Home Depot claims they will erect a 6 x 8-foot shed, no permit needed, what about that? To do the right thing, I need your professional help.
A.
Your Town, the Town of Hempstead, has specific requirements for the location and size of a shed. These requirements are spelled out in their zoning guidelines, which state that the shed can be no more than 70 square feet or 7 feet tall. The shed must be located in the rear yard no closer than 2 feet from a side or rear property line. Other than Town requirements, there are no other size guidelines that apply.I often hear strange stories about county rules that do not exist. I wrote a proposal that would require all companies doing business in this county to inform the buyers of sheds they sell or install, as to the requirements of their town or village, before selling or erecting the shed. Currently no store or contractor has to tell you the truth. They just want to sell you something and let you worry about the zoning mess later. Unfortunately, our county legislators laughed at the idea of passing such a law. So let's say you bought the over-sized shed and put it too close to your property line. Then you try to sell your house and the buyer's attorney brings up the question of whether you have a permit. Now you are forced to make a decision to either reduce your selling price to the buyer (usually by some ridiculously inflated number) or get a permit. This takes several months and a trip not only to the building department, but a detour to the Board of Zoning Appeals. You pay about $90 for your application, about $500 for plans to be made, $125 to the Board of Zoning Appeals, and about $1,200 for your zoning case to be prepared. All because the shed company sort of told you some lie about not needing a permit so they could make a quick sale.Hire a professional to prepare a plan, elevations, and site plan with correct zoning information for the same $500 and they can save you the $1,200 for the zoning problem you can avoid.The reason for a plan prepared by a professional is that the shed is structural and can cause a safety hazard if it collapses or blows away in strong winds if not anchored to a foundation in accordance with State Building Codes.Call or write your county legislator, as well, and send them this article. Ask them why they have not passed a simple proposal to save you a lot of aggravation and expense.Remember, shed happens! Thank you for your question. Readers are encouraged to send questions to: HERALD Homes, 379 Central Avenue, P.O. Box 220, Lawrence, N.Y. 11559-0220Attn: Monte Leeper, architect.
