Detached Garage and Accessory Building Setbacks in the City of Arlington
In the City of Arlington, detached garages and accessory buildings are generally required to be set back at least 5 feet from side and rear property lines. For accessory structures on corner lots, a side street setback of 15 feet is typically required, while structures with wall heights exceeding 8 feet must provide additional distance from the property line based on a specific height-to-setback formula.
General Residential Setbacks for Accessory Buildings
For most residential properties in the City of Arlington, detached accessory buildings—including garages, storage sheds, and gazebos—must adhere to the following placement and setback requirements:
- Front Yard Placement: Enclosed accessory buildings in the City of Arlington cannot be located between the front property line and an imaginary line drawn from the front corners of the primary building to the side property lines [Section 3.3.6.A.3.a].
- Standard Side and Rear Setbacks: The minimum requirement is 5 feet from side and rear property lines [Section 3.3.6.A.3.b].
| Location Condition | Minimum Setback Requirement |
|---|---|
| Standard Side or Rear Property Line | 5 feet |
| Side Property Line adjacent to a street (Corner Lot) | 15 feet (may be reduced to 10 feet with a side screening fence) |
| Rear Property Line adjacent to an Arterial or Collector Street | 20 feet (may be reduced to 5 feet if structure is $\le$ 8 ft tall and $\le$ 200 sq. ft.) |
| Separation from Primary Structure | Not specified by distance, but must be behind the front building line |
Setback Adjustments Based on Wall Height
The City of Arlington Unified Development Code requires increased setbacks for larger accessory structures. For parcels within or immediately abutting residential single-family districts, if the wall height of the accessory building exceeds 8 feet, the interior side and rear setbacks must be increased as follows [Section 3.3.6.A.3.b.iii]:
- Wall heights up to 10 feet: Add 2 additional feet to the base setback (Totaling 7 feet).
- Wall heights above 10 feet: Add 2 additional feet of setback for every 1 foot of additional wall height.
- Height Limit: In no case can the highest point of the accessory building roof exceed the height of the primary structure [Section 3.3.6.A.3.b.iii(4)].
Setbacks for Specific Residential Development Types
Certain specialized residential developments in the City of Arlington have unique setback schedules for accessory structures and dwellings.
Cottage Communities
In City of Arlington Cottage Communities (approved as Planned Developments in the RM-12 district), the following setbacks apply to all structures, including detached garages [Section 5.11.4.C]:
| Boundary/Structure Type | Minimum Setback |
|---|---|
| Side and Rear Lot/Pad Lines | 5 feet |
| Distance from any other structure | 10 feet |
| Exterior masonry fence | 20 feet |
| Front property/pad site line | 10 feet |
Small-Lot Developments
For City of Arlington small-lot developments located on unplatted tracts of 5 acres or more, the setbacks are defined in the Small-Lot Dimensional Standards table [Section 5.5.6.D.1].
| Setback Type | Standard (in feet) |
|---|---|
| Side Setback | 50 feet |
| Rear Setback | 10 feet |
| Street Front (Local Roadways) | 15 feet |
| Alley or Access Easement | 15 feet (front) / 5 feet (rear) |
Standards for Carports
In the City of Arlington, carports are subject to distinct rules if they are permitted to occupy a portion of the required front yard (only allowed for primary structures built before January 31, 1984). Such carports must be no nearer to the side lot lines than the primary structure, or at least 5 feet, whichever is greater [Section 3.3.6.D.3.e].
Sections Cited
- Section 3.3.6.A, Accessory Building Supplemental Standards
- Section 3.3.6.D, Carports in Required Front Yards
- Section 5.5.6.D, Small-Lot Dimensional Standards
- Section 5.11.4.C, Cottage Community Setbacks
- Table 5.5-7, Small-Lot Dimension Standards