Bergenfield, NJ Building Setbacks & Zoning: Setback Rules (2026)

Chapter 186 treats every yard that faces a public street as a front yard under § 186-40G, and each must meet the minimum front yard requirement set for its zone in the Schedule B bulk table, applying to both principal and accessory buildings. On a corner lot, that means the minimum front yard requirement applies separately to both intersecting streets, not just the address side, with a specific carve-out for the R-5 zone noted in Schedule B. Through lots, meaning lots that run between two parallel streets, are likewise subject to front yard requirements on each street they front.

Section 186-43A adds a self-adjusting rule and a floor: where 50% or more of the frontage on the same side of the street within 500 feet of a lot is already developed, the required front yard for a new structure is modified to match the average setback of that existing development rather than the flat Schedule B number. Whichever number results, though, § 186-43A sets an absolute minimum: in no case can the front yard be less than 10 feet, except in the B-1 District, where the ordinance allows commercial buildings to build closer to the street.

Where a lot fronts a street the Master Plan has identified for right-of-way widening, § 186-40H measures the required front yard from the proposed, not the existing, right-of-way line, effectively pushing the buildable area back further on those streets.