Auburn sets minimum front, side and rear yard setbacks that vary by zoning district and lot size. For conventional single-family lots, Table 5-1 sets a 25-foot street-side yard, a one-side yard of 6 to 15 feet, total side of 20 to 30 feet, and a 15- to 40-foot rear yard. Neighborhood Conservation and other districts have their own tables.
Auburn's setbacks are organized by zoning district and, for conventional subdivisions, by lot size. Table 5-1 (Lot Area, Setbacks, Maximum Impervious Surface and Parking for Conventional Subdivisions) sets the minimum yards: every size category has a 25-foot street-side (front) yard. For lots of 40,000 sq ft or greater the one-side yard is 15 feet, total side 25 feet and rear 30 feet (40 feet of rear is shown for the largest category); for 30,000-39,999 sq ft lots, 12-foot one side, 25-foot total side, 25-foot rear; for 20,000-29,999 sq ft, 10-foot one side, 25-foot total side, 20-foot rear; and for lots under 20,000 sq ft, a 6-foot one side, 20-foot total side and 15-foot rear yard. The Neighborhood Conservation (NC) districts use Table 5-2, where front yards range from 20 to 45 feet, rear yards from 25 to 50 feet, and side yards scale with the district's minimum lot size. The Industrial (I) district (Section 503.D) requires a 10-foot front, 25-foot rear, 30-foot total side and a 15-foot minimum on-street side yard. Performance-residential, urban and mixed-use districts (Sections 502.02, 507-509) have separate setback schedules, and a light-exposure (angle-of-light) calculation can increase setbacks where buildings adjoin single-family districts. Because setbacks vary so much by district, confirm your specific zoning before designing. Fences, walls and hedges are allowed within these minimum yards.
Building a principal structure or addition inside a required front, side or rear yard violates the Zoning Ordinance and can lead to a stop-work order, denial of a certificate of occupancy, fines, and a requirement to seek a variance from the Board of Zoning Adjustment or remove the encroachment.
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