Do I need a permit for a shed?

It depends on where you live. Many places exempt small sheds below a size or height, and ask for a permit above it or when the shed has power or plumbing. Check with your building or zoning office; the limits differ from town to town.

What drawings does a shed permit need?

Most often a site plan showing the shed, the house, the property lines and the distances between them. Larger sheds may also need a floor plan, elevations with the height, and foundation or framing details.

How tall is the shed in the template?

Both sheds have 8' walls and a gable roof with a 12" overhang; the elevations give the height to the ridge. Change the wall height or the roof's pitch and the drawings update.

The 12' × 16' shed has a note for an optional storage loft over the back. Raise the walls if you want room to stand up there, and the section shows the heights.

Shed permit drawings

Many towns let you build a small shed without a permit, and ask for one above a certain size, height or use (power, plumbing or someone sleeping in it). When a permit is needed, the main drawing is usually a site plan showing where the shed goes.

Start from the shed template, a 10' × 12' and a 12' × 16' shed on one plan, keep the one you're building and change it to your size.

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Drawings usually requested

What building departments commonly ask for with this kind of project. Each links to how to make it in DrawPlans.

Site plan with setbacksThe lot from its property lines, the building on it, the setback lines and the distance to each lot line.
Floor plan with dimensionsEvery wall to scale with its length, the rooms with their sizes, doors and windows.
Exterior elevationsEach side of the building with its doors, windows, roof and heights.
Building sectionA cut through the building: wall and ceiling heights, the floor, and the roof.
A PDF set at a stated scaleThe drawings as PDF pages with a title block and a scale bar, or a DXF for a designer's CAD program.

For a shed, the site plan usually carries the application: the shed's size and its distance from the lot lines and other buildings. Some places also want the height to the ridge, which the elevations show.

Example drawings

Drawn by DrawPlans from the templates below, exactly as it exports them.

Floor plans of two sheds drawn to scale: a 10' × 12' shed with a door, window and workbench, and a 12' × 16' shed with a roll-up door, side door, two windows and a note for an optional loft — The shed template: a 10' × 12' and a 12' × 16' shed. Keep the one you're building.

Front exterior elevation of the two sheds with gable roofs: the 36-inch door of the small shed and the 6-foot roll-up door of the large one, with level marks and the overall width and height — Front elevation of both sheds, each with its gable roof.

Building section through the 10' × 12' shed: 2×4 walls and floor slab cut solid, a window in the wall beyond, the gable roof with 12-inch overhangs, and the eaves and ridge heights — Section across the 10' × 12' shed: wall height, roof pitch and overhangs.

How to make the drawings

Start from the shed templateOpen the shed template, or draw your own building from scratch. It becomes your own plan, saved to your account.
Change it to your projectType your real wall lengths, move or resize the doors and windows, and add the roof in the Plan panel. The elevations and sections redraw from the plan.
Add the site plan and setbacksDraw the property lines from your survey, turn on the site plan and enter the setbacks: the distances to each lot line and the lot coverage are worked out for you.
Export the PDF setAdd the elevations and sections to PDF exports, then export one PDF with the floor plan, site plan, elevations, sections and schedules, each at a stated scale.

Which plan fits

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Questions

Do I need a permit for a shed?: It depends on where you live. Many places exempt small sheds below a size or height, and ask for a permit above it or when the shed has power or plumbing. Check with your building or zoning office; the limits differ from town to town.
What drawings does a shed permit need?: Most often a site plan showing the shed, the house, the property lines and the distances between them. Larger sheds may also need a floor plan, elevations with the height, and foundation or framing details.
How tall is the shed in the template?: Both sheds have 8' walls and a gable roof with a 12" overhang; the elevations give the height to the ridge. Change the wall height or the roof's pitch and the drawings update.
Can I show a loft?: The 12' × 16' shed has a note for an optional storage loft over the back. Raise the walls if you want room to stand up there, and the section shows the heights.