The City of Merced sets minimum yard setbacks by zoning district in its Zoning Ordinance (Title 20, Tables 20.08-2 and 20.08-3). In single-family zones, front setbacks range from 15 to 30 feet and rear setbacks from 5 to 25 feet by district (e.g., R-1-5 front 15 ft / rear 5 ft; R-R front 30 ft / rear 25 ft).
Setbacks in the incorporated City of Merced are governed by Title 20 (Zoning) and vary by zoning district. There are four setback areas for a typical single-family lot: a front yard, two side yards, and a rear yard. Per the City's Zoning Ordinance development-standard tables (Table 20.08-2 for single-family and 20.08-3 for multi-family), representative minimums include: R-R (Rural Residential) front 30 ft, R-1-20 front 30 ft, R-1-10 front 20 ft, R-1-6 front 20 ft, and R-1-5 front 15 ft. Rear-yard minimums run about 25 ft in R-R, 10 ft in R-1-20, 7 ft in R-1-10, and 5 ft in R-1-6/R-1-5. Interior side yards are commonly around 10 ft on one side and 5-7 ft on the others in standard R-1 districts, with a 10-foot street-side setback on corner lots. Multi-family zones (R-2, R-3, R-4) generally use a 15-foot front and 5-6 foot rear, while R-MH (Mobile Home Park) uses 25 ft front and 10 ft rear. Because the exact figure depends on the district and the lot, the City advises confirming setbacks for a specific property with the Planning Division at (209) 385-6858. These city standards are separate from Merced County's setbacks, which apply only outside city limits.
Building inside a required setback (encroaching) can result in denial of a permit, a stop-work order, or a requirement to remove or relocate the structure. The City enforces zoning setbacks through Development Services / code enforcement under Title 20. Administrative citation amounts follow California Government Code Section 36900(b): $100 / $200 / $500. A variance is required to legally reduce a setback.
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