Elgin, IL Accessory Structures: Shed & Carport Rules (2026)

500 sets the size and placement rules that apply to backyard sheds and other detached accessory buildings citywide. In all residence conservation districts and the TFR Two-Family Residence District, a detached shed can be built no closer than 3 linear feet to an interior lot line, and it must stay at least 10 linear feet from an alley. Sheds and other detached accessory buildings in residence conservation districts, residence districts, and the CF Community Facility District must also keep a minimum 4-foot separation from the nearest wall of any other building on the lot; everywhere else in the city that separation grows to 10 feet.

Height is capped at 15 linear feet in residence conservation, residence, and CF districts, rising to 25 feet only where the lot also carries an HP Historic Preservation District overlay; outside those districts, an accessory building's height is instead tied to the height of the principal building. 500(D) further requires a shed's roof style to match the predominant roof type of the house and requires 100 percent of any street-facing wall, and at least 50 percent of the remaining walls, to be finished in materials compatible with the principal structure, subject to sign-off by the development administrator.

500(A)(8)(c) requires an accessory structure larger than 120 square feet to go through architectural review, submitting scaled color elevations before a permit issues; the development administrator must flag deficiencies within 10 days and decide the application within 20 days of a complete filing, or it is automatically denied. 900.