Frederick County, VA Accessory Structures: Shed & Carport Rules (2026)

The Frederick County Zoning Ordinance, Chapter 165 of the County Code, treats a backyard shed as an accessory structure and ties its placement to the same setback map that governs the house. 03, no accessory structure may be placed within the front setback area of the underlying zoning district; side and rear placement is governed by the dimensional tables for each district (RA, RP, R4, R5 and MH1). 04 requires a Virginia-licensed surveyor to establish the footing location of any accessory structure of 500 square feet or greater that sits five feet or less from a minimum setback line, with the results recorded on the building permit setback report before the Building Official signs off on the footing inspection, and again at mid-construction once the framing is up.

That report has to be posted at the job site with the building permit hard card at the footing inspection. 01 spares most sheds an extra layer of review: if the use is identified as accessory in the zoning use matrix or the definition of the primary use, or the Zoning Administrator otherwise treats it as incidental and customary to the house, no separate zoning permit is required for the accessory structure itself, though it still has to meet every dimensional standard, screening rule and use standard that Article VII imposes on accessory uses generally.

The Department of Building Inspections still issues the building permit for the structure under the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code; the zoning file simply does not need its own separate accessory-use permit on top of it.