Zoning & Setbacks
Floor Area Ratio (FAR) Explained With Examples
How floor area ratio works, what counts as floor area (basements, garages, attics), worked examples, and how FAR interacts with height and lot coverage.
Blog
Permit Tips & Project Advice
Short, practical articles on permits, site plans, setbacks and drawings, written by the people who draft them.
Zoning & Setbacks
Impervious Surface Coverage: What Counts and Why It Matters
Roofs, driveways, patios and pool decks: what counts as impervious surface, how permeable paving is treated, and how to calculate and reduce your total.
Zoning & Setbacks
Lot Coverage: What Counts and How to Calculate It
What counts toward lot coverage, a step-by-step calculation with a worked example, and the options when an addition or garage would push you over the limit.
Zoning & Setbacks
How to Read a GIS Parcel Map for Your Property
Which layers to turn on, how to find your zoning, flood zone and easements, and why GIS parcel lines are a starting point, not a survey.
Zoning & Setbacks
How to Find Your Property Zoning and What It Allows
Step-by-step: look up your zoning district, open the right part of the code, and understand the uses, setbacks, height and coverage rules that shape your project.
Zoning & Setbacks
Zoning Variance: How to Get Approval When You Can’t Meet a Setback
What a zoning variance is, what “hardship” means, how the application and hearing work, and how to improve your chances.
Zoning & Setbacks
Accessory Structure Setbacks: Sheds, Garages and Outbuildings
How zoning treats sheds, detached garages, pergolas and other outbuildings: smaller setbacks, rear-yard rules, height limits and separation from the house.
Zoning & Setbacks
Corner Lot Setbacks: Two Fronts, Sight Triangles and Fences
Why corner lots often get two front setbacks, how the sight triangle limits fences and hedges, and how to design around both.
Zoning & Setbacks
How Setbacks Are Measured: Walls, Eaves, Steps and Porches
From the property line to what, exactly? How setbacks are measured for walls, eaves, steps, porches and decks, and on irregular or curved lots.
Zoning & Setbacks
Setback Requirements: How Far From the Property Line Can You Build?
Front, side and rear setbacks explained: how they are measured, how to find the numbers for your lot, and your options when a project won’t fit.
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