Owensboro, KY Building Setbacks & Zoning: Setback Rules (2026)

Appendix F Sections 8.5.5 through 8.5.8 set one shared table of site development requirements for the R-1A, R-1B, R-1C, and R-1T zones, all single-family and townhouse districts inside the joint Owensboro-Daviess County Zoning Ordinance. Subsection (c), Minimum Front Yard or Street Yard, scales with the street classification fronting the lot: 20 feet from the lot line on a freeway or expressway, 75 feet from the street centerline (or 25 feet from the lot line, whichever is greater) on a two-way arterial, and 60 feet from centerline (or 25 feet from the lot line) on a major collector. On a minor collector or local street, the standard is 25 feet from the lot line in R-1A, R-1B, and R-1C, dropping to 15 feet on the side street lot line where back-to-back corner lots meet, and to just 10 feet from the lot line in the R-1T Townhouse Zone.

Subsection (d), Minimum Interior Side Yard, sets the regular building setback at 10 feet per side in R-1A and 5 feet per side in R-1B, R-1C, and R-1T, plus a separate 10-foot side yard wherever any of those lots adjoins an R-1A, P-1, or agricultural zone. Subsection (e) applies a flat 20-foot interior rear yard across all four zones. Properties inside the Downtown Overlay District follow Article 21's separate site development and design standards instead of this table under note (k), and the Zoning Administrator checks the applicable street classification against the Major Streets map in Section 8.6 before approving a building permit.