Plano, TX Accessory Structures: Shed & Carport Rules (2026)

1, the General provisions of Plano's Accessory Building Regulations, sets the baseline rules that apply to every detached shed, storage building, or workshop in a residential zoning district before any district-specific standard layers on top. Use is restricted first: an accessory building can't be used for a commercial purpose or rented out, though the ordinance carves out one exception for coops housing backyard hens kept under the Code of Ordinances. Placement rules follow the same logic as the main house but are stricter in spots.

A shed can never go in the required front yard, and if the side yard lot line abuts a street, it can't sit in the required side yard setback either. Detached accessory buildings, sheds included, must clear side and rear lot lines by at least 3 feet, and if the structure is enclosed on 3 or more sides, it also has to sit at least 10 feet from the main house. A shed attached to the house instead is treated as part of the main building and must meet the main building's own setback and height standards.

Sheds can never be built inside an easement or right-of-way. Height is capped at 10 feet for a detached accessory building sitting in a required rear or side yard, and if that structure is closer than 10 feet to the rear or side lot line, the owner must also build a 6-foot solid fence or wall along that lot line to screen it from the neighboring property. Garages entered from an alley get their own 20-foot alley setback under the same section.