Lynchburg, VA Accessory Structures: Shed & Carport Rules (2026)

1 governs where accessory structures such as sheds, detached garages and workshops can sit on a residential lot. They're restricted to rear or side yards only, may occupy no more than 30 percent of the required rear yard, and must stay behind the principal house's front building line and at least five feet from any property line. On "through lots," parcels with both a front and rear property line touching a public street, accessory buildings are barred from every required setback rather than just the rear one, since both street-facing sides count as front yards.

2 adds a design requirement specific to side-yard placement: an accessory structure built in a side yard must use materials substantially similar to the principal house, so a homeowner can't drop a mismatched metal or vinyl shed where it faces the street from the side. 10 adds a sequencing rule that trips up a lot of DIY builders: no accessory building can be constructed on a lot until construction of the main house has actually started, and it can't be used or occupied until the main house itself is finished and in use.

Together these three sections mean a shed's legality turns on three things: its footprint against the 30 percent rear-yard cap, its distance from the lines, and the timing of when it was built relative to the house.