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

Section 550-10 of Chapter 550, Zoning, Article IV, sets Table 4-1, the lot, area, and bulk standards required for every building or structure erected, altered, or used in the R-C, R-C-1, R-1, and R-2 single-family detached residential districts. The minimum front yard is 35 feet in R-C and R-C-1, 25 feet in R-1, and 20 feet in R-2. Side yards are measured both as an aggregate of the two sides and as a minimum for either side alone: 35 feet aggregate with a 15-foot minimum in R-C and R-C-1, 25 feet aggregate with a 10-foot minimum in R-1, and 22 feet aggregate with a 10-foot minimum in R-2.

The minimum rear yard is 30 feet in R-C and R-C-1 and 20 feet in R-1 and R-2. A footnote to the table addresses homes built with a shallower setback than the district minimum: once a building establishes a building line farther back than required, that building line becomes the required front yard going forward, though an existing covered porch, patio, or deck that already complied with the setback for new construction may still be enclosed. The same table fixes minimum lot size, minimum street frontage, minimum lot width, a 35-foot maximum building height across all four districts, and maximum building coverage ranging from 20% to 30%.