First things first -
When planning an outbuilding, one of the first steps you should take is to look at any rules or regulations that may affect the size, location, cost, etc., of your proposed structure. Some of these rules and regulations may be beyond your control but others may not. Knowing this will help separate your dreams from reality. Your county’s Land Use Department will have some of this information.
In September of 2015 I went to my county’s Land Use Department armed with the PIN from my property tax bill. They looked up my PIN and determined that my property is zoned E2 (Estate Residential). (
Some of the rules that relate to E2 are discussed below).
I had visited the Land Use Department with the sole intention of gathering information, but before I knew it the employee started a building permit application for me.
He asked how big the building was going to be and, thinking he was just being conversational, I just threw out the dimensions 42’X80’. Next thing I knew he handed me a form with my basic information typed in and told me to go home and finish the rest. I had intended to go a little smaller in size but figured what the heck, one of the most repeated pieces of advice on GJ is to ‘go bigger.’
I paid $50 for the initial building permit application and a few dollars for a copy of my deed from the Recorder's office across the street.
I found that in my case I have some county regulations that relate to E2 property and some potential Homeowners Association (HOA) covenants.
My 4.9 acre plot is zoned E-2 (Estate Residential). This means my required setback is 20’, my maximum mean peak height is 20’, and the largest additional structure I can build is 1,800 square feet.
The 20’ setback is no problem as my property is clear enough and flat enough to allow me to stay at least 20’ away from my property line without any problems. However, the 20’ max mean peak height restriction and the 1,800 square foot size restriction will have to be addressed.
I want to put a 2-post lift in my garage so a 20’ max mean peak roof height means my walls can only 13’4” high with a 4/12 pitch. (I used the Ridge Height Calculator at
http://www.pole-barn.info/roof-pitch.html). That is also why I didn’t want a shingled roof. A shingled roof sheds water and snow better, and also dries faster, with a higher pitch but that would make my mean roof peak higher and hit my max mean roof peak height restriction. This would require shorter walls, putting my plan for a 2-post lift in jeopardy. A steel roof will shed water and snow just fine with a 4/12 pitch, bringing the roof peak down and allowing my walls to be taller. (PS - I have a 1955 White 3000 COE truck that requires more ceiling height to lift.)
In my area, a piece of property the size of mine (4.9 acres) is allowed 3,000 square feet of outbuilding. That would be fine except they consider my existing attached four car garage part of the outbuilding allotment. My existing garage is around 1,200 square feet leaving me 1,800 square feet of the original 3,000 square feet for my barn.
I decided to address the mean roof peak height restriction and the outbuilding square footage restriction with a variance request. I need a variance to change the maximum accessory building area from 3,000 square feet to 4,560 square feet. The existing attached garage of 1,200 square feet plus the addition of a 3,360 square foot pole barn = 4,560 square feet. 3,000 square feet - 4,560 square feet = 1,560 square foot variance. (The variance process is addressed below).
