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

030 sets the dimensional standards for detached accessory buildings in the GR General Rural zone, the county's default unincorporated residential district. Permitted coverage is capped at one-third of the total area of the rear and side yards combined, so a large lot supports a proportionally larger shed or barn but the building still cannot swallow the whole yard. Maximum height is 20 feet measured to the structure itself. The shed must keep seven feet of separation from the main dwelling, and setbacks from the property lines depend on what the building is used for: a plain storage shed needs only four feet from the side and rear lot lines, but a structure housing poultry or small animals must sit 15 feet from the side lot line and four feet from the rear, and any building used to shelter livestock needs 50 feet of setback.

Every accessory building, regardless of use, must also clear 60 feet from the front lot line, matching the front-yard depth required of the main residence in this zone. 030(F) carves out one exception: an open, roof-only shade structure supported on columns and used exclusively to shade livestock is not treated as a 'building' at all, so it is not bound by the setback rules that apply to enclosed livestock housing. Accessory buildings are also required to be physically detached from the main house, though the code allows them to connect through an unenclosed breezeway-type structure as long as that connector has only one wall, no taller than six feet, on a single side.

Community Development's Building Safety division reviews accessory structure plans against these standards before issuing a zoning clearance and building permit for anything beyond the smallest exempt sheds.