Erie County has no countywide setback ordinance. Front, side, and rear setbacks are set entirely by your city, town, or village zoning code and vary by district. Check your municipality for the exact minimums.
Setbacks in Erie County are a municipal zoning matter, not a county one. New York delegates land-use control to cities, towns, and villages, so your specific municipality and its zoning district determine minimum front, side, and rear yard distances for a house, addition, or accessory structure. These figures differ substantially between districts and municipalities, for example a large-lot residential district will require deeper yards than a village center. Erie County provides only technical assistance to municipal planning and zoning boards. To find your setbacks, identify your zoning district in your town, village, or City of Buffalo code and read that district's dimensional or bulk table, or contact your local building department.
Setback violations are enforced by the municipal zoning and building departments through permit denial, fines, and orders to alter or remove the structure. The county has no enforcement role.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Erie County, NY
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Erie County, NY
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Erie County, NY
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Erie County, NY
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Erie County, NY
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Erie County, NY
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See how Erie County's setback rules rules stack up against other locations.
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