Colorado Springs, CO Accessory Structures: Shed Rules (2026)

A shed is an accessory structure - 'a structure that is located on the same lot and detached and separate from the principal building' - listed alongside garages, carports, storage buildings, play structures, gazebos, arbors, greenhouses, and barns under UDC Subsection 7.3.304.A. Accessory structures are not allowed in front yards. A structure with 200 square feet or less of gross floor area may be located in the rear setback. A structure with more than 200 square feet must observe setbacks of at least 5 feet, increasing to 10 feet in the A, R-E, and R-1 9 zone districts (or wherever garage doors face an alley) and 0 feet in the GI zone district. Height in a required setback is capped at 12 feet; outside a required setback a shed may reach 16 feet with a roof pitch under 6:12 or 20 feet with a pitch of 6:12 or greater. The gross floor area of all accessory structures together may not exceed the gross floor area of the primary structure. Per the Pikes Peak Regional Building Department, one-story detached accessory structures of less than 200 square feet supported directly on grade do not require a building permit, but zoning standards (setbacks, height, lot coverage) still apply.