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Catoosa County, GA Building Setbacks & Zoning: Setback Rules (2026)

Some Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

R-1 setbacks
30 ft front, 10 ft side, 25 ft rear
Major street front setback
40 feet minimum
Major traffic corridor setback
100 ft from centerline
Corner lot rear reduction
20 ft in R-1 and R-3
Governing table
UDC Table 2-4
Enforced by
Zoning Administrator

Summary

Table 2-4 of the Catoosa County Unified Development Code sets the minimum front, side and rear yard setbacks for every zoning district in unincorporated Catoosa County; a standard R-1 residential lot carries a 30-foot front, 10-foot side and 25-foot rear setback, while front yards along major streets and traffic corridors face separate county-wide minimums.

These county ordinances apply to unincorporated areas of Catoosa County. Incorporated cities within the county may have their own rules that take precedence over county-level regulations.

A.Table 2-4 identifies the minimum development standards applicable to all development activity within Catoosa County. ... C.Front yard setbacks are measured from the right-of-way.D.The minimum front yard setback at a major street is 40 feet, with the exception of the PCFD and PUD zoning districts.E.The front yard setback at major traffic corridors is a minimum of 100 feet from centerline (major traffic corridors are roadways with GDOT traffic counts above 2,000 per day - both directions), with the exception of the PCFD and PUD zoning districts.F.The rear yard setback may be decreased to 20 feet at corner lots in R-1 and R-3 zones. ... Zoning District Lot Size Principal Building Setbacks Frontage

(minimum, feet) ... Area (minimum) Width (minimum, feet) Front (minimum, feet) Side (minimum, feet) Rear (minimum, feet) ... R-1 22,000 sq. ft. 100 30 10 25

Full Breakdown

Section 2.04.00's Table 2-4 lists lot size, setback, height, density and coverage standards by zoning district. R-1 lots require a 30-foot front, 10-foot side and 25-foot rear setback on a 22,000-square-foot minimum lot; R-2 uses the same setbacks on a 15,000-square-foot lot; R-3 keeps a 30-foot front setback but drops the minimum lot area to 10,000 square feet and requires a public sewer connection; commercial C-1/C-2/C-3 lots require a 30-foot front and 10-foot side/rear setback, and industrial I-1/I-2 lots require a 30-foot front, 20-foot side and 25-foot rear setback.

Section 2.04.02 layers county-wide rules on top of the table: front yard setbacks are always measured from the right-of-way; the minimum front setback jumps to 40 feet on any major street, except in the PCFD and PUD districts; and along major traffic corridors, defined as roads carrying more than 2,000 vehicles per day under GDOT counts, the front setback minimum is 100 feet measured from the road centerline, again excepting PCFD and PUD. Corner lots in the R-1 and R-3 districts may reduce their rear yard setback to 20 feet.

Where an approved buffer requirement under Section 4.08.00 is greater than the Table 2-4 setback, the buffer controls instead. The Zoning Administrator reviews building permit applications against these standards before issuing a permit.

Violations & Fines

Building or expanding a structure that violates the Table 2-4 setbacks or the major-street and traffic-corridor minimums in Section 2.04.02 is enforced as a UDC violation under Section 9.07.00: the Zoning Administrator or Building Official issues a citation prosecuted in Catoosa County Magistrate Court, carrying a fine of $50 to $1,000 (minimum $100) or up to 60 days, with a doubled permit fee for anyone who built without first obtaining a permit.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the front setback for an R-1 lot in unincorporated Catoosa County?
Table 2-4 of the UDC sets a 30-foot minimum front setback, a 10-foot side setback and a 25-foot rear setback for R-1 lots, measured on a minimum 22,000-square-foot lot with 100 feet of frontage. Section 2.04.02 measures the front setback from the road right-of-way, not from the pavement edge.
Does the setback change on a major road?
Yes. Section 2.04.02.D raises the front setback to 40 feet on any major street, and Section 2.04.02.E raises it further to 100 feet from the road centerline on major traffic corridors carrying more than 2,000 vehicles a day, except in the PCFD and PUD districts.
Can a corner lot reduce its setback?
Only in R-1 and R-3: Section 2.04.02.F allows the rear yard setback on a corner lot in those two districts to shrink to 20 feet, though the front setback rules for corner lots elsewhere in Section 4.02.06 still require a minimum 25-foot setback on the side street.
What if a buffer requirement conflicts with the table setback?
Section 2.04.02.G makes the buffer control: where a required buffer under Section 4.08.00 is wider than the Table 2-4 setback, the larger buffer distance applies instead of the standard setback number, so a commercial or industrial buffer can push a building back further than the zoning table alone requires.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Catoosa County

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