Woodbury, MN Accessory Structures: Shed & Carport Rules (2026)

Section 24-281(a) governs every detached accessory structure on residential property, including sheds, and it sets separate but similar rules for detached garages and for other accessory buildings. A shed must be set back at least five feet from side and rear property lines (or the underlying side yard setback on a corner lot if it has a wide door facing the side street), kept out of drainage, utility or other easements, and generally kept behind the principal building; a shed of up to 1,000 square feet may sit in front of the house in the R-1 or R-2 districts only if it is set back at least 50 feet from the front property line.

Height is capped at 12 feet of wall height and one story, with doors no taller than ten feet. Exterior materials matter too: plastic sheeting, cloth, canvas and tarps are barred outright, except on agricultural buildings, and corrugated materials are barred in platted residential areas. The city caps how much shed space a lot may hold by zoning district: one building up to 1,000 square feet in the R-2 Rural Estate district and on R-1 Urban Reserve lots under five acres, two buildings totaling up to 2,000 square feet on R-1 lots of five acres or more, and just 400 square feet in the R-4 Urban Residential district. These caps run independently of any detached garage already on the lot under § 24-281(a)(1)a-b.