St. Joseph County, IN Accessory Structures: Shed & Carport Rules (2026)

The shed rules sit in § 154.070 of the St. Joseph County Zoning Ordinance. Subsection (A)(4)(b) names storage sheds and mini-barns as standard accessory structures in residential districts, and (A)(4)(c) and (d) list storage sheds in business and industrial districts. Under (A)(1) a shed is allowed only when the primary use it supports is permitted in the zoning district, and under (A)(3) it cannot go on a lot before the primary use exists unless the lot abuts that primary use and has the same owner.

The size cap in Table 154-GR1 applies to the combined area of all detached accessory buildings on the lot, so a shed counts together with a detached garage or mini-barn. A house with an 800 square foot ground floor on a lot under 1 acre still gets 960 square feet, because the greater figure controls. At 5 acres or more, agricultural uses have no area or height limit, and all other uses get 2x the ground floor and 24 feet. An attached accessory building cannot exceed the main floor area of the dwelling unit and follows the height limit of the district.

Placement is the second test. Residential accessory buildings must meet the district's required front and side setbacks and stay at least eight feet from the rear property line. In an agricultural district, a building on a parcel of two acres or less that serves a single family dwelling needs eight feet from any side or rear lot line. Under § 154.070(B)(2), nothing accessory can sit in the street-side yard of a corner lot, and under (B)(3) nothing can sit on a platted easement unless the easement terms or the benefiting agency's written consent allow it. Section 154.078 also bars any structure from blocking the clear sight area between three and ten feet above the street crown, measured 25 feet back from a street intersection or ten feet back from a driveway or alley.

An improvement location permit is required under § 154.596(A) before a building is placed or erected. For a single-family lot the zoning administrator has up to five business days to review, the permit lasts the longer of one year or the building permit term, and extensions total at most six months.