Oyster Bay, NY Accessory Structures: Shed & Carport Rules (2026)

4 defines STORAGE SHED as an accessory building on a residential property, no larger than 200 square feet in area and no taller than 10 feet in height, used exclusively by the principal use of the property for storage purposes; that definition was added by Local Law No. 7-2003. A storage shed still counts as an accessory building or structure under the broader definition in the same section, which requires it to sit more than three feet from the principal building, forbids any accessory building from exceeding one-third of the maximum permitted building coverage of its zoning district or 40% of the principal building's own coverage, and bars any cooking, sanitary or sleeping facility inside it.

Whether a shed needs a building permit is answered separately, in the Building Code. A makes it unlawful to construct, alter, remove or demolish a building or structure without first obtaining a building permit from the Division of Building of the Department of Planning and Development, but it carves out one narrow exception: portable-type tool sheds or other noncommercial storage buildings 100 square feet or less. That means a shed at or under 100 square feet can go up permit-free, but anything larger, up to the 200-square-foot zoning cap, still needs a building permit before construction.

2 also folds sheds in: any structure more than eight inches above finished grade, other than fences and walls, must meet the minimum setback that applies to accessory buildings rather than the more generous setbacks sometimes allowed for minor features.