New Bedford, MA Building Setbacks & Zoning: Setback Rules (2026)

Section 2750 (Yards in Residence Districts) sets New Bedford's baseline setbacks. Front yards are governed first by Section 2751, which ties new construction to the average setback of existing buildings within 200 feet on the same side of the street and block, but Section 2752 supplies the fallback: where that alignment rule doesn't control, every building must sit at least 15 feet from the street line, except one side of a corner lot, which needs only a 10-foot clear depth. No building is ever required to set back more than 15 feet regardless of neighboring alignment.

Section 2753 fixes the rear yard at a minimum of 30 feet deep behind the dwelling. That minimum grows on deeper lots: for any lot exceeding 100 feet in depth, half of the additional depth beyond 100 feet is added to the required rear yard, but the rear yard can never be required to exceed 40 feet under Section 2754. A ground-story deck, porch, patio or pool may project to within 6 feet of the rear line, and nothing else may be placed within 6 feet of that line except a fence or planted vegetation.

Section 2755 sets side yards at a minimum of 10 feet on one side and 12 feet on the other, running unobstructed from the street line to the rear lot line. Open porches, decks, patios and pools located behind the dwelling may extend to within 6 feet of a side lot line, and driveways to within 4 feet. The Board of Appeals may vary these dimensional standards under Section 2730 upon a finding of hardship tied to a lot's soil, shape or topography, but only where relief does not derogate from the ordinance's intent.