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

Under UDC Sec. 1, a structure five feet or less in height and ten square feet or less in area, the code names a doghouse, a refuse container enclosure, or play equipment as examples, is exempt from the accessory-building standards entirely. A shelter for food-producing animals gets a slightly larger exemption: six feet or less in height and 16 square feet or less in area (Sec. 2). Above those thresholds, a shed is an "accessory building" and Sec. B requires it to sit on a lot that already has a principal building or use.

Sec. C then ties the shed to the dimensional standards (setbacks) of the principal land use on the parcel, so a shed in a residential zone must clear the same perimeter yard the house is subject to, unless a specific accessory-use exception applies. Sec. D adds that a detached accessory structure exceeding the height of a perimeter-yard wall must meet the principal structure's yard-width standard, though it can be built to the parcel line with the written consent of the adjoining property owner, or where separated by an alley, the adjacent owner.

Height is capped separately under Sec. D: an accessory structure that is not an accessory dwelling unit cannot exceed 12 feet unless it is attached to the principal structure, in which case it may go as high as the principal structure is permitted to go. Sec. F allows a shed to be attached to the house (except a stable or animal enclosure) provided its construction meets the principal building's development requirements. Sec. K confirms accessory buildings don't trigger extra parking, landscaping, or loading requirements beyond what the principal use already needs.