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

The yard rules sit in § 315-35B of the Bloomfield Township Code. Each lot must have front, side and rear yards at least as large as its zone requires, and the minimum figures are set in Schedule A, Bulk and Setback Regulations, an attachment to Chapter 315. Required yards stay unoccupied and unobstructed except for natural vegetation, permitted accessory structures and projections the article allows, and no lot or yard on an improved lot can be used to satisfy the yard requirements of another lot.

In the R-1A, R-1B, R-2A and R-2B zones the front yard follows Schedule A unless the street has an established setback. A setback is established when the front yard setbacks of the four lots nearest the subject property on the same side of the street are all greater than, or all less than, the zone's permitted setback. The subject lot then takes the average of those four. On a corner lot every yard that abuts a street is a front yard, and the zone's front yard setback applies on every street frontage. A structure on a lot that shares a lot line with a lot in a different zone must meet the more restrictive setback of the two zones along that line.

Other sections print fixed figures. The R-T townhouse zone keeps a front yard setback of 20 feet as open space, except for parking in permitted driveways (§ 315-38C). In the CORD zone the minimum front yard setback is 10 feet and the maximum is 20 feet, the minimum rear yard for principal buildings is 20 feet, and the minimum side yard is five feet (§ 315-38G). In residential zones accessory buildings go in the rear yard only, and none can sit closer than 10 feet to a rear lot line that serves as a front or side lot line of an adjoining property (§ 315-36B). Decks, patios and terraces also belong in the rear yard and must meet the required yard setbacks for principal buildings (§ 315-36). A zoning permit from the Zoning Officer is required before a structure is erected or a use changes (§ 315-52A).