Shawnee County, KS Accessory Structures: Shed & Carport Rules (2026)

Sec. 03(a) of the Zoning Regulations governs detached accessory buildings, including storage sheds, in every district. A building permit is required "for all accessory buildings or structures over 150 square feet in area which shall be attached to or constructed on a permanent foundation," so a small shed on skids or blocks can fall outside the permit trigger while a larger or foundation-mounted shed cannot. Total accessory building area is capped by parcel size under the formula table in Sec. 5 percent of the lot, and parcels over ten acres up to 6,000 square feet, provided no single structure exceeds that ceiling; every accessory building is capped at a 16-foot sidewall height.

Setbacks follow Sec. 03(a)(5): a shed cannot sit in the required front yard, must stay at least three feet from a side lot line and five feet from a rear lot line, and a garage or carport entered from an alley must be at least ten feet from the alley right-of-way. Sec. 03(a)(6) also requires at least six feet of separation between a shed and any other building on the same lot, and Sec. 03(a)(7) caps total accessory building coverage at 30 percent of the rear yard.

Sec. 03(a)(8) sets maximum height using a roof-pitch formula for gable roofs not exceeding a 6/12 pitch. The Board of Zoning Appeals can authorize a larger footprint or height under Article XXXIV if the applicant shows the extra size fits the neighborhood.