Piscataway, NJ Accessory Structures: Shed & Carport Rules (2026)

Section 21-621 of the Zoning Chapter sets four separate numeric limits on residential sheds. Height is capped at nine feet above ground level, regardless of roof pitch or style. Floor area cannot exceed 100 square feet, a limit that keeps a shed classified as a minor accessory structure rather than a building requiring the fuller review given to garages or additions. Placement is restricted on two fronts: a shed must stand at least three feet from every property line, and it cannot be located in the front yard at all, which pushes shed placement into the side or rear yard on every lot.

The section also caps density, allowing no more than three sheds on any one residential lot, so a property with an existing shed and a pool-equipment shed, for instance, is nearing its limit before adding a third structure. Because a shed is treated as an accessory building under the Zoning Chapter, it remains subject to the general accessory-building rule at Section 21-603, which requires an accessory building attached to a main building to meet the same requirements as the main building, and to the one-principal-building-per-lot rule in the same section.

A shed's area also counts toward a lot's maximum lot coverage, since lot coverage is defined at Section 21-3 as the percentage of a lot covered by buildings other than swimming pools and open patios, and a shed is a building for that purpose. The Zoning Officer administers zoning permits for accessory structures, including sheds, under Section 21-601's compliance requirement before a shed can be lawfully placed.