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    New homeowner builds shed next to property line without informing neighbor, neighbor submits repeated anonymous complaints to the building inspector to get it torn down despite being built to code: 'Next day I got a stop build order'

    Author image for Brad Dickson
    Brad Dickson • Managing Editor
    Feb 27, 2026 9:00 AM EST

    A homeowner found themself the target of mysterious repeated building code complaints over a shed that they had built on the edge of their property, adjacent to neighbors who they thought they had a good relationship with

    Should they have notified the neighbor that they were building the shed? Maybe, but the neighbor's approach was far from conducive to a harmonious relationship.

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    • A homeowner grilling food for neighbors in a spacious backyard near a wooden fence.
      via Getty Images

      A homeowner maintains neighborly bonds with a backyard party, a sharp contrast to legal property disputes.

      The image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

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    • [Am I wrong] for building a shed without informing my neighbors?

      This is kind of a long one, but the context feels important: My wife and I moved into a new house 2 years ago.
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    • One of the first areas that needed attention/work was the backyard. We(1) made plans to build a shed.
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    • Rustic backyard shed built by a homeowner, featuring a horseshoe on the door and surrounding trees.
      via Sebastian Huxley

      A wooden shed built by a homeowner nestled in a lush backyard surrounded by green foliage.

      The image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

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    • Neighbors are always a tricky thing to deal with, locked eternally next to each other by, probably for many years, even most of their lives, through the sheer necessity of the fact that they have both sunk a significant, if not all, of their net worth and savings into chunks of land that are directly adjacent to each other.

      This can be a very fortunate thing when you have neighbors with whom you get along well and who don't seek to take advantage of you or your property or otherwise do things that are impolite and inconsiderate. That sense of community and the striking of that social contract can be a greatly beneficial thing to all parties when the relationship is good. it really turns your house where you live into a home with a real sense of community.

    • A white storage shed and aluminum boat on a homeowner's property surrounded by yellow autumn leaves.
      via Ric Matkowski

      Homeowner's white shed and boat storage in a backyard near the property line, representative of the shed in question.

      The image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

       

       

    • And being considerate is the foundation of any relationship, but especially so with neighbors. There's always this strained component, this fragility, to a relationship that isn't built on love or closeness, but necessity. It's almost a professional relationship in a sense, as if you had a coworker who knew the ins and outs of your life and was privy to your secrets purely because they can overhear a lot (or enough) of it through sheer proximity.

      So, when the contract frays, things get tense quickly, small slights rapidly accumulate and grow large. And without the usual foundations of a relationship to fall back on the whole thing sours rather quickly and then you're stuck together on those adjacent plots of land, the proximity alone grating like sandpaper that can't be escaped.

