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Greensboro, North Carolina, unified development ordinance states that buildings accessory to single- and two-family dwellings shall not exceed 50 percent of the gross floor area of the principal building or 600 square feet, whichever is greater. Some use the standard that an accessory structure cannot cover more than a specified percentage of the rear yard. In Evanston, Illinois, accessory structures can cover no more than 40 percent of a rear yard provided that the maximum lot coverage for all structures on the lot must also be adhered to. Woodbury, Minnesota, draws from three of the above approaches. No residential garage can be larger than 1,000 square feet or 30 percent of the main floor area of the principal building, whichever is greater. However, garages cannot occupy more than 25 percent of the rear yard. Woodbury and other developing suburban communities with remaining farms distinguish between garage and agricultural buildings, which are allowed to be much larger than private garages. Setbacks Detached accessory structures tend to have setback requirements that are less than the requirements for principal structures or, alternatively, they are considered permitted encroachments into required side and rear yards. Attached garages typically must meet the same setbacks required for principal structures. Few ordinances allow garages to encroach into the normal front yard setback. Many take the additional step of prohibiting garages between a dwelling and a front lot line where the dwelling may be set back far enough to place a garage in front without violating the required front yard setback. Some codes make specific exceptions to front yard setbacks for accessory structures where a hilly or sloping parcel would prove problematic or require substantial excavation. Appropriate front setbacks for garages have become a major topic of discussion in many parts of the country (See "Setbacks and Garages in Residential Zoning," February 200 1 Zoning News). Portland, Oregon's, ordinance, which restricts street- facing garages, received a good dea� of inedia attention, especially for a zoning issue. The ordinance states that the length of the garage wall facing the street may be up to 50 percent of the length of the entire building facade. A street- facing garage may be no closer to the street than the longest street-facing wall of the dwelling. As an exception, the garage may be up to six feet in front of the dwelling wall if the garage wall is less than 40 percent of the length of the entire building facade and there is a front porch at the dwelling entrance. The garage wall cannot extend closer to the street than the porch. Olympia, Washington, has design requirements and design guidelines for garages. A requirement states that garages and carports must be designed so as not to dominate the dwelling's street fa4aae. Guidelines include suggestions that garages should be located along alleys, behind the residence, stepped back from the main building facade, or they should have an entry that is perpendicular to the street. The dwelling's main entry should be prominent and should not be subordinate to the garage. Drive- ways should be as narrow as possible. Garage sidewalls that face a street should appear as habitable space through the use of windows or other design elements. Determining the appropriate side yard setback for garages is often related to lot sizes in the community. Such regulation is often a balancing act between allowing flexibility and recognizing the potential impact on neighboring properties and community character. For example, where 100-foot-wide lots predominate, slightly greater side and rear yard setbacks may be required. In communities where lots are relatively narrow garages may be allowed very close to side and rear lot lines. In Canton, garages must be a minimum of four feetf[olri the side lot line and five feet from the rear lot line. Where garage doors fdC� an alley, the garage must he 2� feet from the centerline of the alley. Garages may not encroach into the front yard. In Minneapolis, an accessory shucture located entirely in the rear 40 feet or 20 percent of the lot, whichever is greater, may be located one foot from the interior side and rear lot lines. Where the garage doors face the alley at the rear lot line, the garage must be five or siY feet from the rear lot line, depending on the district. In Olympia, residential accessory shuctures (other than accessory dwelling units) may be located in a required rear S�a[d and/or in the rear20 feet of a required interior side yard. Where a garage entrance faces a side or rear lot line, it must be set back at least 10 feet from that lot line. This c�etachec�garage inclades second-story space and was constracted with materia�s that match the dwelling. No te th a t. .. Some communities base side and rear garage setbacks on the height and floor area of the shucture, recognizing that smaller shuctures will have less of an impact on neighboring properties. • Reductions in side yard setbacks for garages generally do not apply to corner side yards. • Reversed corner lots often have unique rules. ♦ Communities with alleys often have special rules for setbacks along alleys to allow for vehicular maneuvering. It is common for communities to require a separation of between six and 10 feet between a principal and accessory structure. A number of communities will require accessory shuctures to meet the more restrictive principal structure setbacks if the accessory structure is separated from the principal structure by a distance of less than six to 10 feet.