Avondale, AZ Building Setbacks & Zoning: Setback Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Largest front setback
- 40 ft (AG, RR-43, R1-35)
- Smallest front setback
- 20 ft (R1-7, R1-6, R1-5)
- Side-entry garage credit
- Front setback reduced by 5 ft
- Smallest rear setback
- 15 ft (R1-7, R1-6, R1-5)
- Governing section
- Avondale Zoning Ordinance Sec. 28-35(A)
Summary
Avondale's single-family setback table in Section 28-35(A) scales down with lot size: front yards run from 40 feet in the AG and RR-43 districts to 20 feet in R1-7 through R1-5, while rear yards range from 40 feet down to 15 feet. A side-entry garage can shave 5 feet off the front setback in any of these districts.
Minimum yard setbacks: Front yard 40' 1 40' 1 40' 1 25' 1 35' 1 25' 1 25' 1 20' 1 20' 1 20' 1...Minimum total both side yards 40' 40' 40' 30' 30' 20' 18' 18' 18' 15'...Minimum side yard 20' 20' 20' 15' 15' 10' 8' 8' 8' 10'/0' 2...Rear yard 40' 35' 35' 30' 30' 20' 20' 15' 15' 15'...Street side yard 40' 25' 25' 20' 20' 10' 10' 10' 10' 10'...1 Minimum front yard setbacks may be reduced by five (5) feet when providing a side-entry garage.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 38 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
Section 28-35(A)'s minimum yard setback table sets front yard setbacks at 40 feet for AG, RR-43, and R1-35; 25 feet for RR-18; 35 feet for R1-15; 25 feet for R1-10; 25 feet for R1-8; and 20 feet for R1-7, R1-6, and R1-5, with a footnote allowing any of those front setbacks to shrink by 5 feet when the home provides a side-entry garage. Minimum side yards range from 20 feet in the large-lot districts down to 8 feet in R1-8 through R1-6, with R1-5 set at 10 feet, or zero feet where a 10-foot building separation is otherwise maintained between adjacent lots.
Rear yards run from 40 feet down to 15 feet, and street side yards from 40 feet down to 10 feet across the same district progression. In the commercial districts, Section 28-56(e)'s table sets a flat 20-foot front, street, and rear setback across R-O, C-O, C-1, and C-2, rising to that same 20 feet in C-3, while the setback from an adjacent residential district or use scales with building height, one foot of setback for every foot of building height in R-O, C-O, and C-1, and a flat 50 feet in C-2 or 100 feet in C-3.
Violations & Fines
Building within the required front, side, rear, or street-side setback for the applicable zoning district violates Section 28-35 (or Section 28-56 for commercial property) and can result in denial of a building permit, an order to remove or relocate the encroaching structure, and code enforcement action by Avondale's Development Services Department. Structures built without accounting for the added residential-adjacency setback in the commercial tables face the same enforcement path.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far back from the street does my Avondale house have to sit?
What is the minimum rear yard setback in Avondale?
Do commercial buildings in Avondale need a bigger setback next to houses?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Avondale
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Setback Rules in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Maricopa County handle setback rules.