Unfortunately, every city and county in the country is different when it comes to building permits for backyard storage sheds. I strongly suggest you make an anonymous call to your local building department before you start shopping for a shed so you have an idea of the size you can get and any other codes you need to know.
Play stupid, tell them you want to build a storage shed in your backyard garden, what do you have to do?
Most cities have size and height restrictions. Size is measured in square feet, width times length equals square feet.
I suggest you get the largest shed allowed in your local community. I have heard that my shed is too small thousands of times. Very few cities allow more than one accessory building, so unless you want to tear down the building and build another, get the size right the first time.
Other restrictions may refer to the location of the shed in your garden. Most cities will have a distance that you need to be outside of your property lines and how far you need to be from other structures or easements.
If a permit is required, your city may request a plot plan, building schematic, and a picture of the shed. You can use a photo of the brochure the seller of the shed has and you should also provide them with a construction schematic.
You can draw your own plot plan. The building department will want to see the size of your lot, where your house is located on the lot, the distance between the house and the back property line, and the location of the storage shed in the backyard. For your home and future shed, simply draw squares or rectangles at their approximate location.
Some cities will require a permit and some will not.
I always recommend that permissions be requested if necessary. If you decide to build a backyard storage shed without a permit and the building department finds out, they can really make your life miserable for quite some time.
You can’t fight the town hall.