Stow separates storing equipment from running a yard. A building where a business keeps its trucks, mowers or machinery fits the I Industrial district, where warehousing, distribution and equipment repair are permitted outright and outdoor storage of goods and equipment used by the business is an allowed accessory use. A construction trades and contractors storage yard, which the code defines as a place where stone, gravel, lumber and other building materials are stored or kept for sale, is a conditional use. Many contractors need both an enclosed building and a screened yard.
On a residential lot, the rules tighten. Only one commercial vehicle may park there, it must be used by a resident for work, and it cannot exceed 18,000 pounds gross vehicle weight or 24 feet in length. No servicing or extended idling is allowed on the lot. Personal tractors, trailers and mowers can go in an accessory building sized to the lot's acreage formula.
What to know before building in Stow
Screened outdoor storage
Where outdoor storage is allowed, Stow keeps it in the rear yard, behind the principal building setbacks, and screened, with stored materials no taller than the screening. Fleet vehicles kept outside must sit in the interior side or rear yard on parking areas that meet the parking setbacks. Putting tall equipment inside a building makes the screening far easier.
Height for big doors
Buildings in the I district may be up to 60 feet tall, so the trucks, not the code, usually set an equipment building's height there. In the commercial districts, an accessory storage building is capped at 20 feet. We set eave height and door headers for the tallest load, including a raised dump body if you plan to service it indoors.
Floor drains and sewer permits
Wash bays and heated shops usually need floor drains. Stow's Building Department does not issue sanitary sewer permits; drain connections are permitted through the county's Department of Sanitary Sewer Services, so that office has to be part of the plan. We plan slab thickness, slope and drain locations together with the truss and door layout.
Common equipment storage facilities projects around Stow
- Equipment repair and storage building in the I district
- Enclosed fleet garage with a screened rear-yard storage area
- Snowplow and landscape truck storage with drive-through bays
- Personal tractor, trailer and mower building on a larger residential lot
- Heated wash bay with floor drains
Equipment Storage Facilities FAQs for Stow
Can I keep my dump truck at my house in Stow?
Only if it meets the residential limit: one commercial vehicle per lot, used by a resident for work, no heavier than 18,000 pounds gross vehicle weight and no longer than 24 feet, parked on an improved driveway at least 20 feet from the street right-of-way. Larger trucks and equipment fleets belong on industrially zoned property.
Is a contractor's yard allowed in Stow?
A construction trades and contractors storage yard is a conditional use in the I Industrial district, so it needs approval beyond a standard zoning certificate. Equipment repair, warehousing and fabrication are permitted by right in the same district. We help you describe the operation accurately so it goes through the right review the first time.
Will an equipment building need site plan review?
Yes, on commercial or industrial land. Projects below 20,000 square feet of gross floor area are handled administratively as minor site plans. At 20,000 square feet and up, the Planning Commission makes a recommendation and City Council approves or denies the plan. Growing an existing use's floor area by more than a quarter also lands in major review.
About our equipment storage facilities
Clear-span storage buildings for trucks, tractors and heavy equipment, with doors and sidewalls sized to the machines you park inside.
Sizes, materials and options