Bossier City, LA Accessory Structures: Shed & Carport Rules (2026)

Bossier City's Unified Development Code addresses sheds, detached garages, and other accessory buildings under Section 6.6.6 of Appendix A, splitting the rules between residential and commercial or industrial zones. In residential districts other than R-A and R-E, an accessory structure is barred from the front and side yards entirely; it may only go in the rear yard. Even where a yard placement is allowed, the structure cannot occupy more than 40 percent of that yard, and it has to stay at least 5 feet away from every rear or side lot line, and it cannot encroach into a utility, drainage, or other easement.

The code separately blocks residents citywide, including in the R-A district, from converting semi-trailers, manufactured homes, modular shipping containers, dumpsters, or similar modified vehicles into permanent accessory structures. Commercial and industrial parcels face a stricter baseline: Section 6.6.6.B bars any accessory structure from a required yard outright, though industrial zones such as the A-1 district are exempted from the container-conversion ban except for manufactured homes, which still cannot be used for storage. Detached garages and similar structures that function as a home's primary garage, along with carports under the related Section 6.6.7, are treated differently and may sit in the front or side yard if they meet the district's other setback standards; carports specifically are capped at two parking spaces, cannot exceed the height of the house, and must stay at least 5 feet off the front lot line when they extend into the front setback.

A shed exceeding these limits, or one built from a shipping container or old trailer, is a zoning violation the Metropolitan Planning Commission and the city's code enforcement staff can require to be removed or brought into compliance.