Setback

The minimum required distance between a structure and a property line, street, or feature. Both the county and the covenants can impose setbacks; the stricter one controls.

Covenant and governance terms come from the recorded documents that bind every lot: what may be built, what is owed, and how standards are administered.

Setback in Skyecroft practice

Setbacks limit where additions, pools, garages, and outbuildings can go — often the deciding factor in whether a planned project is feasible on a particular Skyecroft lot. Both the zoning authority and the covenants may impose them, and the stricter rule controls. A current survey that plots the house against every setback line is the only reliable way to know how much room remains.

What to verify

• Zoning setbacks for the parcel from the applicable ordinance.
• Covenant or plat setbacks, which may be larger.
• A current survey showing improvements against those lines.

Where this term matters in the guide

• Renovations
• Custom Homes
• Architectural Review

For the wider treatment of this subject, read The Covenant Living Guide. Definitions here are general editorial explanations of common usage — they are not legal definitions and do not interpret any specific recorded document. See Disclosures.