Ankeny, IA Building Setbacks & Zoning: Setback Rules (2026)

Section 192.03(3) of the Ankeny Code of Ordinances sets the size and area regulations for the R-1 One-Family Residence District, the city's base single-family zone. The front yard setback is 35 feet, and the rear yard setback is also 35 feet. Side yards depend on building height: a one-story house needs a total of 18 feet of side yard with a minimum of 8 feet on either side, while anything taller than one story needs a total of 20 feet with a minimum of 10 feet on either side.

Churches and schools get a flat 35-foot side setback on each side regardless of height. These yard minimums apply on top of a 10,200-square-foot minimum lot area, one acre where public sewer and water are unavailable, and an 85-foot minimum lot width. The section cross-references two other provisions that can modify the numbers: Section 191.11's height limitations, which let single-family and two-family homes add up to ten feet of height in exchange for two 15-foot side yards, and Section 196.03's exceptions and modifications, which can adjust the front yard requirement where thirty percent or more of the block face already sits at a different setback.

Off-street parking and loading required under Section 194.01 may occupy part of a required yard, but the yard itself cannot be reduced below these minimums once it exists, per Section 191.10's ban on reducing an existing lot or yard below the ordinance's floor. The Planning and Building Department checks these setbacks at building permit review.