Lane County, OR Accessory Structures: Shed & Carport Rules (2026)

Lane Code 16.290(2)(t) lists sheds by name among the accessory structures allowed outright on Rural Residential land: "outdoor recreation, garages, storerooms and utility spaces, sheds, playhouses, greenhouses, hobby shop, and animal or pet shelters." Because it's a Permitted Use under LC 16.290(2), you don't need a Type I or Type II land-use application to put one up, but LC 16.290(7) still applies its Property Development Standards to "all uses or development permitted by LC 16.290(2) through (4)" unless the use's own listing says otherwise.

The setback rule that governs is LC 16.290(7)(a): a shed has to sit at least 20 feet from the right-of-way of a state road, county road, or local access public road under LC Chapter 15, and at least 10 feet from every other property line. There's a carve-out for small sheds: if the structure is under 120 square feet of floor area and is more than 10 feet from any other structure on the lot, it can be built inside that 10-foot setback, as long as it still meets the riparian setback in LC 16.290(7)(d).

Height is not capped: LC 16.290(7)(f) reads simply "Height. None." The riparian rule matters on stream-adjacent parcels: no structure other than a fence may sit within 50 feet of the ordinary high water of a Class I stream designated for riparian protection in the Rural Comprehensive Plan, per LC 16.290(7)(d).

A shed used for anything beyond incidental storage, like an accessory dwelling or a guest house with plumbing, falls under different rules; LC 16.290(2)(u) caps a guest or accessory residential structure at 850 square feet and bars a kitchen, and LC 16.290(8) governs a rural accessory dwelling unit separately, with its own 900-square-foot cap and Type I application.