Backyard office pod sizes and building permit exemptions by city
This site compares 36 backyard pod sizes from 3 manufacturers with the building permit exemption for small detached buildings in 15 cities and counties. Of the 15 exemptions, 9 have a 120 sq ft limit and 5 have a 200 sq ft limit. Raleigh requires a permit at every size. Pod floor areas range from 80 to 256 sq ft.
Permit exemption size limits by city and county
Each limit comes from the city or county source linked in its row. Raleigh has no size exemption and applies a 12 ft rule to decide the permit type.
Size and permit exemption checker
The checker compares a pod's floor area with the published exemption for one city or county. It also lists that rule's conditions on electrical power, use and height.
City or county building rule. An address may fall under a different building department.
The building department for the address decides whether a permit is required. This site repeats published rules and compares them with published pod sizes. Zoning rules, HOA rules and setbacks can also apply.
Size limits, covered uses and electrical power
The International Residential Code, section R105.2, sets the model limit at 200 sq ft of floor area, as quoted by the City of Federal Way, WA. All 8 California cities and counties here use 120 sq ft.
Of the 15 exemptions, 10 limit the use of the building, for example to tool and storage sheds, playhouses or non-habitable use. Electrical power is addressed in 10 of them. Autonomous pods ship pre-wired with outlets and lights, and the Autonomous compare table lists "No permits" for all three pods.
Pod sizes by manufacturer
- Autonomous: 3 sizes, 80 to 105 sq ft
- Studio Home: 25 sizes, 80 to 256 sq ft
- Kanga Room Systems: 8 sizes, 120 to 196 sq ft
The pod size table lists all 36 sizes with floor area and price.