Parma, OH Building Setbacks & Zoning: Setback Rules (2026)

Section 1191.01 requires every main building in a residence district to have a rear yard at least fifteen percent of the lot's depth, never less than ten feet, and never more than thirty feet, except that a building taller than two and one-half stories needs a rear yard at least half its own height. Up to forty percent of that rear yard may still hold one-story accessory buildings, provided they sit at least ten feet from any existing residence and, generally, no closer than 100 feet to the front street line.

Front yards follow a parallel formula under Section 1189.02: the building line sits back fifteen percent of the average lot depth along the block face, capped at thirty feet, unless sixty percent or more of the frontage is already built to the street line, in which case the street line itself becomes the front yard line. Interior side yards are simpler and lot-width driven: Section 1193.02 sets a minimum of three feet on any lot under sixty feet wide and five feet on lots sixty feet or wider, and Section 1193.01 additionally requires at least ten feet total between an interior lot's two side yards and bars any dwelling from standing closer than ten feet to another building.

Corner lots get their own building-line rules under Section 1189.04, generally ten percent of lot width back from the side street line, capped at five feet in most cases.