Fort Collins, CO Building Setbacks & Zoning: Setback Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Front yard setback (R-L)
- 20 ft minimum
- Rear yard setback
- 15 ft (6 ft for alley garages)
- Interior side yard
- 5 ft; corner street side 15 ft
- Minimum lot width
- 60 ft single-family, 100 ft other
- Max height (R-L)
- 28 ft single-family, 3 stories other
- Applies to
- Applications filed before May 17, 2024
Summary
In Fort Collins' Low Density Residential (R-L) District, the City's standard single-family zone, homes must sit back at least 20 feet from the front lot line and 15 feet from the rear line, dropping to 6 feet for alley-accessed garages, per Section 4.4(D)(2) of the Transitional Land Use Code. Side yards run 5 feet on interior lines and 15 feet on a corner lot's street side.
(2)Dimensional Standards.(a)Minimum lot width shall be sixty (60) feet for a single-family dwelling or child-care center and one hundred (100) feet for all other uses.(b)Minimum setback of the front yard shall be twenty (20) feet.(c)Minimum setback of the rear yard shall be fifteen (15) feet, except that the minimum setback of alley-accessed garages shall be six (6) feet.(d)For residential uses, the minimum side yard width shall be fifteen (15) feet on the street side of any corner lot and five (5) feet for all interior side yards. For all other uses, the minimum side yard width shall be the equivalent of one (1) foot for each three (3) feet or fraction thereof of building height, provided that for school or church uses no side yard shall be less than twenty-five (25) feet wide.(e)Maximum building height shall be twenty-eight (28) feet for a single-family dwelling, group home, or child care center and three (3) stories for all other uses.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Municipal Code: Supplement 155 | Transitional Land Use Code (for project before May 17, 2024): Supplement 61 | Traffic Code: Supplement 27).
Full Breakdown
4(D)(2) sets the R-L District's dimensional standards: a minimum lot width of 60 feet for a single-family dwelling or child care center (100 feet for other uses), a minimum front-yard setback of 20 feet, a minimum rear-yard setback of 15 feet that drops to 6 feet for alley-accessed garages, and side yards of 15 feet on the street side of a corner lot and 5 feet on interior side lines for residential uses (a sliding one-foot-per-three-feet-of-height scale for other uses, with a 25-foot minimum for schools or churches).
Maximum building height is 28 feet for a single-family dwelling, group home, or child care center, and three stories for other uses. 19(B) also lets an applicant use a 'contextual' front setback matching an abutting lot's existing setback on the same street. These figures govern development applications submitted before May 17, 2024, under the Transitional Land Use Code; other zone districts, such as L-M-N or N-C-L, carry their own separate setback tables not covered here.
Violations & Fines
A site plan that falls short of the R-L minimums cannot receive basic development review or administrative approval; the applicant must obtain a variance or Planning and Zoning Board modification of standards before the Building and Zoning Director will issue a foundation or building permit for the noncompliant setback.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far back from the street must a house sit in Fort Collins' R-L zone?
What's the minimum side-yard setback for a single-family home?
Can a fence sit inside my required setback?
Is the rear setback smaller for garages off an alley?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Fort Collins
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Setback Rules in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Larimer County handle setback rules.