Do I need a permit for a shed in Lafayette, California?
Lafayette treats a shed of 120 sq ft or less as an accessory building. One placed in a required front, side or rear yard may be up to 12 feet tall, and accessory buildings may cover no more than 30% of the required rear yard. Exact setbacks depend on your zone, and building permits go through Contra Costa County.
| Accessory building size (definition) | 120 sq ft or less [1] |
| Max height in required yards | 12 feet [3] |
| Max share of required rear yard | 30% [5] |
| Creek setback area | No sheds allowed [7] |
What counts as an accessory building
Lafayette defines an "accessory building" as a subordinate building of 120 sq ft or less whose use is incidental to the house on the same lot [1]. A typical garden or tool shed fits this definition.
Height in required yards
An accessory building placed in the required front setback, side yard or rear yard of the main house may be no taller than 12 feet [2][3]. The code's example: if the house needs a 15-foot rear yard but an accessory building only needs 3 feet, any shed inside that 15-foot rear yard is capped at 12 feet [4]. That example shows accessory buildings may have smaller setbacks than the house, but the actual accessory-building setbacks are set zone by zone in the single-family district regulations, which we could not review. Height is measured from the average grade at the lowest foundation wall to the roof (the average of the highest gable for a pitched roof) [6]. A variance is needed to exceed the limit [9].
Rear-yard coverage
Accessory buildings and uses together may cover no more than 30% of the required rear yard [5].
Creeks and hillsides
No shed or other structure (except fences, paths and drainage features) may be built inside a creek setback area [7]. In the Hillside Overlay District, a hillside development permit is required for construction that needs a building or grading permit [8].
Permits
The chapters we reviewed don't state when a shed needs a building permit. Building permits in Lafayette are issued by Contra Costa County on the city's behalf; ask them about small sheds, electrical work, or anything over 120 sq ft. Chicken coops follow different rules (see Chickens).
See how Lafayette compares with 8+ other California towns on sheds & accessory buildings →
Next steps
- Confirm your zoning district and its accessory-building setbacks with Lafayette Planning & Building (see the city website).
- Keep the shed to 12 feet or less if it sits in a required yard, and within 30% of the required rear yard.
- Check whether your lot is near a creek or in the Hillside Overlay District, which add restrictions.
- Ask Contra Costa County Building Inspection (Lamorinda office; see the county website) whether your shed needs a building permit.
Common questions
- Do I need a permit for a shed in Lafayette, California?
- The page says building permits go through Contra Costa County. Lafayette treats a shed of 120 sq ft or less as an accessory building.
- How tall can a shed be in Lafayette, California?
- One placed in a required front, side or rear yard may be up to 12 feet tall. Exact setbacks depend on your zone.
- How much of my backyard can sheds cover in Lafayette, California?
- Accessory buildings may cover no more than 30% of the required rear yard. No sheds are allowed in a creek setback area.
California state rules for sheds and accessory buildings
Where a shed can go (setbacks, height, lot coverage, front-yard limits) is set by your city or county zoning code. The state sets the building-permit baseline:
- Permit exemption: the 2025 California Residential Code (R105.2) exempts one-story detached accessory structures used as tool and storage sheds, playhouses and similar uses if the floor area is 120 sq ft or less. Bigger sheds need a permit, and electrical or plumbing work needs its own permit. Some cities have amended these thresholds.
- Other exempt work in the same list includes fences up to 7 ft and decks up to 200 sq ft that are no more than 30 inches above grade and not attached to the house.
- Exempt doesn't mean unregulated: zoning setbacks, HOA rules and easements still apply, and some cities require a zoning clearance even for small sheds.
- Turning a shed or garage into living space is covered by the state's ADU law (Gov. Code §66314). An existing accessory structure converted to an ADU needs no added setback, and new ADUs need no more than 4-foot side and rear setbacks (see ADUs).
- Wildfire areas: in a state responsibility area, owners must keep 100 feet of defensible space around buildings (Pub. Res. Code §4291). Local fire-hazard rules may limit what you can build or store near structures.
- Coastal zone: a new structure is "development" and may need a coastal development permit (Pub. Res. Code §30106).
What the ordinance says
- Sec. 6-302 Accessory building, Municipal Code Title 6 Ch. 6-3 Definitions (6-327 Home occupation)
"Accessory building" means a subordinate building of 120 square feet or less, the use of which is incidental to that of a main building on the same lot.
- Sec. 6-526(a) Height limitations in required yards, Municipal Code Title 6 Ch. 6-5 General Provisions (Art. 3 Accessory Dwelling Units; Art. 6 Small Farm Animals; 6-511 sight obstructions; 6-517/6-526 accessory structures in yards; 6-523/6-524 livestock and animal structures)
Accessory buildings, as defined in Section 6-302 of this title, and structures, as defined in Section 6-355 of this title, shall not exceed the following height limits, if constructed in the required setback (front yard), side yard or rear yard which is applicable to the main building or principal structure on the lot:
- Sec. 6-526(a)(1), Municipal Code Title 6 Ch. 6-5 General Provisions (Art. 3 Accessory Dwelling Units; Art. 6 Small Farm Animals; 6-511 sight obstructions; 6-517/6-526 accessory structures in yards; 6-523/6-524 livestock and animal structures)
Accessory buildings, 12 feet;
- Sec. 6-526(a), Municipal Code Title 6 Ch. 6-5 General Provisions (Art. 3 Accessory Dwelling Units; Art. 6 Small Farm Animals; 6-511 sight obstructions; 6-517/6-526 accessory structures in yards; 6-523/6-524 livestock and animal structures)
For example, if the rear yard for the principal structure is 15 feet, but the rear yard for an accessory building is three feet, any accessory building within the 15-foot rear yard required for the principal structure shall not exceed 12 feet in height.
- Sec. 6-517 Accessory uses in rear yards, Municipal Code Title 6 Ch. 6-5 General Provisions (Art. 3 Accessory Dwelling Units; Art. 6 Small Farm Animals; 6-511 sight obstructions; 6-517/6-526 accessory structures in yards; 6-523/6-524 livestock and animal structures)
An accessory building or accessory use may occupy not more than 30 percent of a required rear yard.
- Sec. 6-313 Building height, Municipal Code Title 6 Ch. 6-3 Definitions (6-327 Home occupation)
"Building height" means the vertical distance between the average of the highest and lowest grade at the lowest foundation wall (measured at existing grade or finished grade, whichever is lower) and the (1) highest point of a flat roof or (2) deck line of a mansard roof or (3) average height of the highest gable of a pitched or hip roof.
- Sec. 6-1841(c) Creek setback, Municipal Code Title 6 Ch. 6-18 Flood Damage Prevention (Art. 5 Creek Setback Requirements, 6-1841 setback formula)
No structure other than fences, pervious surfaces, public access paths, trails, bioretention basins, bioswales, and drainage and erosion protection improvements may be constructed within the setback area.
- Sec. 6-2015(a) Hillside development permit required, Municipal Code Title 6 Ch. 6-20 Hillside Development
Development within the Hillside Overlay District requires a hillside development permit as prescribed in Article 6 of this chapter (Sections 6-2061 et seq.), except when: (1) The construction does not require a building or grading permit; or
- Sec. 6-526(c), Municipal Code Title 6 Ch. 6-5 General Provisions (Art. 3 Accessory Dwelling Units; Art. 6 Small Farm Animals; 6-511 sight obstructions; 6-517/6-526 accessory structures in yards; 6-523/6-524 livestock and animal structures)
Variance permits to modify the provisions of this section may be granted in accordance with the applicable provisions of Chapter 6-1 of this title.