Do I need a permit for a shed in Malibu, California?
Storage sheds are allowed as accessory structures on Malibu residential lots. The coastal zoning rules we reviewed (current through 2020) have no shed-specific setback, so the regular yard setbacks apply: rear at least 15 ft (or 15% of lot depth, if greater) and each side at least 5 ft (or 10% of lot width, if greater), with an 18 ft height limit and 6 ft from the house. A shed at an existing home is usually exempt from a coastal development permit, except near beaches, bluffs or habitat areas; the city's building-permit thresholds weren't available to us.
| Accessory structures | Allowed with a single-family home [1] |
| Max height (non-beachfront) | 18 feet [2] |
| Side yard setback | At least 10% of lot width or 5 ft, whichever is greater (25% combined) [3] |
| Rear yard setback | 15% of lot depth or 15 ft, whichever is greater [4] |
| Distance from house | 6 feet minimum [5] |
| Counts toward total development square footage | Yes (sheds included) [6] |
| Beachfront lots | Not seaward of the dwelling stringline [7] |
| Coastal development permit | Usually exempt at an existing home [8] |
Where a shed can go
Accessory structures normally associated with a home, such as workshops, studios and pool cabanas, may be built with a permitted or existing single-family house [1]. They must sit within the approved development area and be clustered with the house to limit fuel-modification clearing.
The Local Implementation Plan (LIP, current through September 2020) doesn't have a special setback for small sheds, and sheds aren't among the items allowed to project into required yards. On that reading, the standard yard setbacks for non-beachfront lots apply; the Municipal Code (not available to us) may treat small accessory structures differently:
- Side yards: together at least 25% of the lot width, and each side at least 10% of the width or 5 ft, whichever is greater [3].
- Rear yard: at least 15% of the lot depth or 15 ft, whichever is greater [4].
- Front yard: at least 20% of lot depth or 65 ft, whichever is less.
An accessory building must be at least 6 ft from the main house [5]. The yard-projection rules let only pool equipment, air conditioners and built-in barbecues sit as close as 3 ft to a side or rear property line.
Height and size
On non-beachfront lots, every building or structure on a residential property is limited to 18 ft above grade [2]. Sheds count toward the lot's total development square footage cap along with garages, barns and gazebos [6], so a large shed can use up allowable floor area.
Beachfront lots
On beachfront lots, no accessory structure, such as a gazebo or cabana, may extend seaward of the stringline of the neighboring houses [7].
Permits
Storage sheds at an existing single-family home are among the improvements generally exempt from a coastal development permit [8]. The exemption doesn't apply on a beach, in a wetland or habitat area (ESHA), within 50 ft of a coastal bluff, or for significant detached structures between the sea and the first public road. Building-permit size thresholds are in Municipal Code Title 15, which we couldn't review. The state building code exempts sheds of 120 sq ft or less, but ask the city whether it has changed that.
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Next steps
- Measure your lot width and depth to work out the side and rear setbacks (at least 5 ft side and 15 ft rear, or more on larger lots).
- Keep the shed at least 6 ft from your house and under 18 ft tall, and avoid steep slopes or habitat areas.
- Ask the Planning Department (23825 Stuart Ranch Road, 310-456-2489) whether your site needs a coastal development permit and how the shed affects your total development square footage.
- Check with Building Safety whether a building permit is needed, especially for sheds over 120 sq ft or with electrical work.
Common questions
- Do I need a permit for a shed in Malibu, California?
- Possibly. A shed at an existing home is usually exempt from a coastal development permit, except near beaches, bluffs or habitat areas. The city's building-permit thresholds weren't available to us; the state building code exempts sheds of 120 sq ft or less, but ask the city whether it has changed that.
- How close to the property line can a shed be in Malibu, California?
- The coastal zoning rules have no shed-specific setback, so regular yard setbacks apply: rear at least 15 ft (or 15% of lot depth, if greater) and each side at least 5 ft (or 10% of lot width, if greater). A shed must also be at least 6 ft from the house.
- How tall can a shed be in Malibu, California?
- On non-beachfront lots, every structure on a residential property is limited to 18 ft above grade. Sheds also count toward the lot's total development square footage cap.
- Can I put a shed on a beachfront lot in Malibu, California?
- Only landward of the stringline. On beachfront lots, no accessory structure may extend seaward of the stringline of the neighboring houses.
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
- LIP Sec. 3.6(N)(2)(a), Malibu LCP Local Implementation Plan (current through Supp. 13, Sept. 2020; Ord. 461, 4-13-2020), p. 113
Accessory structures customarily ancillary to single family dwellings including, but not lim- ited to, a stable, workshop, gym, studio, pool cabana, office, sport court, pool, or spa may be permitted as an accessory to a permitted or existing single-family dwelling.
- LIP Sec. 3.6(E)(1), Malibu LCP Local Implementation Plan (current through Supp. 13, Sept. 2020; Ord. 461, 4-13-2020), p. 105
Non-beachfront lots. Every residence and every other building or structure associated with a resi- dential development, including satellite dish antenna, shall not be higher than 18 feet above natu- ral or finished grade, including rooftop, parapet and deck walls and railings, whichever results in a lower building height, except for chimneys and rooftop antenna other than satellite dish an- tenna.
- LIP Sec. 3.6(F)(2), Malibu LCP Local Implementation Plan (current through Supp. 13, Sept. 2020; Ord. 461, 4-13-2020), p. 105
Side yard setbacks shall be cumulatively at least 25% of the total width of the lot but, in no event, shall a single side yard setback be less than 10% of the width of the lot or 5 feet, whichever is greater.
- LIP Sec. 3.6(F)(3), Malibu LCP Local Implementation Plan (current through Supp. 13, Sept. 2020; Ord. 461, 4-13-2020), p. 105
Rear yard setbacks shall be at least 15% of the lot depth or 15 feet whichever is greater.
- LIP Sec. 3.6(R)(1)(c), Malibu LCP Local Implementation Plan (current through Supp. 13, Sept. 2020; Ord. 461, 4-13-2020), p. 119
A minimum distance of six feet shall be required between any main residential building and an accessory building established on the same lot or parcel of land.
- LIP Sec. 2.1 (Definitions), Total Development Square Footage, Malibu LCP Local Implementation Plan (current through Supp. 13, Sept. 2020; Ord. 461, 4-13-2020), p. 42
TOTAL DEVELOPMENT SQUARE FOOTAGE - the calculation of the interior space of the primary and accessory structures (including interior and exterior walls). Accessory structures shall include, but are not limited to, guest houses, garages, barns, sheds, gazebos, cabanas.
- LIP Sec. 3.6(G)(5), Malibu LCP Local Implementation Plan (current through Supp. 13, Sept. 2020; Ord. 461, 4-13-2020), p. 107
Accessory structures. No accessory structure (including, without limitation, a gazebo, cabana) may project seaward of the dwelling stringline.
- LIP Sec. 13.4.1(A), Malibu LCP Local Implementation Plan (current through Supp. 13, Sept. 2020; Ord. 461, 4-13-2020), p. 276
For purposes of this section, the terms “Improvements to existing single-family residences” includes all fixtures and struc- tures directly attached to the residence and those structures normally associated with a single family residence, such as garages, swimming pools, fences, storage sheds and landscaping but specifically not including guest houses or accessory self-contained residential units.