Margate, FL Accessory Structures: Shed & Carport Rules (2026)

Section 40.701(A) of the Margate Land Development Code regulates sheds and storage buildings. Structures are not permitted in any front or street side setback or in any recorded easement, and the side and rear setback is 24 inches. Height tops out at eight and one-half feet.

Size depends on the housing type. Each single-family or duplex unit can hold two sheds and/or storage buildings with a cumulative maximum of 144 square feet per unit. A multi-family development is limited to two sheds and/or storage buildings with a cumulative maximum of 800 square feet, and no single building can exceed 40 feet in length or 10 feet in width.

Every shed requires a building permit from the Margate Building Department, and the work is subject to the most recently adopted Florida Building Code at the time of permitting. No size is exempt from the permit.

Section 40.701(B) separately covers temporary storage containers, the portable pods residents rent during a move or renovation. They are allowed only in the front setback on a paved driveway, permitted by the Department of Building and Code Services, and any vehicle displaced from the driveway has to be parked lawfully elsewhere. They cannot sit on any street, sidewalk or swale. Single-family detached homes, duplexes, villas and townhouses are limited to one container at a time. A resident inside a homeowner's or condo association must submit written association approval before the permit is granted. A container is permitted twice a year only, for a maximum of 15 calendar days per application, and must be removed within 72 hours after the Department of Building and Code Services declares a hurricane landfall threat or immediately when a flood warning is issued.