Lee County · Alabama
Metal buildings in Auburn, AL.
We supply detached garages, workshops, storage buildings and more across Auburn. Our work reaches from the neighborhoods near campus to the rural land at the edge of the city, and anywhere else you’re building.
Total accessory space
50% of the house
Behind the front line
10 ft
Height measured
To the eave
Ordinance
Updated Dec 2025
From the City of Auburn Zoning Ordinance, Section 511.03 and Article II, as amended December 2, 2025, and Board of Zoning Adjustment records.
What people build in Auburn
A college town where accessory space is tied to the size of the house and height is measured to the eave.
Detached garages
At least 10 feet behind the front of the house. A carport proposed 5 feet back needed a variance in 2024.
Workshops
All accessory buildings together are capped at half the house’s floor area. A 2,400 sq ft house allows 1,200 sq ft, enough for a 30×40.
Storage buildings
The 50% limit includes every accessory building on the lot, so an existing shed counts against a new garage.
Taller buildings
On gable, hip and gambrel roofs, height is measured to the eave, not the ridge.
We work in tubular steel, cold-formed steel, steel truss and red iron. See what a steel building costs.
Permitting metal buildings in Auburn
Auburn limits total accessory space to half the house and keeps buildings well behind the front of it.
Size
- On a residential lot, the total accessory floor area of all structures is limited to 50% of the floor area of the house.
- Requests above that go to the Board of Zoning Adjustment as a variance.
Placement
- Accessory structures must sit at least 10 feet behind the front building line, the line through the most forward point of the house.
- The board has heard repeated variance requests to place carports and sheds closer, so plan for the 10 feet.
Height
- Height is measured from grade to the eave on gable, hip and gambrel roofs, to the deck line on mansard roofs, and to the highest point on flat roofs.
- Where the grade slopes, height is the average of the least and greatest vertical distance.
In Auburn, height is measured to the eave. On a gable roof, the ridge doesn’t count toward the height limit, so a steeper pitch adds headroom without adding height on paper. We’ll show you the eave height on the drawings before you commit.
Land outside city limits is permitted by Lee County. We also serve Opelika. See all of Alabama.
Start with a conversation
Let’s talk about your Auburn project.
Tell us what you’re planning and where you’re building. We’ll help you work out the next steps.
- Tell us what and whereSend us the size, how you’ll use the building and the address.
- We check the siteWe confirm who permits the address and which code and loads apply.
- You get a clear recommendationWe recommend the frame that fits and price it against the alternatives.
Or call
417-218-8348