Cathedral City, CA Accessory Structures: Shed & Carport Rules (2026)

The rule lives in Chapter 9.80 of the Cathedral City zoning title, which covers accessory structures, structure heights, yards, walls and fencing. Section 9.80.010 says the chapter lists general requirements that the individual zoning districts do not provide.

Under Section 9.80.020, no garage or other accessory structure can stand in a residential zone without a permitted main building, so a shed has to follow the house, not precede it. A detached accessory structure must be at least ten feet from other buildings, including the main building, and at least five feet from a side or rear lot line. A garage with automobile access from an alley cannot be closer than twenty-five feet from the opposite property line of the alley. On a corner lot, no accessory structure can occupy any portion of the side yard on the street side, and on a reversed corner lot nothing can be erected closer to the street than the building line of the adjacent key lot.

Section 9.80.060(B) confirms that detached accessory structures, including storage sheds, patio covers and gazebos, can extend into side or rear yard setbacks, but only subject to Section 9.80.020, so the five-foot and ten-foot distances still control. Section 9.80.050(B) adds that yard provisions apply to both main and accessory structures unless otherwise specified.

Open, non-habitable structures such as playground equipment, gazebos, arbors and trellises follow their own rule in Section 9.80.020(F): a maximum height of ten feet above grade, set back from property lines a distance equal to the structure's height but no less than five feet. Platforms are limited to a five-foot height and need extra landscape screening along the rear and side property lines. Ground equipment must be set back three feet from property lines and generators ten feet under Section 9.80.070(B)(5). Storage containers are a separate category under Section 9.80.130 and need a special use permit or conditional use permit, a concrete pad and exterior colors similar to the main building.