Yuma, AZ Building Setbacks & Zoning: Setback Rules (2026)

Setback minimums scale with lot size across Yuma's residential zoning districts, and the Zoning Administrator measures each yard from the property line to the nearest point of a building's foundation. The five Low Density Residential districts, covering lots from 6,000 to 40,000 square feet, share one setback table under § 154-05.04(F)(4): a 20-foot front yard, 7-foot side yards, a 20-foot rear yard that drops to 10 feet in the smallest R-1-6 district and 15 feet in R-1-8, and a 10-foot street side yard on corner lots.

The newer R-1-5 district uses tighter, subdivision-specific numbers instead: a 20-foot front yard, 5-foot side yards, and a 10-foot rear yard under § 154-05.05(F)(5), with garages allowed to sit as close as 3 feet from the rear line if detached. Larger-lot districts require more distance: the four Suburban Ranch districts hold buildings back 25 feet from the front and rear lines and 10 feet from side lines under § 154-05.02(F)(4), and the Residential Estate districts scale up further, from a 25-foot front and 10-foot side setback in RE-12 to a 35-foot front and 20-foot side setback in RE-35, under § 154-05.03(F)(4).

Every district's setback table sits within the same 'Property development standards' subsection as its lot size, lot width, lot coverage and building height limits, so a builder pulling permits confirms all figures for the applicable district before finalizing a site plan; a foundation or wall crossing the line for its district requires a variance from the Planning and Zoning Commission under § 154-03.04.