Kenai Peninsula Borough, AK Accessory Structures: Shed & Carport Rules (2026)

Outside Kenai, Soldotna, Homer, Seward, Seldovia and Kachemak, the borough has no building code and no zoning-wide shed rule; accessory-structure standards apply only where property owners have formed a Local Option Zoning District (LOZD) under KPB 21.44.030. Inside a Single-Family Residential (R-1) LOZD, KPB 21.44.160(C)(6) lists garages, barns, storage sheds, greenhouses, wind turbines, workshops and a single noncommercial guesthouse per parcel as allowed accessory structures, and even lets one accessory structure serve as the principal use of a lot when an adjacent, commonly owned lot carries the primary residence.

Because a shed is a structure, it must meet the setbacks set in KPB 21.44.160(C)(1): 30 feet from the front yard line, 20 feet from the rear yard line, 15 feet from the side yard lines, and 50 feet from the shore where KPB 21.18's anadromous-waters habitat district applies. The borough's definitions section, KPB 21.44.230, excludes fences, retaining walls, driveways, window awnings, temporary buildings used 30 days or less, and low patios or decks from the setback-triggering definition of a structure, so a shed under those thresholds is exempt.

The identical accessory-structure and setback framework repeats in the Small Lot Residential (R-2), Rural Residential (R-R) and Multi-Family Residential (R-M) LOZD types, each with its own setback distances. Structures with a permanent foundation also need a development notice under KPB 21.44.135 before construction to confirm setback compliance.