How close to the boundary can I build a shed?

A shed can sit as close to a boundary as the siting rules for your lot allow, and those change with the state, the zone, the shed’s height and the length of its wall along the boundary. Many states let a small, low shed sit closer than the house, sometimes on the boundary itself, within limits. Closer than the rules allow, the council has to agree before the building approval is given.

What is the shed setback from a side or rear boundary?

It is the distance the rules ask the shed to keep, measured to its wall, or to its roof edge or gutter where the rules say so. The side and rear distances come from the state’s siting rules, and a council can change them for a zone. A taller shed, or one with a long wall facing the neighbour, is usually asked to keep further back, because it casts more shade and closes in more of the yard. The post on boundary setbacks explains how each state reads the distance.

Can I build a shed on the boundary?

Sometimes. Several states allow a small outbuilding on or near a side or rear boundary when its height and the length of wall along the boundary stay within set limits. Near a boundary the building rules also ask how fire is kept from passing to the neighbour, which can mean a wall built to resist it, and the roof water has to drain to your own lot, never over the fence. A wall on the boundary is built and kept up from your side, so think about access before you set it out.

What about the front of the lot?

The street setback is stricter. Most councils want a shed kept behind the front wall of the house, or at least back from the street by the distance set for the zone, and a corner lot has a second street boundary to keep back from. The post on where to put a shed covers the house, easements and overlays as well.

What if I want it closer than the rules allow?

Ask for a boundary relaxation or siting variation. In Queensland the council decides it before the certifier gives the building approval, in New South Wales a shed outside the exempt and complying standards usually goes to the council as a development application, and in Victoria the building surveyor asks the council for its report and consent. Each weighs the neighbour’s light, privacy and outlook, and may ask for the neighbour’s view. The post on boundary relaxations explains what goes in.

Reading it for your own lot

RapidSiteplan reads the council and building rules for your lot from its address, checks the design against them as you place it, lets you edit it as often as you like, and prints the site plan. Site plans and assessments in minutes. Drop the shed on at its kit size and the distance to each boundary updates as you drag it, so you can see where it fits inside the rules.

Search your address, see how a shed or carport site plan is drawn, or read what we hold for Logan. Site plans by council covers the rest of Australia.

Common questions

How close to the boundary can I build a shed? As close as the siting rules for your lot allow, which depend on the state, the zone, the shed’s height and the length of its wall. A small, low shed is often allowed closer than the house. Closer than the rules allow, the council has to agree first.

What is the shed setback from the boundary? It is the distance the rules ask a shed to keep from each boundary, measured to its wall or roof edge as the rules say. It varies by state and council, and the street setback is usually stricter than the side and rear.

Can I put a shed on the boundary? In several states, yes, within limits on its height and on the length of wall along the boundary. It then needs protection against fire passing to the neighbour, and its roof water drained to your own lot. Outside those limits the council decides.