Cocoa, FL Accessory Structures: Shed & Carport Rules (2026)

Appendix A, Article XIII, Section 6 of the Cocoa Code of Ordinances governs sheds, detached garages and other accessory structures citywide. No accessory structure may be erected in a required front or side yard, and any accessory structure placed in the required rear yard cannot come within 5 feet of the rear lot line or cover more than 30 percent of that required rear yard. Height is capped at 24 feet. An accessory building must be built at the same time as, or after, the main dwelling, and cannot be used before the principal structure is fully erected; erecting a tent as an accessory structure is prohibited outright.

No accessory building containing living quarters may be built on a residential lot, except quarters for employees working on the premises who are not immediate family, and no accessory building may host a business or occupation, with a narrow exception for home-based businesses that comply with Florida's home-based business statute. On corner lots and through lots, accessory structures must follow the same setback that applies to the main structure's side or rear yard along the roadway. A special allowance exists for large Rural Residential (RR-1) lots of at least 2 acres: one accessory structure may go up ahead of the principal dwelling, but only for the owner's own noncommercial use, never for boarding horses or other paying ventures, with its own setback table, a 150-foot front setback, 50-foot side interior setback, 100-foot side corner setback and 50-foot rear setback, and the principal structure's building permit must follow within 2 years.