Shed permit rules in Kern County, CA — also referred to as storage shed, backyard shed, or accessory building regulations — set size limits, setbacks, and when a building permit is required.
Kern County exempts one-story detached residential sheds of 120 square feet or less from building permits, but Chapter 19.08 still limits total detached accessory building area by parcel size and bars them from required yards.
Per Kern County Code of Ordinances Title 17 (Buildings and Construction), Chapter 17.08, Section 17.08.060 (amending CBC Section 105.2), a building permit is not required for one-story residential detached accessory buildings used as tool and storage sheds, playhouses and similar uses provided the floor area does not exceed 120 square feet. Adding electrical, plumbing or mechanical work, exceeding 120 square feet, or building a second story removes the exemption. Even when a shed is permit-exempt, the zoning rules in Title 19 still apply: Section 19.08.180 (Accessory buildings) prohibits accessory buildings or structures from being located within a required front, side or rear yard except as expressly provided. On residentially zoned parcels containing less than one-quarter acre, detached accessory buildings may not exceed a combined total of 600 square feet, and on parcels of three acres or more the combined total may not exceed 5,000 square feet or three times the principal dwelling's square footage, whichever is greater, and may not exceed the maximum building height of the zoning district. Square footage and heights above these limits may be allowed only when approved by the planning director.
Building a shed over the size cap, in a required yard, or with utilities but no permit can trigger Kern County Code Enforcement: stop-work orders, mandatory permit-by-correction (with double fees), abatement as a public nuisance, and misdemeanor charges under Title 19 for zoning violations.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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