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Residents urge Nibley council to pause shed citations and clarify setback rules
Summary
Multiple residents told the council they acted in good faith when siting backyard sheds and asked the city to clarify setbacks, utility easements and permitting. After extended discussion the council agreed to suspend enforcement on shed placement while staff and the planning commission review the code.
John Reynolds and several neighbors urged the Nibley City Council on public comment to review local rules that govern backyard sheds, saying the city’s setback tables and public mapping are unclear and make lawful placement difficult on small lots.
“Many of these really small lots … have no options at all under current code,” John Reynolds said, describing a notice he and neighbors received after placing a non‑permanent shed on gravel within a utility easement. He asked the council to allow small, non‑permanent sheds (no foundations) to be treated differently and to institute an owner‑risk policy for easements so residents understand they may have to move such structures later.
Leslie Mann told the council a code enforcement officer visited her home and initially said her shed violated the law; after further review staff concluded the cited fire code did not apply and the shed was acceptable. She asked the council to clarify the municipal code, improve the city’s public mapping and create a friendlier, more navigable permitting and guidance process for accessory buildings.
Council members and staff acknowledged the complaints and the complexity created when municipal setbacks, fire‑code provisions and recorded easements overlap. Levi, who presented planning commission background on related code sections, said staff had found the ordinance language confusing in places and recommended a targeted review.
After extended discussion about enforcement practice and residents’ expectations, council members reached consensus to pause active enforcement of shed‑placement citations while staff brings the issue to the planning commission for a formal review and recommended code amendments. Mayor Jacobson and multiple council members emphasized the need for clearer public guidance and for staff to return with specific redline proposals.
What happens next: Staff will place shed setbacks and the relevant code sections on a planning commission workshop agenda for focused review and return recommendations to council. Council signaled it would tell enforcement staff to hold further shed citations pending that review, though the suspension is temporary and subject to final ordinance changes.
Why it matters: Dozens of residents told the council they had relied on incomplete online plat maps and verbal advice from staff when siting sheds. The council’s decision to pause enforcement and to task the planning commission to clarify the ordinance aims to reduce future disputes and make requirements easier for residents to find and follow.
Speakers attributed in this article appear in the meeting record as John Reynolds (public commenter), Leslie Mann (public commenter), Levi (staff member), Mayor Jacobson (Mayor) and Evan (code enforcement officer).
