Roanoke, VA Building Setbacks & Zoning: Setback Rules (2026)

Section 36.2-312 of the Zoning Ordinance fixes minimum yard depths for each of Roanoke's eight residential zoning districts in a single dimensional table. Minimum front yard depth ranges from 10 feet in the RM-1, RM-2, and RMF districts, to 15 feet in R-5 and R-3, 20 feet in R-12 and R-7, and 30 feet in the RA District. Side yard minimum depth is 3 feet in R-7, R-5, R-3, and RM-1, 5 feet in R-12, 10 feet in RA, and 15 feet in RMF, the highest of any residential district. Rear yard minimum depth is 5 feet in every district except RA, which requires 50 feet. The same table fixes an accessory structure setback of 5 feet from rear and side lot lines in RA and RMF, and 0 feet (no required setback) in R-12 through RM-2.

Section 36.2-205 supplies the measurement rules the table depends on: front yard depth is measured at a right angle to the street line to the front building line, excluding porches; side yard width is measured at right angles to the adjacent side lot line; and rear yard depth is measured at a right angle to the rear property line. Corner and through lots follow a separate rule in Section 36.2-205(i): one front yard gets the district's full minimum and maximum depth, and any other street-facing yard on that lot needs only half the district's minimum front yard depth.

Section 36.2-205(e) also lists encroachments allowed into required yards without violating the setback, including unenclosed decks, terraces, steps, stoops, or porches up to 4 feet high, and utility cabinets serving a distribution system.