Building Setbacks & Zoning in Story County, IA (2026)
3 rules for unincorporated Story County, Iowa.
Verified from official government sources
Setback Rules
In unincorporated Story County's R-1 Transitional Residential District, a single-family home on a private wastewater system needs a 40-foot front setback, a 10-foot side setback, a 25-foot corner-lot side setback and a 35-foot rear setback under Story County Code of Ordinances Section 86.07, Table 86-5. Homes tied to a common water and sewer system get a shorter 30-foot front setback instead, and every other permitted use in the district follows its own row in the same table.
R-1 District Yard Setbacks in Story County
Some RestrictionsStory County Code of Ordinances § 86.07, Table 86-5
Table 86-5 - Bulk Requirements - R-1 District Side Flag Permitted Minimum Front Side Setback Yard Rear Lot Maximum Uses Lot Area Setback Setback Corner Setback Setback Width Structure (Net) (Min.) (Min.) Lot (Min.) (Min.) (Min.) Height (Min.) ... Single-Family Dwelling Private 25,000 Systems square 40 feet 10 feet 25 feet 20 feet 35 feet 90 feet 40 feet feet
Structure Height Limits
In unincorporated Story County's RMH Residential Manufactured Housing District, single and double wide manufactured homes and their accessory structures top out at 18 feet under Table 86-7, printed at Story County Code of Ordinances Section 86.09(6)(B). Common facility service buildings and community buildings serving the development get a taller 40-foot maximum, the same ceiling the county's ordinary residential districts apply to a single-family house.
Manufactured Home Height Limits in Story County
Some RestrictionsStory County Code of Ordinances § 86.09(6)(B), Table 86-7
Table 86-7- Lot Area and Yard Requirements - RMH District ... Use Minimum Lot of the From Homes Rear Setback Structure Area (Net) interior (Min.) (Min) Height ... Single Unit 5,000 square 10 feet 20 feet 10 feet 18 feet Wide feet ... Common facility service no minimum 30 feet 20 feet 3 feet 40 feet buildings or community buildings
Lot Coverage Limits
In unincorporated Story County, the RMH Residential Manufactured Housing District caps building lot coverage at 50 percent of the lot area under Story County Code of Ordinances Section 86.09(6)(A). No manufactured home, accessory building or common facility may push the district past that ceiling. The Planning and Development Department enforces the limit through the zoning permit required for every development in the district.
Manufactured Home Lot Coverage Limit in Story County
Some RestrictionsStory County Code of Ordinances § 86.09(6)(A)
6. Bulk Requirements. A. The maximum lot area to be covered by all structures shall not exceed 50 percent.
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