Newark, OH Accessory Structures: Shed & Carport Rules (2026)

Section 1274.03 of the Newark Code of Ordinances governs sheds, detached garages and other accessory structures on lots in the RS, RL, RM, RH, RZLL and TFR districts. Under § 1274.01(a), an accessory structure is one detached from the principal building. The first limit is count: no more than two accessory structures per lot. The second is sequence: nothing accessory can be erected or constructed before the principal or main building. The third is placement: the rear yard only, with one exception in subsection (d) for a garage on a steeply sloped front yard, which the Board must authorize under Chapter 1234.

Coverage and distance rules sit in subsection (b). One structure or a combination of structures cannot occupy more than thirty-five percent of the rear yard. Each must stand at least three feet from any lot line of an adjoining lot and five feet from any lot line adjoining an alley, whether the alley runs along the rear or the side of the lot. The structure also cannot sit within ten feet of the intersection of the property lines along the side and rear alleys. Setbacks are measured to the wall or supporting elements, with a twelve inch maximum projection for overhangs, and gutters connected to the fascia board can project an additional six inches (§ 1274.03(a)(4)).

Corner lots carry a larger setback under subsection (c): the structure is set back from the lot line adjoining the side street a distance equal to the district's front yard setback plus five feet, and never less than twenty-five feet. A shed joined to the house by a common architectural feature such as a roof counts as attached, and the combined structure must meet every setback that applies to the principal building (§ 1274.01(b) and (d)). An open connection such as a trellis does not make a structure attached.

Other districts have their own versions. Lots in the CSI, LO, GO, LB, MB, GB, HB, LC, GC, LI and GI districts allow one accessory structure for each principal structure and none in the front or side yard (§ 1274.04), and the Planning Commission approves the size and location of every accessory structure in a PUD district (§ 1274.06).