Troy, NY Accessory Structures: Shed & Carport Rules (2026)

Troy City Code § 285-70(J) governs accessory buildings in the City of Troy, New York. The base rule is that all accessory buildings conform to the minimum yard regulations in Article IV of the zoning chapter, except as the subsection permits. Under § 285-12, tool sheds, garages, carports, carriage houses, pool houses and swimming pools are all deemed accessory structures or buildings restricted to residential use, so a backyard shed falls under this subsection.

For unattached buildings accessory to residential buildings, newly constructed buildings can be no higher than 16 feet, measured from the adjacent ground surface to the highest point of the roof. Existing unattached accessory buildings already higher than 16 feet on the effective date of the chapter cannot be made higher. These buildings can be erected in the required rear and side setback areas of the principal structure, but only if three conditions hold. First, a minimum of 12 feet must separate the principal building and the accessory building. Second, in every zone except R-1, the side and rear accessory setback equals one-quarter of the accessory building height, and in no case can that setback be less than three feet. Third, in the R-1 Zone the minimum side and rear accessory setback is five feet.

Buildings accessory to nonresidential buildings follow Subsection (J)(2): they meet the side yard setbacks of the main building, sit from the main building and the rear lot line at a distance of one-fourth of the accessory building height, cannot exceed the height of the main building or 30 feet, and cannot go in the front yard unless the Zoning Board of Appeals grants an area variance. A work permit from the Director of Code Enforcement is required under § 285-37(A) to construct a structure, and the application must include drawings or a written narrative describing the location and nature of the work. A proposal that cannot meet a setback can seek an area variance under § 285-33(E).