Wilmington, NC Accessory Structures: Shed & Carport Rules (2026)

Sec. 18-249(a) caps residential lots at two accessory buildings, with exceptions: bona fide agricultural lots of four acres or more get two additional buildings, and a city-approved community garden may add one accessory building up to 12 feet in any dimension, provided it has no electrical or plumbing connection and follows the community garden policy. Sec. 18-249(b) requires accessory buildings to sit to the side or rear of the principal structure, never closer to the front lot line than the house's forwardmost projection (porches, steps and entryways included), unless the block already has a typical pattern of front-facing accessory buildings, in which case one may go in front if it sits at least 200 feet from the front property line, meets the principal structure's side setback, stays under 1,000 square feet, faces the street with real doors and windows (no garage doors on the front facade), and skips corrugated metal, unparged block or plywood on its exterior.

On corner lots, an accessory building must stay as far from the street as the rear-adjoining lot's principal structure, at least 50 percent of the shared property line back. Sec. 18-249(c) limits lot coverage: accessory buildings may not cover more than 30 percent of the required side or rear yard, and their combined square footage cannot exceed the primary structure's heated floor area. Sec. 18-249(d) sets a 5-foot minimum setback from side and rear lot lines outside the separate use historic districts, where the historic preservation commission or planner sets the setback through a certificate of appropriateness. Sec. 18-249(e) caps height at the primary structure's height or 35 feet, whichever is less.