Ogden, UT Building Setbacks & Zoning: Lot Coverage Limits (2026)

Section 15-15-4(E) of the Ogden City Code, part of the site development standards for the R-1-10, R-1-8, R-1-6 and R-1-5 single-family zones, provides that no accessory building or group of accessory buildings may cover more than twenty five percent of the rear yard area. The code carves out one exception: if the only accessory building on the lot is a garage, it may exceed the twenty five percent rear yard coverage cap so long as it is no larger than five hundred twenty eight square feet.

That exception lets a homeowner in Ogden City build a garage that fills more of a small rear yard than a shed, greenhouse or other accessory structure could, as long as the garage stays under the square footage ceiling. The same section's accessory building setbacks apply alongside the coverage limit: in the R-1-10 zone an accessory building must sit at least ten feet from the side lot line, or as little as one foot if placed at least six feet behind the main building and sixty feet back from the front lot line, while R-1-6 and R-1-8 use an eight foot standard and R-1-5 uses five feet, each with the same reduced setback option.

Community and Economic Development's Building Services division checks a proposed accessory structure's footprint against the rear yard coverage limit and the setback table together before issuing a building permit, and the Zoning Administrator under section 15-5-3 makes the compliance call. A property owner who wants to exceed the twenty five percent limit with more than one accessory building, or with a non-garage structure larger than the code allows, must seek a variance from the Board of Zoning Adjustment under Chapter 5 of Title 15.