How you got here: Zoning

The nail in the wooden stake shows the exact distance from the street for the front-yard setback line. PHOTO CREDIT: Tim Carter

When you drive down the streets of Amberley Village, you probably notice that all of the houses have fairly large and deep front yards. This didn't happen by accident. In fact, you will often notice that each house is placed, or set back, a fairly consistent distance from the edge of the roadway. This distance is controlled by the zoning code, and is referred to as the front-yard setback.

There are similar setback lines on the sides of each lot as well as the back or rear lot lines. Collectively these are called the setback lines. When you draw the setback lines on a plot plan of the lot you own, you end up with the smaller invisible lot where you can place your home or outbuildings.

By calling out the distance of each setback line, the Village can have a more open look and feel. Compare this to the zero lot lines you sometimes find in the inner city of Cincinnati or in certain business districts. In these locations land is so valuable, planners feel it is fine to push one building immediately next to another building.

The setback lines within Amberley Village vary. You must look at the regulations that govern each zoning district to see how far you must go away from each lot line (front, side and rear) to determine exactly where a house or structure can be built on your lot. You find these setback distances in Chapter 154 of the Amberley Village Code of Ordinances.