Do I need a permit for a shed in Ogunquit, Maine?
Yes. Ogunquit requires a Code Enforcement Officer permit to build any structure, including a small shed, and there is no size exemption. A shed must meet the same setbacks as the house: in the One-Family Residential and Residential districts that is 20 feet from the front line and 15 feet from side and rear lines.
| Permit required | Yes, from the Code Enforcement Officer, for any new structure [1] |
| Front setback (OFR, R) | 20 feet [3] |
| Side and rear setback (OFR, R) | 15 feet [3] |
| Front / side and rear setback (RR1, RR2) | 30 feet / 20 feet [3] |
| Max height | 35 feet (2 1/2 stories) in residential districts [5] |
| Max building coverage (OFR, R, with public sewer and water) | 30% of the lot, sheds included [4] |
| Survey with application | Required, even for a structure under 250 sq ft [8] |
| Setback from water bodies and shoreland wetlands | 75 feet in most districts [10] |
Source date
This answer relies on the town-posted December 2020 PDF of Chapter 225 (Zoning), with amendments through 2019. The current codified version could not be downloaded, so later amendments may have changed these rules.
Permit
You must apply to the Code Enforcement Officer before building or altering any structure [1]. The ordinance's short list of permit-free work covers repairs and decorative changes, not new sheds, so there is no small-shed exemption.
Setbacks and height
Accessory buildings must meet all of the ordinance's dimensional requirements [2], so a shed has the same setbacks as a house [3]:
- One-Family Residential (OFR) and Residential (R): 20 ft front, 15 ft side and rear.
- Rural Residential 1 and 2: 30 ft front, 20 ft side and rear.
- Farm: 50 ft front, 20 ft side and rear. Business districts and the SG1-SG3 districts have their own setbacks; the SLR, SLC, Stream Protection and Resource Protection districts use the nearest adjacent non-shoreland district's setbacks.
In the quoted table rows, small footnote numbers run into the values: "107" means 10 feet with note 7, and "508" means 50 feet with note 8.
Corner lots must meet the front setback on every street they face. The height limit is 35 feet and 2 1/2 stories in the residential districts [5]. Structures must also be at least 75 ft from water bodies and wetlands that are in the shoreland zone (50 ft in SG1 and SG2) [10].
Lot coverage
Building coverage counts all principal and accessory buildings, including sheds and garages [6]. In OFR and R the maximum is 30% with public sewer and water, or 20% without. In RR1 and RR2 it is 20% or 10% [4]. In the SLR, SLC, SG1 and SG2 shoreland districts, all non-vegetated surfaces count toward a 20% cap.
Survey
A shed with a footprint under 250 square feet is a "minor accessory structure" [7]. Your permit application must include a survey: a mortgage loan inspection type survey showing setbacks if your house was built after Article 12 took effect (2001) [8], or a Standard Boundary Survey if it was built before then. Bigger accessory buildings always need the standard boundary survey.
Design review
In the business and SG districts, a shed visible from a public way may need a Planning Board design certificate. Residential storage sheds that aren't visible from a public way are exempt [9].
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Next steps
- Confirm your zoning district and setbacks with Ogunquit Codes & Planning (207-646-9326).
- Get the required survey (mortgage loan inspection type or Standard Boundary Survey) showing the shed's location and setbacks.
- Apply to the Code Enforcement Officer for a permit with the plan, the shed's dimensions and its height.
- If you are in a business or SG district and the shed will be visible from a public way, ask whether you need a Planning Board design certificate.
Common questions
- Do I need a permit to build a shed in Ogunquit, Maine?
- Yes. Ogunquit requires a Code Enforcement Officer permit to build any structure, including a small shed, and there is no size exemption. The application needs a survey.
- How far from the property line does a shed need to be in Ogunquit, Maine?
- A shed has the same setbacks as a house. In the One-Family Residential and Residential districts that is 20 feet from the front line and 15 feet from side and rear lines. Rural Residential 1 and 2 require 30 feet front and 20 feet side and rear.
- How tall can a shed be in Ogunquit, Maine?
- The height limit is 35 feet and 2 1/2 stories in the residential districts.
- Does a shed count toward lot coverage in Ogunquit, Maine?
- Yes. Building coverage includes sheds and garages. In the One-Family Residential and Residential districts the maximum is 30% with public sewer and water, or 20% without.
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
- §225-4.4B(1), Ogunquit Zoning Ordinance, Chapter 225 (town PDF), p. 48
(1) An application shall be submitted to the Code Enforcement Officer for the following activities and these activities shall not commence without a permit being issued in accordance with this section: (a) Construction or alteration of a structure;
- §225-2.2, definition of "Accessory building or structure", Ogunquit Zoning Ordinance, Chapter 225 (town PDF), p. 15
Accessory buildings or structures shall meet all dimensional requirements of this chapter.
- Table 703.1, Dimensional Requirements (Setbacks), Ogunquit Zoning Ordinance, Chapter 225 (town PDF), p. 165
Setbacks (feet) Front15 20 20 30 30 107 20 30 20 508 Note 2 Note 2 107 15 30 Note 2 Note 2 Side and rear15 15 15 20 20 109 1011 1510 1011 20 Note 2 Note 2 109 None None Note 2 Note 2
- Table 703.1, Maximum Building Coverage, Ogunquit Zoning Ordinance, Chapter 225 (town PDF), p. 165
Maximum Building Coverage With public sewer and water 30% 30% 20% 20% None 30% 30% 30% N/A 2013 2013 2013 2013 70%16 0% 0% Without public sewer and water 20% 20% 10% 10% N/A N/A 30% N/A 20% 2013 N/A N/A N/A N/A 0% 0%
- Table 703.1, Maximum Building Height, Ogunquit Zoning Ordinance, Chapter 225 (town PDF), p. 166
Feet 35 35 35 35 35 35 35 35 35 35 35 35 27 3517 35 35
- §225-2.2, definition of "Coverage, building", Ogunquit Zoning Ordinance, Chapter 225 (town PDF), p. 18
The computation of building coverage includes all principal and accessory buildings, such as sheds and garages, located on the lot.
- §225-12.10, definition of "Minor accessory structure", Ogunquit Zoning Ordinance, Chapter 225 (town PDF), p. 151
MINOR ACCESSORY STRUCTURE — A swimming pool, above ground or in-ground, with associated decks and patios and any structure with a footprint of less than 250 square feet.
- §225-12.8B, Ogunquit Zoning Ordinance, Chapter 225 (town PDF), p. 151
B. Lots improved after effective date. Every application for a permit under this chapter for the construction of a minor accessory structure, as defined in §225-12.10 of this article, on a lot where the principal structure was constructed on or after the effective date of this article shall be accompanied by a mortgage loan inspection type survey with all proposed yard dimensions and setbacks shown on the plan.
- §225-11.4A(5), Ogunquit Zoning Ordinance, Chapter 225 (town PDF), p. 141
(5) Erection of the following structures, only if not visible from a public way: residential storage sheds, private residential swimming pools, hot tubs, gazebos, and pergolas.
- Table 703.1, Setbacks, Ogunquit Zoning Ordinance, Chapter 225 (town PDF), p. 165
From water bodies and wetlands 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 75 50 50 75 75 75