Folsom, CA Building Setbacks & Zoning: Setback Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- R-1-L front yard
- 35 ft (§17.11.070)
- R-1-ML / R-1-M front yard
- 20 ft (§17.12.070 / §17.13.070)
- Side yard, all three districts
- 5 ft one side, 11 ft other side
- Corner lot street-side yard
- 20% of lot width, 11-16 ft range
- R-1-L rear yard
- 20% of depth, 15 ft minimum
Summary
Folsom sets front, side and rear yard minimums separately for each residential zoning district. R-1-L requires a thirty-five-foot front yard, while R-1-ML and R-1-M require twenty feet; all three require a five-foot and an eleven-foot side yard and a rear yard equal to twenty percent of lot depth.
17.11.070 Front yard. The front yard requirement in the R-1-L district is thirty-five feet. (Ord. 378 (part), 1979)
17.11.080 Side yard. The side yard requirement is five feet on one side of the lot and eleven feet on the other side of the lot at the option of the owner, developer or subdivider, except that the side yard on the street side of each corner lot shall be not less than twenty percent of the lot width, but need not exceed sixteen feet; however, it cannot be less than eleven feet. (Ord. 378 (part), 1979)
17.11.090 Rear yard. The rear yard requirement is twenty percent of lot depth; may not be less than fifteen feet. (Ord. 378 (part), 1979)
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 1369, passed April 28, 2026).
Full Breakdown
Title 17 (Zoning) of the Folsom Municipal Code sets yard setbacks chapter by chapter for each residential district. In the R-1-L (large-lot) district, Section 17.11.070 requires a thirty-five-foot front yard, the deepest of the single-family districts. The R-1-ML (medium-lot) and R-1-M (small-lot) districts instead set a twenty-foot front yard under Sections 17.12.070 and 17.13.070. Side yards are uniform across all three districts under Sections 17.11.080, 17.12.080 and 17.13.080: five feet on one side and eleven feet on the other, at the owner's or developer's option, except that a corner lot's street-side yard must be at least twenty percent of lot width, capped at sixteen feet and never less than eleven feet.
Rear yards are also tied to lot depth rather than a flat number. R-1-L requires twenty percent of lot depth with a fifteen-foot floor (Section 17.11.090), while R-1-ML and R-1-M require twenty percent of lot depth bounded between ten and twenty feet (Sections 17.12.090 and 17.13.090). Required parking, two covered spaces per single-family detached unit under Sections 17.11.100, 17.12.100 and 17.13.100, must sit outside the required front and street-side setbacks and be reached over a paved surface. The community development department checks setback compliance at building permit issuance, and a project that cannot meet a yard minimum must apply for a variance through Chapter 17.62 rather than build to a reduced dimension.
Violations & Fines
A structure built into a required front, side or rear yard setback is a zoning violation subject to the enforcement provisions of Title 17; the community development department can withhold or revoke a building permit and require removal or relocation of an encroaching structure. Building without first obtaining an approved permit that reflects the correct district setbacks compounds the violation and can trigger a stop-work order until a variance under Chapter 17.62 is approved or the structure is brought into conformance.
Frequently Asked Questions
How deep does my front yard setback need to be in Folsom?
What is Folsom's side yard setback for single-family homes?
Is Folsom's rear yard setback a flat number of feet?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Folsom
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