Building Setbacks & Zoning in Lafayette, LA (2026)
2 verified building setbacks & zoning rules for Lafayette, Louisiana, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Setback Rules
Lafayette ties yard setbacks to the zoning district under Code of Ordinances § 89-38(e)(3), but where parish land is unzoned, § 89-38(e)(7) sets a flat baseline: 20-foot front, 5-foot side, and 10-foot rear setbacks. A platted RS-1 corner lot gets its own worked example: 20 feet front, 10 feet on the side street, five feet on the interior side.
Lafayette Parish Sets 20-5-10 Foot Yard Setbacks
Some RestrictionsLafayette City-Parish Consolidated Gov't Code of Ordinances § 89-38(e)(3), (6), (7)
Sec. 89-38(e). Setbacks.(3)Required setbacks.a.Setbacks shall be provided as set out in the zoning district regulations (article 2)....(6)Corner lots...g.A corner lot for a single-family detached dwelling in the "RS-1" zoning district or the unincorporated area of Lafayette Parish has a 20 foot front lot line setback on the street assigned as the address on the final plat, a ten foot side stree...
Structure Height Limits
Lafayette's "RS-1" and "RS-2" single-family districts don't carry a flat maximum-story number the way denser districts do. Instead, Sec. 89-9(b)'s bulk plane caps a house at 3 stories for the first 50 feet from any lot line, adding one more story per additional 50 feet, and Sec. 89-27(a)(3) fixes each of those regulated stories at a maximum of 14 feet.
Lafayette RS District Bulk-Plane Height Cap
Some RestrictionsLafayette LDC § 89-9(b) (Table row 8); § 89-27(a)(3)
8 From RS district boundary or another RS zoned lot or parcel 3 stories for the first 50' from the front, side or rear lot line, then 1 additional story for each additional 50' from the setback line. This requirement does not apply beyond 200' from any lot line. ... (3) Notwithstanding the foregoing, when the maximum number of stories is regulated in article 2 of this chapter, the maximum story...
Looking for Lafayette Parish county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Lafayette city rules.
Building Setbacks & Zoning in Lafayette Parish →