ZoningVerdict

Garages, sheds, and accessory structures in Royal Oak, MI

What the Royal Oak zoning ordinance says about garages, sheds, and accessory structures, district by district. Section numbers link to the official ordinance.

All districts

Detached accessory buildings (garages, sheds, similar structures) in residential districts follow § 770-22A. In nonresidential districts, accessory buildings follow the same placement, coverage, and height rules as principal buildings in that district (§ 770-22B).

For residential accessory buildings:

  • At most two accessory structures per lot (§ 770-22A(1)).
  • Side or rear yards only. A structure not entirely in the rear yard must meet the principal building's setbacks (§ 770-22A(2)).
  • A structure entirely in the rear yard sits at least 3 feet from rear and side lot lines (§ 770-22A(4)). A garage entered at right angles to an alley sits 10 feet from the rear lot line (§ 770-22A(10)).
  • Size: the combined floor area of all accessory buildings is capped at 10 percent of the lot area, and never more than 800 square feet of total ground floor (§ 770-22A(5)). Accessory buildings count toward lot coverage (§ 770-22A(6)).
  • Height: 13 feet, or up to 15 feet with one extra foot of setback for each extra foot of height (§ 770-22A(7)). Width may not exceed 50 percent of the principal building's facade width (§ 770-22A(8)).
  • Corner lots: no accessory building within 25 feet of a common residential side line may sit nearer the side street than the required front setback (§ 770-22A(9)).
  • An accessory building may not combine utility services in a way that makes it easily convertible to habitable space (§ 770-22A(11)).
  • The roof must be mansard, hip, gambrel, or gable, compatible with the house (§ 770-22A(12)).

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