Saraland's Land Use & Development Ordinance (LUDO), Article 12, sets residential lot coverage and setbacks by district. R-1 lots (most single-family residential) require a 35-foot front setback, 35-foot rear setback, and 10-foot side setback for non-corner interior lots; building coverage is generally limited to 40-60 percent of total lot area depending on the specific R-1 sub-district. Corner lots have additional street-side setback requirements.
Saraland (pop. 16,171, Mobile County) is a Mobile suburb that adopted a comprehensive Land Use & Development Ordinance, updated March 30, 2022 (https://saraland.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Land-Use-and-Development-Ordinance-City-of-Saraland-Updated-3-30-22.pdf). Article 12 of the LUDO sets dimensional standards: in R-1 (Single-Family Residential) on a typical interior, non-corner lot, the minimum front setback is 35 feet from the front property line, rear setback is 35 feet, and interior side setback is 10 feet. Building coverage (the footprint of all structures as a percentage of total lot area) is typically capped at 40-60 percent depending on the R-1 sub-district. Corner lots, which face two streets, must observe the front setback on both street frontages. Maximum building height in R-1 is generally 35 feet (2.5 stories). For other districts (R-2 multifamily, B-1 business, M-1 manufacturing), Article 12 provides separate dimensional tables. Code Chapter 10 (Building and Building Regulations) adopts the 2018 IBC/IRC with local amendments. Setback variances are reviewed by the Saraland Board of Zoning Adjustment.
Construction that exceeds lot coverage or violates setbacks can result in a stop-work order, requirement to remove or modify the structure, and fines up to $500 per day under Saraland Code Section 1-10. Variances must be applied for prior to construction; after-the-fact variance requests are disfavored.
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