State Government Contacts for Yard Rules
Yard permits — setbacks, fences, sheds, decks, pools, ADUs — are issued locally, by your city, town or county. There is no single state office that approves them. This directory lists, for every state, the official state government portal you can use to reach your local building & planning (zoning) department, plus a link to any statewide statute we have verified.
How to use this directory
- If your state shows a statewide ADU or pool-barrier rule, open it — but still confirm the local details with your city or county, because municipalities apply their own amendments.
- If your state shows “Set by your city or county,” there is no statewide rule we could verify. Open the state portal, then look for your city or county building & planning department — that office sets the rule for your address.
- For a specific permit question, call or email your local department. State portals list each city and county with its own phone number; there is no single state phone that covers every address.
19 of 50 states have at least one verified statewide rule linked below. The other 31 set yard rules entirely at the local level. Portals were confirmed as live official government (.gov) sites.
All 50 states
| State | Statewide ADU rule | Statewide pool barrier | Who issues the permit | Official state government |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama AL | Set by your city or county | Set by your city or county | Your city or county building & planning department | Open Alabama portal → |
| Alaska AK | Set by your city or county | Set by your city or county | Your city or county building & planning department | Open Alaska portal → |
| Arizona AZ | View rule → | View rule → | Your city or county building & planning department | Open Arizona portal → |
| Arkansas AR | View rule → | Set by your city or county | Your city or county building & planning department | Open Arkansas portal → |
| California CA | View rule → | View rule → | Your city or county building & planning department | Open California portal → |
| Colorado CO | View rule → | Set by your city or county | Your city or county building & planning department | Open Colorado portal → |
| Connecticut CT | View rule → | Set by your city or county | Your city or county building & planning department | Open Connecticut portal → |
| Delaware DE | Set by your city or county | Set by your city or county | Your city or county building & planning department | Open Delaware portal → |
| Florida FL | View rule → | View rule → | Your city or county building & planning department | Open Florida portal → |
| Georgia GA | Set by your city or county | Set by your city or county | Your city or county building & planning department | Open Georgia portal → |
| Hawaii HI | Set by your city or county | Set by your city or county | Your city or county building & planning department | Open Hawaii portal → |
| Idaho ID | Set by your city or county | Set by your city or county | Your city or county building & planning department | Open Idaho portal → |
| Illinois IL | Set by your city or county | Set by your city or county | Your city or county building & planning department | Open Illinois portal → |
| Indiana IN | Set by your city or county | Set by your city or county | Your city or county building & planning department | Open Indiana portal → |
| Iowa IA | Set by your city or county | Set by your city or county | Your city or county building & planning department | Open Iowa portal → |
| Kansas KS | Set by your city or county | Set by your city or county | Your city or county building & planning department | Open Kansas portal → |
| Kentucky KY | Set by your city or county | Set by your city or county | Your city or county building & planning department | Open Kentucky portal → |
| Louisiana LA | Set by your city or county | Set by your city or county | Your city or county building & planning department | Open Louisiana portal → |
| Maine ME | View rule → | Set by your city or county | Your city or county building & planning department | Open Maine portal → |
| Maryland MD | View rule → | Set by your city or county | Your city or county building & planning department | Open Maryland portal → |
| Massachusetts MA | View rule → | Set by your city or county | Your city or county building & planning department | Open Massachusetts portal → |
| Michigan MI | Set by your city or county | Set by your city or county | Your city or county building & planning department | Open Michigan portal → |
| Minnesota MN | Set by your city or county | Set by your city or county | Your city or county building & planning department | Open Minnesota portal → |
| Mississippi MS | Set by your city or county | Set by your city or county | Your city or county building & planning department | Open Mississippi portal → |
| Missouri MO | Set by your city or county | Set by your city or county | Your city or county building & planning department | Open Missouri portal → |
| Montana MT | View rule → | Set by your city or county | Your city or county building & planning department | Open Montana portal → |
| Nebraska NE | Set by your city or county | Set by your city or county | Your city or county building & planning department | Open Nebraska portal → |
| Nevada NV | View rule → | Set by your city or county | Your city or county building & planning department | Open Nevada portal → |
| New Hampshire NH | View rule → | Set by your city or county | Your city or county building & planning department | Open New Hampshire portal → |
| New Jersey NJ | Set by your city or county | Set by your city or county | Your city or county building & planning department | Open New Jersey portal → |
| New Mexico NM | Set by your city or county | Set by your city or county | Your city or county building & planning department | Open New Mexico portal → |
| New York NY | Set by your city or county | View rule → | Your city or county building & planning department | Open New York portal → |
| North Carolina NC | Set by your city or county | Set by your city or county | Your city or county building & planning department | Open North Carolina portal → |
| North Dakota ND | Set by your city or county | Set by your city or county | Your city or county building & planning department | Open North Dakota portal → |
| Ohio OH | Set by your city or county | Set by your city or county | Your city or county building & planning department | Open Ohio portal → |
| Oklahoma OK | Set by your city or county | Set by your city or county | Your city or county building & planning department | Open Oklahoma portal → |
| Oregon OR | View rule → | Set by your city or county | Your city or county building & planning department | Open Oregon portal → |
| Pennsylvania PA | Set by your city or county | Set by your city or county | Your city or county building & planning department | Open Pennsylvania portal → |
| Rhode Island RI | View rule → | Set by your city or county | Your city or county building & planning department | Open Rhode Island portal → |
| South Carolina SC | Set by your city or county | Set by your city or county | Your city or county building & planning department | Open South Carolina portal → |
| South Dakota SD | Set by your city or county | Set by your city or county | Your city or county building & planning department | Open South Dakota portal → |
| Tennessee TN | Set by your city or county | Set by your city or county | Your city or county building & planning department | Open Tennessee portal → |
| Texas TX | Set by your city or county | Set by your city or county | Your city or county building & planning department | Open Texas portal → Find agencies & local government → |
| Utah UT | View rule → | Set by your city or county | Your city or county building & planning department | Open Utah portal → |
| Vermont VT | View rule → | Set by your city or county | Your city or county building & planning department | Open Vermont portal → |
| Virginia VA | View rule → | Set by your city or county | Your city or county building & planning department | Open Virginia portal → |
| Washington WA | View rule → | Set by your city or county | Your city or county building & planning department | Open Washington portal → |
| West Virginia WV | Set by your city or county | Set by your city or county | Your city or county building & planning department | Open West Virginia portal → |
| Wisconsin WI | Set by your city or county | Set by your city or county | Your city or county building & planning department | Open Wisconsin portal → |
| Wyoming WY | Set by your city or county | Set by your city or county | Your city or county building & planning department | Open Wyoming portal → |
Planning more than one project? The multi-project checklist builder merges them into a single printable list to take to your local department. Start with your ZIP on the yard rules checker.