Gaston County, NC Building Setbacks & Zoning: Setback Rules (2026)

1-5 apply to every general zoning district unless a more restrictive standard for a specific use appears elsewhere in the ordinance, and that additional setbacks are required on corner lots and on lots abutting a differently zoned property. 1-2(C)(1) sets the minimum front yard setback at 30 feet in R-1, R-2, and R-3, 50 feet in the two-acre-minimum RLD district, and 30 feet in RS-20, RS-12, RS-8, and RMF. 1-2(D)(1) sets the minimum side yard at 15 feet in R-1, R-2, and R-3, 25 feet in RLD, and a stepped-down 9, 8, and 7 feet in RS-20, RS-12, and RS-8 respectively, with five feet allowed on internal infill lots and an extra ten feet required where the side yard abuts a street.

1-2(E)(1) sets the minimum rear yard at 25 feet in R-1, R-2, and R-3, 40 feet in RLD, and 25, 20, and 20 feet in RS-20, RS-12, and RS-8. 1-2(F)(1) caps building height at 45 feet across every residential district for these use types. 1-3(A) sets a 30-foot front and 10-foot side setback in the O-1 and OLC office districts, for example, illustrating how the setback schedule shifts across the roughly 250 zoning district and overlay labels the UDO recognizes.