Building Setbacks & Zoning in Massachusetts (2026)

Boston's Zoning Code sets a separate front, side and rear yard minimum for every district in Table B of Section 13-1…

Brockton's Table 1 sets minimum yards by residential zone: a 30-foot front and 50-foot rear in R-1A, 30-foot rears in…

Residence C-1 lots in Cambridge must keep a 10-foot front yard and a 5-foot side or rear yard under the Zoning…

Chelsea ties every structure's placement to the dimensional table at Sec. 34-262 and bars shrinking an existing yard…

Fall River sets minimum front, side, and rear yard setbacks by zoning district, from 12-foot fronts in dense business…

Leominster fixes minimum side, front and rear yard setbacks by zoning district in the Table of Dimensional Regulations…

Lynn's Zoning Ordinance divides the city into fifteen districts, and its Table of Dimensional Regulations fixes the…

New Bedford's residence districts require a 15-foot front yard, a 30-foot rear yard behind the dwelling, and side yards…

Newton's Single Residence districts set minimum yard setbacks in Chapter 30, Sec. 3.1.3. For lots created after 1953…

Plymouth County has no ordinance power over setbacks. Front, side, and rear yards are set by each town's zoning bylaw…

Quincy's Table of Dimensional Requirements sets minimum front, side, and rear yards by zoning district: 25 feet front…

A professional office park in Revere must keep a 20-foot front yard and 50-foot side and rear yards, well beyond the…

Somerville's Zoning Ordinance sets yard setbacks for the Detached House, the city's most common residential building…

Springfield's zoning ordinance sets minimum yard (setback) distances by residential district in Table 5-1 -- 25 feet in…

Taunton's Transit-Oriented Development District, the zoning overlay built around the East Taunton MBTA commuter rail…

Massachusetts regulates structure heights near public-use airports statewide through the Aeronautics Division…

Article 13's citywide dimensional table caps building height for Boston's standard single- and two-family districts at…

Brockton caps principal-building height by residential zone: two and a half stories or 35 feet in R-1A, R-1B and R-1C…

Cambridge caps residential buildings in the Residence C-1 district at 4 stories and 45 feet under the Zoning…

Chelsea caps residential structures at 35 feet and three stories in both the R-1 and R-2 districts under its citywide…

Fall River limits building height to 35 feet in its single- and two-family districts and 45 feet in multi-family…

Leominster caps residential building height by zoning district in the Table of Dimensional Regulations at City Code §…

Lynn's 2025 Zoning Ordinance caps building height by district, from 35 feet in the R1 and R2 single-family districts up…

New Bedford's Zoning Ordinance caps residential building height at 45 feet in the RA and RB districts, 60 feet in RC…

Newton's Single Residence districts cap building height under Chapter 30, Sec. 3.1.3. SR1, SR2 and SR3 all allow a…

Plymouth County sets no height limit. Building height is capped by each town's zoning bylaw under the Zoning Act, MGL…

Quincy caps residential building height at 35 feet in Residence A and B districts, measured from the highest point of…

Revere caps a new professional office park structure at two and one-half stories or 35 feet, whichever governs, under…

Somerville's Zoning Ordinance caps the city's most common house type, the Detached House, at 2.5 stories and a 12-foot…

Springfield caps most residential principal buildings at 2.5 stories and 35 feet under Table 5-1, though the Residence…

Taunton caps buildings in its Transit-Oriented Development District at 65 feet and five stories, with maximum lot…

Boston's base zoning table (Article 13) does not cap lot coverage for standard S, R and H residential districts; it…

Brockton limits how much of a lot buildings can cover and requires a separate green-space reserve on top of that: 25…

Chelsea caps maximum lot coverage at 30 percent in the single/two-family R-1 district and 40 percent in the…

Fall River caps maximum lot coverage by zoning district, ranging from 25% in most single-family and residence districts…

Leominster's Table of Dimensional Regulations in City Code § 22-40 caps impervious surface at fifteen percent of the…

Lynn's 2025 Zoning Ordinance caps impervious lot coverage by district, from 65% in the R1 and R2 single- and two-family…

New Bedford caps building footprint at 30% of the lot in its RA, RB, RC, RAA and MUB residential districts, rising to…

Newton caps how much of a lot can be covered by buildings under Chapter 30, Sec. 3.1.3. For lots created on or after…

Plymouth County has no lot-coverage rule. Building coverage and impervious limits are set by each town's zoning bylaw…

Quincy controls how much building a lot can hold through floor area ratio, not a lot-coverage percentage. FAR runs from…

A professional office park in Revere cannot cover more than 25 percent of its lot with buildings, excluding accessory…

Somerville's Zoning Ordinance caps lot coverage, the share of a lot covered by buildings, structures and impervious…

Springfield caps building coverage in residential districts by lot size and zone, from 10% on lots over 60,000 square…

Inside Taunton's Transit-Oriented Development District, buildings and pavement can cover no more than 85% of a lot. The…