Yuba City, CA Accessory Structures: Shed & Carport Rules (2026)

Article 50 sets the standards for residential accessory buildings, including storage sheds, at Sec. 8-5.5001(c). A shed and a children's playhouse each qualify for a zero-setback exception from the required interior side or rear yard, and are exempt from lot coverage limits, provided each has a roof under 120 square feet and stands no taller than 8 feet, per footnote (1) to the table. On lots backing a General Plan street with a City-maintained landscape strip, an accessory building within 10 feet of the rear lot line is capped at 8 feet regardless of type, under footnote (2).

Larger accessory buildings follow a graduated table: a 10-foot-tall structure needs a 5-foot rear yard and 5-foot side yard; one built to 15 feet needs a 10-foot rear yard and 5-foot side yard; and one reaching 20 feet must sit entirely outside the required rear yard while keeping a 5-foot side yard. Beyond height and setback, Sec. 8-5.5001(c)(1) subjects accessory buildings to the district's lot-coverage requirements unless the shed or playhouse exception applies, and (c)(2) bars building any accessory structure before the main residence exists on the lot. Under (c)(3), only garages and carports may encroach into the front half of a lot or come within 50 feet of the front property line; a shed cannot.

These standards apply in any district that permits a residence, so the same size and setback table governs a shed in an R-1 neighborhood and one on Agricultural Holding or Agricultural Combining District land alike.