Fall River regulates carports under Chapter 86 (Zoning) of the City Code, with accessory-structure setbacks set out in Section 86-446 (garages and sheds) and the General Regulations of Article VI. A detached private garage or shed must sit at least 20 feet from the street line, 6 feet from any building, and 4 feet from side and rear lot lines. Maximum height is 18 feet and a detached garage foundation may not exceed 750 square feet or 12% of the lot area, whichever is less. Building permits are issued by Fall River Inspectional Services under 780 CMR.
Fall River's zoning ordinance is codified at Chapter 86 of the City Code (eCode360 ID FA3556). Carports - whether open-sided or enclosed, attached or detached - are treated as accessory structures and are subject to Section 86-446 within Article VI (General Regulations). Section 86-446 requires that any private unattached garage or shed in any district be placed at least 20 feet from the street line, 6 feet from any building, and 4 feet from any side or rear lot line. The maximum height of an unattached garage or shed is 18 feet, and the maximum size of an unattached garage foundation is 750 square feet or 12% of the lot area, whichever is less. Any private attached garage in any district must be placed at least 20 feet from the street line and 4 feet from the side and rear lot lines, or meet the minimum setbacks for the underlying district under Article IV (District Use Regulations), whichever is greater. An attached carport is part of the principal structure and is governed by the principal-structure setbacks for the residential zone (R, A, B, etc.) shown on the Table of Dimensional Regulations. Building permits, electrical permits, and structural permits for carports are administered by Fall River Inspectional Services under 780 CMR (the Massachusetts State Building Code, currently the 10th Edition based on the 2021 IBC/IRC). Per 780 CMR §R105.2, one-story detached accessory structures of 200 square feet or less and not used for habitation are generally exempt from a building permit, but a typical vehicle-sized carport exceeds that threshold, and any attached carport requires a permit. Variances from Section 86-446 setbacks or dimensional limits are heard by the Fall River Zoning Board of Appeals under MGL c.40A, §10.
Building a carport without the required Inspectional Services Department building permit, or placing it in violation of the Section 86-446 setbacks, the 18-foot height cap, or the 750 sf / 12% lot-area foundation limit, can lead to stop-work orders, code-violation citations, and required removal or after-the-fact permitting. The Fall River Zoning Board of Appeals hears variance requests under MGL c.40A, §10 when a proposed carport cannot meet the dimensional standards. Civil fines for zoning violations are assessed under MGL c.40, §21D and the City's non-criminal-disposition schedule.
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