Pottstown, PA Building Setbacks & Zoning: Setback Rules (2026)

Section 308 sets three separate setback formulas for the Conservation District, all measured from the center point of the existing lot. The street setback for a new principal building must equal either the average distance of existing buildings on the same block facing the same street within 250 feet, or the same distance used by at least 30 percent of those buildings, and that figure can be adjusted by up to 30 percent unless every building on the block shares one setback. The side setback between a new building and its neighbors uses the average distance between existing buildings on the block within 250 feet of each side property line, also adjustable by up to 30 percent, though the Zoning Officer can require a minimum six foot side yard at their sole discretion to address health and safety concerns, and the 30 percent adjustment cannot push the result below that six foot floor.

The rear setback must match the average rear yard distance of existing buildings on the block within 250 feet, adjustable by up to 50 percent. Twin homes and townhomes count as a single building for these averages, and vacant or undeveloped parcels are excluded from the calculation entirely. For blocks with fewer than four existing principal buildings or no established block pattern, Section 308(4) directs the applicant to borrow the pattern from the nearest block that does have at least four buildings facing the same street.