Salem, OR Building Setbacks & Zoning: Lot Coverage Limits (2026)

SRC 511.010(e) directs that "Buildings and accessory structures within the RS zone shall conform to the lot coverage and height standards set forth in Table 511-4." Under that table, single family, two family, three family, and four family uses face a maximum lot coverage of 60 percent, while multiple family development has no maximum. Nonprofit shelters serving victims of domestic violence may cover up to 60 percent of the lot, but all other nonprofit shelters and every other use are capped at 35 percent. A separate rear-yard coverage limit applies only to accessory structures: those accessory to single family and two family uses may cover no more than 25 percent of the rear yard, while accessory structures to other uses have no rear-yard cap.

The same table ties height to the coverage standards: single, two, three, and four family buildings are limited to 35 feet for new construction (28 feet, or the existing height if greater, for existing buildings), multiple family buildings to 25 feet or two stories (not exceeding 35 feet), and accessory structures to 15 feet. Table 511-5 layers on a separate cap for detached accessory buildings serving single family and two family lots: a main house of 1,200 square feet or less limits all accessory structures combined to 600 square feet, and a larger main house limits them to 1,000 square feet or 50 percent of the main building's gross area, whichever is less.