West Jordan, UT Accessory Structures: Shed & Carport Rules (2026)

Section 13-8-3 of the West Jordan City Code sets the general standards for accessory buildings, including backyard sheds, that apply in every zoning district. 4 caps an accessory building's footprint at twenty percent of the rear yard, corner side yard, or front yard area in which it sits, whichever yard applies to its location on the lot. 7 sets the permit trigger: a building permit is required for any accessory structure exceeding two hundred square feet of gross floor area or exceeding seventeen feet in height, and a permit is required regardless of size the moment gas, electricity, water, or sewer service is run to the structure.

11 requires any accessory building over seventeen feet high in single-family, two-family, or multifamily zones to add one foot of side and rear setback for every additional foot of height beyond seventeen feet, on top of the minimum setback set in the district table. 12: any accessory building over two hundred square feet on a corner lot must sit back at least twenty feet from the corner side property line, plus a foot for every foot of height above seventeen feet. Other general limits apply across the board: an accessory structure cannot be built before the principal building exists, its footprint must stay smaller than the principal building's footprint outside agricultural and industrial zones, and in single-family, two-family, and multifamily zones no accessory structure may sit in the front yard at all. Any structure that needs a building permit must also be set back at least six feet from a dwelling.