Shed owners today delight in how much outdoor structures can enhance a home or any other property with surplus storage, additional living space, and many other portable storage/tiny home options.
However, in some places, adding a portable structure to a property isn’t as simple as a delivery or onsite build. Some local governments or homeowners associations (HOA) require permits and/or have guidelines for appearance and function.
Following these rules falls squarely on the shed buyer’s shoulders. Unfortunately, homeowners don’t often think a shed would require a permit or have structure guidelines to follow.
This has the potential to be an uncomfortable situation for shed professionals caught between a local government and an upset, dissatisfied customer.
The solution? Go the extra mile for your customers and do homework beforehand (and encourage customers to do the same) on local restrictions like permits and other potential guidelines that may apply to their locations.
MIND YOUR Ps AND Qs
As Anthony Skinner, sales and marketing manager for Montana Shed Center in Great Falls, Montana, explains, these requirements can vary by county or region.
“We sell multistate and what we find as far as permits go, it really becomes area-specific,” he says.
“Big cities, then towns have to have permits for the specific counties and states, especially in Utah, even at a neighborhood level with HOAs.”
Doing your due diligence from the start can prevent headaches after the fact.
“It helps to break down any potential barriers in advance in order to avoid fines or any other penalties,” says Skinner.
“That possibility really just depends on the neighborhood or city level where they can say: ‘Hey, we require XYZ and Ps and Qs,’ and the state says you only need Ps and Qs. Ultimately, it comes down to the state, but the city might try to enforce the rest.”
Skinner believes people should know these details before they make a purchase.
“I think they just need to be informed about it,” he says. “The customer thinks: ‘Oh, I just want to get my shed,’ but it comes down to educating people like we do on our shed website blog.”
For instance, as one blog post points out for Montana residents looking to add a shed, the first step is to know whether you need to adhere to city or state regulations.
If your city does not have specific regulations, you should investigate countywide regulations. If there are none, follow the state regulations for sheds.
CONSTANT RESEARCH
Regarding permits and all they entail, Skinner says extra staffing would be helpful for research, but that may not always be possible.
“For research, it would be nice having someone with a database or a compliance specialist for the shed guys selling the sheds,” he says.
“That would be ideal at the local level, but that’s not typically feasible to have someone full-time, so it’s primarily trial and error.”
To make matters even more complicated, permit requirements can change from one year to the next.
Size can be a standard guideline.
“A 200-square-foot shed is a good rule of thumb for local regulations to start kicking in,” says Skinner.
“If the city gets enough pushback, they might up it to 240 square feet if they’re tired of dealing with all the headaches.”
Some restrictions can cause delays for customers.
“One guy in Utah ordered a shed nine months ago, and he still has yet to get it with all the regulations that are out there,” says Skinner.
Other regulations may come into play with HOA guidelines, such as requiring the structure to be 6 feet behind privacy walls in addition to certain size and height requirements.
“The fines that can be associated with permits and other guidelines are typically monetary,” says Skinner about those who do not follow the requirements.
Other potential outcomes include neighbor complaints, a possible lien on the property, penalties imposed by an HOA when applicable, potential structural concerns, and the need to relocate or rebuild your shed.
With so much on the line, finding out what your customer needs early on with some research is well worth the extra effort.
