Orem, UT Building Setbacks & Zoning: Setback Rules (2026)

Orem City Code Section 22-6-8(B) sets three separate setback tables covering interior lots, corner lots and lots with buffered sidewalks, applied across the R20, R12, R8, R7.5, R6.5, R6 and R5 zones. On an interior R8 lot the minimum front setback is 25 feet and the minimum rear setback is 25 feet. Side yards depend on garage configuration: with an attached garage, the combined total of both side setbacks must be at least 20 feet, with a minimum of 8 feet on each side; without an attached garage, the combined total rises to 24 feet with a minimum of 10 feet per side. R5 zone lots, Orem's smallest, use tighter numbers: 22.5-foot front and rear setbacks and a 15-foot combined/5-foot-per-side minimum with an attached garage.

Corner lots follow a different table: the R8 front setback stays at 25 feet, but the rear drops to 10 feet, the side yard with an attached garage drops to 10 feet, and the side yard abutting a side street must be at least 20 feet. Lots fronting a street with a buffered sidewalk add extra depth: an R8 house needs a 29-foot front setback to the house and 32 feet to the garage, measured from the back of the curb per the Appendix K cross-sections. For irregular deep lots, at least two of the required setbacks must be at least 25 feet, and cantilevered features like bay windows, eaves and chimneys can project up to 24 inches into any required setback, capped at two such projections per structure. The Director of Development Services can also approve a reduced setback where at least 70% of the lots within 300 feet already sit closer than the required standard.