Bowie, MD Accessory Structures: Shed & Carport Rules (2026)

Section 26-11 of the City Code governs residential storage sheds and other accessory buildings in the City of Bowie's residential zones on lots of 20,000 square feet or less. Subsection A(1) caps the maximum allowable floor area of any single accessory building at 200 square feet, and the combined floor area of every accessory building on one lot also cannot exceed 200 square feet; building it requires whatever permits Prince George's County and the City require. An attached accessory building only qualifies if it shares a common wall with, and is part of, the main residence's structure.

Subsection A(2) sets the height cap: no accessory building or carport can rise past one story or 15 feet, measured from the lowest exposed point of the structure to its highest exposed point. Placement is limited to the rear yard under A(4), following the setbacks in Subtitle 27 of the Prince George's County Code, and on a corner lot the shed cannot sit closer to a public right-of-way than the main house. Storage of hazardous substances inside any shed is barred under § 26-11C, and residential storage generally cannot spill into a carport or front porch under § 26-11B.

A narrow exception in § 26-11I lets pre-1960 Huntington section homes get a matching City permit once the county has issued its own building permit for the shed. The Board of Appeals can grant a variance from any of these limits under § 26-15, and the City Manager may waive the section's limits for new developments that build accessory buildings into their approved design under § 26-11F.