Coeur d'Alene, ID Building Setbacks & Zoning: Setback Rules (2026)

Coeur d'Alene sets yard depths district by district, then layers citywide rules on top. Municipal Code § 17.06.405 says no lot shall have a front, side or rear yard, or any space between, less than the applicable zoning district prescribes. In an R-1 District, § 17.05.008 A sets residential yards at twenty feet (20') front, ten feet (10') interior side, twenty feet (20') street side and twenty five feet (25') rear. Nonresidential uses in R-1 carry twenty feet front and twenty five feet on the interior side, street side and rear. The R-3 and R-12 Districts are tighter for homes: front twenty feet, interior side five feet, street side ten feet and rear twenty five feet, with at least one side yard of ten foot minimum when there is no alley or other legal access behind the lot.

Measurement matters. Under § 17.06.410 the setback is measured to the wall of the structure. Front and street side setbacks are measured from the closest point on the property line, the back of sidewalk, or ten feet (10') from the back of the curb, whichever is the greater setback. Side and rear setbacks run from the closest point on the property line.

Several overlays change the number. On a corner or reversed corner lot, § 17.06.440 requires the street side yard to be not less than two (2) times the interior side yard requirement, and not less than ten feet in residential districts. Garages or carports accessed directly from the street must sit twenty feet (20') from the property line or public sidewalk, whichever is greater (§ 17.06.460). Where a rear lot line abuts permanent, unoccupied and unobstructed open space at least thirty feet deep, § 17.06.480 lets the rear yard drop by one-half, but never below twelve feet (12'). Section 17.06.475 sets ten foot yards where a lot abuts a residential zone. Section 17.06.495 lists permitted extensions: eaves and cornices project two feet over a front yard, open porches can reach ten feet into it but no closer than ten feet to the front property line, and chimneys extend up to twenty four inches.