Marin County · Zoning setbacks
Novato setback requirements
Lekua resolves a parcel’s jurisdiction and zone, then draws this envelope on the site plan with its citation in the title block. Enter a Novato address and the setbacks arrive already drawn.
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 RR — the envelope Lekua draws on the plan.
- Front
- 30′
- Side
- 25′
- Rear
- 30′
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.
Novato 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.
Novato NMC §19.10.040 Table 2-5 (Low Density), RR: front 30, sides 25, rear 30. Hillside/Ridgeline (Div. 19.26) and §19.20.100 measurement/exception rules may modify. Verify with Novato Planning.
Novato NMC §19.10.040 Table 2-5 (Low Density), RVL (suffix unknown — sides drawn at the 20 ft RVL-40 value; RVL-80 requires 25): front 30, rear 30. Hillside/Ridgeline (Div. 19.26) and §19.20.100 measurement/exception rules may modify. Verify with Novato Planning.
Novato NMC §19.10.040 Table 2-6 (Multi-Family), R4-6.0: front 25, sides 5, street side 10 (Street-side: 20 ft min for a garage using the side street, note 3), rear 20 (10 ft allowed for an attached single-story element covering <=25% of required rear, note 4). Hillside/Ridgeline (Div. 19.26) and §19.20.100 measurement/exception rules may modify. Verify with Novato Planning.
Novato NMC §19.10.040 Table 2-6 (Multi-Family), R5-7.5/R5-4.5: front 20, sides 5, street side 10 (Street-side: 20 ft min for a garage using the side street, note 3), rear 20 (single-story element exception, note 4). Hillside/Ridgeline (Div. 19.26) and §19.20.100 measurement/exception rules may modify. Verify with Novato Planning.
Novato NMC §19.10.040 Table 2-6 (Multi-Family), R10-x: front 20; sides 6 each (10 when building height exceeds 20 ft, note 6); street side 10 (20 for garage on side street or building over 20 ft, note 7); rear 15 (20 when rear line abuts a single-family zone, note 8). Hillside/Ridgeline (Div. 19.26) and §19.20.100 measurement/exception rules may modify. Verify with Novato Planning.
What the export says about this table
Novato residential districts reviewed against NMC §19.10.040 Tables 2-5/2-6 (captured 2026-06-12): RR, RVL, R1-x, R4, R5, R10 and R20. Much of Novato is Planned Development, where setbacks follow the adopted plan and are not drawn. Hillside and Ridgeline overlays (Div. 19.26) are not captured.
Printed verbatim on every Novato export — the same words the reviewer signed off, not a summary of them.
Setbacks are one layer of a Novato 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 Marin County→
Novato setback FAQ
What are the residential setbacks in Novato?
In RR the code sets a 30 ft front yard, 25 ft sides, and a 30 ft rear yard. The full table is below, transcribed from Novato NMC §19.10.040 Table 2-5 with the citation attached to every row. This table has passed independent review, so Lekua draws the setback envelope on the site plan for a Novato parcel.
Does Lekua draw the setback envelope for Novato?
Yes. Novato is one of the jurisdictions whose table has passed review, most recently on 2026-07-24, so the envelope is drawn on the DXF and the PDF site plan with its citation in the title block.
Where do these Novato setback numbers come from?
They are transcribed from the adopted code — Novato NMC §19.10.040 Table 2-5 — 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 Novato parcel?
Yes. Enter any Novato 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 Marin County.
Start with a Novato address
Free to search. The zone resolves from the parcel, not from the mailing address.