What Size Shed Can You Build Without a Permit? 30 Cities Compared

Short answer: there is no national number. The 120 sq ft figure that most shed retailers quote is the line in 10 of the 30 largest U.S. cities we cover; 8 cities use 200 sq ft; the rest run from 100 sq ft in Cincinnati to 300 in San Antonio, 4 cities exempt no shed at any size, and Los Angeles ignores size altogether and asks what the work costs. We read each city's adopted code, its exempt-work list and its fee schedule and recorded the exemption, its conditions and what a permitted shed costs.

10cities draw the line at 120 sq ft

8cities draw it at 200 sq ft

4cities exempt no shed at all

100–300sq ft: the full range of size exemptions

Every row links to the city page that quotes the rule, so you can read the source language yourself. The table sorts by any column.

All 30 cities

City	Exemption?	Permit-free up to	Conditions on the exemption	Fee for a permitted shed	Rule the city cites, and notes
Albuquerque, NM	Size exemption	120 sq ft	One story, detached, tool or storage use; no required setback from a lot line under the IDO, but walls less than 5 ft from the line must be one-hour fire-resistive; not in the front setback; all accessory buildings capped at 25% of the side and rear yards	about $92 for a 140 sq ft shed; $138 for 240 sq ft (Table 112-A x 0.50 + 65% plan review), plus $25 to $45 zoning review	2024 Uniform Administrative Code 109.2.1; IDO 5-11(C)(4) Separate plumbing, electrical and mechanical permits are still required for exempt items. Frost line for a permitted shed's footing is 16 in.
Baltimore, MD	Size exemption	120 sq ft	One story, 1-2 family home; zoning allows a shed in the required rear yard only if it is no more than 180 sq ft, all accessory structures under 50% of that yard, 15 ft height cap	$78 for a 12x14 shed ($50 accessory fee + $3 tax + $25 application)	DHCD exempt-work list; BFRCBC 105.2 item 1; Zoning Code Table 15-601 The city marked the residential code's 200 sq ft shed exemption Not Adopted, so 120 is the line. One of the cheapest permitted sheds in the table.
Charlotte, NC	Zoning filing only	12 ft in every dimension, including mean roof height	No County building permit if no dimension exceeds 12 ft; a City zoning use permit is still required for every permanent accessory structure; not in the front setback, 3 ft from side and rear lines, 5 ft from the house	about $239 for an $8,000 shed over 12 ft (County valuation fee + $115 City review); the zoning use permit alone was $330 on the FY2025 sheet	Mecklenburg County Residential Construction Handbook; UDO Section 17.1.D The only city in the comparison that measures the exemption in linear feet rather than area. Building permits are Mecklenburg County's; zoning is the City's. The FY2026 zoning use permit figure was not findable, so the page says to confirm it in Accela.
Chicago, IL	Size exemption	150 sq ft	Single story, no more than 15 ft tall, no plumbing, used as a tool or storage shed, gazebo or playhouse; not on a designated landmark property	$602 minimum (plan-based permit with architect or engineer drawings)	DOB list of work not requiring a permit (Small Permanent Structures); Table 14A-12-1204.3(3) Zoning puts storage buildings in the rear setback only, capped at 60% of that setback and 15 ft. A detached frame garage up to 600 sq ft has its own $500 express permit.
Cincinnati, OH	Zoning filing only	100 sq ft, plus a $158.55 Zoning Certificate of Compliance	No taller than 8 ft, rear yard, accessory to a 1-3 family house; a Zoning Certificate of Compliance (or Certificate of Appropriateness in a historic district) is still required; 3 ft from rear and side lines, 15 ft and 800 sq ft zoning caps	about $246 for a 10x12 shed valued at $3,500; about $366 for a 12x16 at $8,000	Cincinnati Building Code 1101-17.1(12); Zoning Code 1421-01 The smallest size exemption in the table: the state residential code exempts 200 sq ft, but the city ordinance is what the Permit Center applies, so a 10x12 needs a building permit here. Walls within 5 ft of a line must be one-hour rated with no openings.
Dallas, TX	Size exemption	200 sq ft	One story, on a single-family or duplex lot; zoning still caps accessory structures (25% of the house's floor area in districts such as R-7.5(A)) and sets district setbacks	about $397 for a 240 sq ft shed ($1.07/sq ft + $125 inspection + $15); $974 if the $577 plan review minimum applies	Chapter 52 Section 301.2.1, item 2 Dallas publishes no shed fee line, so the figure is the Table A-I calculation and the city page labels it an estimate. A homeowner permit does not cover a permanent detached accessory building over 200 sq ft.
