Building Setbacks & Zoning in Evanston, IL (2026)
3 verified building setbacks & zoning rules for Evanston, Illinois, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Setback Rules
Evanston's R1 single-family district requires a 27-foot front yard, 15-foot street side yard, 5-foot interior side yard, and 30-foot rear yard for residential structures.
Evanston Yard Setbacks R1 District
Some RestrictionsEvanston City Code § 6-8-2-8
The minimum yard requirements for the R1 district are as follows: (A) Residential structures: 1. Front yard Twenty-seven (27) feet; parking prohibited 2. Side yard abutting a street Fifteen (15) feet; parking prohibited 3. Side yard Five (5) feet 4. Rear yard Thirty (30) feet
Structure Height Limits
Evanston limits principal structures in the R1 single-family district to 35 feet or two and a half stories, whichever is less, measured from grade.
Evanston R1 Building Height Limit
Some RestrictionsEvanston City Code § 6-8-2-9(A)
The maximum building height for any principal structure in the R1 district, including any exterior knee-wall, shall not exceed thirty-five (35) feet, measured from grade to the highest point of said structure, or two and one-half (2 1/2) stories, whichever is less.(B)Any building or structure legally existing as of the effective date of Ordinance 72-O-12 shall be deemed compliant with this maxi...
Lot Coverage Limits
In Evanston's R1 single-family district, buildings can cover no more than 30 percent of the lot under City Code § 6-8-2-7, and total impervious surface, pavement, driveways, pools and similar hard surfaces, is capped separately at 45 percent under § 6-8-2-10. Decks, permeable paving and qualifying open porches get partial exemptions; anything beyond the caps needs a variation from the Zoning Board of Appeals or Land Use Commission.
Evanston R1 Lot Coverage & Impervious Limits
Some RestrictionsEvanston City Code § 6-8-2-7
6-8-2-7. - BUILDING LOT COVERAGE. The maximum lot coverage in the R1 district is thirty percent (30%). On a zoning lot that is: a) used for a "dwelling" or dwellings as herein defined, and b) legally nonconforming as to building lot area, when a land user seeks zoning certification for a building permit to replace an existing detached garage with a garage having the same ground floor area as th...
Looking for Cook County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Evanston city rules.
Building Setbacks & Zoning in Cook County →