Middlesex County does not set building setbacks. Front, side, and rear yard requirements are established by each municipality's zoning ordinance under New Jersey's Municipal Land Use Law.
New Jersey's Municipal Land Use Law (N.J.S.A. 40:55D-1 et seq.) delegates all land-use zoning to municipalities, so Middlesex County adopts no setback ordinance. Minimum front, side, and rear yard distances are set by your town's zoning code and vary by zoning district, such as R-1 single-family or R-2 two-family zones. Edison, New Brunswick, Woodbridge, and other Middlesex municipalities each publish district-specific setback schedules. A structure closer to a lot line than the district minimum generally requires a zoning variance. Verify your district's setbacks with the municipal zoning office before building.
Building within a required setback without a variance can trigger a zoning violation, a stop-work order, and an order to modify or remove the encroaching structure, with local fines.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in Middlesex County.
See how New Brunswick's setback rules rules stack up against other locations.
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