Shed permit checklist — Tempe, Arizona
Assembled from Tempe’s own published permit rules. Every line below is quoted from a city document and linked to it. Nothing here is generated, estimated, or inferred from another jurisdiction.
Do you need a permit?
Tempe requires a permit for a shed.
The Detached Residential Accessory Buildings handout states that no building permit is required for a one-story detached accessory structure ancillary to R-3 and R-4 occupancies — a tool shed, storage shed, playhouse or similar use — with a floor area of 200 square feet or less, and that zoning requirements still apply to structures exempted by size. The Tempe Administrative Code as currently codified (City Code Sec. 8-105, 105.2) also conditions the exemption on the structure not containing any mechanical, electrical or plumbing.
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Sources
- shed — permit rules ↗verified August 2026
Other permits Tempe publishes rules for
Listed because the city publishes a separate rule for each type — not because this project necessarily triggers one. Whether it does depends on your scope of work.
- Deck permit checklist
- Fence permit checklist
- Water heater permit checklist
- Re-roof permit checklist
- Retaining wall permit checklist
- Electrical work permit checklist
- General building work permit checklist
BuildSpec is a reference, not the authority having jurisdiction. Confirm requirements with Tempe before you build.