Cincinnati, OH Building Setbacks & Zoning: Setback Rules (2026)

" The numbers scale directly with lot size: SF-20 (20,000 sq ft minimum lot, 70-ft width) requires a 30-ft front yard, 10-ft/20-ft total side yards and a 35-ft rear yard; SF-10 (10,000 sq ft, 60-ft width) carries the same 30-ft front and 10/20-ft side yards but a 35-ft rear yard; SF-6 (6,000 sq ft, 50-ft width) drops to a 25-ft front yard and 7-ft/16-ft total side yards with a 35-ft rear yard; SF-4 (4,000 sq ft, 40-ft width) requires a 20-ft front yard, 3-ft/12-ft side yards and a 25-ft rear yard; Attached Single-family (SF-4) on 3,500-sq-ft lots keeps the 20-ft front yard but allows a 0-ft/6-ft side yard, reflecting the shared wall, with a 25-ft rear yard.

The smallest lots, Single-family (SF-2) at 2,000 sq ft and both Rowhouse exterior and Rowhouse interior lots at 1,500 sq ft, need only a 5-ft front yard, 0-ft/5-ft side yards (0-ft/0-ft for rowhouse interior lots with no exposed side) and a 20-ft rear yard. Maximum building height is capped at 35 feet across every one of these single-family subdistricts. The schedule cross-references Chapter 1421 for accessory structures and general site standards, Chapter 1423 for landscaping and buffer yards, and Chapter 1419 for additional development regulations, meaning setback compliance is checked alongside those chapters during building permit review, not in isolation.