Kent County, DE Building Setbacks & Zoning: Setback Rules (2026)

Kent County splits residential zoning into two overlapping regimes depending on whether a parcel sits inside or outside the Growth Zone Overlay District, and each carries its own setback table under Chapter 205, Article VII, Area and Bulk Requirements. B table: 30 feet front from a subdivision street, 15 feet on each side, and 30 feet in the rear. C, regardless of the district's base standard, because Kent County treats highway frontage as a higher-exposure edge than an interior subdivision street. C sets a tighter table: 20 feet front, 5 feet side, and 10 feet rear for AC, AR, RS1, RS5, and RMH lots, while the RM district gets an 18-foot front setback with the same 5-foot side and 10-foot rear.

That inside-overlay front setback also climbs to 40 feet on nonsubdivision streets. The Regional Planning Commission may authorize a reduced front yard setback for major subdivisions built around alleys, but only if two off-street parking spaces per unit are still provided. Principal nonresidential structures built in a residential district must meet these same setback lines, and any structure that exceeds a district's height limit must push its yard and setback lines out to match the tallest point of the building. C.