Arvada, CO Building Setbacks & Zoning: Setback Rules (2026)

Section 2-1-9-2, Arterial Street Setbacks, imposes a citywide 100-foot setback "for single-family detached, duplex, townhome buildings, multiplex, and accessory dwelling units (ADU) from the centerline of all arterial streets," with two carve-outs: the Olde Town Zoning District and "Ralston Road between Yukon Street and Oak Street." Because the setback is measured from the arterial's centerline rather than the property line, it functions as a much larger buffer than the base residential setbacks in Table 2-1-3-3A, which run from 13 to 30 feet for a front yard depending on subdistrict; the arterial setback is the more restrictive standard and controls under Section 1-1-4-2's rule that, when Code provisions conflict, "the more restrictive provision will control."

The arterial setback treats accessory structures differently from the principal home. Parking is allowed to encroach into the 100-foot arterial setback. An attached or detached garage that serves a residential use is treated "as a nonresidential building for the purposes of this provision," so it only has to meet the standard zoning-district setback rather than the full 100 feet, unless residential living space sits above the garage, in which case the full 100-foot arterial setback applies to that structure as well. The distinction matters most for lots along the city's major arterials, where a standard 18-to-30-foot residential front setback under Table 2-1-3-3A is not sufficient and the 100-foot centerline measurement governs instead.