Alameda County · Zoning setbacks
City of Alameda setback requirements
This table is transcribed from the adopted code and printed on every export with its citation — but the envelope is drawn only after a table passes independent review, and City of Alameda’s has not yet. Until it does, the export carries the numbers and says plainly that they are unverified.
The envelope
What the numbers below make on the ground. Shown for the first district in the table; the rest follow the same geometry at their own dimensions.
Zone R-1 — dashed: cited on the export, not yet drawn.
- Front
- 20′
- Side
- 5′
- Rear
- 20′
The hatched band is the yard — ground the code gives up. Drawn not to scale: the yards are proportional to each other, so the deepest one fills the band and the rest follow. The dimensions carry the real numbers, and the export draws them on the actual parcel outline.
City of Alameda setbacks by district
Every row is produced by the same function the exporter calls, so this page cannot drift from what the drawing gets. The citation under each row is what prints on the sheet.
Corner lots: 10′ on the secondary street frontage.
Alameda MC §30-4 (R-1): front 20, side 5, street side 10, rear 20. CITY OF ALAMEDA (the island), not unincorporated Alameda County. KEY-LOT RULE NOT DRAWN: on a corner lot adjacent to a key lot, the street-side setback within 20 ft of the key lot's side property line rises to that key lot's FRONT yard, and no structure may stand within 5 ft of the corner lot's rear line (§30-4.1.11 and parallel). Whether a neighbouring lot is a key lot cannot be read from parcel geometry, so verify on any corner. Projections into required yards are governed by §30-5.7. Alameda MC Ch. XXX §30-4, print 2026-08-19. Verify with Alameda Planning, Building and Transportation.
Corner lots: 16′ on the secondary street frontage.
Alameda MC §30-4 (R-1-B): front 20, side 16, street side 16, rear 20. -B combining district: side = 10% of lot width clamped to 8–16 ft (§30-4.15); LOT WIDTH UNKNOWN so the 16 ft cap is drawn. CITY OF ALAMEDA (the island), not unincorporated Alameda County. KEY-LOT RULE NOT DRAWN: on a corner lot adjacent to a key lot, the street-side setback within 20 ft of the key lot's side property line rises to that key lot's FRONT yard, and no structure may stand within 5 ft of the corner lot's rear line (§30-4.1.11 and parallel). Whether a neighbouring lot is a key lot cannot be read from parcel geometry, so verify on any corner. Projections into required yards are governed by §30-5.7. Alameda MC Ch. XXX §30-4, print 2026-08-19. Verify with Alameda Planning, Building and Transportation.
Setbacks are one layer of a City of Alameda site plan
The same address search returns the parcel boundary, 1–2 ft contours, building footprints, CAL FIRE defensible-space zones, the soil profile, four-season sun, and a native plant palette matched to the site. See everything Lekua resolves in Alameda County→
City of Alameda setback FAQ
What are the residential setbacks in City of Alameda?
In R-1 the code sets a 20 ft front yard, 5 ft sides, and a 20 ft rear yard. The full table is below, transcribed from Alameda MC §30-4 with the citation attached to every row. This table is captured and cited on the export, but it has not yet passed independent review — so Lekua prints the code-cited values with an explicit “unverified” advisory rather than drawing lines it can’t stand behind.
Does Lekua draw the setback envelope for City of Alameda?
Not yet. The table is encoded and every export carries the code-cited numbers and the citation, but the envelope is only drawn once a table passes independent review. Until then the export says so in plain words instead of drawing a line that might be wrong.
Where do these City of Alameda setback numbers come from?
They are transcribed from the adopted code — Alameda MC §30-4 — and this page renders them by calling the same function the exporter calls, so what you see here is what the drawing gets. Zoning changes; verify against the current code and with the planning department before submittal.
Can I get a CAD base map for a City of Alameda parcel?
Yes. Enter any City of Alameda address and Lekua returns a layered DXF base plan and a PDF site report — property lines, 1–2 ft contours, building footprints, CAL FIRE defensible-space zones, soil, seasonal sun, and a native plant palette matched to the parcel, alongside the zoning determination. See what else resolves in Alameda County.
Start with a City of Alameda address
Free to search. The zone resolves from the parcel, not from the mailing address.