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

Subsec. 35(E)(1), Accessory Structures, of the Unified Land Development Code (Chapter 111 of the Code of Ordinances) governs sheds, detached garages, and other accessory buildings on residential property. A shed has to sit in the interior side or rear yard and stay at least six feet from any other building on the lot; front-yard sheds are barred separately under Subsec. 35(C)(6)(b), which prohibits any accessory building or structure from a front setback. Height is capped at 20 feet for the structure as a whole, while a companion rule in Subsec.

35(C)(8) caps the wall height of a residential accessory structure at 15 feet. Size is tied to lot area: on a tract of one acre or smaller, the combined square footage of every accessory structure cannot exceed the square footage of the primary house; on a tract larger than one acre, accessory structures together are capped at 10 percent of the lot area. Timing matters too: a shed or other detached accessory structure cannot be built until the primary house's foundation is laid and its framing is substantially complete, with limited exceptions in Subsec.

35(C)(3) for garages, carports, docks, greenhouses, and barns approved through a Special Use Permit on ER and SR zoned lots. Every accessory structure must also comply with the front, interior side, and exterior side setback standards that apply to the primary structure under Article 2, Zoning Districts and Dimensional Standards, and cannot be permanently affixed within a recorded easement.