Where exactly are my setbacks measured from?

Three measuring points cause nearly all the trouble. Each one has a definition that is not the obvious one.

**1. The road — measure from the easement, not the pavement.**

The roadway setback is measured from the **66-foot wide road easement** nearest your front property line. The easement is a strip 66 feet across, much wider than the road surface running through it. Measuring 30 feet from the edge of the gravel or asphalt will place your building well inside the setback.

**2. The water — measure from the platted line, not today's shoreline.**

The waterfront setback is measured from the **Water Line**, defined as the boundary of a lake or stream as plotted on a government map such as a plat map or subdivision map. It is a line on your recorded plat. It is not the water's edge on the day you measure, and it is not a high water mark.

**3. Buildings — measure at the drip edge, not the wall.**

For accessory buildings, the 10-foot distances from lot lines and from your house are measured **at the drip edge of each building** — the outer edge of the roof overhang. Accessory buildings here must have at least a one-foot overhang on all sides, so the roof extends at least a foot past the wall on every side.

**Lot width, too.** Defined as the horizontal distance between the side lot lines measured where the building line or setback line crosses them — not the width at the road, which differs on a pie-shaped lot.

Getting these wrong is one of the more expensive mistakes available. If there is any doubt, ask the office or the Township Zoning Administrator, and consider a survey on a tight lot.

*Source: Lake of the Pines Accessory Building Regulations (6/8/2025), items 4 and 5 with footnotes, and Definitions; Freeman Township Zoning Ordinance No. 8, Article II and Table 1.*