Jefferson County, AL Building Setbacks & Zoning: Setback Rules (2026)

Section 1101 of the Jefferson County Zoning Resolution, titled "General and/or Supplemental Setback Requirements," sets three distinct rules depending on the road a lot fronts. " Where the dedicated right-of-way is "less than forty (40)" feet, the setback jumps to "not less than twenty-five (25) feet plus the front yard setback required in the zoning district," and that distance is measured "from the centerline of the existing street or roadway" instead of the property line. The same 25-feet-plus-district-minimum rule, measured from centerline, applies a third time where the road has no dedicated right-of-way at all, including a prescriptive one.

Section 1101 also fixes setbacks for specific features: gasoline pumps and related retail service-station equipment must sit at least 15 feet from the road right-of-way, canopy supports cannot extend past the pump island toward the property line or over the right-of-way, and bulk petroleum storage tanks, refineries, and loading platforms need a 150-foot setback from adjoining property lines. On corner lots, the Resolution requires the front yard setback "on all streets and roads," with the side setback rule applied along every other, non-street property line. Any setback along a denied-access highway or railroad right-of-way cannot be less than 15 feet.