Shed Permit in Colorado Springs, CO
Permit Summary
Do You Need a Shed Permit?
Exemptions
A one-story detached residential accessory structure does not require a PPRBD building permit when its floor area does not exceed 200 square feet and it is supported directly on grade. The exemption does not eliminate applicable zoning/site-plan, floodplain, fire, or separate trade-permit requirements.
Attached Shed Rules
The 200-square-foot building-permit exemption applies only to detached accessory structures. A shed attached to a house or other building is not covered by that exemption and is subject to the normal PPRBD permit requirement for construction, enlargement, or alteration of a regulated building or structure.
Shed Use Rules
Colorado Springs treats a shed as an accessory structure when it is detached and separate from the principal building, located on the same lot, incidental to the principal structure, and devoted to an accessory use. Accessory structures generally are not allowed in front yards unless specifically permitted, may not be vehicles, and may not be constructed and occupied before completion of the principal structure. Habitable or occupiable use can trigger requirements beyond those for an ordinary nonhabitable storage shed.
Zoning & Placement Rules
Zoning Rules
PPRBD requires a site/plot plan review for all accessory structures, permitted or not, and its project tool specifically states that a Colorado Springs accessory structure greater than 125 square feet requires zoning approval. Colorado Springs UDC Section 7.3.304 governs accessory-structure placement, height, dimensional limits, and use; zone-specific standards, approved development plans, easements, and overlay rules may add restrictions.
Setback Rules
Under the current UDC, accessory structures under 200 square feet may be located in the required rear-yard setback if they do not encroach into a recorded easement without City approval. Table 7.4.2-E allows an accessory structure under 200 square feet and under 12 feet high in the rear and/or side yard setback, subject to the easement rule. Structures 200 square feet or larger generally may not encroach into required setbacks except as specifically allowed, and structures over 200 square feet must have setbacks of at least 5 feet unless another UDC provision requires otherwise. Accessory structures generally are not allowed in front yards.
Maximum Height Rules
In the A, R-E, R-1 9, R-1 6, R-2, R-Flex Low, OR, MX-N, and MX-M zone districts, an accessory structure located in a required setback is limited to 12 feet in height. Outside a required setback, the maximum is 16 feet with a roof pitch under 6:12 or 20 feet with a roof pitch of 6:12 or greater. Other zones and site-specific approvals may have different controlling standards.
Lot Coverage Rules
A shed must comply with the lot-coverage limit for the property's zone district. In addition, current UDC Section 7.3.304 generally limits the combined gross floor area of all accessory structures to no more than the gross floor area of the primary structure, subject to the Code's listed exceptions for certain agricultural, industrial, and ADU structures.
Special Area Rules
A floodplain permit may still be required even when the shed is exempt from a PPRBD building permit. Colorado Springs states that accessory structures in the HS-O Hillside, SS-O Streamside, or HP-O Historic Preservation Overlay Districts are subject to additional review. In designated Wildland Urban Interface risk areas, current Appendix K applies to covered projects. For structures built on or after June 30, 2026, K106.1.1 excepts a one-story detached nonhabitable residential shed not exceeding 200 square feet from the structure-hardening requirement when it is at least 15 feet from the nearest adjacent occupiable structure; a Group U accessory building of any size is excepted from that structure-hardening requirement when it is at least 50 feet from a structure containing occupiable or habitable space. Other WUI fuels, site-management, review, or inspection requirements may still apply.
Construction Requirements
Foundation Rules
The building-permit exemption requires the shed to be supported directly on grade. For permitted accessory structures, PPRBD's handout allows a prescriptive monolithic foundation when the structure is no more than 750 square feet, is one story without a loft, the foundation does not retain soil, the slab and turned-down edges are a single pour, and the structure uses uniformly loaded wood framing. A one-story enclosed nonhabitable structure not exceeding 400 square feet may be supported directly on grade. Other foundation conditions may require an engineered design and soils report.
Fire Separation Rules
PPRBD applies the 2021 International Residential Code under the current Pikes Peak Regional Building Code. Where IRC Table R302.1(1) applies, fire-separation distance can trigger rated exterior walls and restrictions on projections and openings; current PPRBD reviews cite a 1-hour exterior wall when the fire-separation distance is less than 5 feet and prohibit openings when it is less than 3 feet. Exact application to a shed depends on its separation distance, configuration, and any applicable IRC exceptions.
Permit & Review Path
Permit / Review Path
Start with PPRBD's Start a Project tool. If the shed is one story, detached, no more than 200 square feet, and supported directly on grade, the PPRBD building-permit exemption applies, but zoning/site-plan review and any applicable floodplain, fire, or trade approvals still apply. Otherwise, submit the applicable Residential Detached Accessory Structure plan type, conditioned or unconditioned, for PPRBD plan review and permitting. PPRBD lists these plan types as eligible for electronic submission by homeowners and design professionals, with online permitting available where shown.
Trade Permits & Professional Design
Trade Permit Rules
PPRBC RBC105.1 requires a permit to install, replace, or repair regulated electrical, gas, mechanical, or plumbing systems. Adding those systems to a shed can therefore require the applicable trade permit even when the shed itself qualifies for the building-permit exemption. Conditioned accessory structures can also trigger energy and mechanical documentation and review.
Professional Design Rules
PPRBD requires nonconventional construction documents to be sealed and signed by a Colorado-licensed design professional. Its detached-accessory-structure handout also calls for engineer-stamped truss details when applicable. An engineered foundation with a soils report is required when the project does not use an allowed prescriptive foundation path, and nonconventional structures require a soils report and engineered foundation design for inspection.
What You Need Before Applying
Requirements
Determine whether the shed qualifies for the building-permit exemption before starting work. A nonexempt shed must receive the applicable PPRBD permit and plan review. Accessory structures must also satisfy Colorado Springs zoning requirements for placement, height, lot coverage, use, and any applicable overlay, floodplain, or wildfire requirements. PPRBD requires site/plot plan review for accessory structures whether or not a building permit is required.
Required Documents
For a permitted detached accessory structure, PPRBD's handout calls for a site/plot plan showing the address, legal description, property lines and dimensions, yards, existing improvements, and proposed construction; a foundation plan; floor and roof-framing information; exterior elevations; and a building section. Depending on the design, engineered truss details, a soils report and engineered foundation, energy-code forms, HVAC information, or other engineered documents may also be required.