How far back from the road does my house have to sit?

**Thirty feet.** That figure holds for every lot at Lake of the Pines, waterfront or not.

Two sets of rules apply here, and both give the same answer for most members.

- **Your covenant.** Eight of the nine subdivisions require a building to sit no nearer than 30 feet to the front property line, and no nearer than 30 feet to any side street line. Pinehurst III is the exception — its covenant says 25 feet to the front and 20 feet to a side street.
- **Freeman Township.** The Zoning Ordinance sets a 30-foot roadway setback for both non-waterfront and waterfront property.

Where the two differ, the stricter one governs. So in Pinehurst III, where the covenant allows 25 feet, the Township's 30 feet is the number to build to.

**Measure from the road easement, not the pavement.** The Accessory Building Regulations state that the roadway setback is measured from the **66-foot wide road easement** nearest your front property line — not from the edge of the asphalt or gravel. The easement is wider than the driving surface, so measuring from the road itself will put your building too close.

**Eaves, steps and open porches.** For the covenant setback, these are not counted as part of the building. But the covenant is explicit that this does not permit any part of the building to encroach on adjoining property.

**One more Township rule.** The required front yard must stay open. It cannot be used for off-street parking, loading or unloading, and must remain unobstructed except for landscaping, plants and vehicle access drives.

Check your figures with the office and the Township Zoning Administrator before you build.

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