Charlottesville, VA Accessory Structures: Shed & Carport Rules (2026)

C, sets three rules for every accessory building or structure in the city, including a backyard shed, detached garage or storage building. First, the shed must comply with the dimensional requirements of its zoning district, meaning the district's lot coverage, building footprint and setback standards under Div. 5, Building Setbacks. Second, no accessory building can be built on a lot until after the principal use or structure on that lot has been approved, so a homeowner cannot put up a shed on a vacant lot ahead of the house, and a commercial accessory building cannot precede approval of the main commercial use it serves.

Third, an accessory building is not exempt from the Uniform Statewide Building Code merely because it is small or detached; it must still meet the applicable building permit and inspection requirements administered by the City's Building Code Official. 2, the Permitted Use Table, separately controls which accessory uses are allowed by district, and multiple accessory uses can share one lot only if each satisfies its own standards. Because the shed rule incorporates the district's coverage and setback limits by reference rather than setting one citywide size number, the specific footprint and setback a shed must meet tracks the underlying zoning district's own dimensional table.