Bessemer, AL Building Setbacks & Zoning: Setback Rules (2026)

3, General yard requirements, lays down the baseline rules that apply on top of Table 2's district-by-district numbers: no yard, open space or lot area required for one building can be counted toward another; every part of a required yard must stay open to the sky, unobstructed by an accessory structure, and unoccupied for storage or servicing; and accessory structures can never sit in a required front yard. 3(5) adds a specific rule for garages, requiring an attached or detached private garage that faces a street to sit at least 25 feet back from the street right-of-way line.

Table 2 supplies the numeric minimums by district: R-1 Single-family requires a 25-foot front yard (35 feet for non-residential uses in the district), a 25-foot rear yard, and a 15-foot side yard (25 feet for non-residential uses). 5 governs how a front yard is measured on blocks where existing buildings already sit closer to the street than the district minimum, tying a new building's setback to the average of its neighbors. 2 allows a small lot of record to reduce its side yard to half the district minimum with building-and-inspections and fire-department sign-off.