Dothan, AL Building Setbacks & Zoning: Setback Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing table
- City Code § 114-132, Table of Dimensional Regulations
- R-1 setbacks
- 30 ft front, 35 ft rear, 10 ft side
- R-3 setbacks
- 15 ft front, 15 ft rear, 5 ft side
- AC setbacks
- 50 ft front, 40 ft rear, 15 ft side
- Minor fix
- Letter of de minimis for encroachments up to 10%
- Bigger fix
- BZA variance required over 12-inch encroachment (§ 114-102)
Summary
Dothan sets minimum front, rear and side yard depths for every zoning district in the Table of Dimensional Regulations at City Code § 114-132. A standard R-1 lot needs a 30-foot front yard, a 35-foot rear yard and 10-foot side yards, with the numbers shrinking further in the denser R-3 district.
Zone District AC R-1 R-2 R-3 R-4 R-A MH-1 C MH-2 B-1 B-2 B-3 O-I O-2 O-3 E L-I H-I ... Min. ... depth of front yard, feet 50 30 25 15 30 20 50 D 20 25 25 25 25 25 40 20 20 Min. depth of rear yard, feet 40 35 30 15 15 20 50 D 10 10 10 10 20 20 40 35 10 Min. width of each side yard, feet 15 10 10 5 7.5 A 20 A 50 D 15 5 A 5 A 5 A 5 A 20 20 20 10
Full Breakdown
City Code § 114-132's Table of Dimensional Regulations lists a minimum front yard depth, rear yard depth and side yard width for every zoning district. In the Agricultural-Conservation (AC) district the setbacks are the largest in the residential column: 50 feet front, 40 feet rear and 15 feet on each side. R-1 requires 30 feet front, 35 feet rear and 10 feet per side yard; R-2 drops to 25 feet front, 30 feet rear and 10 feet side; R-3, the highest-density single-family district, needs only 15 feet front, 15 feet rear and 5 feet side.
R-4 attached housing requires 30 feet front and 15 feet rear, but only a 7.5-foot side yard under table note A, which also allows no side yard at all for common-wall interior units approved by the planning commission. Manufactured home community land in MH-1 carries a 50-foot setback on every side under table note D, which also requires at least 20 feet of separation between individual manufactured homes plus a 50-foot perimeter setback for the community as a whole. Business districts are tighter across the board: B-1, B-2 and B-3 each require a 25-foot front yard and a 10-foot rear yard, while O-3 neighborhood office carries the largest non-residential front setback at 40 feet.
Every one of these figures is enforced before construction, since compliance with the bulk regulations table determines whether a building permit or zoning compliance approval can issue at all.
Violations & Fines
Planning and Development checks proposed setbacks against § 114-132 before a building permit or zoning compliance approval can be issued, so an encroaching structure is typically stopped at the plan-review stage. An existing encroachment of ten percent or less can be resolved with a nonrefundable 'letter of de minimis' from the administrative official under § 114-102, but any encroachment over 12 inches must instead go to the board of zoning adjustment for a variance, and unpermitted construction is enforced under the citywide general penalty at § 1-4.
Frequently Asked Questions
How big a front yard does an R-1 house need in Dothan?
Do side yard setbacks shrink in denser Dothan zoning districts?
My addition encroaches a few inches into the setback. What now?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Dothan
Compare Dothan to another location·View the Alabama building setbacks & zoning overview
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