Shed Permit in Tampa, FL
Permit Summary
Do You Need a Shed Permit?
Exemptions
A building permit is not required for a one-story detached accessory structure used as a tool or storage shed, playhouse, or similar use when its floor area does not exceed 120 square feet. This exemption does not waive zoning or setback requirements.
Attached Shed Rules
The 120-square-foot building-permit exemption applies only to detached one-story sheds and similar structures, so an attached shed is not within that exemption. Under Sec. 27-290, a principal and accessory structure may not be connected by an enclosed passageway or room addition unless all structures meet principal-structure setbacks.
Shed Use Rules
A shed is an accessory structure on the same parcel as the principal structure and its use must be incidental to the principal use. The 120-square-foot permit exemption is expressly for one-story detached tool and storage sheds, playhouses, and similar uses; other uses can trigger different building or zoning requirements. For a permitted accessory structure, HVAC triggers energy-calculation requirements.
Zoning & Placement Rules
Zoning Rules
All sheds, including sheds exempt from a building permit, must comply with Tampa zoning. For accessory structures to single-family detached dwellings, Sec. 27-290 governs placement, height, separation, and when principal-structure setbacks apply. Additional zoning or historic-preservation approvals may be required for some sites.
Setback Rules
For an accessory structure with gross floor area less than 15% of the minimum required lot size, Sec. 27-290 requires a 60-foot front setback, 3-foot side and rear setbacks, and a corner setback of 15 feet in RS-75, RS-100, and RS-150 districts or 7 feet in other residential districts. Minimum separation from the principal structure is 10 feet in RS-75, RS-100, and RS-150 and 5 feet in other districts. An accessory structure larger than 15% of the minimum required lot size must meet principal-structure setbacks.
Maximum Height Rules
Accessory structures are generally limited to 15 feet in height. In a national or local historic district, the zoning administrator, after consultation with the historic-preservation administrator, may approve an increase of up to 50% of that height limit when taller accessory structures are characteristic of the district.
Lot Coverage Rules
Sec. 27-290 does not state a single citywide shed-specific maximum lot-coverage percentage in the cited provision. It instead uses accessory-structure gross floor area, including parking areas, relative to the minimum required lot size to determine setback treatment: structures less than 15% use accessory-structure setbacks, while structures larger than 15% must meet principal-structure setbacks.
Special Area Rules
Historic-district properties may require a Certificate of Appropriateness for new construction or exterior work; Sec. 27-290 also allows a historic-district accessory-structure height increase under the stated approval conditions. Permit site plans must identify flood zones, and flood-zone properties may have additional flood-resilient construction or documentation requirements. Tree, easement, and drainage constraints are also reviewed when applicable.
Construction Requirements
Foundation Rules
For a permitted residential accessory structure, building plans must include the foundation plan, section, and details. Typical City inspections may include foundation/footer, stem-wall, and above-grade-slab inspections depending on the design. The 120-square-foot permit exemption is based on story, detached status, use, and area rather than a stated foundation type.
Fire Separation Rules
Tampa applies the 2023 Florida Building Code, Residential (8th Edition) to qualifying one- and two-family residential accessory structures. Fire-resistance, exterior-wall, opening, projection, and property-line requirements for a permitted shed depend on the applicable code provisions and the shed's fire-separation distance and construction; Tampa's zoning setbacks apply independently.
Permit & Review Path
Permit / Review Path
A qualifying one-story detached tool or storage shed, playhouse, or similar structure of 120 square feet or less follows the building-permit-exempt path but must still meet zoning requirements. Other residential sheds use Tampa's Residential New Accessory Structure process through Accela, with site and building plan review followed by required inspections and completion.
Trade Permits & Professional Design
Trade Permit Rules
Electrical, plumbing, or mechanical work associated with a shed may require the applicable trade permit and inspections. Tampa's accessory-structure inspection guidance lists electrical, plumbing, and mechanical rough-in and final inspections when those systems are part of the project; a storage-only shed without those systems does not trigger those trade scopes.
Professional Design Rules
For a permitted residential new accessory structure, Tampa's current application guide requires building plans to be signed and sealed by a Florida-licensed architect or engineer. A topographical survey, required when the accessory structure is 1,000 square feet or more, must be signed and sealed by a Florida-licensed surveyor. Energy calculations are additionally required when HVAC is included.
What You Need Before Applying
Requirements
For a shed that requires a building permit, apply through Tampa's Accela portal under the applicable residential accessory-structure path, submit the required site and building plans, comply with the current Florida Building Code and Tampa zoning requirements, pay required fees, and complete required inspections. Permit-exempt sheds still must maintain applicable setbacks and comply with other applicable code requirements.
Required Documents
For a permitted residential accessory structure, principal submittals include a site plan showing property lines, elevations, flood-zone information, trees, proposed structures and utilities, distances to structures and lot lines, drainage, and easements; and signed-and-sealed building plans showing the scope, floor plan, product approvals, elevations, structural criteria, foundation, framing, wall sections, and equipment. A signed-and-sealed topographical survey is required when the accessory structure is 1,000 square feet or more. Energy calculations are required when the scope includes HVAC, and private-provider documents apply when that review path is used.