Lassen County, CA Building Setbacks & Zoning: Setback Rules (2026)

Lassen County establishes building setbacks district by district in its Title 18 zoning ordinance rather than with a single county-wide number. In the R-1 single-family residential district, the minimum front yard is twenty feet; where four or more lots in a block were already improved before the ordinance was adopted, the front yard may be the average of those improved lots if less than twenty feet, but not less than fifteen feet. The R-1 side yard is ten percent of the lot width but not more than fifteen feet, and upon approval of a design review application under Chapter 18.118 the side yard may be reduced to a minimum of five feet. The A-2 agricultural residential district uses similar yards: a twenty-foot front yard (averaging rule applies, no less than fifteen feet), a side yard of ten percent of lot width up to fifteen feet but not less than five feet, and a twenty-foot rear yard; accessory buildings such as guesthouses or farm outbuildings must be at least twenty feet from any side or rear property line, fifty feet from the front line, and twenty feet from any dwelling. The A-1 general agricultural district likewise sets a twenty-foot front yard with the same averaging provision. Because numbers vary by district and parcel, confirm the exact setbacks for your zoning with Lassen County Planning and Building Services (221 S. Roop St., Susanville, 530-251-8333). These are unincorporated-county standards; the City of Susanville sets its own.