How close to my side property line can I build?

This is the one setback where the answer depends on your lot, so it is worth working through.

**Two rules apply.**

- **Your covenant** requires a building to sit no nearer to any sideline than **10 percent of the width** of the property it is on.
- **Freeman Township** requires a **10-foot** side yard. The Accessory Building Regulations state the same 10-foot figure for both waterfront and non-waterfront property.

**Take whichever is greater.** Because the covenant figure is a percentage, which rule is stricter changes with lot width:

Most lots at Lake of the Pines are narrower than 100 feet, so 10 feet is usually the number. On a wide lot, the covenant's percentage takes over.

**Lot width has a specific meaning.** The Accessory Building Regulations define it as the horizontal distance between the side lot lines, measured where the building or setback line crosses them. On a pie-shaped lot that is not the same as the width at the road.

**Small lots.** The Township's 10-foot side yard applies even on undersized lots of record — its rule for those says no individual side yard may be less than 10 feet.

**Eaves, steps and open porches** are not counted as part of the building for the covenant setback, but no part of the building may encroach on the neighboring property.

Measure your own lot, or ask the office, before assuming which figure applies.

*Source: Restrictive Covenants, Article VII, Section 3; Freeman Township Zoning Ordinance No. 8, Table 1 and Section 5.06.B; Lake of the Pines Accessory Building Regulations (6/8/2025), item 5.*