Long Branch, NJ Accessory Structures: Shed & Carport Rules (2026)

Section 345-11P governs accessory structures citywide. Any accessory structure attached to the principal building must meet the same yard requirements as the house itself, while a detached structure like a shed, garage, cabana, greenhouse or pool house must sit outside the front yard and observe at least a 10-foot rear setback unless a specific exception applies. For sheds specifically, § 345-11P(1) creates that exception, permitting a shed under 100 square feet in a rear yard area a minimum of five feet from the property line, with a maximum number allowed of two.

A small shed of 100 square feet or less is also exempt from the chapter's design-matching rules that otherwise force an accessory structure's architectural style, exterior materials and roof pitch to match the principal house. Properties in the R-1 Residential Zone that meet the district's minimum lot frontage, depth and area requirements must instead observe a 20-foot side and rear setback for any accessory structure, a stricter standard than the shed exception's 5 feet. Beyond a single shed, § 345-11P(6), added in 2009, caps every accessory building in Residential Zones R-1 through R-8, including detached garages, cabanas, outbuildings, workshops, greenhouses, pool houses and animal shelters, at no more than 50% of the principal structure's footprint and a combined 700 square feet total, limits it to two accessory buildings per property, and bars using it for a business or storing stock-in-trade.

Accessory structures generally cannot exceed 15 feet in height unless the roof pitch matches the principal building, in which case up to 25 feet is allowed, and a detached accessory structure can never be converted into habitable living space.