Washington County, UT Accessory Structures: Shed & Carport Rules (2026)
Shed permit rules in Washington County, UT, 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
- Lot coverage cap
- 25% of lot area (§ 10-13-10)
- Max height without CUP
- 25 feet (§ 10-13-14)
- RE-zone interior setback
- 3 ft if 10 ft from main building
- Timing rule
- Cannot be built before main dwelling
- Civil penalty
- $250/day after 10-day cure notice
Summary
In unincorporated Washington County, a shed or other accessory building can cover no more than 25% of a residential lot and cannot rise above 25 feet without a conditional use permit. It must sit on the same lot as, and cannot go up before, the main dwelling.
10-13-10: AREA OF ACCESSORY BUILDINGS: No accessory building or accessory dwelling unit, nor group of accessory buildings or ADUs in any residential district shall cover more than twenty five percent (25%) of the lot area. (Ord. 2001-815-O, 12-17-2001, eff. 12-17-2001; amd. Ord. 2021-1196-O, 10-5-2021)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-17: Code current through: Ord. 2026-1329-O, passed 8-18-2026).
Full Breakdown
County zoning code Title 10 treats a shed the same as a workshop, garage, barn, pool house, gazebo or pavilion: a detached, subordinate building without habitable space, located on the same lot as the primary dwelling (Washington County Code of Ordinances § 10-4-1, ACCESSORY BUILDING). An accessory building "may be permitted concurrently with, but not prior to, the main or primary building" (§ 10-4-1). " Height is capped separately by § 10-13-14 at 25 feet, with a conditional use permit from the planning commission required to go higher.
Setbacks depend on the zone; under § 10-13-9, every part of a required yard must stay open to the sky except for accessory buildings allowed in a rear yard, and setbacks are measured from the property line to the nearest vertical part of construction. In the county's Residential Estate (RE) zones, § 10-8D-6 gives a specific relief: an accessory building set at least 10 feet away from the main building may sit as close as 3 feet to a side or rear interior lot line, though it still cannot come within 50 feet of a dwelling on an adjacent lot.
Because sheds fall under Title 10 (zoning) rather than the building code alone, a shed that also requires a construction permit needs sign-off from the Community Development Department before work begins under § 10-1-10, which bars issuing any permit that would put the structure in violation of the title.
Violations & Fines
Violations of Title 10, including unpermitted or oversized accessory buildings, are enforced under § 10-1-22: after a written warning and a 10 business day cure period, the county may impose a civil penalty of $250 for each day the violation continues, with a Notice of Fine recorded against the property. The county may also prosecute the violation as a class B misdemeanor after a separate notice and cure opportunity, punishable by a fine up to the statutory class B misdemeanor maximum, though not by jail time for a Title 10 violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I build my shed before my house in Washington County?
How close to my property line can a shed go?
How big can my shed be relative to my lot?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Washington County
How Washington County compares: Shed Permit Requirements by City·Compare Washington County to another location·View the Utah accessory structures overview
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