Flagstaff, AZ Accessory Structures: Shed & Carport Rules (2026)

Section 10-40.60.020, Accessory Buildings and Structures, applies to every zone in the City and lets an accessory building or structure stand only where a primary use already occupies the same lot or parcel, though a permit for the accessory structure can be issued at the same time as, or after, the permit for the primary building. The property owner must obtain permits and approvals through Division 10-20.40 before building. No manufactured home, mobile home, trailer, semi-trailer, bus, recreational vehicle, boxcar, or other structure mounted on trailers or wheels may be used as an accessory structure, ruling out the common practice of repurposing an old RV or box trailer as a storage shed.

Height is set by Table 10-40.60.020.B.7.e: an accessory building placed within the building envelope may reach 24 feet, while one placed anywhere else on the lot is limited to 16 feet. Accessory structures otherwise follow the property development standards of the zone they sit in, except that the distance between the primary building and the accessory structure is governed by the Building Code rather than the zone's setback table, and encroachments into required setbacks are allowed under Table 10-50.40.020.A. In residential and transect zones, an accessory building or structure other than a fence must be placed behind the rear of the primary building, in the rear yard or interior side yard, or in a combination of the two; commercial-zone accessory buildings instead must stay out of view from the public right-of-way unless placed in a loading or dock area.