Building Setbacks & Zoning in Lee County, NC (2026)
3 rules for unincorporated Lee County, North Carolina.
Verified from official government sources
Setback Rules
Unincorporated Lee County sets minimum front, side, and rear yard setbacks by zoning district in Table 4.7-1, ranging from 30/15/30 feet in the Residential Agricultural district down to 10/0/0 feet in General Commercial, with specific rules for corner lots and small building projections.
Lee County Zoning District Setback Minimums
Some RestrictionsLee County Unified Development Ordinance § 4.7.3, Table 4.7-1
Setbacks for buildings or structures are measured as the area between the furthest projection of a principal structure and the lot line on which the structure is located, except as modified by the standards of this section. ... Building setbacks for each zoning district are set forth in Table 4.7-1. ... Zoning District Minimum Lot Size Conventional Maximum Density Impervious Surface Ratio Minim...
Structure Height Limits
Unincorporated Lee County caps building height at 40 feet in every single-family district, 60 feet in the Multi-Family (MF-12) and Office & Institutional districts, and sets no listed maximum in Highway Commercial, General Commercial, the Central Business District, or the industrial districts.
Lee County Building Height Limits by Zone
Some RestrictionsLee County Unified Development Ordinance § 4.7.4, Table 4.7-1
Building height is measured as the vertical distance between the average natural grade between the lowest and highest grades along the foundation and 1) the average height level between the eaves and ridge line of a gable, hip or gambrel roof; or 2) the highest point of a mansard roof; or 3) the highest point of the coping of a flat roof. ... Zoning district height limits shall not apply to: Be...
Lot Coverage Limits
Unincorporated Lee County caps non-residential lot coverage through an impervious surface ratio, not a simple percentage rule. Table 4.7-1 sets that ratio from 0.7 in Neighborhood Commercial, Office & Institutional, and Light Commercial districts up to 1.0 in the Central Business District, with extra limits near water supply watersheds.
Lee County Maximum Impervious Surface Ratio
Some RestrictionsLee County Unified Development Ordinance § 4.7.2, Table 4.7-1
Impervious surface ratio is the measurement tool used to regulate density for non-residential zoning districts. ... Impervious surface ... ratio is a measure of the amount of impervious area that covers a parcel or tract. As an example, a maximum impervious surface ratio of 0.7 indicates that a maximum of 70 percent of the land area may be covered with an impervious surface. Table 4.7-1 establi...
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