Do I need a permit for a shed in Freeport, Maine?
Plan on a building permit from Codes Enforcement. Freeport requires one for any building or structure covered by the state building code, and the zoning ordinance has no small-shed exemption. In the rural districts (RR-I, RR-II), a storage shed up to 200 sq ft and 12 ft tall must be at least 25 ft from side and rear lines. Everywhere else, sheds must meet the district's full setbacks, for example 20 ft side and 30 ft rear in MDR-I and MDR-II.
| Permit | Building permit from the Codes Enforcement Officer (for buildings/structures as defined in MUBEC) [1] |
| 'Shed' (RR-I, RR-IA, RR-II) | ≤200 sq ft, ≤12 ft tall, storage only [2] |
| Shed side/rear setback (RR-I, RR-II) | 25 ft [8] |
| Accessory structures in other districts | Must meet district space standards [3] |
| MDR-I / MDR-II setbacks | Front 30 ft, side 20 ft, rear 30 ft [4] |
| RR-I standard setbacks (non-subdivision lot) | Front 50 ft, side 50 ft, rear 75 ft [5] |
| Village I setbacks | Front 25 ft, side 15 ft, rear 25 ft [6] |
| Max height | 35 ft (district building height); RR shed exception requires ≤12 ft [4] |
| Shoreland Zone water setback | 75 ft from the high-water line / wetland edge [7] |
Permit
Section 601.D requires a building permit from the Codes Enforcement Officer to build, move, or enlarge "any building or other structure, as defined in the most current Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code" [1]. The Zoning Ordinance has no square-footage exemption for small sheds. Ask Codes whether a small prefab shed falls under the building code. The application needs a scaled plot plan showing the lot and existing buildings.
Setbacks
Accessory structures "shall conform to the space standards of each district" [3]. That means sheds generally have the same setbacks as the house:
- MDR-I / MDR-II (lots not in subdivisions): 30 ft front, 20 ft side, 30 ft rear [4]. Lots in open-space subdivisions approved after 2002 have smaller setbacks, such as 20 ft front, 10 ft side, and 25 ft rear.
- Village I: 25 ft front, 15 ft side, 25 ft rear [6], although building setbacks there are also governed by the Village Design Standards.
- RR-I (lots not in subdivisions): 50 ft front, 50 ft side, 75 ft rear [5].
Rural districts: reduced shed setback
In RR-I, RR-IA, and RR-II, a "shed" is a structure no larger than 200 sq ft and no taller than 12 ft, used only for storage and not to shelter animals, people, or cars. It needs only 25 ft from side and rear lines [8]. A bigger building, a garage, or a coop must meet the full district setbacks.
Height and attached structures
The district maximum building height is 35 ft [4]. A shed or garage attached to the house by a wall counts as part of the house.
Near the water
In the Shoreland Zone, new accessory structures must be at least 75 ft from the normal high-water line or wetland edge (250 ft in Resource Protection 1) [7]. If a lot can't meet that setback, the CEO may allow a single storage structure of up to 80 sq ft and 8 ft tall.
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Next steps
- Find your zoning district on Freeport's Official Zoning Map and check whether your lot is in a subdivision or the Shoreland Zone.
- Sketch a plot plan showing the shed's size and its distance to each property line (and to any water or wetland).
- Apply for a building permit with Codes Enforcement (contact details on the Town of Freeport website), or confirm with them that your shed is exempt under the building code.
- In RR districts, keep the shed to 200 sq ft or less and 12 ft or less in height, storage only, to qualify for the 25-ft side/rear setback.
Common questions
- Do I need a permit to build a shed in Freeport, Maine?
- Plan on one. Freeport requires a building permit from Codes Enforcement for any structure covered by the state building code, and the zoning ordinance has no small-shed exemption. Ask whether a small prefab shed falls under the building code.
- How far from the property line does a shed have to be in Freeport, Maine?
