Brecksville shed, garage and generator rules

Section 1151.25(d) of the city’s Planning and Zoning Code sets the maximum floor area for accessory structures on a one-family lot:

• Detached garage: 660 square feet, in every district.
• Shed “or similar structure”: 144 square feet in districts R-A, R-8A, R-8 and R-16; 192 in R-20 and R-30; 240 in R-40 and R-60.
• Pergola, pavilion, gazebo (built “predominately open to the elements”): 256 square feet in R-A, R-8A, R-8 and R-16; 400 in R-20 and R-30; 550 in R-40 and R-60.

The city’s 2025 handout adds how it measures: “from the outer most structural members of the accessory structure (walls, posts for overhangs/extended roofs, etc.),” and different structure types can be attached to each other as long as each part stays under its own limit. Not sure which district you are in? The Building Department will tell you: 440-526-2630.

The yard schedule (Section 1151.26) puts accessory buildings, detached garages, tool sheds, hot tubs, gazebos and the like in the rear yard only, at least 10 feet from the side and rear lot lines (5 feet in R-8 and R-8A). A detached garage also has to be at least 10 feet from the house. The height limit for any accessory building is 15 feet (Section 1181.11(b)); the handout says that is measured “from average grade to the midpoint of the roof.”

A garage in the front yard, or one closer to the road than the district allows, needs a variance for location as well as size. Front setbacks in Section 1151.24 are 125 feet from an arterial or collector street in every residential district, and 60 feet from a local street in most (50 in R-8, 25 in R-8A).

Standby generators are covered in the Building Code rather than the zoning code, at Section 1326.02. We could not pull that section’s text from the city’s online code, so here is how the board itself describes it. Every generator case in the record is written up as a request “for a variance from Section 1326.02 to install a generator in the side yard, instead of the rear as required by code” (August 10, 2026 minutes; the same wording appears in the board’s October 2024 hearing notices).

Both generator requests in the record were approved 6–0, and both were about the house, not the owner’s preference. In March 2026 the electrician explained the gas and electric service come in on that side and the unit would be screened. In August 2026 the installer explained that the generator’s manual and the National Electrical Code require 5 feet of clearance from operable windows, which the rear of the house could not give; the board asked for plantings around the unit and the owner agreed. Bring the installer.

All 7 requests about accessory structures the board has decided since we started reading its minutes in November 2025, from the published minutes. 7 were approved. Click a case ID to read the minutes.

• BZA26-000018

  August 10, 2026 · 8410 Sunnydale Dr

  Generator on the side of the house. Code says back.

  Said: the installation manual and electrical code set clearances the rear yard could not meet.

  The electrician presented alongside the homeowner.

  Read the minutes

  approved6–0

• BZA26-000013

  July 13, 2026 · 6811 Farview Rd

  Garage of 936 sq ft. Code says 660.

  Said: storing collector vehicles and a tractor now kept off-site; the site where a storm took down a tree.

  Letters of support from neighbors were put in the record.

  Read the minutes

  approved6–0

• 2026-09

  April 13, 2026 · 8436 Riverview Rd

  Garage in the front yard, a bit over the size limit.

  Said: two-thirds of the lot is a ravine; the brick attached garage can't be expanded; a 2002 variance on the same lot.

  Letters of support from seven neighbors.

  Read the minutes

  approved6–1

• 2026-10

  April 13, 2026 · 10320 Barr Rd

  Two trailers and an RV, not in the back yard.

  Said: the rear of the lot slopes and drains badly; the house sits 200' back from the road, next to a highway.

  Applicant agreed during the hearing to move everything to the side yard with screening. A neighbor spoke in support.

  Read the minutes

  approved7–0

• 2026-05

  March 9, 2026 · 6946 Crystal Creek Dr

  Generator on the side of the house, behind bushes.

  Said: gas and electric service are on that side; screening from view.

  Neighbors sent a letter saying the location was fine. Approved with a condition.

  Read the minutes

  approved6–0

• 2026-06

  March 9, 2026 · 10404 Parkside Dr

  Pool house and pavilion, over the size limit.

  Said: keeping small children in sight while using the pool.

  Neighbor letters and HOA approval submitted; the board asked about the one neighbor not contacted.

  Read the minutes

  approved5–0

• 2026-07

  March 9, 2026 · 3340 Royalton Rd

  Bigger shed with a greenhouse, over the size limit.

  Said: the existing shed is rotting; yard and sports equipment storage; a gardener in the house.

  Read the minutes

  approved6–0

What the approvals have in common: a reason rooted in the lot (a ravine, drainage, where the utilities enter, a storm-damaged spot), and neighbor letters in the file. Five of the seven put neighbor support in the record.

Two neighbors of these rules come up often. A garage on the front of the house inside the setback is a Section 1151.24 request. A roof over the 30-foot main building limit (a portion of it, 10 to 30 percent of the ground floor area depending on the district, may reach 40 feet) is a Section 1181.11(a) request. The board approved all three it heard, each on the shape of the lot.

• BZA26-000015

  July 13, 2026 · 5901 Oakes Rd

  Garage on the front of the house, 30' from the road. Code says 125'.

  Said: a severe slope behind the house; photos of a neighbor's garage that sits closer to the road.

  Neighbor letters in support; one adjacent owner raised the visual impact and asked for landscaping.

  Read the minutes

  approved6–0

• BZA26-000008

  August 10, 2026 · 6727 Victoria Ln

  New house, 3' taller than the code allows.

  Said: the lot's grade.

  Read the minutes

  approved6–0

• BZA26-000020

  August 10, 2026 · 6721 Victoria Ln

  New house with a roof taller than the code allows.

  Said: a walkout basement on a sloped lot.

  Read the minutes

  approved6–0

1. Apply through the city’s Citizenserve portal and file one hard copy of the proposal by the deadline before the next meeting.
2. Include a site drawing to scale showing the lot, the house, existing structures, the new one, and its distances to the side and rear lines. Anything larger than 11 by 17 goes in as a PDF.
3. The fee is $50 for the first variance on a parcel and $15 for each additional one. Size and location are two variances.
4. The board meets at 7:30 PM on the first Monday after the first Tuesday of each month, in the City Hall Council Chambers.
5. City Council votes on the board’s recommendation the following Tuesday. Then apply for the building permit (two sets of plans, in person, and a 10-day posted waiting period, per the handout).

Sources: the city’s Board of Zoning Appeals page and accessory structures handout, as of September 2026. Code text is from the city’s published code PDF, 2023 supplement; confirm current numbers with the Building Department.