    • Not long after making the plans, whose blueprint were guided by local ordinance, the next-door neighbors returned from travel nursing \~6 months. after us moving in, and we introduced ourselves and invited them over for a 'get to know one another' kind - of thing it seemed to go. well.
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    • We rented a mini excavator to get the land ready, and invited a bunch of friends over to bbq and help out and invited the neighbors, as well.
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    • Everyone has kids and we thought the kids could make some great memories 'operating' the machine.
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    • The neighbors (lets call them the smiths) declined. After our friends had left, Mr.Smith came outside with their oldest(same age as our son) and held him up so they could watch me operate the machine while peeking through the thin hedges that seperate our backyards.
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    • I waved them over, which he ignored it/pretended like he didnt see it, and then they went back into their house shortly after.
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    • This is when I notice that Smiths are have been ignoring us: they dont say hello/acknowledge when we are outside and when we take our kids outside to play, they go inside immediately.
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    • A few weeks go by, the concrete pad is poured and 3 walls for the shed are up.
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    • We got a visit from the building inspector. I told the inspector all of the dimensions, she took measurements, said I "did my homework" and then went on her way saying that I had to wait for the building commison to rule on everything before I could go any further.
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    • Next day I got a stop build order. I went to the planners office, talked to the head of building inspections and went line-by-line through the code to make my case about how the shed was legal.
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    • I was told I could continue the build. Two weeks later, Im working when the same building inspector comes into the backyard and says, "Oh, I thought this address sounded familiar!
      via First-Definition-119
    • Ok, youre good, ive already visited." I hopped down and she says I "clearly had some nosey neighbors" and then told me that I didnt have to worry about her coming by again, if her office got a complaint she would just text me and let me know.
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    • Another 2 weeks, and I got a text from her, "Same neighbors are calling another complaint in, just a heads up." The smiths have been acting like we dont exist for some time, and then I catch the wife glaring at me \\hard\\ as I pulled out to go get groceries.
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    • I immediately called my wife and said to her my spidey sense is telling me it was them that called the city on us.
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    • Am I the a hle for not asking for their permission to build our shed, or for not showing them the building specs despite it being to code?
      via First-Definition-119
    • Their backyard has plenty of sun and the view on the side was essentially the other neighbors homes and trees \~50-60ft tall, its not like the shed is blocking a 'pretty view'.
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    • SparksGully You're not the a h le. You followed code. You pulled permits. You dealt with inspections. That's the correct process. You don't need a neighbor's "permission" to build something that's legally allowed on your own property. Some people feel territorial about anything that changes the view or the vibe, even if it's minor and compliant. Instead of talking to you directly, they chose to go through complaints. That says more about their conflict style than about your behavior. Would it ha
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    • First-Definition-119 Original Poster's Reply >You followed code. You pulled permits To clarify, I did not pull any permits because the code does not require permits for the dimensions of the building (less than 200sqft., single- story)
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    • extremely-randomish Same rules apply. Be courteous and happy with them. If they have a problem with you and don't address it, that's strictly their problem and not yours. Adult communication skills are important, and are sometimes learned late, or never. If you act like there isn't a problem on your end, there isn't a problem. If they have an issue, they have to be the ones to bring it to your attention, not the other way around. Don't do their work for them. Ultimately, your child will get good
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    • First-Definition-119 Original Poster's Reply D in, this is really good advice. Thank you!
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    • extremely-randomish NTA Continue to be friendly and wave at the neighbors (it'll become a fun thing over time). Finish your shed and don't worry about them They didn't say anything to you prior so they get no say. And since they have removed themselves from your circle, just appreciate the fact you don't have to deal with whatever drama they make up with everyone else. You're neighbors, not roommates.
      via First-Definition-119
    • First-Definition-119 Original Poster's Reply >just appreciate the fact you don't have to deal with whatever drama they make up with everyone else. Sadly, they have since enrolled in the same preschool as us; its a co- op so every parent has to serve on the board, volunteer during school and activities, etc. - so it feels like the situation going to have to be addressed at some point, as they are affecting our children's community.
      via First-Definition-119
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    • booksrmylife That's a tiny shed. I can't imagine why anybody would care. Maybe they didn't like you offering to let their kid operate the excavator, or they just took a dislike to you for some dumb reason.
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    • First-Definition-119 Original Poster's Reply The footprint is small, but it's got a loft with 6ft of headroom, so its 15ft at the tall wall, and 12 at the short
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    • BPposy Time to get some chickens.
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    • First-Definition-119 Original Poster's Reply Hahaha, honestly we did; but one turned out to be a rooster so they were gifted to a friend with a larger yard. Plus, my wife kept letting them roam the yard which was fine until they got into the under-construction-shed and started pooping everywhere. Definitely more hassle then they were worth, so the rooster turned out to be a secret blessing for me
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    • Hecatonchireslm Wouldn't a loft make it 2 story?
      via First-Definition-119
    • First-Definition-119 Original Poster's Reply Not technically, no. A loft that was a full story would, but this loft is only 6ft, instead of 8ft. I studied all of the codes, and I built the largest possible shed that didn't require a permit, or so I thought. The inspector told me on her second visit, that because of the offset from the primary( distance from the house) it could technically be 21ft before requiring a permit, so long as there arent stairs/elevator to the loft(because those would ma
      via First-Definition-119
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    • JustMePatrick If your friendly with your other neighbors ask them if they know what's up with neighbor. I wouldn't be surprised if they were friends with the people that owned the house prior and they simply decided to not like you because your not "them". Could be a million reasons why they decided they don't like you. From what you told I don't think your the AH, you don't need their permission to make changes to your property as long as it doesn't impact them in a way that could cost them mon
      via First-Definition-119
    • First-Definition-119 Original Poster's Reply >I wouldn't be surprised if they were friends with the people that owned the house prior and they simply decided to not like you because your not "them". During the initial play date, they said that the folks that lived here before us sucked: husband was really mean, wife was stepford- wife-pill-addict, they had a bunch of kids that never interacted with mr.Smith because the didnt belong to the same church. I often wondered if it was because they were
      via First-Definition-119
    • JustMePatrick Yeah, they assume you're gonna be a different kind of crazy. Just k l them with kindness either they'll continue to be bitter or eventually realize your not as crazy as they thought.
      via First-Definition-119
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    • First-Definition-119 Original Poster's Reply >Yeah, they assume you're gonna be a different kind of crazy. I mean, full disclosure: we are a different kind of crazy, just not the kind that moves through life with the purpose of spiting others, haha.
      via First-Definition-119
    • tbodillia NTA They just might be mad you didn't get the building permit to start. I can build a shed on skids with no permit. If I want to put it on a slab, I need a permit, and it has to be posted in my yard for the public to see.
      via First-Definition-119
    • First-Definition-119 Original Poster's Reply To clarify: the structure is large, at 12×16 and 15' at the highest wall; however, permits are not required for anything that is (1) not contracted, (2) under 200sqft, and (3) not two stories tall. Its 192 sqft, it has a loft (which is technically not a second story) and is within adjacent property tolerances. The inspector even told me on her second visit, that because of its distance form the house, it could be 21ft tall and still be up to code.
      via First-Definition-119
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    • Classic_Sugar7991 I mean, technically NTA because you did it according to code and gave some (?) heads up. Your yard, it abides the rules, that's a wrap whether they like it or not. No one gets to dictate what others want to do in their yards really so long as it is to code. On the other hand, hearing you've been using power tools and erecting this shed on the weekends for over an entire month at this point (based on "a few weeks later" and then "two weeks later" etc.), I would be pretty tired o
      via First-Definition-119
    • Concerned homeowner discussing property issues with a neighbor outside a brick house.
      via Nathan Anderson

      Neighbors engage in a tense conversation

      The image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

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