Scottsdale, AZ Accessory Structures: Shed & Carport Rules (2026)

Scottsdale zoning treats a backyard shed as an "accessory building or structure" under Sec. A of the Zoning Ordinance, and the rule applies only to residential districts (it excludes Accessory Dwelling Units, which are covered separately). Two sequencing rules bookend construction: no accessory building can go up until construction of the main single-family home on the same lot has commenced, and the shed cannot receive its own Certificate of Occupancy until the house has received one, under Sec. 1. Size is capped by lot coverage, not square footage: accessory buildings and structures built in a rear yard cannot cover more than 30 percent of that rear yard under Sec.

2. The one carve-out is the R-5 Multiple-family Residential district, where lots used for multifamily dwellings may cover up to 75 percent of the rear yard with accessory structures. Placement rules differ by district. In the Single-family Residential (R1-7) district, Sec. 3 bars sheds from any required front or side yard; a shed set behind the rear plane of the house needs only a 2-foot setback to the side or rear lot line, but a garage or carport with direct alley access must sit at least 15 feet from the alley centerline, or may be built to the rear lot line if its vehicle entrance faces at a 90-degree angle or greater from the alley.

In every other residential zoning district, Sec. 4 applies similar front- and side-yard bans, though a corner lot's longer street frontage allows an accessory structure if it sits behind the house and matches the district's side-yard setback. Any accessory structure sitting closer to the property line than the standard setback and taller than 10 to 12 feet, depending on the district, must add one foot of setback for every foot of height above that threshold.