Sandoval County, NM Accessory Structures: Shed & Carport Rules (2026)
Shed permit rules in Sandoval County, NM, also referred to as storage shed, backyard shed, or accessory building regulations, set size limits, setbacks, and when a building permit is required.
Key Facts
- Max accessory building height
- 15 feet
- Max area behind main house
- 25% coverage
- R1-35 rear/side setback
- 20 feet minimum
- Outside rear half of lot
- Must meet dwelling setbacks
- Governing section
- CZO § 14.C
- Living-purpose sheds
- Must meet full dwelling setbacks
Summary
Sandoval County limits detached sheds and accessory buildings to fifteen feet in height and to twenty-five percent of the yard area behind the main house under Section 14.C. Buildings outside the rear half of the lot must meet the same setbacks required for the house itself.
C.Detached Accessory Buildings. In all residential districts, detached accessory buildings shall conform to the following restrictions concerning their locations on a lot.1.Any detached accessory building not in the rear one-half (½) of the lot shall maintain such yards as are required for a dwelling unit on the same lot....3.No building which is accessory to any residential building shall be erected to a height greater than fifteen (15) feet; except on a residential lot in the AG District, a shelter for the keeping of animals or fowl may be erected to the maximum height allowable for the main building in that district.4.No accessory buildings shall occupy more than twenty-five (25) percent of the area lying between the rear of the main building and the rear property line.
Full Breakdown
C of the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance governs detached accessory buildings, which cover sheds, detached garages and similar structures, in every residential district. 1. 2 carves out exceptions: on a through lot it cannot sit closer to the rear property line than the required front setback distance; on a corner lot next to a key lot it cannot come closer to the street side than the key lot's front setback, capped at twenty-five feet; on other corner lots it must hold the same street-side setback as the main building; and on an R1-35 lot it must stay at least twenty feet from the rear and side property lines.
3, though an AG-zoned residential lot may build an animal or fowl shelter as tall as the district's main-building height limit. 4 further caps bulk: no accessory building may cover more than twenty-five percent of the area between the rear of the main house and the rear property line. 8.
Violations & Fines
A shed that exceeds the fifteen-foot height cap, the twenty-five percent lot-coverage limit, or the required setbacks is a Zoning Ordinance violation. The Zoning Officer investigates under Section 15.F, issues a written notice with 30 days to cure the problem, and can escalate an uncorrected violation to a citation carrying a civil fine of up to $300 under Section 24, recordable as a lien on the property.
Frequently Asked Questions
How tall can my shed be in Sandoval County?
How close to my property line can I build a shed?
Is there a size limit on how much yard a shed can cover?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Sandoval County
How Sandoval County compares: Shed Permit Requirements by City·Compare Sandoval County to another location·View the New Mexico accessory structures overview
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