Littleton, CO Building Setbacks & Zoning: Setback Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Medium Lot Residential detached
- 25' front, 10' corner, 5'/10' side, 20' rear
- Minimum lot, MLR detached
- 8,000 sf. and 65' wide
- Acreage Residential rear setback
- 50' (front 25', side 20')
- Detached garage
- Minimum setback of five feet (Note 4)
- Side setback exposure rule
- First figure N/W, second figure S/E
- Current section effective
- 10/13/2023 (Ord. 20, Series of 2023)
Summary
Littleton sets residential setbacks in Table 10-4-2.2 of the Unified Land Use Code. A detached home on a Medium Lot Residential parcel needs 25 feet in front, 10 feet in the Corner column, 5 or 10 feet at the side and 20 feet at the rear, on at least 8,000 square feet with 65 feet of width. The table covers new development in the ACR, LLR, MLR, SLR and MFR districts.
Purpose . This Section establishes the development standards for housing types in the ACR, LLR, MLR, SLR and MFR districts, as shown in Table 10-4-2.2, NB Lot and Buildings Standards . ... ACR Single-Family Detached 2.75 ac. 175' 30' 3.0 25' 50' 20' 50' 0.17 0.35 LLR Single-Family Detached 20,000 sf. 85' 30' 3.0 25' 10' 5 ' / 10' 20' 0.33 1.85 MLR Single-Family Detached 8,000 sf. 65' 30' 2.5 25' 10' 5' / 10' 20' 0.40 5.00 ... SLR Single-Family Detached 6,250 sf. 5 0 ' 30' 2.5 20' 10' 5' / 10' 20' 0.45 6.25 Single-Family Narrow Lot 3,500 sf. 40' 30' 2.5 15' 15' 3' / 5' 15' ... 3. Where two dimensions are shown, the first is for North/West exposures and the second is for South/East exposures. There is no side setback required for common walls. 4. A detached garage requires a minimum setback of five feet. ... 6. Setbacks shown for the cottage court community apply to the whole cottage court community development and not to the individual buildings.
Full Breakdown
Table 10-4-2.2 is the setback chart for Littleton's Neighborhood (NB) districts: Acreage Residential (ACR), Large Lot Residential (LLR), Medium Lot Residential (MLR), Small Lot Residential (SLR) and Multi-Family Residential (MFR). Each row pairs a housing type with a minimum lot area and width, a maximum height in feet and stories, four minimum setbacks (Front, Corner, Side, Rear), a maximum building coverage and a maximum number of units per acre. The current section took effect on 10/13/2023 through Ord. 18, Series of 2022 and Ord. 20, Series of 2023.
Detached houses step down as lots shrink. ACR needs 2.75 acres and 175 feet of width, with setbacks of 25 feet front, 50 feet corner, 20 feet side and 50 feet rear, and building coverage capped at 0.17. LLR needs 20,000 square feet and 85 feet of width, with 25 feet front, 10 feet corner, 5 or 10 feet side and 20 feet rear, at 0.33 coverage. MLR needs 8,000 square feet and 65 feet of width with the same 25, 10, 5/10 and 20 foot setbacks, at 0.40 coverage. SLR detached needs 6,250 square feet and 50 feet of width, with a 20 foot front, 10 foot corner, 5 or 10 foot side and 20 foot rear, at 0.45 coverage. The SLR narrow lot type drops to 3,500 square feet and 40 feet of width, with 15 feet front, 15 feet corner, 3 or 5 feet side and 15 feet rear.
Side setbacks print two numbers. Table Note 3 says the first is for North/West exposures and the second is for South/East exposures, and that no side setback is required for common walls. Note 4 sets a five foot minimum setback for a detached garage. Cottage court communities (1,000 square feet, 25 feet of width) use 15 feet front, 10 feet corner, 5 or 10 feet side and 15 feet rear, and Note 6 applies those setbacks to the whole development, not to each cottage.
In the multi-family end of the table, a townhome needs 1,500 square feet and 26 feet of width, with 25 feet front, 15 feet corner, 0 or 10 feet side and 20 feet rear. A multiplex needs 1,000 square feet with 15, 10, 0/10 and 15 feet. A manufactured home park is held to 16 feet and 1.0 story, with 15 feet front, 10 feet corner, 10 feet side and 15 feet rear. Mixed-use buildings with upper floor units and multi-family dwellings share 40 feet, 3.0 stories and 20, 15, 10 and 20 foot setbacks.
Scope matters. The standards apply to new development of lots in these districts. For redevelopment or substantial improvement, the code points to Subsection 10-4-3.2.C (Contextual Development) and Subsection 10-4-3.2.F (Neighborhood Conservation). Under Section 10-10-1.1, lots that lawfully existed before the Code took effect are conforming for lot area, width and depth. Resubdivision inside the LLR district must produce the same number of lots or fewer.
Violations & Fines
Section 10-4-2.2 prints no fine or penalty schedule of its own. It works as a development standard checked at approval and building permit stage, so a plan that shows a setback below the table figure for its district and housing type does not meet the standard. For an accessory dwelling unit built from an existing structure whose setback is below the figure in Table 10-1-1.7.1, the applicant must file a record of survey with the building permit application so that nonconforming setbacks can be considered.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far from the side lot line must a house sit in Littleton's MLR district?
What is the setback for a detached garage?
Does the table apply to an older lot that is smaller than today's minimums?
What setbacks apply to a backyard accessory dwelling unit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Littleton
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