Roseville, MN Accessory Structures: Shed & Carport Rules (2026)

Section 1004.02(a) of the Roseville City Code governs sheds, detached garages and similar storage buildings serving one- and two-family dwellings. Table 1004.02 sets the maximum combined storage size at 864 square feet, and in any case the combined area of accessory buildings cannot exceed 85 percent of the footprint of the principal structure. A homeowner reaches 1,008 square feet only if the Community Development Department determines that three of five listed performance standards are met: matching the roof pitch to the principal structure, adding windows or architectural details to rear and side walls, using raised panels and other detailing on garage doors, increasing the side or rear yard setback, or installing landscaping to mask or soften the larger building.

Table 1004.02 sets the setbacks. The minimum front yard building setback is 30 feet, the rear yard is 5 feet, an interior side yard is 5 feet, a corner side yard is 10 feet, and the building must sit 5 feet from any other building or structure on the lot. A reverse corner lot places the accessory building behind the established building line of the principal structure. Maximum height is 15 feet with a 9-foot wall height, and an accessory building cannot exceed the height of the principal structure. A building containing an accessory dwelling unit takes the same rear yard setback that Table 1004.09 requires for principal buildings. Where the natural grade of a lot at the building line of a house is eight feet or more above the established street centerline, the department can permit a detached garage within a required yard so the driveway slope drops to as little as ten percent.

The rest of the section adds more conditions. An accessory storage building greater than 120 square feet in area and/or greater than 12 feet in height must have exterior design and materials similar to or compatible with the principal structure. A hard-surfaced driveway to an adjacent public street is required if a motorized vehicle or trailer is removed from the building more than two times in a ten-day period. No accessory building can be built before the principal structure on the same site, and subsection (f) requires a permit for every detached accessory building prior to construction. Attached and multifamily complexes are allowed one storage or maintenance structure and one garden shed per complex, located behind the front building line and set back a minimum of ten feet from rear or side lot lines and from principal buildings.