Building Setbacks & Zoning in Lynn, MA (2026)
3 verified building setbacks & zoning rules for Lynn, Massachusetts, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Setback Rules
Lynn's Zoning Ordinance divides the city into fifteen districts, and its Table of Dimensional Regulations fixes the minimum front, side, and rear yards every structure must keep from its lot lines. Those distances change from district to district.
Lynn Setback & Yard Requirements
Some RestrictionsCity of Lynn Zoning Ordinance, Table of Dimensional Regulations
The Table of Dimensional Regulations (and footnotes) describes the area requirements applicable to each zoning district relative to lot size, minimum yard requirements, height restrictions and limitations upon lot coverage.
Structure Height Limits
Lynn's 2025 Zoning Ordinance caps building height by district, from 35 feet in the R1 and R2 single-family districts up to 240 feet in the RT and M2 districts, measured from the average street-frontage elevation to the roof under Section 4.
Lynn Building Height Limit Rules
Some RestrictionsLynn Zoning Ordinance § 4.2.g-h
g. The building height shall be measured from the average elevation of the street frontage to the highest point of the roof for flat roofs, to the deck line for mansard roofs, and to the mean height between eaves and ridge for gable, hip and gambrel roofs. Fences and walls shall be measured from the Finished grade vertically to the highest point. h. Rooftop building elements may exceed the maxi...
Lot Coverage Limits
Lynn's 2025 Zoning Ordinance caps impervious lot coverage by district, from 65% in the R1 and R2 single- and two-family districts up to 100% in the BC and M2 districts, measured from the outside of a building's exterior walls at the ground story under Section 4.
Lynn Maximum Lot Coverage Rules
Some RestrictionsLynn Zoning Ordinance § 4.1, § 4.3.a
No building or structure shall be constructed nor shall any existing building or structure be enlarged or altered except in conformance with the Table of Dimensional Requirements as to impervious lot coverage, lot area, land area per dwelling unit, lot width, front, side and rear setbacks, and maximum height of structures, except as may otherwise be provided elsewhere herein. No existing lot sh...