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Do I need a permit for shed or accessory structure in Cary?

Permit may be required

It depends. Whether shed or accessory structure needs a permit in Cary comes down to the details of your project.

The Town of Cary lists residential accessory buildings no more than 12 feet in any dimension as not requiring a building permit, but sheds and enclosed buildings greater than 12 feet in any dimension, including tree houses, do require a permit. Any project that changes a building footprint, including a storage building, requires a proposed plot plan and an as-built survey, and an as-built survey is required if the structure is within 5 feet of a setback, easement, or buffer. Environmental and site approvals (floodplain, stream buffer, erosion control) may apply on top of the building permit, so confirm your lot's conditions with Cary before building. A shed that will have electricity, plumbing, or a permanent foundation falls outside the usual small accessory building exemption, which generally covers simple unpowered structures only. Electrical and plumbing work each normally require their own permit and inspection even when the structure itself would have been exempt, and many jurisdictions require a licensed electrician or plumber to pull them. Zoning setbacks, height limits, and lot coverage are reviewed separately from the building permit, so confirm placement with your local department before the shed is delivered or poured. Wake County's own permitting office is Wake County Permits and Inspections. It issues permits for the unincorporated county, and in North Carolina the county is often the building authority even inside city limits, so confirm which applies to your address. Erosion control here depends on which town you are in. Wake County administers erosion control for all unincorporated areas plus six municipalities under interlocal agreements: Garner, Knightdale, Morrisville, Wendell, Rolesville and Zebulon. If you are in one of those six, or in the unincorporated county, your plan goes to Wake County. Raleigh, Cary, Apex and the other Wake towns run their own programs. A shed alone will not reach an acre, but it counts toward the total if you are clearing or regrading at the same time. The trigger is size, not cost: Wake County reviews construction plans for land development over one acre of disturbance. Ordinary single-family work is normally well under that, so this bites on large lots, big site regrading, or a project combined with substantial clearing. North Carolina does not use a square-footage exemption, which is why the national "under 120 square feet and you are fine" advice does not apply here. Section R101.2.1 of the North Carolina Residential Code states that accessory buildings with any dimension greater than 12 feet shall meet the provisions of the code, so the test is dimensional, not area based. The code also allows an accessory building to be built without a masonry or concrete foundation, except in coastal high hazard or ocean hazard areas, provided it does not exceed 400 square feet or one story, sits on an approved wood mudsill of at least 2 inch by 6 inch or 3 inch by 4 inch under Section R317, and is anchored against overturning and sliding with at least one ground anchor at each corner, with total resisting force equal to 20 psf times the plan area. Local practice varies widely. Some jurisdictions exempt a small shed from the building permit but still require a zoning or land use permit for placement, and a few require a permit for accessory structures generally. Any electrical or plumbing run to the shed needs its own permit even if the structure is exempt, and under NCGS 160D-1110 work that adds or redesigns electrical, plumbing, HVAC or load-bearing structure falls outside the $40,000 exemption regardless of cost. Zoning setbacks, easements and lot coverage limits apply to an exempt shed just as they do to a permitted one.

Documents you may need

  • Residential building permit application through the Town of Cary electronic plan review portal for sheds or enclosed buildings greater than 12 feet in any dimensionSometimes required
  • Proposed plot plan and as-built survey when the building footprint changesSometimes required
  • Structural details for the accessory buildingSometimes required
  • Erosion and sedimentation control plan where disturbance exceeds one acreSometimes required
  • Permit applicationSometimes required
  • Site plan showing setbacks and property linesLikely required
  • Foundation / anchoring detailSometimes required

Possible inspections

  • Footing or foundation inspection where a permanent foundation is placed
  • Framing inspection
  • Final building inspection
  • Footing / foundation or anchoring inspection (for larger structures)
  • Final inspection

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a permit for shed or accessory structure in Cary?
It depends. Whether shed or accessory structure needs a permit in Cary comes down to the details of your project. The Town of Cary lists residential accessory buildings no more than 12 feet in any dimension as not requiring a building permit, but sheds and enclosed buildings greater than 12 feet in any dimension, including tree houses, do require a permit. Any project that changes a building footprint, including a storage building, requires a proposed plot plan and an as-built survey, and an as-built survey is required if the structure is within 5 feet of a setback, easement, or buffer. Environmental and site approvals (floodplain, stream buffer, erosion control) may apply on top of the building permit, so confirm your lot's conditions with Cary before building. A shed that will have electricity, plumbing, or a permanent foundation falls outside the usual small accessory building exemption, which generally covers simple unpowered structures only. Electrical and plumbing work each normally require their own permit and inspection even when the structure itself would have been exempt, and many jurisdictions require a licensed electrician or plumber to pull them. Zoning setbacks, height limits, and lot coverage are reviewed separately from the building permit, so confirm placement with your local department before the shed is delivered or poured. Wake County's own permitting office is Wake County Permits and Inspections. It issues permits for the unincorporated county, and in North Carolina the county is often the building authority even inside city limits, so confirm which applies to your address. Erosion control here depends on which town you are in. Wake County administers erosion control for all unincorporated areas plus six municipalities under interlocal agreements: Garner, Knightdale, Morrisville, Wendell, Rolesville and Zebulon. If you are in one of those six, or in the unincorporated county, your plan goes to Wake County. Raleigh, Cary, Apex and the other Wake towns run their own programs. A shed alone will not reach an acre, but it counts toward the total if you are clearing or regrading at the same time. The trigger is size, not cost: Wake County reviews construction plans for land development over one acre of disturbance. Ordinary single-family work is normally well under that, so this bites on large lots, big site regrading, or a project combined with substantial clearing. North Carolina does not use a square-footage exemption, which is why the national "under 120 square feet and you are fine" advice does not apply here. Section R101.2.1 of the North Carolina Residential Code states that accessory buildings with any dimension greater than 12 feet shall meet the provisions of the code, so the test is dimensional, not area based. The code also allows an accessory building to be built without a masonry or concrete foundation, except in coastal high hazard or ocean hazard areas, provided it does not exceed 400 square feet or one story, sits on an approved wood mudsill of at least 2 inch by 6 inch or 3 inch by 4 inch under Section R317, and is anchored against overturning and sliding with at least one ground anchor at each corner, with total resisting force equal to 20 psf times the plan area. Local practice varies widely. Some jurisdictions exempt a small shed from the building permit but still require a zoning or land use permit for placement, and a few require a permit for accessory structures generally. Any electrical or plumbing run to the shed needs its own permit even if the structure is exempt, and under NCGS 160D-1110 work that adds or redesigns electrical, plumbing, HVAC or load-bearing structure falls outside the $40,000 exemption regardless of cost. Zoning setbacks, easements and lot coverage limits apply to an exempt shed just as they do to a permitted one.
Who issues the permit in Cary?
The local building department for Cary handles permitting. This page lists its contact details and online portal. Your mailing city is not always the permitting authority, so confirm the jurisdiction before you apply.
How do I find out the exact requirements for my project?
Run the free PermitRoadmap check for your specific project and answers. It returns the likely permits, documents, inspections, and next steps, each linked to its official source.

PermitRoadmap is an independent informational service and is not affiliated with any city, county, state agency, or permitting authority. Results are informational and do not replace confirming requirements with the local permitting authority.