Shed permits and setbacks

The model code most United States jurisdictions build from, IRC R105.2, exempts one-story detached accessory structures used for storage, including sheds, up to 200 square feet from needing a building permit. That is the starting point, not the final answer, because a large number of towns and counties adopt their own amendment to that number, commonly down to 120 or 100 square feet.

This means a shed that would be permit-exempt under the base IRC language can still require a permit where you live, simply because your local government changed the threshold. There is no substitute for checking your own municipal or county code directly.

Yes. Falling under a size threshold only removes the building permit requirement in most places; it does not remove setback rules, HOA covenants, easement restrictions, or the requirement that electrical work be permitted separately. A shed can be too small to need a building permit and still be entirely against the rules if it sits too close to the property line or blocks a utility easement.

A setback is the minimum distance a structure must sit from a property line, and most residential codes set separate distances for the front, rear and side lines. Rear and side setbacks for small accessory structures are often more lenient than the setback for the main house, but they are rarely zero, and corner lots frequently have stricter rules because they have two "street-facing" sides.

An easement is a legal right for someone else, often a utility company or a neighboring property owner, to use part of your land for a specific purpose, such as buried power lines, a drainage swale, or a shared driveway. Building over an active easement can force you to move or remove the structure later at your own cost, even if you had no permit requirement at all.

Your property survey or plat map, usually provided at closing, shows recorded easements. If you cannot find yours, your county recorder or assessor's office can typically pull it.

Yes, essentially everywhere. Running permanent electrical wiring from the house to a shed is electrical work, and electrical work is permitted separately from the structure itself in nearly every jurisdiction, regardless of the shed's size or whether the shed itself was permit-exempt. This is one reason solar or battery lighting, covered in the shed lighting without power guide, is popular for small storage sheds: it avoids the electrical permit question entirely.

A homeowners association can restrict shed size, material, color, roof style and placement far more tightly than your local building code does, and those restrictions apply whether or not the shed needs a government permit. Many HOAs require a design review or approval form before any accessory structure goes up. Read your covenants (CC&Rs) directly rather than assuming the county rule is the only rule that applies.

In some jurisdictions, a shed on a permanent foundation (poured concrete, for example) is treated differently than one on blocks, gravel or skids, since a permanent foundation can shift a structure toward "building" rather than "temporary accessory structure" in the code's eyes. Wind and seismic anchoring requirements are also sometimes separate from the size-based permit exemption entirely. See the how to anchor a shed guide for the anchoring side of this, and confirm foundation rules with your local code office.

• Confirm your local permit size threshold, not just the 200 square foot IRC figure.
• Measure setbacks from every property line the shed will be near.
• Pull your plat map or survey and mark any easements.
• Read your HOA covenants if one applies to your property.
• Plan electrical separately if you want hardwired power, and budget for that permit.
• Call 811 before any digging, permit or not.

This guide is general information, not legal advice, and rules vary by state, county and municipality. Always check your local code before you buy or build.