--- title: "Lot coverage" description: "Lot coverage is the share of the lot taken by the building footprint. How it differs from FAR and setbacks, with a worked example and a search CTA." last_updated: '2026-11-06' --- # Lot coverage Lot coverage is the building footprint divided by the lot area. A percentage limit caps how much ground the building may cover. Upper floors do not add to coverage; that is what floor area ratio measures. Lot coverage is the building footprint divided by the area of the lot. A 40% limit on a 10,000 square foot lot allows a 4,000 square foot footprint. Upper floors do not add to coverage. That is what floor area ratio measures. The building must also stay inside the setbacks. ## How to calculate lot coverage Lot coverage equals building footprint divided by lot area. Rearranged, the maximum footprint equals lot area multiplied by the coverage limit. Start with the surveyed parcel area on file, apply the zone’s percentage, then ask whether that footprint fits inside the front, rear and side setbacks. A footprint that meets the percentage still fails if it sits outside a yard. On 3458 West 22nd Avenue in Vancouver’s R1-1 district, the lot is 374.6 square metres. The schedule allows 50% lot coverage, which is 187 square metres. The setbacks leave a box of about 166 square metres. The setbacks, not coverage, are the tighter rule on that lot. ## Coverage, floor area ratio and setbacks Coverage asks how much of the lot the footprint may cover. Floor area ratio asks how much counted floor area the lot may hold. Setbacks ask how far the building must stay from each lot line. A design can pass one and fail another. Stacking floors uses floor area ratio and height, not coverage. ## What usually counts The main building footprint almost always counts. Detached garages, accessory dwelling units and covered porches often count. Upper-floor area does not. Open decks and driveways may sit under a separate impervious-cover limit. Read the local definition of building area before you compare cities. ## Texas live cities Austin, Cedar Park, New Braunfels and San Antonio are live in Bucky. Coverage is on file for some zones and not yet extracted for others. On a Cedar Park Local Business lot such as 2607 Poplar Lane, height and setbacks are cited from section 11.03.091 while site coverage stays marked not extracted — unknown, not unlimited. Search the address and read each fact with its status. If a design is over the coverage limit, shrink the footprint, stack floors, drop accessory buildings that count, or ask for a zoning variance. Relief from coverage does not waive setbacks, height or floor area ratio. ## Common questions ### Is lot coverage the same as floor area ratio? No. Lot coverage compares the building footprint with the lot area, so upper storeys do not add to it. Floor area ratio compares counted floor area with lot area, so every floor that the by-law counts does. ### Do setbacks let me cover the full percentage? No. The building must sit inside the setbacks and stay under the coverage cap. How much you can cover and where you can put it are separate rules. ### Does a garage count toward lot coverage? Often yes. Many codes count detached garages, covered porches and accessory buildings toward coverage or toward a related impervious-cover limit. Read the zone’s definition of building area before you assume a garage is free. ### What if my design is over the coverage limit? Shrink the footprint, stack floors, drop accessory buildings that count, or ask for relief. A variance for coverage does not waive setbacks, height or floor area ratio. ## Sources - [Vancouver R1-1 District Schedule](https://bylaws.vancouver.ca/zoning/zoning-by-law-district-schedule-r1-1.pdf) - [Cedar Park Code of Ordinances, Chapter 11: Zoning](https://library.municode.com/tx/cedar_park/codes/code_of_ordinances) [Glossary](https://buckybuild.com/en/glossary) · [Coverage](https://buckybuild.com/en/coverage) · [Methodology](https://buckybuild.com/en/methodology) · [MCP](https://buckybuild.com/en/mcp)