Pico Rivera, CA Accessory Structures: Shed & Carport Rules (2026)

Section 18.11.040(B)(1), part of the design standards that apply to every residential building in the city, defines accessory structures to include garages, carports, sheds, gazebos, porches, cabanas, covered patios and greenhouses, whether attached to the main house or built as a separate structure. An attached accessory structure must share a common wall with the primary residential building measuring at least five feet in length; a shed that merely touches a wall without that five-foot connection is treated as detached. Every accessory structure, attached or detached, is capped at 16 feet in height.

Setbacks are addressed in clause (e): a minimum of four feet from the rear and side property lines, and a minimum of five feet from any other building or structure already on the same lot, with roof eaves required to clear that separation by at least three feet under the separation-of-structures standard referenced in Table 18.11.030.A. Accessory dwelling units and junior accessory dwelling units are carved out of this section entirely; those structures instead follow the separate size and design standards of Section 18.22.030, which caps a detached or attached ADU at 1,000 square feet and a JADU built within an existing home at 500 square feet.

The Zoning Administrator can allow a 10 percent deviation from these design standards under Section 18.11.040(A)(2), with anything beyond that requiring a Conditional Use Permit and Planning Commission findings.