McCracken County, KY Accessory Structures: Shed & Carport Rules (2026)

McCracken County's zoning code, § 150.016, defines an ACCESSORY BUILDING as a subordinate building on the same lot as the principal building, or a subordinate use of land, that is customarily incidental to the principal building or use; if an accessory building's wall is joined to the principal building's wall substantially, such as sharing a roof, the code counts it as part of the principal building instead. In the AG Agricultural District, which covers much of unincorporated McCracken County's rural land, § 150.051(C) sets residential yard requirements of a 30-foot front yard, an eight-foot side yard, and a 25-foot rear yard for the principal dwelling, but relaxes the side and rear setbacks for accessory buildings specifically to four feet and eight feet.

A shed or detached garage therefore only needs to clear four feet from the side property line and eight feet from the rear, well inside the setback that applies to the house itself. Before building, a permit is required, and § 71.01(B)(5) in the Chapter 71 fee schedule sets the cost: a residential accessory structure no larger than 3,000 square feet on the same lot is charged $0.10 per square foot with a $60 minimum fee. Larger accessory buildings, or ones proposed in a different zoning district such as Rural Residential or Urbanizing Residential, may carry different setbacks under those districts' own yard-requirement sections, so the AG figures above apply specifically to agriculturally-zoned land.