How Many Sheds Can I Have in My Backyard?

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Rachel

There are plenty of reasons to have more than one shed in your yard. 

How many sheds you can have in your backyard is determined by many variables, including zoning and HOA restrictions, the size of the sheds compared to the size of your yard, and city versus country living.

Want to know more about these variables that can affect what and how you build sheds in your yards? Keep reading, and I’ll go over them. 

Sheds can be used for so many things! Over the years, we’ve used sheds for storage, as a clubhouse for kids, a workshop, an office, and a garage. These days sheds have also become outdoor shelters for adults to use as their recreation space – man caves, she-sheds, backyard sports bars, and who knows what else. 

The question is if you already have a shed for one purpose, can you get another shed for another purpose? Well, there are variables to look into before building an extra one.

What Are the Local Zoning Regulations and Hoa Rules About Sheds?

Check your local regulations. Then, check with your HOA rules and standards for erecting a shed in your yard. There may be a limit on how many you can place there and where you can place them. For instance, a shed cannot be built in the front yard in many communities.  

Zoning regulations determine the number of structures you can have in your backyard. They can also determine how they are built. This is why I often tell everybody to hire a licensed contractor to build anything that might require an inspection or permit. 

The good news is that most HOAs or municipalities will allow additional sheds as long as no two structures are used for the same purpose. If you have a garage or a shed that acts as a garage, you can often also have a shed for storage. 

The storage shed may need to be built a certain distance from property lines. In our particular city, any structures in your yard must be built at least 9 feet from the property line. That decreases the amount of space you can use in a yard tremendously. 

The Size of the Shed You Want and the Overall Size of Your Yard Matter

Let’s say you’ve come through the research on zoning, permits, regulations, and the HOA. What should you consider next? You need to limit the number of sheds and the size of those sheds to the space you actually have available. And keep in mind any space measurement you need to allow for the restrictions you’ve found. 

What are you planning to use your sheds for? It may not seem like a big deal, but there’s a difference in the amount of space you might need for storing your yard tools versus having a complete workshop for moving around in or moving wood around in. The size of the sheds matter. If you have the space and can still do everything you need to do in your yard, you can move forward with your plans. 

Once you know the sheds you’ve chosen will fit, consider your placement of sheds. You have no choice but to work around the regulations on how far a shed must be from the property lines. It would help if you also were sure it’s the proper distance from other sheds, structures, and the house itself. Space is there to help with safety – if a fire breaks out in one structure, the distance keeps it from quickly spreading to another. 

You also may have a garden or other things in your backyard, and you don’t want that to be overshadowed by your sheds. So, just because you thought you had the space, that space may be limited.

So What’s the Takeaway?

It’s possible to build more than one storage shed in your backyard, but many factors may affect whether or not it is allowed. Spending some time in the neighborhood before buying materials is a good idea. See what works and what doesn’t. Talk to your neighbors who have shed about their experience building a shed. What were their obstacles? What should you look into before building?

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Rachel

"Growing up a country-girl means you enjoy the outdoors as much as possible, and no matter where you go in life, the outdoors is always part of you. I began doing research on things I wanted to do to make my outdoor space my own, no matter where we moved. And that research led me to write this blog to share with you!"