# Is land coverage and set back the same thing?
**URL:** https://community.blackspectacles.com/t/is-land-coverage-and-set-back-the-same-thing/3166
**Category:** Programming & Analysis
**Created:** [June 12, 2021, 7:09pm UTC](https://community.blackspectacles.com/t/is-land-coverage-and-set-back-the-same-thing/3166 "2021-06-12T19:09:40Z")
**Posts on this page:** 8
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@xurubi](https://community.blackspectacles.com/u/xurubi)
#### Post date: [June 12, 2021, 7:09pm UTC](https://community.blackspectacles.com/t/is-land-coverage-and-set-back-the-same-thing/3166/1 "2021-06-12T19:09:40Z")
is land coverage and set back the same thing in zoning regulation? when would you actually need land coverage ?doesn land coverage include fence and landscape ?
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### Author:  [@coachdarionziegler](https://community.blackspectacles.com/u/coachdarionziegler)
#### Post date: [June 14, 2021, 10:53pm UTC](https://community.blackspectacles.com/t/is-land-coverage-and-set-back-the-same-thing/3166/2 "2021-06-14T22:53:19Z")
Hi @xurubi ,
I’ll see if I can help!
Land coverage is the amount of area on a lot a building footprint covers.
Setbacks are the distance away from the lot line or street a building must be located.
So, while these are distinct concepts, the setbacks will effect the possible land coverage a building can have. Zoning code may have regulations about what percentage of land a building may cover. Most often, land coverage is used to determine FAR (floor to area ratio) along with the stories a building has. Many jurisdiction have limits on FAR based on the zoning designation of a particular area.
Typically, land coverage only includes the building footprint. It will not include landscaping.
Below are a couple of wikipedia pages that you might find useful:
> **[Setback (land use)](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Setback_(land_use))**
>
> In land use, a setback is the minimum distance which a building or other structure must be set back from a street or road, a river or other stream, a shore or flood plain, or any other place which is deemed to need protection. Depending on the jurisdiction, other things like fences, landscaping, septic tanks, and various potential hazards or nuisances might be regulated and prohibited by setback lines. Setbacks along state, provincial, or federal highways may also be set in the laws of the state ...
> **[Floor area ratio](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floor_area_ratio)**
>
> Floor area ratio (FAR) is the ratio of a building's total floor area (gross floor area) to the size of the piece of land upon which it is built. It is often used as one of the regulations in city planning along with the building-to-land ratio. The terms can also refer to limits imposed on such a ratio through zoning.
> Written as a formula, FAR = .mw-parser-output .sfrac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .sfrac.tion,.mw-parser-output .sfrac .tion{display:inline-block;vertical-align:-0.5em;font-...
Hope this helps!
-Darion
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### Author:  [@xurubi](https://community.blackspectacles.com/u/xurubi)
#### Post date: [June 15, 2021, 3:33pm UTC](https://community.blackspectacles.com/t/is-land-coverage-and-set-back-the-same-thing/3166/3 "2021-06-15T15:33:06Z")
so if the client wants to build as much land as possible , should I just use land coverage ?
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### Author:  [@coachdarionziegler](https://community.blackspectacles.com/u/coachdarionziegler)
#### Post date: [June 15, 2021, 3:40pm UTC](https://community.blackspectacles.com/t/is-land-coverage-and-set-back-the-same-thing/3166/4 "2021-06-15T15:40:58Z")
Hi @xurubi ,
You will need to meet both the setback and land coverage requirements of any given code. There isn’t an option for one or the other.
If the client wants to develop as much land as possible you would maximize land coverage to the maximum allowed, while still following any applicable setbacks, easements, and FAR requirements.
If you have a Black Spectacles subscription this video covers setbacks and other zoning restrictions: [https://blackspectacles.com/videos/zoning-restrictions-setbacks-easements-and-wetlands-1](https://blackspectacles.com/videos/zoning-restrictions-setbacks-easements-and-wetlands-1)
Hope this helps!
-Darion
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### Author:  [@xurubi](https://community.blackspectacles.com/u/xurubi)
#### Post date: [June 15, 2021, 3:43pm UTC](https://community.blackspectacles.com/t/is-land-coverage-and-set-back-the-same-thing/3166/5 "2021-06-15T15:43:46Z")
thanks
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### Author:  [@wildlandguy](https://community.blackspectacles.com/u/wildlandguy)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2022, 5:57am UTC](https://community.blackspectacles.com/t/is-land-coverage-and-set-back-the-same-thing/3166/6 "2022-09-13T05:57:11Z")
Hi @coachdarionziegler
Can you clarify for me the following?
FAR is calculated based on the entire lot.
However, the setbacks determine the actual footprint of the building.
But the buildable area (footprint) can be the maximum square footage of FAR. Correct?
Then, things such as number of stories or maximum building height, would be provided in a zoning code.
One other question. Is the FAR the Gross area and the building footprint (inside the setbacks) considered Net?
Thanks!
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### Author:  [@coachdarionziegler](https://community.blackspectacles.com/u/coachdarionziegler)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2022, 1:11pm UTC](https://community.blackspectacles.com/t/is-land-coverage-and-set-back-the-same-thing/3166/7 "2022-09-14T13:11:02Z")
Hi @wildlandguy ,
Great question!
Let’s review what FAR is first.
(I got this image from this website:[Floor Area Ratio Definition](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/f/floor-area-ratio.asp))
The setbacks determine how much of the lot can be used. The FAR determines how large the building can be compared to the lot.
So, if you had a 300’x300’ SQFT that required a 20’ setback on one side, the buildable area of the lot would be 280’x300’.
If the FAR determined by the zoning code was 1.5…
Your allowable building area would be x/(300’x300’)=1.5
You can determine the allowable building area by solving for x.
x=1.5\*(300’x300’)
x=1.5\*(90,000’)
x=135,000’
Your maximum building area would be 135,000SQFT. The amount of stories of the building are not determined by the FAR - as long as the building does not exceed 135,000 SQFT it can be a two or twenty stories. If we want our building to be the maximum allowable area per zoning though, we know it won’t be a single story as the buildable area of the site is only 84,000 SQFT (280’x300’)
The zoning codes often include restrictions on building height. Since zoning restrictions are unique to each municipality, I’m sure that some codes include restrictions on number of building stories, but in my experience this is less common.
The building height and maximum stories are also controlled by building code in addition to any zoning restrictions. Chapter 5 of the IBC lists the allowable building height based on construction type in table 504.3. Allowable stories based on construction type can be found in table 504.4.
Gross area is the total size of the lot. Net usually refers to the buildable area of the lot and may exclude setbacks, easements, rights of way, and other developable features.
The Wikipedia article on FAR is also pretty good:
> **[Floor area ratio](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floor_area_ratio)**
>
> Floor area ratio (FAR) is the ratio of a building's total floor area (gross floor area) to the size of the piece of land upon which it is built. It is often used as one of the regulations in city planning along with the building-to-land ratio. The terms can also refer to limits imposed on such a ratio through zoning.
> Written as a formula, FAR = .mw-parser-output .sfrac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .sfrac.tion,.mw-parser-output .sfrac .tion{display:inline-block;vertical-align:-0.5em;font-...
Hope this helps!
-Darion
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### Author:  [@wildlandguy](https://community.blackspectacles.com/u/wildlandguy)
#### Post date: [September 15, 2022, 4:52am UTC](https://community.blackspectacles.com/t/is-land-coverage-and-set-back-the-same-thing/3166/8 "2022-09-15T04:52:03Z")
Thank you Darion,
That was very helpful.