Fort Worth, TX	No size exemption	None: all storage buildings need a permit	Zoning caps the size by lot: 120 sq ft on lots up to 5,000 sq ft, 200 up to 9,999, 400 up to 43,559, 2% of the lot above an acre; 12 ft maximum height; setbacks of 5, 7 or 9 ft tied to height	$110.96 up to 175 sq ft ($61.01 + $33.08 application + $16.87 technology fee); $156.95 at 200 sq ft; $196.95 at 400	Residential permitting page and Nuts & Bolts brochure; Fee Ordinance 26-28781 (eff. 2026-10-01) Group U table The Administrative Code's exempt-work list covers fences, flagpoles and playground equipment, not sheds. Fees are per square foot, as Texas law requires for residential work.
Houston, TX	Size exemption	120 sq ft	One story, detached, no electrical or plumbing	about $213 for a 200 sq ft shed (square-footage tier + 25% plan review + $33.56 admin)	Residential Permitting 101 exemption list; Building Code Enforcement Top 10 sheet item 2(d) Houston has no zoning, but a wall less than 5 ft from the property line must be one-hour fire rated, deed restrictions apply, and lots in the floodplain may need a floodplain development permit even when no building permit is required.
Indianapolis, IN	Size exemption	200 sq ft	One story, not on or attached to a permanent foundation, no electrical, heating or cooling equipment; zoning waives the Improvement Location Permit for the same sheds; 5 ft from the rear lot line, out of front and side setbacks	$630 ($140 Improvement Location Permit + $490 structural permit); $799 with an electrical permit	Sec. 536-201(b)(17) as amended by G.O. 38, 2025; Zoning Ord. 740-801.A.3.g The city's 2021 Homeowner's Guide still prints the older 120 sq ft rule; the ordinance controls. Pour a permanent foundation or run a circuit and both permits apply at any size.
Jacksonville, FL	No size exemption	None: every shed needs a permit	Under 150 sq ft and $5,000 the permit is issued over the counter the same visit, often with no inspection; at 150 sq ft or more, sealed drawings and plan review	$85 for a small shed with no inspection; about $265 at the minimums for 150 sq ft or more	Ordinance Code Sec. 320.409; BID exempt-work list (patio slabs, not sheds) Zoning 656.403 lets a shed under 15 ft sit in the rear or side yard at least 5 ft from the lot line and 5 ft from the house; accessory structures are capped at 900 sq ft. A job of $5,000 or more needs a recorded Notice of Commencement.
Kansas City, MO	Size exemption	200 sq ft of roof area, eaves included	One story; zoning separately caps a non-garage accessory building's footprint at 200 sq ft and its height at 10 ft, 1.5 ft from rear and interior side lines, 10 ft from the house, never in the front or street side yard	$83.98 for an $8,000 shed ($58 + $4.33 per $1,000); electrical adds at least $52	KCBRC 18-16(b)(1)a; Zoning 88-305-02-C and D The roof is measured, not the floor, so a 10x20 with overhanging eaves can exceed 200 sq ft of roof. A storage building with a footprint over 200 sq ft needs a Board of Zoning Adjustment variance in most districts regardless of the permit.
Long Beach, CA	Size exemption	120 sq ft	One story, no more than 8 ft from floor to roof, no plumbing, electrical or mechanical; zoning: rear half of the lot, 300 sq ft or 5% of the lot and 13 ft maximum, prohibited outright in the R-1-S, R-1-M, R-2-S and R-2-I zones	about $931 for a 150 sq ft shed; $1,212 for 250 sq ft (valuation $71.07/sq ft + 85% plan check + zoning plan check + $115)	LBMC 18.04.020.B.2; Do I Need a Permit page; LBMC 21.31.245 New fees took effect October 1, 2026. An exempt shed may sit on the rear property line and one side line if the other side yard stays 3 ft clear.
Los Angeles, CA	Value rule	$2,500 of work (no size rule)	Work valued at $2,500 or less that does not affect structural stability or public safety, is not under a Department order, and does not change the use	about $366 for a $5,000 shed; $683 at $15,000	LAMC 91.106.2 item 1, 2026 Los Angeles Building Code The city's exemption list has no shed-size item at all. The 120 sq ft rule quoted for Los Angeles applies to Los Angeles County and other cities, not inside city limits. A site-built 10x12 almost always crosses the $2,500 line.
Louisville, KY	Size exemption	200 sq ft	One story, detached; Land Development Code setbacks depend on the form district (2 ft side setback in traditional districts; suburban standards not retrieved, confirm with Planning)	$75 minimum ($.13 per sq ft, so any shed up to about 576 sq ft pays the minimum)	Kentucky Residential Code R105.2, Building item 1; LMCO 150.096 fee schedule The cheapest permitted shed in the comparison. The exemption turns on floor area and stories, not the foundation.
