Federal Way, WA Accessory Structures: Shed & Carport Rules (2026)

160(9) carves out a specific, permit-based path for storage sheds in low and medium density residential zones. A property owner may request approval through Process III, the city's discretionary land use review track administered by the Department of Community Development, to place a storage shed in a required side or rear yard; a required front yard is excluded outright and cannot host a shed under this provision. Even with Process III approval, the shed itself is tightly capped: no more than eight feet high above finished grade, and no more than 120 square feet in total floor area.

The code also limits how much of the yard-facing wall the shed can occupy, capping the facade running parallel to the property line where the required yard is not otherwise provided at 10 feet in length, which keeps a single shed from functioning as a de facto wall along the property line. Before the city can approve the request, the applicant must show there is no reasonable alternative location on the property because of the lot's size, shape, topography, or the placement of existing legally built improvements, and the city must find that allowing the shed into the required yard will not create a material, negative impact on the character of nearby residential uses.

Sheds that stay entirely outside required yards do not need this Process III approval and are instead governed by the standard accessory structure standards for the underlying zone.