- In RR-I, RR-IA and RR-II, a storage shed up to 200 sq ft and 12 feet tall needs only 25 feet from side and rear lines. Elsewhere, sheds must meet the district's full setbacks, for example 20 feet side and 30 feet rear in MDR-I and MDR-II.
- How tall can a shed be in Freeport, Maine?
- The district maximum building height is 35 feet. The reduced rural-district shed setback requires the shed to be 12 feet tall or less.
- How far from the water does a shed have to be in Freeport, Maine?
- In the Shoreland Zone, new accessory structures must be at least 75 feet from the high-water line or wetland edge (250 feet in Resource Protection 1). If a lot can't meet that, the CEO may allow one storage structure up to 80 sq ft and 8 feet tall.
Maine building code and shoreland rules for sheds
Building code (MUBEC): The Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code adopts the 2021 International Residential Code, effective April 7, 2025. It must be enforced in towns with more than 4,000 residents. Smaller towns may choose to enforce it, but they can't adopt any other building code.
- Maine's version of the code says building permits are required "where required by municipal ordinance," and towns can exempt more work from permits.
- The residential code exempts small one-story detached accessory buildings from a building permit. Under the IRC that means up to 200 sq ft.
- Being exempt from a building permit doesn't exempt you from zoning. Setbacks, lot coverage and any land-use permit still apply. Check with your code officer.
Shoreland zone: A shed is a "structure" under the state shoreland rules, so it must meet the water setbacks: generally 100 ft from GPA great ponds and 75 ft from other waters and wetlands. It also counts toward the 20% lot-coverage cap. On a small nonconforming lot where a shed can't meet the setback, the code officer may allow one shed up to 80 sq ft and 8 ft tall, with no utilities. It has to be as far from the water as practical and never closer than the house.
What the ordinance says
- Sec. 601.D, Zoning Ordinance (Chapter 21), p. 209
D. Building Permit: A Building Permit issued by the Codes Enforcement Officer shall be required for the construction, alteration, movement, enlargement, replacement, repair, equipment, use and occupancy, change of use, location, relocation, maintenance, removal and demolition of any building or other structure, as defined in the most current Maine Uniform Building and Energy Code.
- Sec. 402.I.F.2 (RR-I); also 402.II.D.3 and 403.F.2, Zoning Ordinance (Chapter 21), p. 51
For the purposes of this section, a shed is defined as a structure that is no greater than two hundred (200) square feet with a building height of no more than twelve (12) feet and that is used solely for the storage of property, not shelter for animals, people, or passenger vehicles.
- Sec. 104 Definitions, Accessory Use or Structure, Zoning Ordinance (Chapter 21), p. 11
Accessory structures shall conform to the space standards of each district.
- Sec. 404.C (MDR-I space standards), Zoning Ordinance (Chapter 21), p. 57
C. Space Standards for Lots Which Are Not Within Subdivisions as Listed in D Below: 1. Minimum lot area: 50,000 s.f. 2. Minimum road frontage: 150 feet 3. Maximum building height: 35 feet 4. Minimum setback -Front 30 feet -Side 20 feet -Rear 30 feet
- Sec. 402.I.C (RR-I space standards), Zoning Ordinance (Chapter 21), p. 50
4. Minimum setback Front 50 feet Side 50 feet Rear 75 feet
- Sec. 407.C (V-I space standards), Zoning Ordinance (Chapter 21), p. 68
4. Minimum setback Front 25 feet Side 15 feet Rear 25 feet
- Sec. 306.B.1, Shoreland Zoning Ordinance (Chapter 65), p. 31
1. All new principal and accessory structures shall be setback at least seventy-five (75) feet, horizontal distance, from the normal high-water line of a waterbody, tributary stream or the upland edge of a wetland.
- Sec. 402.I.F.2 (RR-I); also 402.II.D.3 and 403.F.2, Zoning Ordinance (Chapter 21), p. 51
Sheds as defined in this section have a minimum side and rear setback requirement of twenty- five (25) feet.