Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region

Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT Permits for Metal Carports and Garages

You will almost certainly deal with your town about a carport, because the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region and RiverCOG do not issue permits to anyone building one. Essex says all new structures need an approved zoning permit before a building permit, and Clinton's Land Use office says even a shed of 200 square feet or less needs a zoning permit. Along the shoreline, ask about the Coastal Boundary as well. Your town building official and zoning office are the people to call.

Permit office: RiverCOG issues no permits. Here are some of the 17 municipal offices. Every other town has its own.

Old Saybrook Building Department
Address: Town Hall, 302 Main Street, Old Saybrook, CT 06475
Phone: 860-395-3130
Official Town of Old Saybrook page
Essex Building Department
Address: Essex Town Hall, 29 West Ave, Essex, CT 06426
Phone: 860-767-4340 ext. 117
Official Town of Essex page
Clinton Building Department
Address: 54 E Main Street, Clinton, CT 06413
Phone: 860-669-9118
Official Town of Clinton page
Old Lyme Building Department
Address: 52 Lyme Street, Old Lyme, CT 06371
Phone: 860-434-1605 ext. 230
Official Town of Old Lyme page
East Haddam Building Department
Address: 1 Plains Road, Moodus, CT 06469
Phone: 860-873-5024
Official Town of East Haddam page

When a permit is required

Clinton: sheds 200 square feet or smaller need a zoning permit but no building permit. Larger ones need a building permit with zoning approval.
Essex: every new structure and addition needs an approved zoning permit before it can get a building permit.
Old Saybrook: talk to the Land Use Department about placement of any shed. If the property already has a shed or detached garage, zoning approval is required, and the town warns not to apply for a building permit when zoning approval is needed.
East Haddam: the Building Department issues permits for accessory structures and sheds. Its regulations count garages, sheds, gazebos and barns as accessory buildings, and a Building Permit needs a Certificate of Zoning Compliance first.
Carports: the town pages read here don't name them, so have the building official confirm what your project needs.

Zoning and setbacks

Setback distances are set town by town. Essex publishes a Zoning Setback Chart through its land use office and directs questions to the zoning enforcement official at 860-767-4340 ext. 115. East Haddam treats accessory buildings as subject to its general lot line distances, and any other structure over 8 feet high counts as a building. Clinton also looks at allowed ground coverage and where the structure sits on the lot, and within 100 feet of an inland wetland it requires an Inland Wetlands Permit. The region has 17 municipalities, and each of the others has its own office too.

What to bring

Clinton: a plot plan with each zoning permit application showing lot dimensions, existing and proposed structures, ground coverage, parking, septic and water locations. Zoning permit applications are filed electronically.
Clinton building permit: get Zoning, Wetlands and Health approvals first, since the application is not complete without them.
Old Saybrook: your approved zoning paperwork if needed, then file through CitySquared and expect contact within 10 business days.
Old Lyme: an account on the Building and Zoning portal.

Farm buildings

Farm use does not get you out of a permit in Connecticut as a general rule. Appendix C of the state code covers agricultural buildings, with shade cloth structures the only exempt type, and Conn. Gen. Stat. 12-91 is about property tax rather than permits. Your town building official can tell you how that applies to a barn.

Good to know

In Old Saybrook, Section 59 requires a Coastal Site Plan for work in the Coastal Boundary but lists exemptions that may apply to detached accessory buildings, including garages and utility sheds. Clinton requires a coastal site plan on site plans lying partly or fully within the Coastal Boundary. Old Lyme keeps its Coastal Boundary map in the Land Use Office. Fees differ: Essex $35 for the first $1,000 and $10 per added $1,000 as of July 1, 2024; Clinton $25 then $12, plus the $0.26 per $1,000 state fund; Old Lyme $25 then $12, effective January 1, 2020. Portals include Clinton's, Old Lyme's Building and Zoning portal and Essex's Online Building Permit System. The state's 2026 code is delayed.

Common questions

Do I need a permit for a carport in the Lower Connecticut River Valley?
Plan on it, and go to your town rather than RiverCOG, which does not issue permits. Essex wants a zoning permit first for all new structures. Carports are not named on the town pages, so ask the building official.

Do I need a permit for a metal garage or shed in Clinton or Old Saybrook?
Clinton requires a zoning permit for a shed of 200 square feet or less and a building permit with zoning approval above that. Old Saybrook wants you to speak with Land Use about placement, and zoning approval applies if you already have a shed or detached garage.

Will coastal review apply to my building on the shoreline?
It can. Old Saybrook and Clinton both require a coastal site plan inside the Coastal Boundary, though Old Saybrook lists exemptions that may fit detached accessory buildings. Ask the town land use office.

Sources

Rules and fees change. Call the office to confirm before you order.

See the full Connecticut permit guide for statewide rules, farm exemptions and wind and snow ratings.

Looking at buildings? See our metal carports, metal garages and metal buildings.

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