Pocatello, ID Building Setbacks & Zoning: Setback Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- RE front setback
- 25 ft.
- RL front setback
- 20 ft.
- RE/RL side setback
- 10 ft. / 7 ft.
- RCP/CG/CC rear setback
- 0 ft. (buffer if adjacent to residential)
- Admin adjustment
- Up to 10% by planning director
- Projection allowance
- Eaves/chimneys up to 2 ft. into setback
Summary
Pocatello's Table 17.03.600 fixes minimum front, side, and rear yard setbacks by zoning district. The Residential Estate (RE) zone requires the largest yards, 25 feet in front and 10 feet on the side, while commercial districts like CC and CG often need no side or rear setback at all. The planning director can administratively adjust any setback by up to 10 percent, with a variance available beyond that.
Standard RE RL RMS RMM RH RCP2 CG CC OP9 LI I ... Minimum setbacks4 Front yard 25 ft. 20 ft. 20 15 10 10 10 0 ft. 30 10 10
ft. ft. ft. ft.3 ft.3 ft.3 ft.3 ft.3 ... Side yard 10 ft. 7 ft. 6 ft. 6 ft. 6 ft. 0 0 0 10 0 0 ft.3,8 ft.3,8 ft.3,8 ft.10 ft.10 ft.10 Rear Yard 20 ft. 20 ft. 20 15 10 0 ft.3 0 ft.3 0 ft.3 10 0 0
ft. ft. ft. ft. ft.10 ft.10
Full Breakdown
Table 17.03.600, the city's dimensional standards table under section 17.03.600, sets minimum front, side, and rear yard setbacks for each zoning district: RE, RL, RMS, RMM, RH, RCP, CG, CC, OP, LI, and I. Front yards range from 25 feet in RE and 20 feet in RL down to 10 feet in RH, RCP, CG, LI, and I, with CC needing no front setback at all. Side yards run from 10 feet in RE and 7 feet in RL down to 6 feet in RMS, RMM, and RH, and drop to zero in RCP, CG, and CC.
Rear yards mirror that pattern, running from 20 feet in RE and RL down to zero in RCP, CG, and CC. Footnote 3 on the table adds that greater setback requirements apply wherever a lot in one of the reduced-setback districts abuts a residential zoning district, by cross-reference to the transitional buffers in section 17.05.270; footnote 10 similarly ties the OP, LI, and I side and rear figures to that same buffer requirement when adjacent to a residential district. Footnote 4 allows limited encroachments into any setback: eaves, bay windows, and chimneys may project up to 2 feet into a side, rear, or front setback, and unenclosed carports, porches, steps, and decks under 30 inches high may project up to 6 feet or 50 percent of the setback, whichever is less, into a front or rear setback, and up to 2 feet into a side setback.
Section 17.03.600(B) also lets the planning director administratively adjust any setback, along with height, lot size, and landscaping standards, by up to 10 percent, with an applicant who is refused that adjustment able to apply for a variance under section 17.02.160 instead.
Violations & Fines
Building closer to a property line than Table 17.03.600 allows for the applicable zoning district is a zoning violation subject to Planning and Development Services enforcement; the only relief built into the ordinance is the administrative adjustment of up to 10 percent under section 17.03.600(B) or a full variance under section 17.02.160, not a unilateral reduction by the property owner.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the front yard setback in a Pocatello RE zone?
Do commercial zones in Pocatello need side or rear setbacks?
Can a Pocatello property owner get a setback reduced without a variance?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pocatello
Compare Pocatello to another location·View the Idaho building setbacks & zoning overview
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