Miami, FL	No size exemption	None: every shed needs a permit	City Code 10-5(b) lists no accessory-structure exemption; Miami 21 caps an accessory structure at 200 sq ft or 10% of the house, 5 ft side and rear setbacks, side or rear layer only	about $155 for a kit shed ($110 minimum + $40 application + state surcharges)	City Code 10-5(b); Miami 21 Section 5.3.1 The 120 and 200 sq ft exemptions seen elsewhere come from the model International codes, which Florida did not adopt on this point. Sheds are exempt from the solid waste surcharge. Work started before the permit costs double plus $110.
Milwaukee, WI	Size exemption	150 sq ft	At least 3 ft from every property line (closer needs a permit even where zoning allows 1.5 ft); tool or storage use; zoning: rear or side yard, 14 ft maximum height, 8 ft sidewalls, two accessory buildings per lot	about $248.60 for a 150 sq ft shed that needs a permit; $187.64 for a 200 sq ft shed ($0.45/sq ft + $75 review)	MCO 200-24-1.5-c; DNS shed handout; Table 295-505-3 A 200 sq ft shed costs less to permit than a 150 sq ft one placed too close to the line, because the per-square-foot garage line is cheaper than the flat $175 shed fee up to about 333 sq ft.
Minneapolis, MN	Size exemption	200 sq ft	One story, detached; zoning caps a detached accessory structure at 13 ft (16 ft by a $240 application if it matches the house), 800 sq ft or 10% of the lot for all accessory buildings together, 6 ft from the house; walls within 5 ft of the lot line must be one-hour rated	about $311 for a $6,000 shed with plan review; about $190 without	Minnesota Rules 1300.0120 subp. 4; city exempt-work list Electrical permits come from the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, not the city, and are required even when the shed is exempt.
New York, NY	Size exemption	120 sq ft	One story, no taller than 7 ft 6 in, at least 3 ft from every lot line, storage only, rear yard, one shed per lot, 1-2 family home	$130 minimum filing (about $149 for a $12,000 shed)	1 RCNY 101-14 Table 1, item 1; DOB Fences & Backyard Sheds page Above 120 sq ft the shed is an alteration filed by a PE or RA in DOB NOW; the design professional's fee is separate. A shed anchored to a slab or footing is no longer 'temporary portable' storage.
Philadelphia, PA	Size exemption	130 sq ft (zoning); building code says 200	Rear yard, one story, no taller than 15 ft, 1-2 family home, no vehicle storage	$189 zoning permit if the shed sits in a side or front yard; $82.50 building permit for a 240 sq ft shed once a variance is granted	L&I Shed FAQ PG_011; zoning exemption list; Title 4 A-301.2 The building code exempts up to 200 sq ft, but L&I's FAQ says a shed over 130 sq ft at a 1-2 family home is not permitted by the Zoning Code: between 130 and 200 sq ft you avoid the building permit and still need a Zoning Board of Adjustment variance.
Phoenix, AZ	Size exemption	200 sq ft (320 for an unaltered shipping container)	One story, no utilities, complies with the Zoning Ordinance: 3 ft from side and rear lines, not in the front yard, 8 or 15 ft height limit depending on position, counts toward lot coverage	about $746 for a 240 sq ft shed; $866 at 320 sq ft (valuation $69.64/sq ft + 100% plan review)	2024 Phoenix Building Construction Code 105.2 Building item 1; Permit Guide TRT 00823 The city's permit guide limits the exemption to structures without utilities, so a light or hose bib needs its own trade permit.
Pittsburgh, PA	Size exemption ⚠	200 sq ft per PLI; 120 sq ft per the City Planning zoning FAQ	One story, accessory to a 1-2 family home; zoning: house front and side setbacks, 5 ft from the rear line (2 ft on an alley), 3 ft from the house, 15 ft or one story maximum	about $191.50 ($130 PLI minimum + $11.50 fixed fees + $50 zoning minimum)	PLI Work Not Requiring a Permit page (09/14/2026); DCP zoning FAQ (11/2025); Zoning Code 912.04 Pennsylvania's Uniform Construction Code would exempt sheds under 1,000 sq ft, but the city code supersedes the state list. Between 120 and 200 sq ft the two city pages disagree; the page says to ask zoning before buying a kit in that range.
Portland, OR	Size exemption	200 sq ft (400 on a parcel over 2 acres)	One story, non-habitable, detached, measured inside the walls, no more than 15 ft tall; the 400 sq ft limit needs 20 ft from lot lines and other structures; counts toward building coverage	about $835 for a 240 sq ft shed at a $12,000 valuation ($167 minimum)	PP&D exempt-work list (ORSC R105.2 as adopted); Brochure 3 A zoning permit for an exempt shed is optional, $48. An electrical permit is required even when no building permit is: first circuit $194.88.
