Plat Reference · 1 ac = 43,560 ft2 · Section 16 of 36 · T‑Bk 04 · PG 26

Decimal-Acre Reference / Sheet 0.10

0.1 Acre = 4,356 sq ft

One tenth of an acre. The most-cited urban-residential lot size in zoning discussions, and the dimension that, laid out as a square, is exactly 66 feet on a side: one surveyor's chain. The math is exact: 0.1 multiplied by 43,560 equals 4,356 square feet.

4,046.9 m²|0.4047 ha|About 90% of an American football field

Square Feet

4,356

international ft2

Square Metres

404.69

m2

Hectares

0.0405

ha

Derivation: 0.1 acres × 43,560 sq ft per acre = 4,356 sq ft, exactly. Per the international acre, 1959 IYPA. As a square, 0.1 acres has sides of exactly one surveyor's chain (66 ft). The chain-and-furlong story.

Sheet 02 · The Tenth-Acre Standard

The geometry of one tenth of an acre

A square 0.1-acre lot measures exactly 66 feet on each side. This is not a coincidence. The acre is defined as 43,560 sq ft, which equals one surveyor's chain (66 ft) multiplied by one furlong (660 ft). One tenth of a furlong is 66 ft, so a tenth of an acre laid out as a square has sides equal to one chain. Edmund Gunter invented the surveyor's chain in 1620 specifically so that 10 chains by 10 chains would equal 100,000 square links, the easy decimal arithmetic that made 17th-century field-survey calculations practical without modern tools.

For most US municipal zoning, 0.1 acres is the threshold between substandard and minimum-conforming residential. Berkeley's R-1A zone requires 4,000 sq ft minimum (just below 0.1 acres). Boston's compact-residential districts permit lots from 4,000 sq ft. Cambridge Massachusetts Residence A-1 sets the minimum at 5,000 sq ft, slightly above 0.1 acres. Outside the urban Northeast, suburban-Phoenix R1-2 permits 2,000 sq ft (well below 0.1 acres) and suburban-Atlanta R-3 requires 5,500 sq ft (slightly above). The 0.1-acre threshold is convenient for zoning policy because it aligns with the historic surveyor's chain, which still appears in many older deed descriptions written in chains and links rather than feet.

The pre-WWII compact suburban developments across the US Midwest and Northeast used 0.1-acre lots as the dominant pattern. The Levittown New York development, completed 1947 to 1951, used lots of 60 ft by 100 ft (6,000 sq ft, 0.138 acres) as the standard, but the smaller Levittown Pennsylvania version included sections with 50 ft by 90 ft lots (4,500 sq ft, 0.103 acres). The Park Forest Illinois development of 1948 to 1953 used 65 ft by 100 ft lots (6,500 sq ft) as standard but included streetcar suburbs along the rail line with lots from 4,000 to 5,000 sq ft.

For contemporary buyers, 0.1 acres represents a useful balance for compact urban living. The lot is large enough to comfortably accommodate a single-family detached house with a small front and back yard, a driveway and garage, and basic landscaping. It is small enough that maintenance is straightforward (mowing the lawn takes 30 minutes with a push mower, snow shovelling takes 45 minutes after a typical 4-inch snowfall). Property tax, insurance, and utility costs scale roughly with lot size and house size, so a 0.1-acre lot with a 1,600 sq ft house is in the affordable bracket for most urban-Northeast and Midwestern markets.

The trade-offs are similar to the 0.08-acre lot. Side-yard privacy is limited (10 to 15 feet between neighbouring houses depending on setbacks), large garden vegetable plots are constrained to 200 to 400 sq ft, and a backyard swimming pool with deck takes up most of the available yard area. The 0.1-acre lot is the lower bound for what most US suburban buyers consider a comfortable detached single-family house experience without the constraints of small-lot infill living.

Sheet 03 · Useful Comparisons

What 4,356 square feet equals

  • · One surveyor's chain by one chain: 66 ft × 66 ft. The historic surveying unit, designed for easy decimal arithmetic.
  • · About 93 percent of an NBA basketball court: the court is 4,700 sq ft. 0.1 acre is just shy of one full court.
  • · About 1.55 doubles tennis courts: a US doubles court is 2,808 sq ft. 0.1 acre fits 1.5 of them with room left over.
  • · One Olympic swimming pool: a long-course pool is 50 m by 25 m = 13,455 sq ft. 0.1 acre is about 32 percent of one pool.
  • · About 7.6 percent of a football field: 1.32 acre full field. 0.1 acre is just under the area between the goal line and the 8-yard line.
  • · A 12-vehicle parking lot: at 360 sq ft per car including drive aisles, 4,356 sq ft holds 12 standard parking spaces.

Nearby acreages

0.07 ac

3,049 sq ft

0.08 ac

3,485 sq ft

0.05 ac

2,178 sq ft

1.0 ac

43,560 sq ft

Frequently asked, 0.1-acre edition

Exactly how many square feet is 0.1 acres?
0.1 acres equals exactly 4,356 square feet, computed as 0.1 multiplied by the international acre constant of 43,560 sq ft. In square metres the equivalent is 404.686 sq m, and in hectares it is 0.040469. The number is exact under the 1959 International Yard and Pound Agreement definition of the acre.
How big is a tenth of an acre?
A tenth of an acre is 4,356 sq ft, or about 405 sq metres. As a square it would measure 66 ft on each side, which is exactly one surveyor's chain (the historic British surveying unit defined in 1620). Visualised against everyday landmarks, 0.1 acre is roughly half an NBA basketball court (4,700 sq ft), or about 1.55 doubles tennis courts. A standard backyard swimming pool deck takes up 600 to 1,000 sq ft, so 0.1 acre is roughly 4 to 7 backyard pool decks.
Can you build a house on 0.1 acres?
Yes. 0.1 acres (4,356 sq ft) is at or near the minimum buildable lot size in most US compact-suburban zoning codes. Berkeley R-1 zone requires 4,000 sq ft. Boston compact-residential districts permit lots from 4,000 sq ft. Brookline R-2 sets a 5,000 sq ft minimum. A 1,500 to 2,000 sq ft house on 0.1 acres leaves roughly 2,400 to 2,900 sq ft of yard, parking, and setback area, sufficient for the typical compact-suburban detached single-family.
What does 0.1 acres look like compared to a football field?
An American football field including end zones is 1.32 acres (57,600 sq ft). 0.1 acres at 4,356 sq ft is 7.6 percent of a football field, or about 1/13. Visualised on a football field, 0.1 acre is roughly the area between the goal line and the 8-yard line, full width. The field of play between the end zones (0.96 acres) is about 9.6 times larger than 0.1 acres.
Is 0.1 acres enough for a chicken coop?
Yes, comfortably. Even on a 0.1-acre lot with a 1,500 sq ft house and 500 sq ft of driveway and walkways, you have around 2,300 sq ft of yard. A chicken coop and run for 4 to 6 hens needs about 80 to 150 sq ft (Penn State Extension recommends 4 sq ft per hen in the coop and 10 sq ft per hen in the run). That leaves more than 2,000 sq ft of remaining yard for landscaping, garden beds, and a small lawn. Note that municipal animal-keeping rules vary widely. Check local code before installing a coop.

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Updated 2026-05-11