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

Section 300-53.8 is the Town of Union's accessory building rule. The code defines an accessory building or use in § 300-70.2 as a building or use customarily incidental and subordinate to the principal building or use in extent, area and purpose and located on the same lot. Subsection A puts accessory use buildings to the side or rear of the principal building. Subsection B ties them to the side yard, rear yard and street setback requirements of the zoning district. Subsection C adds an averaging rule: where 50% or more of the aggregate accessory building setbacks on one side of a street, measured 250 feet on each side of the lot in the same block, is occupied by buildings and the average setback is less than the required minimum, a new accessory building uses the average setback of the existing ones.

The district numbers are in the residential tables. In Table 20-3, the minimum side setback and the minimum rear setback for all accessory uses are both 5 feet in the UMF, SMF, USF, SSF and UTF districts and 10 feet in RR. In Table 20-4, the maximum building height for all accessory uses is 18 feet in UMF, SMF, USF and UTF, 15 feet in SSF and 25 feet in RR. Maximum building coverage for single-family detached is 50% in UMF, 40% in SMF, 30% in USF, 25% in SSF, 35% in UTF and 20% in RR, and the code counts the combined area of primary and accessory buildings.

Section 300-53.10(B) adds that no accessory building can be closer than a distance of eight feet to any principal building or to another accessory building on the same lot, and accessory buildings other than detached accessory garages are located to the rear of the principal building. On fees, § 86-16 lists accessory sheds for one- and two-family dwellings at $25 for the first $10,000 in cost and $2 per $1,000 thereafter, charged for actions of the Code Enforcement Officer.