Sacramento, CA	Size exemption ⚠	120 sq ft (exempt list says 'not greater than 120'; handout CDD-0417 says 'less than 120')	One story, detached, no utilities; not in a design review or preservation district or on a landmark property; any shed attached to the house needs a permit	about $508 for a 140 sq ft owner-built shed; $679 for 240 sq ft, plus $132 design-review exemption and a $263 minimum Planning review	Building Division exempt-work list; accessory structures handout CDD-0417 (rev. January 2026) A shed of exactly 120 sq ft is a gray area between the two city documents; the page says confirm. Valuation for the fee is $69.64 per sq ft or the contract price.
San Antonio, TX	Size exemption	300 sq ft	One story, detached; zoning requires 5 ft from side and rear lines for structures over 30 in tall (3 ft with no eaves), side or rear yard only, all accessory structures capped at 2,500 sq ft	$150 flat if unfinished ($162 with surcharges); $172.50 finished up to 500 sq ft; $488.80 to 1,000 sq ft	City Code Section 10-6(e)(1)a; DSD No Permit Required list The largest size exemption in the comparison. A two-story shed or anything over 1,000 sq ft goes to a full Residential Building Permit with plan review.
San Diego, CA	Size exemption	120 sq ft of roof area	One story, projected roof area, no electrical, plumbing or mechanical; the exemption does not apply on a designated historical resource, in a historic district or on environmentally sensitive lands	about $2,427 to $2,604 ($1,501.42 plan check + hourly inspection + $737 General Plan fee)	SDMC 129.0203(a)(1); DSD When is a Permit Required handout The most expensive permitted shed in the table. A shed may sit in the required side or rear yard only on a lot of 10,000 sq ft or less and if it stays under 15 ft, 30 ft long and 525 sq ft.
San Francisco, CA	Size exemption ⚠	100 sq ft of roof area and 8 ft (code text); 120 sq ft of floor and 10 ft (DBI FAQ)	One storage shed per lot, detached, not on a deck, storage, tools or playhouse only; no greenhouse, pergola, cabana, sauna or outdoor kitchen; 5 ft from the property line unless the walls are one-hour rated	about $908 at DBI for a 150 sq ft shed, about $1,460 with Planning's fee	SF Building Code 106A.2; DBI Technical Services FAQ on exempt storage sheds; Planning Code 136(c)(23) DBI's FAQ and DBI's summary page give different limits. Under 100 sq ft and 8 ft you are exempt on every reading; at 120 sq ft the city page says to call Technical Services first. Lights and outlets in an exempt shed need a $305 electrical permit.
San Jose, CA	Size exemption	120 sq ft	One story, detached; zoning allows 12 ft (16 ft at the peak of a sloped roof), no living space, 650 sq ft of accessory buildings per lot in total, 60 ft front setback	about $585 to $740 ($211 processing + tiered inspection fee + plan check)	SJMC 24.02.120.A.1; Zoning Table 20-70 Separate plumbing, electrical and mechanical permits are still required for exempt items. No side or rear setback for a shed on an interior lot.
Seattle, WA	Size exemption	120 sq ft of roof area	One story, projected roof area (overhangs count), on soil, pier blocks or a slab on grade, detached, storage or similar unoccupied use, not in an environmentally critical area; zoning caps every shed at 12 ft	about $700 for a 10x14; $790 for a 12x16 (STFI permit on $72.18/sq ft value)	Seattle Residential Code R105.2 item 3; SDCI Sheds page A shed on a concrete foundation other than a slab on grade loses the exemption. Wiring needs an electrical permit from $105.12 plus $55.48 admin.
St. Louis, MO	Size exemption	120 sq ft	Less than 12 ft tall, placed on and anchored to a concrete slab at least 4 in thick, zoning setbacks kept; a wall closer than 3 ft to a side line must be one-hour fire rated	$105 for an $8,000 shed; $145 at $12,000 ($25 application + $10 per $1,000 over $3,000)	Ordinance 70795 Section 105.2 item 26; Building Division utility shed handout The only exemption in the comparison that requires a slab: as written it does not cover a 10x12 on skids or gravel, and the page says to ask the Hot Spot desk. The Building Division's web page still lists the old 50 sq ft cutoff; the ordinance controls.
Tucson, AZ	No size exemption	None: every shed needs a permit application	Under 200 sq ft with no utilities the filing is a site plan with zoning review and no building inspections; over 200 sq ft, or with any utility, building plans and inspections	about $359 for a 240 sq ft shed (valuation $29.56/sq ft + 50% plan review + 1% filing fee)	PDSD shed guide; Tucson amendments to the 2024 building code (200 sq ft review threshold) Tucson raised the building-code exemption to 200 sq ft but still requires a permit application for every shed so it can check front-yard placement and setbacks. A shed inside a setback needs a signed Neighbor Waiver or a $278.07 Design Development Option.

