Dixmont, ME Accessory Structures: Shed & Carport Rules (2026)
Shed permit rules in Dixmont, ME, also referred to as storage shed, backyard shed, or accessory building regulations, set size limits, setbacks, and when a building permit is required.
Key Facts
- Exempt size
- Under 80 sq. ft., agricultural buildings included
- No-cost permit
- 80 to 199 sq. ft.
- Boundary setback
- 20 feet from any boundary line
- Road setback, 49.5 foot ROW
- 45 feet from traveled-way centerline
- Road setback, 66 foot ROW
- 55 feet from traveled-way centerline
- Permit issuer
- Dixmont Code Enforcement Officer
Summary
Dixmont exempts accessory structures under 80 square feet, agricultural buildings included, from its Building Code Ordinance. Structures of 80 to 199 square feet need a no-cost permit from the Code Enforcement Officer, and larger ones fall under a scheduled application fee. A permitted accessory structure must sit at least 20 feet from any boundary line.
Accessory structure or use. A use or structure which is incidental and subordinate to the principle use or structure. Accessory uses, when aggregated shall not subordinate the principle use of the lot. A deck or similar extension of the principle structure or a garage attached to the principle structure by a roof or a common wall is considered part of the principle structure. ... Accessory Structures (including Agricultural Buildings) under 80 sq. ft. are not subject to this ordinance. Those 80 — 199 sq. ft. require a no-cost permit. ... A. Setback. ... No building, mobile home, or accessory structure shall be constructed closer than twenty (20) feet from any boundary line.
Full Breakdown
Three sections of the Town of Dixmont Building Code Ordinance (March 21, 2009, officially amended March 17, 2018) govern sheds. Section 4 defines an accessory structure or use as one that is incidental and subordinate to the principal use or structure, and it adds that accessory uses, when aggregated, shall not subordinate the principal use of the lot. A deck or similar extension of the principal structure, or a garage attached to it by a roof or a common wall, counts as part of the principal structure, so an attached garage is not treated as a shed.
Section 7(A) sets the size tiers. Accessory structures, including agricultural buildings, under 80 square feet are not subject to the ordinance. Those from 80 to 199 square feet need a permit that costs nothing. The fee schedule then carries separate lines for accessory structures from 200 square feet to 1000 square feet and for those over 1000 square feet, and the fees are non-returnable. The Code Enforcement Officer issues the permit and reviews the application within 15 days under Section 6.
Section 8(A) sets the siting rule: no building, mobile home or accessory structure is constructed closer than twenty (20) feet from any boundary line. All buildings and accessory structures also need a setback of at least forty-five (45) feet from the centerline of the traveled part of the road on roads with a 49.5 foot right of way, and fifty-five (55) feet on town roads with a 66 foot right of way. Right-of-way widths come from the latest MDOT inventory of Public Roads.
A shed near water faces a second rule. Inside the shoreland zone, which reaches 250 feet from great ponds and freshwater wetlands and 75 feet from streams, Shoreland Zoning Ordinance § 15(B)(1) sets water setbacks of 100 feet from great ponds and 75 feet from other water bodies, tributary streams and wetland edges. On a nonconforming lot with only a residential structure, the Code Enforcement Officer can permit one storage accessory structure with no utilities, not over 80 square feet in area nor 8 feet in height.
Violations & Fines
Building a shed that needs a permit without one triggers Section 7(B): the after-the-fact application must be accompanied or preceded by twice the timely fee plus enforcement costs. Under Section 11, a violation is a nuisance, the Code Enforcement Officer orders correction in writing, the selectmen are directed to pursue legal action including injunctions and fines, and anyone who conducts the work is penalized under 30-A M.R.S. § 4452.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I put a small shed in Dixmont without a permit?
How far from the property line must a shed sit?
Is an attached garage or deck treated as a shed?
Do sheds near a pond or stream face extra limits?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Dixmont
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