Tampa, FL Accessory Structures: Shed & Carport Rules (2026)

Tampa's building code exempts a narrow category of backyard structures from needing a permit at all: Sec. 2 lists one-story detached accessory structures used as tool and storage sheds, playhouses and similar uses, provided the floor area does not exceed one hundred twenty (120) square feet. Cross that line and the shed needs a standard building permit reviewed by the building official before construction. Permit-exempt or not, every accessory structure still has to satisfy the zoning standards in Sec. 27-290. For a single-family lot in the RS-75, RS-100 or RS-150 districts, an accessory structure under fifteen percent of the minimum lot size must sit at least sixty feet from the front lot line, three feet from the side and rear lot lines, and fifteen feet from a corner lot line (seven feet in other residential districts); a garage or carport vehicle entrance needs its own fifteen-foot setback.

Height is capped at fifteen feet, though the zoning administrator can approve up to a fifty-percent increase in a national or local historic district after consulting the historic preservation administrator. Structures above the fifteen-percent floor-area threshold lose the relaxed accessory setbacks and must instead meet the full principal-structure setbacks in the Sec. 27-156 area, height, bulk and placement table. Portable sheds without a permanent foundation are capped at one per zoning lot, can't sit in the required water yard of waterfront property, and can't house mechanical equipment or be separately metered for electricity or water.