Placer County, CA Building Setbacks & Zoning: Setback Rules (2026)

Placer County Code § 17.50.010(E)(1) sets the baseline yard setbacks for the RS zone: a 20-foot minimum front setback, a 10-foot minimum street-side setback, side setbacks totaling 15 feet with a 5-foot minimum for one-story portions and a 7.5-foot minimum for two-or-more-story portions, and a rear setback of 10 feet minimum for one story or 20 feet minimum for two or more stories, plus a 40% maximum site coverage (lots under 13,000 square feet and duplex, triplex, or fourplex uses are exempt from the coverage cap).

Setbacks are measured at right angles from the property line or the edge of any road, driveway, or utility easement, whichever is greater, per § 17.54.130(C). A minimum 12.5-foot multi-purpose or public utility easement must also stay clear, and garage or carport vehicle entrances need at least 20 feet of clearance. Different side setbacks apply in the snow-load areas of Northstar, Martis Valley, Truckee River Corridor, Donner Lake, and Alpine Meadows: 7.5 feet per side for one story, 10 feet for two stories, and 15 feet for three or more stories.

Those special setbacks, however, do NOT apply within the Lake Tahoe Basin, the Squaw Valley General Plan area, or the Serene Lakes/Ice Lakes area, which are governed by their own land use ordinances and plan area statements; property in the Tahoe Basin is also subject to review by the bi-state Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA), whose separate setback and coverage standards are not part of the county code. Fences six feet or less, retaining walls four feet or less, and certain small structures such as pump houses under 120 square feet are exempt from these structural setbacks under § 17.54.140(A).