Acworth, GA Accessory Structures: Shed & Carport Rules (2026)

1 of the Zoning Ordinance sets the baseline standards for accessory structures, the category that covers sheds, detached garages, and similar buildings placed alongside a house or other principal use. Subsection (A) requires every accessory structure to sit on the same lot as, and to the side or rear of, the principal use, at least five feet from side or rear lot lines; on a corner lot, the structure cannot sit closer to a right-of-way than the principal building itself. Subsection (B) folds any accessory building physically attached to the principal building into the principal structure for code purposes, meaning it then has to meet the full bulk and area requirements that apply to the main house, not the looser accessory standards.

Subsection (C) bars building the accessory structure before the principal building exists on the lot. The remaining limits are numeric: Subsection (D) caps a lot at a maximum of two accessory structures; Subsection (E) sets a 20-foot height ceiling on any accessory structure; and Subsection (F) limits the combined footprint of all accessory buildings on a lot to no more than 50 percent of the principal structure's area. Together these five-foot setback, two-structure count, 20-foot height, and 50-percent area rules apply citywide to any shed, detached garage, or similar outbuilding regardless of zoning district, unless a more specific supplemental-use section overrides them for a particular use.