Spalding County, GA Accessory Structures: Shed & Carport Rules (2026)

Spalding County's Department of Community Development regulates accessory buildings through the general building permit chapter, Code § 8-1006, adopted by Ordinance No. 2025-77 on July 7, 2025. Under § 8-1006(1)(d), permit exemptions do not authorize work that otherwise violates the construction codes or county ordinances; the exemption is narrow rather than a blanket pass. Section 8-1006(1)(d)(A)(1) exempts only one-story detached accessory structures used as tool and storage sheds, playhouses, and similar uses when the floor area does not exceed one hundred twenty square feet. A shed at or under that size still must meet placement and setback standards set in Appendix IV, the county zoning ordinance, even without a building permit, because the exemption covers only the permit step, not zoning compliance.

Once a shed exceeds one hundred twenty square feet, or is more than one story, it loses the exemption and must go through the full permit application described in § 8-1006(1)(a): an application to the Department of Community Development with drawings and specifications, a decision within forty-five days under § 8-1006(4)(a), and inspections at each successive stage under § 8-1006(8) before the department issues a written release or certificate of completion. Fences accompanying a shed are separately exempted under § 8-1006(1)(d)(A)(2) if they meet Appendix IV requirements, but the shed itself is evaluated on the one-hundred-twenty-square-foot threshold alone.