Arlington County RA7-16 Multiple-Family Dwelling District Setback Requirements

In the RA7-16 Multiple-family Dwelling district of Arlington County, the primary front setback requires structures to be placed at least 25 feet from the street right-of-way line or 50 feet from the street centerline, whichever is greater [Section 3.2.6.A.1]. Side and rear setbacks for multi-family buildings start at a base of 10 feet and increase by one foot for every 2.5 feet of building height above 25 feet, with interior lots requiring a minimum rear setback of 25 feet [Section 3.2.6.A.2].

Street and Front Setback Requirements

For all Multiple-family structures and other residential buildings within the Arlington County RA7-16 district, the placement of the building relative to the street is governed by two measurements. The developer must adhere to the more restrictive (larger) of the two following distances:

Standard Type	Requirement
Minimum Setback from Street Centerline	50 feet
Minimum Setback from Street Right-of-Way Line	25 feet
One-Family/Two-Family Front Setback Exception	25 feet from right-of-way (may be reduced to average of existing structures)

For one-family and two-family dwellings that may be located within the Arlington County RA7-16 district, the front wall setback may be reduced to the average of the distances of the front walls of existing structures on the same frontage, provided it is no less than 15 feet from the street right-of-way line [Section 3.2.6.A.1].

Side and Rear Setback Standards

The side and rear setbacks for the Arlington County RA7-16 district are dynamic and scale with the height of the proposed building. This ensures that taller high-density buildings maintain appropriate light and air separation from neighboring properties.

Setback Location	Minimum Base Requirement	Height Adjustment (Above 25 Feet)
Side Yard	10 feet	+1 foot for every 2.5 feet of height
Rear Yard (Interior Lot)	25 feet	+1 foot for every 2.5 feet of height
Rear Yard (Other Lots)	10 feet	+1 foot for every 2.5 feet of height

Height Adjustment Formula

To calculate the specific side or rear setback for an Arlington County RA7-16 structure taller than 25 feet, the following formula is applied:

Setback = 10 ft + [(Building Height - 25 ft) / 2.5] For example, a building in the RA7-16 district with a height of 35 feet would require a side setback of 14 feet (10 feet base plus 4 additional feet for the 10 feet of height exceeding the 25-foot threshold) [Section 3.2.6.A.2].

Setback Requirements for Accessory Buildings

Accessory buildings in the Arlington County RA7-16 district are subject to specific placement rules depending on their size and height.

Accessory Structure Feature	Setback Requirement
Distance from Main Building	Minimum 8 feet
Height of 2+ Stories or >25 feet	10 feet from any lot line; 15 feet from main building
Eave to Side/Rear Line (Interior)	Minimum 1 foot
Eave to Side Line (Corner)	Minimum 1 foot
Eave to Rear Line (Corner)	Minimum 10 feet

Structures with heights lower than 1.5 stories or 25 feet and footprints smaller than 650 square feet may utilize the reduced eave-based setbacks listed above [Section 3.2.6.A.2].

Permitted Encroachments into Setbacks

Arlington County allows specific architectural features and minor structures to extend into the required setbacks for the RA7-16 district, subject to maximum dimensions:

18 Inches: Bay and oriel windows (without floor space) and chimneys [Section 3.2.6.A.3].
4 Feet: Balconies, eaves, trim, fascia boards, window wells, areaways, stoops, and unattached decks/patios (at least 8 inches above grade). These must remain at least 5 feet from any property line [Section 3.2.6.A.3].
8 Feet: Air conditioning units and similar mechanical equipment may be placed in side or rear yards, but no closer than 8 feet to a side line or 10 feet to a rear line [Section 3.2.6.A.3].

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