Linden, NJ Building Setbacks & Zoning: Setback Rules (2026)

Article 31-17, Permitted Modifications, is where Linden's zoning code departs from its district-by-district base yard requirements to handle irregular and undersized lots. 1 lets a lot sitting between two already-developed lots use the average front yard depth of its neighbors for a single-family or two-family home, but caps that reduction so the front yard never drops below fifteen feet. 2 lets a pocketed, separately-owned lot narrower than the zone's required width shave a half-foot off its total side yard for every foot of width it is short, provided neither side yard falls under three feet and the combined side yards stay at ten feet or more.

3 protects nonconforming homes specifically in the R-1a and R-2a residential zones: any addition or alteration can go no closer than the existing side line of the building, or a five-foot side yard, whichever leaves more room. 5 apply only in the Light Industrial (L-I) zone, where lots under one hundred feet wide or deep can shrink their side or front yard by one foot for every five-foot shortfall, down to a six-foot side yard minimum, below which the building may go to the property line, or a five-foot front yard floor.

None of these sections state the underlying base setback for any particular district; that figure comes from the tabular Schedule of Limitations referenced in § 31-20 and appended to Chapter 31, which this source file does not render as readable sentence text. A Linden property owner needs both documents: the district table for the standard setback, and Article 31-17 for whether their specific lot qualifies for a reduction.