Los Banos, CA Accessory Structures: Shed & Carport Rules (2026)

4403 requires that any accessory structure be built only after the principal residence already exists and stay incidental and subordinate to it. 4404 sets the numeric standards: a single accessory building cannot cover more than 30% of the required rear yard area, and all accessory buildings on the lot together cannot exceed 50% of that rear yard, with total lot coverage for every building, driveway and patio capped at 70%. Setbacks scale with size and height: an enclosed structure of 120 square feet or less that is no taller than 10 feet needs only an 18-inch setback from the rear or side property line, measured from the wall or eave closest to the line; a larger or taller structure, up to 15 feet, needs a 3-foot setback that grows by a foot for every foot of height over 10 feet; anything over 15 feet tall needs Planning Commission conditional use permit approval.

Separation from the house itself is 3 feet for structures of 120 square feet or less and 6 feet for anything larger. 2 exemption: a one-story detached tool or storage shed of 120 square feet or less does not need a building permit, though electrical, plumbing or mechanical work run to the shed still does, and every shed still has to meet Article 44's standards and get a zoning clearance certificate from the Community and Economic Development Director regardless of the building-permit exemption.