Sampson County, NC Accessory Structures: Shed & Carport Rules (2026)

Sec. 2-28-09(A) governs where a detached residential accessory structure, including a shed, may sit. A parcel is limited to no more than three detached accessory structures, and on any lot smaller than two acres they must be built in the side or rear yard rather than the front; carports are the exception and may go in the front yard on any size lot if they meet the principal-structure setback for their zoning district. Minimum setbacks are 10 feet from side and rear property lines and 5 feet from any other structure, and a shed cannot exceed the height limit that applies to the zoning district.

A shed used only to house well and pump equipment gets a carve-out: if it is 50 square feet or smaller and stays at least 5 feet off every property line and out of any easement, it does not count toward the three-structure limit. A shed cannot sit on a septic system, septic repair area, or recorded easement, and generally cannot be placed on a parcel without a principal dwelling already there, except in the RA district on a parcel of five acres or more.

Manufactured homes, RVs, boats, vehicles, trailers and buses cannot be used as the accessory structure itself. Under Sec. 2-18-02(B), an ordinary shed still needs a Zoning Permit because it meets the ordinance's Accessory Structure definition, unlike fences or roof-mounted solar panels.