Building Setbacks & Zoning in Alaska (2026)

9 rules on the books across Alaska, 3 cities and counties. Select a rule to read the full details.

Severity: Few Restrictions · Light Restrictions · Some Restrictions · Significant Restrictions · Heavy Restrictions

Setback Rules

How far structures must be from property lines, streets, and other buildings. Different setbacks apply to front, side, and rear yards.

Anchorage sets minimum front, side, and rear yard setbacks by zoning district in a dimensional standards table, with…

In the Kenai Peninsula Borough outside the cities, yard setbacks exist only inside an adopted Local Option Zoning…

Outside Palmer and Wasilla, the Matanuska-Susitna Borough's Chapter 17.55 sets minimum setbacks: 25 feet from any…

Maximum building heights allowed by zoning, including how height is measured and exceptions for chimneys, antennas, and rooftop equipment.

Anchorage caps single-family homes in the R-1 district at 30 feet under Table 21.06-1 of the Municipal Code, measured…

In an adopted Single-Family Residential (R-1) Local Option Zoning District in the Kenai Peninsula Borough outside the…

In the borough outside Wasilla, Palmer and Houston, within the Denali State Park Special Land Use District, MSB §…

The maximum percentage of your lot that can be covered by buildings and impervious surfaces like driveways and patios.

Anchorage limits how much of a lot buildings can cover, with single-family R-1 and R-1A lots capped at 40 percent under…

Inside an adopted Single-Family Residential (R-1) Local Option Zoning District in the Kenai Peninsula Borough outside…

Multifamily developments in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, outside Wasilla, Palmer and Houston, cannot cover more than…