Skagit County, WA Accessory Structures: Shed & Carport Rules (2026)
Shed permit rules in Skagit County, WA, also referred to as storage shed, backyard shed, or accessory building regulations, set size limits, setbacks, and when a building permit is required.
Key Facts
- Governing section
- SCC 14.18.104(1)(j)
- Use type
- Allowed residential accessory use
- Ag-NRL zone limit
- Must be accessory to farming; no land conversion
- IF-NRL zone limit
- Must meet single-family residence criteria
- Permit required
- SCC Title 15 building permit
- Civil penalty
- $100 per day per violation
Summary
Skagit County Code § 14.18.104 lists a storage shed, workshop, garage or barn as an allowed 'miscellaneous residential support building' accessory to a house anywhere in unincorporated Skagit County. In the Ag-NRL agricultural zone, that shed use is allowed only when it is accessory to an active agricultural operation, and no farmland may be converted to build it.
(1) A residential accessory use is an accessory use to a residence, including, but not limited to, the following: ... (j) Miscellaneous residential support buildings, such as a storage shed, workshop, garage, barn; ... (2) Ag-NRL Restrictions. In the Ag-NRL zone, a residential accessory use is allowed only when accessory to an agricultural use. No conversion of agricultural land is allowed for accessory uses.
Full Breakdown
' Because a shed falls under this catch-all accessory-use listing rather than its own standalone use category, it is allowed by right wherever a single-family residence is allowed in unincorporated Skagit County, without a separate use-permit review triggered by this section alone. 104 itself, so a shed still has to clear the county's building permit process under SCC Title 15 and the applicable dimensional standards chapter before it is built. Two zone-specific restrictions narrow the accessory-use listing. In the Ag-NRL zone, subsection (2) allows a residential accessory use, including a shed or barn, only when it is accessory to an agricultural use on the parcel, and it bars any conversion of agricultural land to accommodate the accessory use.
In the IF-NRL forestry zone, subsection (3) similarly ties accessory uses to meeting the same restrictive criteria that apply to a single-family residence in that zone. 104 does not itself impose an acreage or conversion limit on a shed, workshop, garage or barn.
Violations & Fines
Building a shed that converts Ag-NRL or IF-NRL resource land, or skips the required building permit, is enforceable under SCC Title 14.09: Planning and Development Services can pursue a Class 1 civil infraction (default $250) or a civil penalty of $100 per day per violation under SCC 14.09.330, plus abatement of the unpermitted structure. Administrative orders are appealable to the Hearing Examiner within 14 calendar days.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I build a storage shed on my property in unincorporated Skagit County?
Are there extra rules for a shed on Ag-NRL farmland?
Does this section set a maximum size or setback for a shed?
What about a shed on land zoned IF-NRL?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Skagit County
How Skagit County compares: Shed Permit Requirements by City·Compare Skagit County to another location·View the Washington accessory structures overview
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