Amarillo, TX Accessory Structures: Shed & Carport Rules (2026)

2, codified at Section 4-3-31, exempting 'one-story detached accessory structures used as tool and storage sheds, playhouses and similar uses' from a building permit as long as the floor area does not exceed 200 square feet. The commercial-code parallel at Section 4-3-1 sets the identical 200-square-foot threshold for accessory buildings under the International Building Code. Getting a pass on the permit does not exempt the structure from zoning. Section 4-10-191, the city's accessory building regulations, sets the yard requirements separately from the permit threshold but uses the same 200-square-foot break point: a Residential Accessory Building of 200 square feet or less carries no side-yard requirement at all, while anything larger needs a minimum three-foot side yard.

On the rear line, a Residential Accessory Building has no rear-yard requirement if an alley runs behind the lot, but where no alley exists, any accessory building over 200 square feet must sit at least ten feet off the rear property line. The front yard for a residential accessory structure must match whatever front yard the main house observes on that lot, so a shed cannot be pushed forward past the house's own front setback. A shed over 200 square feet needs a building permit from the Building Official, and the permit can only issue to a residential building contractor registered under Chapter 4-1 or to the homeowner acting as their own contractor.