Town of Aurora, NY: zoning for new construction

Rural Residential District - The 75 ft front yard is contextual as well as fixed: where a fifth or more of the lots in the same block, on the same side of the street and within 1,000 ft are already built on, the average setback of those buildings becomes the building line, never under 45 ft.

• On a corner lot the secondary street takes 45 ft
• Frontage along the right-of-way must be 125 ft as well as the lot width, and the right-of-way itself is excluded from the lot area
• An accessory building stands back by its own mean height and never less than ten feet, may not sit in the front yard, and its footprint may not exceed a quarter of the required rear yard
• Height is a maximum mean, measured to the average between eaves and ridge on a pitched roof, so a steep gable may stand higher than 35 ft at the ridge
• Six chickens or other poultry per acre are allowed, no roosters, housed in the rear yard at least 25 ft from any lot line; large domestic animals need an acre of undeveloped land each

Agriculture District - Farm structures other than farm dwellings have no height limit at all where an agricultural exemption exists through the Town Tax Assessor; everything else stops at two and a half storeys and 35 ft, and an accessory building at two storeys and 20 ft.

• A multiple-family dwelling adds 4,000 sq ft for each unit beyond the first
• A dwelling group of two or more units on one lot needs a Town Board special use permit, and each dwelling must sit so that the lot could later be split with both halves conforming
• The right-of-way is excluded from the lot area
• Height is a maximum mean, measured to the average between eaves and ridge on a pitched roof, so a steep gable may stand higher than 35 ft at the ridge

Commercial District - A commercial building here is capped at 5,000 square feet, and drive-through facilities are not permitted in this district at all.

• The side and rear yards are height-linked with a floor: each must equal at least the mean height of the building, and never less than the figure shown
• A residential use in a commercial district takes 20 ft at the side and 30 ft at the rear instead
• The 50 ft front yard applies to buildings; parking must additionally leave 20 ft of green space between it and the street right-of-way, and on a corner lot the secondary street takes 30 ft
• The coverage figure is a total: no more than half the lot may be used for structures and impermeable surfaces together, and no individual building may exceed 30% of the lot area
• Franchise architecture is not permitted, a landscape plan is required with every site plan application, and site plan review under Chapter 95 applies to every commercial use
• Height is a maximum mean, measured to the average between eaves and ridge on a pitched roof, so a steep gable may stand higher than 35 ft at the ridge

Commercial District - A commercial building here is capped at 20,000 square feet. A use permitted by right is one of the C-1 by-right uses at no more than 10,000 sq ft; anything larger needs a special use permit, as does a drive-through facility.

• The side and rear yards are height-linked with a floor: each must equal at least the mean height of the building, and never less than the figure shown
• A residential use in a commercial district takes 20 ft at the side and 30 ft at the rear instead
• The 50 ft front yard applies to buildings; parking must additionally leave 20 ft of green space between it and the street right-of-way, and on a corner lot the secondary street takes 30 ft
• The coverage figure is a total: no more than half the lot may be used for structures and impermeable surfaces together, and no individual building may exceed 30% of the lot area
• Franchise architecture is not permitted, a landscape plan is required with every site plan application, and site plan review under Chapter 95 applies to every commercial use
• Height is a maximum mean, measured to the average between eaves and ridge on a pitched roof, so a steep gable may stand higher than 35 ft at the ridge

Commercial District - A commercial building here is capped at 30,000 square feet, and a drive-through facility needs a special use permit.

• The side and rear yards are height-linked with a floor: each must equal at least the mean height of the building, and never less than the figure shown
• A residential use in a commercial district takes 20 ft at the side and 30 ft at the rear instead
• The 50 ft front yard applies to buildings; parking must additionally leave 20 ft of green space between it and the street right-of-way, and on a corner lot the secondary street takes 30 ft
• The coverage figure is a total: no more than half the lot may be used for structures and impermeable surfaces together, and no individual building may exceed 30% of the lot area
• Franchise architecture is not permitted, a landscape plan is required with every site plan application, and site plan review under Chapter 95 applies to every commercial use
• Height is a maximum mean, measured to the average between eaves and ridge on a pitched roof, so a steep gable may stand higher than 35 ft at the ridge