Stratford, CT Building Setbacks & Zoning: Setback Rules (2026)

Section 3.2.1 of the Stratford Zoning Regulations covers the Single-Family Residence Districts RS-1, RS-2, RS-3 and RS-4, and its dimensional table applies to all development in those districts. The yard minimums are listed in feet as front, side and rear. RS-1 requires 40, 35 and 35. RS-2 requires 30, 20 and 35. RS-3 requires 25, 12 and 30. RS-4, the smallest-lot district, requires 20, 10 and 25. The same table sets lot area from 40,000 square feet in RS-1 down to 7,500 square feet in RS-4, so the yard minimums scale with the lot.

The Regulations define each yard. A front yard is the open space between the building and the front lot line, extending the full width of the lot, or in the case of a corner lot, extending along all streets. A rear yard is the open space between the building and the rear lot line, extending the full width of the lot. A side yard is the open space between the building and a side lot line, extending from the front yard to the rear yard.

The table is not the whole test. Section 3.2.1(C) says supplemental dimensional standards in Section 4.4 (Use Related Standards) and Section 6 (Site Development Standards) are also required. Section 1.4.2 treats every requirement as a minimum that applies uniformly to each piece of property, and Section 1.4.3 says that when two provisions conflict, the one imposing the greater restriction applies. The Two and Three Family Residence District (RM-1) has its own table in Section 3.2.2 with yards of 15 feet front, 10 feet side and 25 feet rear.

A lot that cannot meet a yard minimum needs relief from the Board of Zoning Appeals under Section 7.3.5. The Board can vary the Regulations only for a parcel with conditions especially affecting it, where literal enforcement would cause exceptional difficulty or unusual hardship, and it must find that the variance is the minimum necessary to relieve the hardship. A copy of each variance is filed in the land records in the Town Clerk's Office.