Building Setbacks & Zoning in Indiana (2026)
41 rules on the books across Indiana, 15 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.
Allen County
Some RestrictionsIn Allen County's R1 Single Family district, a home must sit at least 25 feet from the front lot line and 25 feet from…
Read full rule →Anderson
Some RestrictionsFor residential dwellings, Anderson requires a minimum 30-foot front yard, a 5-foot minimum single side yard (both…
Read full rule →Carmel
Some RestrictionsCarmel's required yards (setbacks) are set per zoning district in the UDO's Article 2 two-page layouts, not by one…
Read full rule →Clark County
Some RestrictionsIn the R1 Single-Family Residential district, unincorporated Clark County sets a ten-foot rear setback, a…
Read full rule →Elkhart County
Some RestrictionsElkhart County zones unincorporated land through the Area Plan Commission. Front setbacks are measured from the street…
Read full rule →Evansville
Some RestrictionsEvansville sets minimum front, rear, and side yard setbacks by zoning district, plus fixed citywide rules: a 20-foot…
Read full rule →Fishers
Some RestrictionsFishers measures front, side, and rear setbacks under UDO Sec. 6.16.2, but the minimum distances are set per zoning…
Read full rule →Indianapolis
Some RestrictionsMarion County's zoning code sets side- and rear-yard setbacks by Dwelling District in Table 744-201-1, ranging from 30…
Read full rule →Lake County
Some RestrictionsUnincorporated Lake County's UDO sets minimum yard setbacks by zoning district. In R-1, other-street front setback is…
Read full rule →Laporte County
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated LaPorte County, every building must sit at least 30 feet back from all road rights-of-way under the…
Read full rule →Porter County
Some RestrictionsPorter County does not set one countywide yard setback: UDO § 5.42 SB-01 ties every front, side and rear minimum to the…
Read full rule →South Bend
Some RestrictionsSouth Bend's form-based zoning sets residential setbacks by district. Urban Neighborhood 1 lots require 15 ft front, 5…
Read full rule →St. Joseph County
Some RestrictionsSt. Joseph County zones unincorporated land through the Area Plan Commission. The R: Single Family District sets a…
Read full rule →Tippecanoe County
Some RestrictionsTippecanoe County's Unified Zoning Ordinance sets minimum front, side and rear yard setbacks by street type and zone…
Read full rule →Vanderburgh County
Some RestrictionsVanderburgh County Code Section 17.12.050 sets minimum front, side, and rear yard setbacks for every zoning district…
Read full rule →Structure Height Limits
Maximum building heights allowed by zoning, including how height is measured and exceptions for chimneys, antennas, and rooftop equipment.
Allen County
Some RestrictionsIn Allen County's R1 Single Family district, a primary building may be up to 40 feet tall and an accessory building up…
Read full rule →Anderson
Some RestrictionsResidential buildings in Anderson's R1-R4 districts have a maximum building height of 35 feet. Detached accessory…
Read full rule →Carmel
Some RestrictionsBuilding height in Carmel is set per zoning district on the Article 2 layouts and applied through UDO Section 5.14…
Read full rule →Clark County
Some RestrictionsUnincorporated Clark County caps house height at 30 feet in its R1 Single-Family Residential district, with a separate…
Read full rule →Elkhart County
Some RestrictionsElkhart County's Zoning Ordinance caps single-family building height at 30 feet in residential districts, which may…
Read full rule →Fishers
Some RestrictionsFishers sets no single citywide building-height cap. Maximum structure height is established per zoning district in…
Read full rule →Indianapolis
Some RestrictionsIn Indianapolis-Marion County's Dwelling Districts (D-A through D-8), Table 744-201-1 caps a primary residential…
Read full rule →Lake County
Some RestrictionsThe Lake County UDO caps building height by district. R-1 residential allows 2.5 stories / 35 feet, while R-2 and R-3…
Read full rule →Laporte County
Some RestrictionsAppendix C to LaPorte County's zoning code, the Residential Use Restrictions table, caps single-family homes at 45 feet…
Read full rule →Porter County
Some RestrictionsPorter County sets maximum building height per zoning district on the two-page layout tables in UDO Chapter 2, not as…
Read full rule →South Bend
Some RestrictionsSouth Bend caps most residential buildings at 35 feet and 2.5 stories under its form-based zoning. Urban Neighborhood 3…
Read full rule →St. Joseph County
Some RestrictionsSt. Joseph County zones unincorporated land. In the R: Single Family District, building height may not exceed two and…
Read full rule →Tippecanoe County
Some RestrictionsTippecanoe County's Unified Zoning Ordinance caps building height at 35 feet in its single-family zones, including R1…
Read full rule →Vanderburgh County
Some RestrictionsTable A of the Vanderburgh County Zoning Code sets no maximum building height in the A, R-1, R-2, or R-3 districts, but…
Read full rule →Lot Coverage Limits
The maximum percentage of your lot that can be covered by buildings and impervious surfaces like driveways and patios.
Allen County
Some RestrictionsAllen County's Zoning Ordinance defines lot coverage as the portion of a lot covered by buildings but does not set a…
Read full rule →Anderson
Some RestrictionsAnderson caps lot coverage at 35% for single-family and two-family dwellings and 40% for multi-family dwellings. Lot…
Read full rule →Carmel
Some RestrictionsMaximum lot coverage in Carmel is set per zoning district in the UDO Article 2 two-page layouts and applied through…
Read full rule →Clark County
Some RestrictionsUnincorporated Clark County limits single-family lots in the R1 district to 30% lot coverage and A1 Agricultural lots…
Read full rule →Elkhart County
Some RestrictionsElkhart County caps building coverage rather than total impervious surface. In the R-1 Single-Family district, primary…
Read full rule →Lake County
Some RestrictionsThe Lake County UDO limits building coverage by district: 35% of the lot in R-1 and 40% in R-2 and R-3. Only roofed…
Read full rule →Laporte County
Some RestrictionsLaPorte County's Residential Use Restrictions table caps how much of a lot a home can cover. Single-family lots in the…
Read full rule →Porter County
Some RestrictionsPorter County sets impervious surface coverage limits district by district in the two-page zoning tables of UDO Chapter…
Read full rule →South Bend
Some RestrictionsSouth Bend limits building coverage to 40% of the lot in Suburban Neighborhood 1 and 50% in Urban Neighborhood…
Read full rule →St. Joseph County
Some RestrictionsSt. Joseph County caps development intensity in the R: Single Family District with a floor area ratio of 0.4 and…
Read full rule →Tippecanoe County
Some RestrictionsTippecanoe County's Unified Zoning Ordinance limits how much of a lot buildings can cover, with caps set per…
Read full rule →Vanderburgh County
Some RestrictionsTotal lot coverage from every structure on a property, including the house and all accessory buildings, cannot exceed…
Read full rule →