Town of Berlin Planning and Zoning
Single-Family Residential Fences and Accessory Structures (Sheds, Pools, Garages, etc.)
A Visual Guide
It is important to know how the town’s zoning regulations apply to installing a fence, shed, or other structure on
your property. Although not all regulations and possible situations are described here (those are identified in the
full Zoning Regulations), this visual reference should help get you started and generally guide you through what
you can build, what size it can be, and where you can locate it on your property.
The key pieces of starting information for any project include:
1) The location of the property lines
2) The zone for the property
3) The required setbacks for your zone
1. Find your property lines
Your property lines are the invisible borders of your property. Your property lines are NOT the edge of
the road, the sidewalk, an existing fence, or a row of trees between you and your neighbor.
You may have “pins” at the corners of your property. These pins are typically iron rods, rebar, or similar
fixtures and are placed by surveyors when marking out properties. Property lines run between the pins.
Beside corner pins or other markers placed by a licensed surveyor, the only other way to identify your
property lines is to view them on a copy of a survey (also known as a plot plan). Surveys will typically
show the dimensions from the house to the property lines
Online maps (like GIS or Google) are for general reference only and are NOT 100% accurate.
Sidewalk
Rear Property Line
Front Property Line
Side
Property
Line
Side
Property
Line
Your Home
Iron rods or other pins may
be located at the corners
Town of Berlin Planning and Zoning
2. Find your zone
The quickest way to Identify your zone is by searching for your property online:
https://berlin.mapxpress.net/
Click ‘Zoom to GIS’ when your property appears in the search results
In the upper right corner, click the dropdown box and select the ‘Zoning’ layer
Zoom in on your property until you see the zone labels appear (R-11, R-15, etc.)
While some properties have special zoning circumstances that will be confirmed if you apply for a fence,
shed, or other approval, most homeowners in Berlin can identify their zone via the method above.
Town of Berlin Planning and Zoning
3. Identify your setbacks
Setbacks are the minimum distance that structures need to be kept from the property lines.
Setback distances depend on the zone for the property.
For corner properties:
There will be two Front Yards for your property. The Side and Rear Yard configuration will depend on
your specific property configuration
The two Front Yard configuration is true even if you do not consider it your ‘front yard’. This is important
because many structures cannot be built in Front Yards.
Sidewalk
Rear Property Line
Front Property Line
Side Property Line
Side
Property
Line
Your Home
Required Front Yard
Setback
Required Rear Yard
Setback
Your Home
Required Front Yard Setback
Which yard is your
Side Yard and which
is your Rear Yard
will depend on your
specific property
configuration
Sidewalk
Town of Berlin Planning and Zoning
Setback distances depend on the zone
Once you know your zone, you can look up the setbacks in the table below.
o If your zone is not listed below, you have more unique zoning and can contact the Planning and
Zoning Department for more information.
Principal setbacks are identified in RED, and are used for additions, attached decks and garages, and
structures within 12 feet of the house and anything attached to it. They are also used to determine
maximum fence heights.
Accessory setbacks are identified in BLUE, and are used for detached structures that are 12 feet or more
from the house and anything attached to it (e.g., decks)
Single Family Residential Setbacks
R
-
86
R
-
43
R
-
21
R
-
15
R
-
11
R
-
7
Principal Setbacks
(additions, attached
structures, and
structures less than 12
feet from the house)
Front
75
50
40
35
25
20
Side
(each)
50 30 20 10 10 10
Side
(total two)
100 60 45 25 20 20
Rear
75
50
50
40
40
30
Accessory Setbacks
(12 feet or more from
house and attachments)
Front
75
50
40
35
25
20
Side
10
10
10
5
5
5
Rear 30 30 15 5 5 5
Examples:
If you wanted to add an attached garage on the side of your house in the R-15 zone, you would need to
make sure that it would be located at least:
o 35 feet from the front property line
o 10 feet from the closest side property line
Also ensure the distance between the new garage and the closest side property line
PLUS the distance between the house and the other side property line is over 25 feet
o 40 feet from the rear property line
If you wanted to build a detached garage in R-15 that was only 8 feet from the house, it would still
follow the setbacks in the attached example above.
If you wanted to build a detached garage in R-15 that was 20 feet from the house, you would need to
make sure it would be located at least:
o 35 feet from the front property line
o 5 feet from the closest side property line
o 5 feet from the rear property line
Town of Berlin Planning and Zoning
Setbacks for Fences
In general, setbacks do not apply to residential fencing as long as certain height criteria are met:
o Fences up to 3 feet tall are permitted along all property lines, including the front property line
o Fences up to 6 feet tall are permitted along the rear and side property lines, and along the front
yard setback line. Residential fences over 6 feet tall are not permitted.
o You CANNOT have a fence over 3 feet tall within the front yard setback per current zoning
regulations. So if you have a corner lot, this means you CANNOT have a fence over 3 feet tall in
the setback along each road.
Note: fencing cannot be built “on” the property line. Typically, residents install fencing 6” away or more
from the property lines to account for the thickness of the fence itself.
Other information about Fences
The nicer looking side of the fence (if there is one) must face outward / towards your neighbors
The setback/height criteria above do not apply to bushes, trees, and other plantings (e.g., arborvitae)
All residential fences: apply directly to the ZONING department for a Certificate of Zoning Compliance
Fence c
an be up
to 3 feet tall in
the front yard
Fence can be up to 3
feet tall in the front yard
Fences can be up to 6
feet tall behind the front
yard setback
Town of Berlin Planning and Zoning
Setbacks for Structures – attached or less than 12 feet from the House
Setbacks for Structures – at least 12 feet from the House (and everything attached to the house)
Other information about Accessory Structures
Maximum height for an accessory structure is 15 feet (ground to the average height of a pitched roof)
Sheds 200sf and under: apply directly to the ZONING department for a Certificate of Zoning Compliance.
Sheds over 200sf, Additions, Pools, Garages: apply to the BUILDING department for a building permit.
If attached or within
12 feet, keep
structure behind
principal setbacks
(keep within red)
< 12 feet
If
at least
12 feet
from the house and
additions/attachmen
ts, can utilize smaller
accessory setbacks
(keep within blue)
12 feet
Town of Berlin Planning and Zoning
Next Steps for Application
When you apply for approval, you should submit a copy of your survey/plot plan with the fence, shed, or other
structure drawn on the plan.
If you do not have a copy of your survey/plot plan, you can contact the Berlin Building Department as they have
many surveys on file and may be able to provide a copy to you
On the plot plan, draw the fence/structure you want, plus:
Include the dimensions of the structure, including the height, length and width.
For fences, include the lengths of each ‘leg’ of the fence and the height of the fence
If the building department does not have a copy of your survey/plot plan, you may need to hire a licensed
surveyor
The town does not provide survey services and cannot recommend surveyors
Online web searches might help locate a surveyor
We recommend you confirm land surveyor licenses on the State of Connecticut’s website:
https://www.elicense.ct.gov/Lookup/LicenseLookup.aspx
