Building Setbacks & Zoning in Plainfield, NJ (2026)
3 verified building setbacks & zoning rules for Plainfield, New Jersey, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Setback Rules
In the City of Plainfield, New Jersey, accessory structures stay out of the front yard and sit at least three feet from the rear and side property lines unless another section of the land use chapter sets a different distance. A development permit is required before any accessory use or structure is installed.
Plainfield Accessory Structure Yard Setback Rules
Some RestrictionsPlainfield Municipal Code § 17:9-19
A development permit is required to be obtained prior to the installation of any accessory use or structure. Accessory uses and structures shall be permitted in all districts, subject to the following provisions: A. Location. No accessory use or structure, except as specifically permitted in this chapter, shall be located in a front yard. Accessory uses and structures must be located on the sam...
Structure Height Limits
In a residential zone or on a residential property in the City of Plainfield, no accessory structure can be taller than one story or fifteen feet, whichever is less. Nonresidential zones cap accessory structures at twenty feet, and no accessory structure can exceed the height of the principal structure on its lot.
Plainfield NJ Accessory Structure Height in Residential Zones
Some RestrictionsPlainfield Municipal Code § 17:9-19
Accessory uses and structures shall be permitted in all districts, subject to the following provisions: ... C. Height. ... No accessory structure in a residential zone or on a residential property shall be taller than one (1) story or fifteen (15) feet, whichever is less. No accessory structure in a nonresidential zone shall be taller than twenty (20) feet. No accessory structure may exceed the...
Lot Coverage Limits
In the City of Plainfield, New Jersey, § 17:9-20 caps assisted living facilities at 40 percent building coverage and 50 percent total lot coverage, on a lot of at least two acres. Senior centers carry higher caps in § 17:9-49A, and ordinary district limits are referred to Schedule B, an attachment that the code text does not reproduce.
Plainfield Assisted Living Building and Lot Coverage Caps
Some RestrictionsPlainfield Municipal Code § 17:9-20
§ 17:9-20. Assisted living facilities/nursing home facilities. ... Assisted living facilities shall: ... C. Contain a minimum lot area of two (2) acres; D. Have a minimum front yard setback of fifty (50) feet, side yard of thirty (30) feet, and rear yard of fifty (50) feet; ... F. Have a maximum building height not to exceed forty (40) feet or three (3) stories, whichever is less; G. Have a max...
Looking for Union County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Plainfield city rules.
Building Setbacks & Zoning in Union County →