Dunwoody, GA Building Setbacks & Zoning: Setback Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- R-150 street setback
- 45 ft (50 ft on arterials)
- R-50/RA-5/RA-8 street setback
- 5 ft
- R-150 interior side setback
- 20 ft
- R-75/R-60/R-50 interior side setback
- 7.5 ft
- Rear setback, R-150 through R-60
- 40 ft
- Garage door setback, RA-5/RA-8
- 20 ft from curb/sidewalk
- Governing section
- City Code § 27-58(b)
Summary
Dunwoody sets minimum building setbacks by zoning district in City Code § 27-58(b). Street-facing setbacks range from 45 feet in the largest-lot R-150 district down to 5 feet in the RA-5 and RA-8 attached-house districts, while interior side setbacks run 7.5 to 20 feet and rear setbacks are 30 to 40 feet.
R-150 R-100 R-85 R-75 R-60 R-50 RA-5 RA-8 ... Minimum building/structure setbacks (ft.) [4] S1 •Street, front and side 45[5] 35[5] 35[5] 30[5] 30[5] 5[6] 5[6] 5[6] S2 •Side, interior 20 10 8.5 7.5 7.5 7.5 15 15 S3 •Side, interior (accessory buildings/structures) 10 10 10 10 10 10 10[7] 10[7] S4 •Rear 40 40 40 40 40 30 30 30 S5 •Rear (accessory buildings/structures) 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 ... [6]Street-facing garage façades must be setback at least 20 feet from back of curb or back of sidewalk, whichever is greater.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 49).
Full Breakdown
The eight single-dwelling zoning districts, from the large-lot R-150 down through R-100, R-85, R-75, R-60, R-50 and the attached-house RA-5 and RA-8 districts, each carry their own minimum setbacks in the § 27-58(b) table. Street setbacks (front and street-side, on corner lots) run from 45 feet in R-150 down to 35, 30 and finally 5 feet in R-50, RA-5 and RA-8; footnote 5 adds another five feet to the street setback on any lot fronting an arterial street. 5 feet in R-75, R-60 and R-50, and up to 15 feet in RA-5 and RA-8; accessory buildings and structures get a flat 10-foot interior side setback in every district (in RA-5/RA-8 that 10 feet applies only to end units in attached-house projects).
Rear setbacks are 40 feet in R-150 through R-60, and 30 feet in R-50, RA-5 and RA-8, with a 10-foot rear setback for accessory buildings citywide. Corner lots must meet the street setback along every street frontage, per footnote 4, and the rear setback is measured from the property line parallel to the lot's frontage. Even where the street setback drops to 5 feet in the RA-5 and RA-8 districts, footnote 6 requires any street-facing garage door to sit back at least 20 feet from the back of curb or sidewalk, whichever is farther, so garages cannot crowd the street even on the smallest setbacks.
Violations & Fines
Setback compliance is checked when the city reviews a building permit application; § 27-6's general prohibition bars constructing or expanding any structure except in conformity with the zoning ordinance, so a building plan that fails a district's minimum setback is not approved. A structure already built into a required setback is a zoning violation subject to code enforcement, and the city may require it be removed, relocated or modified to restore the setback before further permits issue.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far must a house sit back from the street in Dunwoody?
What is the minimum side setback for a house?
Do corner lots get a break on setbacks?
Can a garage sit right at the 5-foot RA-5 setback line?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Dunwoody
Compare Dunwoody to another location·View the Georgia building setbacks & zoning overview
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