Reno SF-11 Zoning District Setback Guide

In the City of Reno, the SF-11: Single-Family Residential district requires a minimum front setback of 10 feet, side setbacks of 5 feet, and a rear setback of 20 feet for principal buildings. Accessory structures in the SF-11 district must be located behind the front face of the principal building and may qualify for a reduced rear setback of 5 feet if they are single-story and no taller than 16 feet [Section 18.02.207].

SF-11 Minimum Setback Standards

The following table details the primary setback requirements for the SF-11: Single-Family Residential district in the City of Reno.

Setback Type	Principal Building	Accessory Structure
Front	10 ft [1]	Prohibited between front line and principal structure [1]
Side	5 ft	5 ft
Rear	20 ft	20 ft (or 5 ft for single-story ≤ 16 ft high) [2]
Street-Facing Garage	20 ft (from sidewalk)	N/A

Standard Exceptions and Clarifications

[1] Front Placement: All accessory structures in the Reno SF-11 district must be located behind the front face of the existing principal structure [Table 2-10]. Additionally, on lots with a principal single-family use, accessory structures are specifically prohibited in the area between the front property line and the main building [Section 18.04.903(b)].
[2] Rear Setback Reduction: A reduced 5-foot rear setback is only permitted for single-story accessory buildings/structures that do not exceed 16 feet in height. Any accessory structures taller than this must maintain the 20-foot rear setback required for principal buildings [Table 2-10].
Alley Access: If an SF-11 property line abuts an alley, a zero-foot setback is allowed provided at least 24 feet of "backup space" (which includes the width of the alley) is available from all garage doors or parking spaces [Table 2-10].

Infill and Compatibility Standards

The City of Reno enforces additional rules for the SF-11: Single-Family Residential district when building on infill lots or when structure height increases.

Front Setbacks for Infill Lots

When developing in areas with a predominant existing development pattern, the City of Reno utilizes the following calculations:

Consistent Block Faces: If existing homes have a consistent setback (within 3 feet of each other), new SF-11 infill development must follow that established line.
Varied Block Faces: If setbacks vary, the new structure's front setback must fall within the range of the other existing structures on that block face.
Measurement: These comparisons are based on the principal structure's frontage and typically exclude front porches [Section 18.04.903(a)(5)].

Residential Adjacency Stepbacks

To protect the character of low-density areas, the City of Reno requires "stepbacks" for taller structures in the SF-11 district. For any portion of a building that exceeds 24 feet in height, the owner must provide an additional 1-foot horizontal setback (or a 1:1 height-to-stepback ratio) for every foot of height above that 24-foot threshold [Section 18.04.903(c)(1)].

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