La Mesa, CA Accessory Structures: Shed & Carport Rules (2026)

Section 24.05.020(D)(1) lists storage sheds, along with garages, carports, swimming pools, arbors, trellises, and flagpoles, among the accessory structures permitted outright in every residential zone as long as the structure is subordinate and incidental to the house. The height cap for any detached accessory structure, sheds included, is one story and fifteen feet under section 24.05.030's building-height notes, though the Planning Commission can approve a taller structure by special permit; that height limit does not apply to accessory dwelling units. On setbacks, section 24.05.030(F)(2) gives small sheds real relief: a detached accessory building that is no more than thirty feet long or wide, and that sits with a front setback of seventy feet or more, does not have to observe any side or rear setback at all, unless it has projecting eaves or other features, in which case those projecting parts still need at least four inches of clearance from the property line and must control water runoff.

Sheds that don't qualify for that exception still follow the underlying zone's standard side and rear setbacks. A related, separate category of temporary fabric shade structures gets its own detailed size, duration, and setback rules under section 24.05.020(D)(1)(a), but a permanent wood or metal storage shed is governed by the general accessory-structure rules above, not that temporary-structure list. Lot coverage still counts: section 24.05.030 caps total coverage, including accessory buildings, at forty percent of the lot.