Hackensack, NJ Building Setbacks & Zoning: Setback Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Front yard rule
- Matches block average, never below schedule minimum
- Side yard floor
- 6 feet if no shared wall
- Min. dwelling height
- 1.5 stories, not less than 15 feet
- Relief route
- Variance from Zoning Board of Adjustment
Summary
Hackensack sets the front-yard setback for a one- or two-family home to match the block's existing average once more than half the block face is built out, never less than the zoning schedule's minimum. Even where a zero-foot side yard is otherwise allowed, City Code § 175-7.3 requires a six-foot side yard whenever new construction will not share a wall with a neighboring building.
The required front yard setback for one- and two-family dwellings, if more than 50% of the common street frontage of a block is developed, shall be the same as the average front yard setbacks of the existing dwellings facing the common street of said block, but in no case less than the minimum required by this schedule. E ... ven where the required side yard is zero feet, a minimum side yard of six feet shall be required where a proposed development will not share a wall with a building on an adjacent lot.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4592721; v20 updated 2026-01-06; through 01-06-2026).
Full Breakdown
3 of the Hackensack City Code governs bulk and yard standards for uses permitted by right in the City's residential zones. Where more than 50% of a block's common street frontage is already developed, the required front-yard setback for a one- or two-family dwelling matches the average front-yard setback of the existing homes facing that same block, but the code is explicit that this averaging rule can never push the setback below the minimum set in the district's own bulk schedule. That schedule, printed as Insert 1 to Chapter 175, assigns the actual minimum front, side and rear yard figures by residential district, from R-50 up through R-100, R-2, R-2B, R-3, R-3A, R-3B and R-4.
3 also carves out a specific side-yard floor: even in a district where the required side yard is zero feet, meaning attached construction is otherwise allowed, a new development that will not share a wall with the building next door must still leave a minimum six-foot side yard. The same section sets a minimum dwelling height of one and one-half stories, and not less than 15 feet, for one- and two-family homes. 2. 4, including a six-foot minimum side yard where one is provided between buildings in the B-1 and B-2 Districts.
Violations & Fines
Building or maintaining a structure that violates the required setback is enforceable under § 175-3.6: a fine up to $1,250, up to 90 days in jail, or both for a first offense, with each day the encroachment continues charged as a separate violation. The Zoning Officer investigates complaints and can seek a court order to restrain or correct the encroachment.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is my front-yard setback figured in Hackensack?
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Hackensack
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