Methuen, MA Accessory Structures: Shed & Carport Rules (2026)

Single-family lots in the City of Methuen get their shed rule from § 5.13 of the Methuen Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance, Residential accessory uses. Under subsection A(5), a storage shed or barn must not exceed 500 square feet in area or 25 feet in height. Both limits apply together. The same list covers a garage for parking noncommercial vehicles, which cannot exceed 1,000 square feet and one story.

Placement comes from § 6.2(E)(6). An unattached accessory building serving a one- or two-family dwelling can be located in a rear yard within 7.5 feet of a side or rear lot line. An accessory building attached to a principal building is treated as part of the house: it complies in all respects with the yard requirements for the principal building, is completely screened from adjacent properties, and cannot interfere in any way with access to parking spaces in off-street parking areas. Section 6.2 adds that no building or subsurface structure, or portion thereof, shall be permitted within the required front setback or side yard areas or less than 7.5 feet from the rear lot line.

Height has a second source. Section 6.2 states that accessory buildings or structures used for accessory purposes in all RR and Residential (R) Districts shall not exceed a height of 25 feet, which matches the shed limit in § 5.13. Farm accessory structures are exempt from the height requirements. A structure intended for agricultural use, such as a greenhouse or a building, structure or pen for poultry or other livestock, follows a different setback: no less than 50 feet from any lot line or 100 feet from any dwelling. The Table of Dimensional Regulations referenced in § 6.4 is an attachment that is not printed in the code text.