Building Setbacks & Zoning in Philadelphia, PA (2026)
3 verified building setbacks & zoning rules for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Setback Rules
Minimum front, side, and rear yard depths are fixed per zoning district in the Zoning Code's dimensional tables, from 35 ft. front yards in RSD-1 down to 7-9 ft. rear yards in RSA-5/RSA-6.
Philadelphia Sets Yard Setbacks by Zoning District
Some RestrictionsPhiladelphia Code § 14-701(2), Table 14-701-1 (Dimensional Standards for Lower Density Residential Districts)
District Name RSD-1 RSD-2 RSD-3 RSA-1 RSA-2 RSA-3 RSA-4 RSA-5 RSA-6 RTA-1 RTA-2 [...] Front Yard Depth Minimum (ft) 35 35 25 25 15 8 15 [4][5] [4] 8 [4][5] [...] Rear Yard Min. Depth (ft) 30 30 25 25 20 15; other 20 20; other 25 9 [7] 7 15; other 20 7
Structure Height Limits
Most Philadelphia rowhouse and detached-house zones cap building height at 38 feet, with lower limits in RSA-6 and RTA-2 districts.
Residential structure height limits
Some RestrictionsPhiladelphia Code § 14-701(2), Table 14-701-1
District Name RSD-1 RSD-2 RSD-3 RSA-1 RSA-2 RSA-3 RSA-4 RSA-5 RSA-6 RTA-1 RTA-2 ... Height Maximum (ft.) 38 38 38 38 38 38 38 38 25 [10] 38 35 [11] ... [10] In the RSA-6 district, parapet walls on the front and rear facades may only extend 8 in. above the maximum height. The maximum height shall be 35 ft. if any of the following conditions apply... [11] In the RTA-2 district, the maximum number...
Lot Coverage Limits
Philadelphia's Zoning Code limits how much of a lot a building can occupy through the "Max. Occupied Area" standard in Table 14-701-1. Detached-house districts like RSA-1 and RSA-2 cap coverage at 30% and 40%, rowhouse districts like RSA-3 and RSA-4 allow 50%, and dense attached-house districts RSA-5 and RSA-6 permit 75% to 80%. The limit applies to accessory structures too.
Philadelphia Caps Lot Coverage by Zoning District
Some RestrictionsPhiladelphia Code § 14-701(1)(a)-(b); Table 14-701-1, Note [3]
(1) General Provisions. (a) Applicability. All primary and accessory structures must comply with the dimensional standards in this (§ 14-701). These dimensional standards may be further limited or modified by other applicable sections of this Zoning Code. General rules for measurement are in § 14-202 (Rules of Measurement). (b) Dimensional Tables. Basic dimensional standards for Residential, Co...