The threshold is the figure in the city's own code or exempt-work list as of the date each city page was last verified. The fee column is the city page's worked example for a shed just over the line (the size is stated in each cell), before card fees. A ⚠ marks a city that publishes two different limits; the table shows both and the page links to the discussion. Download the table as CSV.

What the comparison shows

120 or 200: the two numbers that matter

Ten cities draw the line at 120 sq ft, the figure carried in older building codes and still the most common one: New York, Houston, Seattle, San Diego, San Jose, Sacramento, Baltimore, St. Louis, Albuquerque and Long Beach. Eight use the 200 sq ft figure of the current International Residential Code: Phoenix, Portland, Dallas, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, Louisville, Kansas City and Pittsburgh. The outliers are Cincinnati at 100, Philadelphia at 130, Chicago and Milwaukee at 150, San Antonio at 300, and Charlotte, which measures 12 ft in any direction rather than area. A 10x12 shed, the most common kit size, is exempt in 23 of the 30 cities and needs a permit in Cincinnati, Miami, Jacksonville, Fort Worth, Tucson and Los Angeles, and is a question mark in San Francisco.

Four cities exempt no shed at all, and one asks what it cost

Fort Worth, Jacksonville, Miami, Tucson require a permit for every shed. Miami's exempt-work list simply has no accessory-structure item, because Florida did not adopt the model code's shed exemption; Jacksonville issues an $85 over-the-counter permit for sheds under 150 sq ft and $5,000; Fort Worth's residential page says all storage buildings require a permit; Tucson wants a site plan for every shed so it can check front-yard placement, with building plans and inspections only above 200 sq ft or when utilities are added. Los Angeles is different again: its code exempts work valued at $2,500 or less and says nothing about size, so a prefab kit under that price goes up without a permit while a site-built 10x12 almost never does.

Exempt from the building permit is not exempt from paperwork

Charlotte, Cincinnati waive the building permit for a small shed and then require a zoning filing anyway: Cincinnati's Zoning Certificate of Compliance costs $158.55, and Charlotte's zoning use permit was $330 on the FY2025 fee sheet. Portland offers an optional $48 zoning permit for an exempt shed, and every city in the table says zoning setbacks, height caps and lot coverage apply whether or not a permit is pulled.

Three cities measure the roof, not the floor

Seattle, San Diego and Kansas City apply their limit to projected roof area, eaves included, so a shed whose floor is exactly at the limit can fail on its overhang. San Francisco's posted code text uses roof area at 100 sq ft while DBI's FAQ uses floor area at 120.

The conditions that void an exemption

Wiring is the universal one: every city in the table requires an electrical permit for a light or outlet in an exempt shed, and Phoenix, Houston, San Diego, Long Beach and Sacramento write 'no utilities' into the exemption itself. Foundations cut both ways: Indianapolis and Seattle lose the exemption on a permanent foundation, while St. Louis grants it only to a shed anchored to a 4 in concrete slab. Distance matters in Milwaukee (3 ft from every lot line or a permit is due) and New York (3 ft, one shed per lot, 7 ft 6 in tall). Height caps inside the exemption run from 7 ft 6 in in New York and 8 ft in Cincinnati and Long Beach to 15 ft in Chicago, Portland and Philadelphia.

