Found out my shed was a fire hazard because of a local code I never knew

I was looking up rules for a new shed in my town, Greenfield, and saw that any storage building over 120 square feet needs a permit and has to be 10 feet from the property line. Mine is 150 sq ft and only 5 feet away, which is apparently a big deal for fire safety. The town website said it's to give fire trucks room to get back there. Has anyone else had to move their shed because of a rule like this?

3 comments

3 Comments

daniel_cooper342d ago

Man, that's rough. They really don't make those rules clear until you go digging, do they? It's not just about the fire trucks having space, either. Think about if your neighbor's place caught fire, that extra distance is supposed to help stop it from jumping over to your shed and then your house. Makes you wonder how many other people in your town are in the exact same spot and have no idea.

hayden_king2d ago

Ever notice how many rules are just hidden until you mess up? It's like that with everything from building stuff to taxes. They expect you to know but never actually tell you.

wells.christopher2d ago

Ugh, tell me about it. I built a deck last year and got hit with the same thing. I went down to the town office myself, super annoyed, and just asked for the handout on accessory structure rules. The guy at the counter had a whole packet. Turns out I was off by two feet because of my property line. Sucked to move it, but cheaper than a fine.