1, 2023 under Ordinance No. 6PSF-E, splits coverage into two separate limits rather than one combined number. Max. Lot Coverage by Building caps the footprint of the house itself, garages, and other roofed structures on the lot at 50% of the lot area, leaving at least half the lot free of any building footprint. Max. Impervious Lot Coverage sets a separate, more generous ceiling of 65% for every hard surface on the lot combined, meaning the building footprint plus driveways, walkways, patios, and any other impervious material cannot together exceed 65% of the lot.

The same table row that sets these two percentages also restricts how a property can use the space between them: only one driveway, no wider than 10 feet, is allowed in the front yard, and driveways are not permitted at all on lots narrower than 25 feet. Because the building coverage and impervious coverage limits are set independently, a property could theoretically build a house at the full 50% footprint and still have another 15% of the lot available for a driveway, patio, or walkway before hitting the 65% impervious ceiling, or it could build a smaller house and devote more of the remaining area to paved surface, so long as the impervious total never crosses 65%.