Three cities publish two different numbers

San Francisco's DBI says 120 sq ft and 10 ft in its FAQ and 100 sq ft and 8 ft on its summary page and in the posted code text. Pittsburgh's building department says 200 sq ft while the planning department's zoning FAQ still says 120. Sacramento's exempt-work list says 'not greater than 120' and its handout says 'less than 120'. Two more cities carry stale documents rather than conflicts: St. Louis's web page still lists a 50 sq ft cutoff the ordinance replaced, and Indianapolis's homeowner guide prints 120 where the 2026 ordinance says 200. In each case the city page on this site states both figures and says which document controls or whom to ask.

Zoning is the real size limit in several cities

Philadelphia's building code exempts 200 sq ft, but its zoning code does not permit a shed over 130 sq ft at a 1-2 family home, so the 130 to 200 band needs a variance from the Zoning Board of Adjustment. Kansas City's zoning caps a non-garage shed's footprint at 200 sq ft and its height at 10 ft. Fort Worth sizes the shed by the lot: 120, 200 or 400 sq ft. Long Beach caps accessory buildings at 300 sq ft or 5% of the lot and bans them outright in four residential zones. Baltimore allows a shed in the required rear yard only up to 180 sq ft. Miami 21 allows 200 sq ft or 10% of the house.

What a permitted shed costs: $75 to about $2,600

Where the page gives a worked example for a shed just over the line, the fee runs from $75 in Louisville, $78 in Baltimore and about $84 in Kansas City to about $931 in Long Beach, $908 at DBI alone in San Francisco and $2,427 to $2,604 in San Diego, whose flat plan check and $737 General Plan Maintenance Fee apply to any shed over 120 sq ft of roof. Chicago's $602 is a minimum: the area formula would give $33 for a 192 sq ft shed, and the shed needs architect or engineer drawings besides.

Method

The 30 cities are the ones whose BuildPermitGuide pages have been rewritten from primary sources as of October 2026: the city's adopted building code or state residential code as it applies locally, its published exempt-work list and its current fee schedule, each fetched and quoted on the city's shed page. The threshold in the table is the city page's own reading of those documents; where two city documents disagree, the row shows both figures and is flagged rather than resolved. Conditions are the ones the exempting provision itself states plus the zoning placement rules the city page records. Fees are the city page's worked example for a shed just over the exemption, at the size stated in the cell, before card fees. Nothing in this table is estimated from another city's rules. Each city page carries the date its sources were last verified and the change log records when a cited document changes.

Use this data. The table and CSV are published under CC BY 4.0. Cite it as:

BuildPermitGuide, “What Size Shed Can You Build Without a Permit? 30 Cities Compared” (2026), https://buildpermitguide.com/research/shed-permit-size-exemption/

Questions, corrections or a city you want added: contact us.

Frequently asked questions

It depends on the city. Among the 30 largest U.S. cities we cover, 10 exempt sheds up to 120 sq ft, 8 up to 200 sq ft, and the rest range from 100 sq ft (Cincinnati) to 300 sq ft (San Antonio). Four cities, Miami, Jacksonville, Fort Worth and Tucson, require a permit for every shed, and Los Angeles uses a $2,500 value rule instead of a size. Every exemption is conditional: one story, no utilities in most cities, and zoning setbacks still apply.

In 23 of the 30 cities, yes, as long as the shed meets the city's other conditions: one story, no wiring or plumbing, the required distance from lot lines, and in some cities a height cap or a foundation rule. A 10x12 needs a permit in Cincinnati (100 sq ft limit), Miami, Jacksonville, Fort Worth and Tucson (no size exemption), and Los Angeles (value rule), and is a gray area in San Francisco, where the city publishes both 100 and 120 sq ft.

Yes, in every city in the comparison. The permit exemption removes the building permit only. Setbacks from lot lines, height caps, rear-yard placement and lot-coverage limits apply regardless, and two cities, Cincinnati and Charlotte, require a separate zoning filing even for an exempt shed.

No. All 30 cities require an electrical permit for a light, outlet or circuit in a shed, even when the shed itself is exempt from a building permit, and several write 'no utilities' into the exemption itself. In Minneapolis the electrical permit comes from the state Department of Labor and Industry rather than the city.

The city pages behind this table

Each page quotes the code section, exempt-work list and fee schedule it relies on and records the date they were last verified.