Carver County, MN Building Setbacks & Zoning: Setback Rules (2026)

034 sets the county's baseline yard setbacks the same way in every zoning district: 15 feet from the side lot line and 30 feet from the rear lot line for every structure not otherwise exempted. Bluff setbacks run 50 feet for ordinary structures and jump to 100 feet for actively eroding bluffs, and the bluff impact zone itself bars clear-cutting of existing natural vegetation or other disturbance outright. Front setbacks are not fixed distances from the lot line; instead they are measured from the center of the public or private road serving the function of a public road, using the road's typical planned right-of-way, with additional distances specified by the road's functional classification under the county's Roadway Systems Plan, running from 68 feet for local roads up to 150 feet or more for principal arterials, and further out in the Shoreland District.

The section also locks in existing setbacks: no setback lawful on the chapter's effective date can later be reduced below the current minimum. A short list of features is exempt from these setbacks altogether, including chimneys, eaves and similar projections intruding no more than two feet, certain steps and uncovered porches, and rear-yard recreation equipment, parking and patios. New lots that already contain buildings must still be configured so every setback is met from the new lot lines, and wetland setbacks track whichever of the Carver County Water Management Organization, the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District, this chapter, or the Minnesota Wetland Conservation Act is most restrictive.