How big can a detached garage or shed be in Canton Township?

Canton uses a formula rather than a flat cap (Section 2.03.D.1). The total floor area of all accessory structures on a residential or agricultural lot may not exceed:

• 33 percent of the house's floor area, plus 1 percent of the lot area, and
• 25 percent of the combined rear and side yards.

On a platted subdivision lot you also get at most two accessory structures. An attached garage designed as an integral part of the house does not count against the formula, so the allowance is genuinely for the extra shed or detached garage.

Worked example: a 2,000 square foot house on a 12,750 square foot R-3 lot supports about 660 plus 127, roughly 787 square feet of accessory buildings, subject to the yard-coverage check.

Height is capped at the smaller of your house's height or the district maximum, with a 45 foot allowance only for buildings at least 100 feet behind the house and 100 feet from neighboring homes (Section 2.03.D.2). Doors are capped at 9 feet tall in residential districts (Section 2.03.D.6), only one private garage is permitted per lot (Section 2.03.D.5), and the building can never house a business or dwelling (Section 2.03.D.4). Relief beyond the formula means a ZBA variance (Section 27.05).