Yorba Linda, CA Accessory Structures: Shed & Carport Rules (2026)

Yorba Linda's accessory-structure standards in Section 18.10.120 set a size threshold that determines how far a shed has to sit from the property line. Subsection B defines "small accessory structures," using gardening and tool sheds as its example, as single-story structures no taller than eight feet and no larger than 120 square feet. Those small sheds must maintain the same setback required for the main house within the front yard area, a minimum five-foot setback on any side or rear yard adjacent to a street or a City landscape easement, and a minimum three-foot setback within an interior side or rear yard, unless the shed is built with one-hour fire-rated construction, in which case no interior setback is required at all.

Cross the eight-foot height or 120-square-foot threshold and the shed is reclassified as a "large accessory structure" under subsection C, triggering a 10-foot setback on any street-adjacent side or rear yard and a five-foot interior setback instead. Habitable accessory structures, meaning any with heating, sleeping, living or cooking facilities, don't get the reduced shed setbacks at all: subsection A requires them to meet the full setback standards of the main building, unless the Community Development Director determines the structure clearly isn't intended for sleeping or dwelling purposes.

Whatever the size, shipping containers are specifically prohibited in any residential zone under subsection B, so a shed built from a repurposed shipping container doesn't qualify no matter how it's measured. Structures that don't conform to the large-structure setbacks in subsections C or D can still be approved by the Planning Commission through a conditional use permit, while minor deviations can be approved administratively by the Zoning Administrator under Section 18.38.070.