Asheville, NC Building Setbacks & Zoning: Setback Rules (2026)

" In the RS-2 Residential Single-Family Low Density District (Sec. 7-8-2), the front setback is 35 feet, reducible to 20 feet in designated steep slope zones under section 7-11-12, with a 10-foot side setback and a 25-foot rear setback. RS-4 Residential Single-Family Medium Density (Sec. 7-8-3) drops the front setback to 25 feet (15 feet in steep slope zones), keeping the 10-foot side and 25-foot rear minimums. RS-8 Residential Single-Family High Density (Sec. 7-8-4), the densest single-family district, requires only a 15-foot front setback, a 6-foot side setback, and a 15-foot rear setback.

Setbacks are measured perpendicular from the property line to the building line under Sec. 7-10-2, with front setbacks measured from the street right-of-way line unless the street's travel lanes exceed 45 feet wide, in which case measurement runs from the edge of the travel lane. Where more than one setback depth could apply to a lot, Sec. 7-10-2(b)(2) requires the greatest dimension to govern. Corner lots carry a second-street-side setback equal to 50 percent of the district's front setback requirement, and through lots must treat both street frontages as front yards.

Landscape and buffering standards in section 7-11-3 can impose an additional, more restrictive setback that then controls over the base zoning figure, and minimum building spacing must also satisfy the Asheville Fire Prevention Code. Limited encroachments are allowed into required setbacks: cornices and sills up to 18 inches, bay windows and balconies up to 3 feet, and accessory structures no closer than 6 feet to a side or rear line.