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

Section 35.3.203(B) of the Glendale Code of Ordinances sets the location rules for accessory buildings and structures such as detached garages, pool houses and storage sheds: an accessory building up to 7 feet in height needs only a 3-foot setback from the side and rear property lines. Every foot of height above 7 feet adds 2 more feet of required setback, up to the setback the principal building itself must meet; the code's own worked example puts a 13-foot-tall accessory building at a 15-foot side or rear setback. Detached accessory buildings must also sit behind the front plane of the main house and cannot be built in a right-of-way or easement, and any freestanding building must be at least 6 feet from the principal building if fire-rated construction is used, or 10 feet if it is not.

Section 35.3.203(C) caps the size: maximum height is 16 feet in the R1, RR and SR residential districts, 20 feet in the A-1 district, and in every other district an accessory structure cannot exceed the height of the principal building; an amateur radio tower is capped separately at 75 feet. Gross floor area of any accessory building cannot exceed 50 percent of the principal building's footprint, except in the A-1, RR-45, C-3, B-P, M-1 and M-2 districts, and every shed counts toward the lot's overall lot-coverage calculation. Small movable structures under 120 square feet and under 6 feet tall, such as tool sheds, play equipment and pet shelters, are exempt from the standard setback and may sit in a required side or rear yard, though not inside a required landscape setback, per Section 35.3.203(B)(7).