Inside Canton city limits, a detached garage is a modest building by pole barn standards. The city allows one detached garage per home, caps its height at 15 feet, and limits total garage area, attached garage included, to 10 percent of the lot, with every lot allowed at least 720 square feet and none more than 1,000. On an 80-by-100-foot city lot, that works out to 800 square feet.
A lot of useful building fits in that envelope: a two-car garage with a workbench wall, or a deep bay for a pickup and a boat. If you're picturing a 40-by-60 shop with a 14-foot door, that generally means a township parcel in Jackson, Plain or Perry, where each township's zoning resolution sets its own limits, or a trip to Canton's Zoning Board of Appeals. We tell you up front which situation your lot is in, then design a garage that the zoning office can sign off on.
What to know before building in Canton
Setbacks and alleys
Canton requires a detached garage to sit at least 4 feet from the rear lot line and 5 feet from the sides, and it can't sit in or encroach on the front yard. If the overhead door faces an alley, the building must be 20 feet from the alley's centerline. Corner lots have their own wrinkles, and the city suggests calling the zoning inspector before you plan one.
Your attached garage counts
The city's garage allowance includes any attached garage. If your house has a 400-square-foot attached garage on a lot that allows 800, about 400 square feet remain for a detached building. We measure what's already there and run the lot math before drawing anything, so the plan you approve is one the zoning office can approve too.
When a shed becomes a garage
Canton treats any accessory building over 200 square feet as a garage, so a large storage building counts against both the garage area limit and the one-detached-garage rule. Accessory structures need a zoning permit, and the Building Department lists garages, sheds and storage buildings among the projects that need a building permit before work starts.
Township lots work differently
Jackson, Plain and Perry townships each write their own accessory building rules. Perry Township, for example, requires a zoning permit for any accessory structure and allows one only on a lot that already has a primary building. In the townships, the Stark County Building Inspection Department issues the building permit once township zoning approval is in hand.
Common residential garages & workshops projects around Canton
- Two-car detached garages within Canton's 720 to 1,000 square foot limit
- Garage and workshop combinations with a workbench wall and extra outlets
- Insulated hobby shops for woodworking or car projects
- Detached garages with a storage loft
- RV and boat garages on larger township lots
- Garages with a lean-to for a mower and trailer
Residential Garages & Workshops FAQs for Canton
What's the biggest garage I can build on a Canton city lot?
Up to 1,000 square feet of total garage area, and only if 10 percent of your lot is at least that large; every lot gets at least 720 square feet. The total includes an attached garage, and a detached garage can't be taller than 15 feet. Going beyond those limits means asking Canton's Zoning Board of Appeals, so we design within them unless you want to take that route.
Do I need both a zoning permit and a building permit in Canton?
Yes, for a garage. The City of Canton Zoning Department issues the zoning permit and wants a to-scale plot plan showing where the building sits and how far it is from each property line. After that, the Building Department issues the building permit and handles inspections. We prepare the drawings and handle both submittals as part of the job.
Can I build a bigger shop if I live in North Canton or a township?
Possibly, but each has its own rules. North Canton is a separate city with its own building department and zoning code. Jackson, Plain and Perry townships set accessory building limits in their own zoning resolutions, and Stark County issues the building permits there. Send us your address and we'll look up the rules that apply before we sketch a size.
About our residential garages & workshops
Post-frame garages and workshops for vehicles, tools and projects, designed around the height and size limits on your lot.
Sizes, materials and options