Can I install a storage shed at my new house?
The answer to this will vary from town to town and is best answered by a call to the on duty zoning officer there. You see storage sheds under 200 s.f. are handled under the Florida Building Code by Fl Statute 553.37(3) which states that basically any new sheds must be approved by the the Florida Building Commission (or be designed by a licensed architect or engineer) and bear an approval stamp etc., etc similar to a stamp on a hurricane panel. The cheapest way to go is to find and buy one which has been approved by the FBC. Approvals may be CHECKED HERE.
So why call zoning? Well, in Florida the local zoning issues are left to the locals and sheds are covered by these. The town may not allow them (like North Palm Beach) or allow them with certain zoning restrictions like set backs and the like. Also, if the property is in a Home Owners Association then one should check to make sure that the covenants and restrictions allow them. It gets ‘finicky’ with these. In North Palm Beach one can have a detached garage subject to set of set backs and an open pergola subject to another set of set backs but the pergola may not be used for storage and storage sheds are not allowed.
FL 553.37(3) reads “After the effective date of the Florida Building Code, no manufactured building, except as provided in subsection (12), may be installed in this state unless it is approved and bears the insignia of approval of the department and a manufacturer’s data plate. Approvals issued by the department under the provisions of the prior part shall be deemed to comply with the requirements of this part.” AND 553.37(4) reads “All manufactured buildings issued and bearing insignia of approval pursuant to subsection (3) shall be deemed to comply with the Florida Building Code and are exempt from local amendments enacted by any local government.” Now these would be amendments to the building code, not the zoning code.
