Brookline, MA Accessory Structures: Carport Rules (2026)

Brookline does not maintain a stand-alone 'carport' use category in its Zoning By-Law; instead, a detached, roof-only carport is treated as an accessory building under Article V (Dimensional Requirements). The Building Department's published guidance for sheds, detached garages, AC condensers, and similar accessory structures requires every accessory structure to be located at least 6 feet from any side or rear property line and at least 6 feet from the principal residence on the lot, and prohibits placement of an accessory structure in any required front-yard setback. Within 75 feet of a street lot line (or three-quarters of the lot depth if that distance is shorter), an accessory building cannot extend into a required side yard at all; elsewhere on the lot the 6-foot side-yard minimum applies. Total accessory building coverage is further constrained by Article V's rear-yard rule that limits accessory buildings to a portion of the required rear yard with the same 6-foot minimum lot-line setback. A building permit is required from the Building Department (Inspectional Services), and a certified plot plan must accompany any application that proposes a new structure or alters the footprint of an existing one. Reduction of the 6-foot setback, placement closer to a street line within the 75-foot belt, or any front-yard carport requires a Special Permit (or Variance) from the Brookline Board of Appeals under Section 5.43 (Exceptions to Yard and Setback Regulations) and the Article V framework. An attached carport that is structurally part of the principal dwelling is governed by the principal-structure setbacks of the underlying residence district under Article V, not by the accessory-building rules. All carports also must meet 780 CMR (Massachusetts State Building Code) structural and snow-load requirements, and any carport in the Floodplain Overlay District requires a Floodplain Development Permit in addition to a building permit.