Amherst, NY Accessory Structures: Shed & Carport Rules (2026)

Section 6-8-1A(3) bars any accessory structure, including a shed, from standing in the required front yard of the lot it serves or in the street line of the street that serves it. Section 6-8-1B caps the combined floor area of every accessory structure plus any attached or built-in garage at 75 percent of the principal structure's floor area, unless the Zoning Board of Appeals grants relief under § 8-13; § 6-8-1C raises that cap to 200 percent in the Rural Residential (R-R) and Agricultural (AG) districts, where larger barns and outbuildings are common.

Height is governed separately by § 2-5-4B(5), which states that no accessory structure in a residential district shall exceed the lesser of 20 feet in height or the actual height of the principal structure. The R-1 district's accessory dimensional table backs this up with its own figures: a minimum 5-foot building separation, a minimum 3-foot setback from the lot line, a maximum height of 20 feet, and a maximum combined building coverage of 40 percent including the principal structure. A shed built closer to the front lot line than the house, taller than 20 feet, or pushing total accessory coverage past the 75 percent (or 200 percent in R-R/AG) ceiling doesn't qualify as a permitted accessory structure under § 6-8-1.