Before you build the shed, check the lot.
Type your address and project. SetbackIQ reads your zoning district and flood zone, applies your city’s own permit rules, and tells you whether you need a permit, how close to the line you can build, and where to file.
Same shed, different answers
A 10 by 15 ft storage shed (150 sq ft floor, about 190 sq ft of roof with eaves, 10 ft tall, no power) gets a different answer depending on which side of a city line it lands. Here is what each city’s own rules say.
| Where | Permit for that shed? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Phoenix, AZ | No | One-story detached sheds up to 200 sq ft don't need a building permit. They still have to meet the Zoning Ordinance. |
| Los Angeles, CA | YesConfidence: medium | The Los Angeles Building Code (LAMC 91.106.2) has no square-footage exemption for sheds, so plan on a permit for any new shed. |
| Sacramento, CA | Yes | Sacramento exempts only one-story detached accessory structures up to 120 sq ft, and none inside design review or preservation districts. |
| San Diego, CA | Yes | San Diego requires a permit for storage sheds or playhouses over 120 sq ft of projected roof area. |
| San Francisco, CA | YesConfidence: medium | San Francisco exempts only one small detached storage shed per lot. City sources set the limit at under 100 sq ft of roof and 8 ft tall (sf.gov) or 120 sq ft of floor and 10 ft (DBI FAQ); SetbackIQ uses the stricter reading. |
| San Jose, CA | Yes | San Jose exempts only accessory structures of 120 sq ft or less that won't be electrically wired. |
| Denver, CO | No | One-story detached sheds within 200 sq ft of projected roof area, an 8 ft top plate and 14 ft overall height don't need a building permit. |
| Washington, DC | Yes | DC exempts only a single garden shed of 50 sq ft or less and under 10 ft tall, and only outside historic districts. |
| Atlanta, GA | YesConfidence: low | Atlanta's work-exempt list covers only repairs to existing homes and has no size exemption for new sheds, so assume a permit. |
| Montgomery County, MD | Yes | Montgomery County requires a building permit for any shed, regardless of size. |
| Prince George's County, MD | Yes | DPIE exempts only one one-story detached shed under 150 sq ft per property, not used for living space. |
| Austin, TX | No | One-story detached sheds up to 200 sq ft and 15 ft tall, with no plumbing and outside a flood hazard area, don't need a building permit. |
| Houston, TX | YesConfidence: medium | Houston exempts only one-story accessory structures up to 120 sq ft. |
| Alexandria, VA | No | One-story detached sheds up to 256 sq ft need no building permit (Virginia USBC 108.2). Zoning and, in historic districts, BAR rules still apply. |
| Arlington County, VA | No | One-story detached sheds up to 256 sq ft need no building permit in Arlington (Virginia USBC 108.2). |
| Fairfax County, VA | No | One-story detached sheds up to 256 sq ft need no building permit in Fairfax County (Virginia USBC 108.2). |
| Seattle, WA | Yes | Seattle exempts only single-story, detached storage sheds with 120 sq ft of roof or less, on a slab, piers or soil, away from critical areas. |
How an answer gets made
- Your address is matched to a parcel and to the body that governs it. A “Bethesda” address is Montgomery County; a “Rockville” one is not.
- Public maps supply the zoning district and the FEMA flood zone. In Austin, a flood zone alone cancels every small-project exemption.
- The city’s rules, each tied to the page it came from, decide the permit. You only answer the questions that could change it.
- Every answer shows a confidence level and the date a person last checked the rule. Where we haven’t verified a city yet, we say so.
Read how we verify rules, or browse all 17 covered jurisdictions.