Building Setbacks & Zoning in Decatur, AL (2026)
3 verified building setbacks & zoning rules for Decatur, Alabama, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Setback Rules
In the City of Decatur, Alabama, every structure must provide the yard its district specifies, and Sec. 25-14 adds rules for corner lots and neighbor averaging. R-1 requires 40 feet front, 45 feet rear and 15 feet on the sides, while a corner lot with a back-to-back layout needs a 15-foot side street yard.
Decatur, AL Yard Setback Rules by District
Some RestrictionsDecatur City Code § 25-14
In each district each structure erected or altered after June 3, 1958, shall be provided with the yard specified, and shall be on a lot of the area and width specified in sections 25-10 through 25-12, except as herein otherwise provided. No open space or lot required for a building or structure shall during its life be occupied by or counted as open space for another building or structure. In a...
Structure Height Limits
In the City of Decatur, Alabama, Sec. 25-15 holds every structure to the height its zoning district lists. Homes top out at 35 feet and 2½ stories in R-1 through R-4, 50 feet in the R-1E estate district, and the section exempts barns, silos, chimneys, church steeples and other listed structures.
Decatur, AL Building Height Limits by District
Some RestrictionsDecatur City Code § 25-15
In each district each structure erected or altered after June 3, 1958, shall not exceed the heights specified in the district requirements provided in sections 25-10 through 25-12. Height limitations shall not apply to church steeples, hospitals, sanitariums, schools, barns, silos, farm structures, chimneys, flag poles, public utility poles, radio and television towers, and aerials, cooling tow...
Lot Coverage Limits
In the City of Decatur, Alabama, the zoning code caps building coverage at 25 to 35 percent of the gross development in Planned Residential Development districts (Sec. 25-10.1) and at 50 percent in the RD and RD-2 redevelopment districts. The R-1 through R-5 district rows list no maximum building area and rely on yard setbacks.
Decatur, AL Maximum Lot Coverage in PRD and RD Districts
Some RestrictionsDecatur City Code § 25-10.1
(I)PRD Districts, and layout and design requirements. PRD Districts together with applicable minimum yard, height, area coverage, and density requirements for each district are hereby established as follows: PRD Districts Maximum Dwelling Units Per Gross Acre Maximum Building Height Stories Feet Maximum Percentage Lot Coverage of Buildings on Gross Development Building Setback Requirements in F...