Shed Permit in Denver, CO
Permit Summary
Do You Need a Shed Permit?
Exemptions
A building permit is not required for a one-story, detached, non-conditioned accessory building used as a tool or storage shed, playhouse, or similar use when the projected roof area is no more than 200 square feet, the top plate height is no more than 8 feet, and maximum height to any point is no more than 14 feet, measured from the lowest adjacent grade. The exemption allows no more than two lights and two receptacles only with a valid electrical permit. Separately, a shed that satisfies the Denver Zoning Code's Minor Detached Structure form is exempt from a zoning permit.
Attached Shed Rules
The Section 130.3 shed exemption applies only to detached accessory buildings. A shed attached to a house or other building does not qualify for that exemption and is reviewed as construction affecting the attached building under the applicable residential/building and zoning requirements.
Shed Use Rules
The building-permit exemption is limited to non-conditioned tool or storage sheds, playhouses, and similar accessory uses. Under the Denver Zoning Code's Minor Detached Structure form, sheds must serve an accessory use and may not be used as an accessory dwelling unit or for parking or storage of vehicles. Living space in an accessory structure must comply with the Denver Residential Code provisions for dwelling space rather than the ordinary shed exemption.
Zoning & Placement Rules
Zoning Rules
In Denver Zoning Code districts using the Minor Detached Structure form, a shed that meets that form is exempt from a zoning permit. Option A allows one story, up to 4 feet in height and a 12-square-foot footprint; Option B allows one story, up to 14 feet in height and a 200-square-foot footprint. Minor structures are limited to accessory uses, excluding accessory dwelling units and parking or storage of vehicles. A shed that does not meet the Minor form is reviewed under the General Detached Structure form. Former Chapter 59 zoning, planned-unit developments, overlays, and other special zoning may apply different standards.
Setback Rules
For the Minor Detached Structure form in Denver Zoning Code Articles 3–9, the minimum side-street setback is 5 feet. The side-interior setback is 0 feet when the entire structure is in the rear 35% of the zone lot and 5 feet otherwise. The rear setback is 5 feet when no alley abuts the rear zone-lot line and 0 feet when an alley abuts it. Option B structures must also be at least 10 feet behind 75% of the total width of the primary-street-facing facade. General Detached Structures and specially zoned properties can have different setbacks.
Maximum Height Rules
The zoning Minor Detached Structure form allows a maximum of 4 feet for Option A and 14 feet for Option B, each limited to one story. Sheds that exceed the Minor form are reviewed under the General Detached Structure form, where height is set by the applicable neighborhood context and zone district; for example, the Suburban and Urban Edge General Detached Structure tables use a one-story, 17-foot maximum. Overlays, view planes, preservation rules, and special districts can impose additional limits.
Lot Coverage Rules
Minor Detached Structures are subject to the maximum building coverage for the zone lot shown in the applicable primary-structure building-form table, so a qualifying minor shed still counts toward building coverage. The applicable maximum varies by zone district and lot conditions; there is no single citywide shed coverage percentage. General Detached Structures are likewise subject to the coverage standards of their applicable zoning form.
Special Area Rules
Additional review can apply to landmark properties and historic districts, where exterior work may require Landmark Preservation approval; to designated design-review districts; to properties affected by view-plane height limits; and to regulatory floodplains, where floodplain permitting can be required. Properties governed by Former Chapter 59, planned-unit developments, conservation overlays, or other special zoning must follow those controlling standards instead of assuming the standard Denver Zoning Code Minor Detached Structure rules apply.
Construction Requirements
Foundation Rules
Under the 2025 Denver Residential Code, footings are not required for a light-frame storage shed of 200 square feet or less and 10 feet or less from grade plane to top plate when it is anchored to a slab or anchored to earth at each corner with at least four approved anchors. Frost protection is also not required for certain free-standing accessory structures without living space when they are structurally independent: light-frame structures up to 600 square feet with wall height up to 10 feet, and other-than-light-frame structures up to 400 square feet with wall height up to 10 feet. Other foundations must comply with the applicable residential-code footing and frost-protection provisions.
Fire Separation Rules
Denver Residential Code Section R302.1 governs exterior-wall fire-separation conditions. Denver's local amendment includes an exception for walls of individual dwelling units and their accessory structures without living space on the same lot. Other applicable exterior-wall, opening, projection, and location requirements continue to apply based on the shed's placement and project conditions.
Permit & Review Path
Permit / Review Path
A shed that satisfies all Denver Building Code Section 130.3 conditions can use the no-building-permit path, and a shed that also satisfies the Denver Zoning Code Minor Detached Structure form can be exempt from a zoning permit. If either exemption does not apply, submit through e-permits using the Building Log/residential pathway for a New Accessory Structure and obtain the required zoning and construction approvals. Separate trade permits are submitted for regulated trade work. New-construction projects over 500 square feet are subject to Denver's construction-and-demolition debris diversion requirements before permit issuance.
Trade Permits & Professional Design
Trade Permit Rules
Separate trade permits are required when the shed includes regulated trade work. Even a shed that is exempt from the building permit may have no more than two lights and two receptacles only under a valid electrical permit. Denver issues eligible electrical, mechanical, plumbing, roofing, and similar trade permits separately; for new single-family, duplex, and IRC-townhome buildings and additions, trade permits require the issued Residential Construction Permit before the quick-permit application can be completed.
Professional Design Rules
Denver's current structural-submittal policy for Denver Residential Code structures allows prescriptive lateral design when the project can demonstrate compliance with the prescriptive code. Engineered designs must include supporting structural documentation and calculations, and documents prepared by a licensed design professional must be sealed and signed where required. Engineering calculations requested for engineered designs must be signed and sealed by the responsible licensed design professional.
What You Need Before Applying
Requirements
Determine the property's zoning and whether the shed qualifies for both the building-permit exemption and the zoning Minor Detached Structure exemption. If an exemption does not apply, obtain the required residential construction and zoning approvals through Denver's e-permits process before starting work, comply with the Denver Residential Code and zoning standards, and obtain any separate trade permits. New-construction projects over 500 square feet are also subject to Denver's construction-and-demolition debris diversion requirements effective September 1, 2026.
Required Documents
For a permitted Denver Residential Code accessory structure, construction documents must show the scope and enough information to demonstrate code compliance, including applicable design criteria and loads, structural load path, foundation, floor and roof plans as applicable, and required elevations, sections and details. The zoning submittal must establish the shed's site placement and dimensions. Engineered designs require supporting structural documentation and calculations where applicable, with licensed-professional seals and signatures where required.