McCracken County, KY Building Setbacks & Zoning: Setback Rules (2026)

§ 150.051(C) sets the minimum yard requirements for the county's AG Agricultural District, the base zone covering most unincorporated land outside Paducah. Nonresidential uses in the AG District must keep a 75-foot front yard and 25-foot side and rear yards. Residential uses face a smaller but still substantial setback: a 30-foot front yard, an eight-foot side yard that drops to four feet for accessory buildings, and a 25-foot rear yard that likewise drops to eight feet for accessory buildings. The AG District also carries a one-acre minimum lot area under the same section, though public facilities, utilities, and similar uses that do not require a structure for regular human occupation can be smaller.

Not every structure has to meet these setback lines: § 150.070(B) exempts fences, portable carports built without a foundation or footers, accessory buildings of 120 square feet or less, and above-grade pools, tennis courts, and recreation courts from both the minimum yard setbacks and the zoning permit requirement. Larger structures still need a building permit under § 150.070(A), which the Planning and Zoning Administrator will not issue except in conformity with these setback and area standards. A landowner who wants relief from the AG District's setback lines, for example to build closer to a lot line than the table allows, must seek a variance or other action from the Board of Adjustment rather than simply building past the line.