I have seen garden sheds hard up against the boundary fence, no council checks them, I have live in 3 different places over the last 10 years and all had a small garden shed and they have all sat on or within 300mms of a boundary fence, one was on the very corner of the yard.

I am studying Construction Management and to my understanding, if you a having one built, they are required by building code to be as far from the fence as the shed is high. But I went to a house a couple months ago, house wasn't more than 2 years old and the garden shed was built when one of the walls was the fence. The house I am currently living in has a shed on the back on the yard in a neighboring property and the fence has been modified so again, its a wall for there shed and on the same fence 10 metres along the fence, another shed on another neighboring property, the wall of the shed has had the fence joined to it on both sides and that shed is like 40 to 50 years old.

So I guess the true answer is no one gives a flying **** what the rules say.

I would tell you to put it no closer than 600mm to 1m away from the fence. If you want to do the right thing, you could even double check with the council.

The spacing due to fire hazards and insurance issues if the shed is to catch on firer somehow and damage neighboring properties

Hope this helps

Ours, and plenty of neighbors are hard up against the fence.  No one seems to care.    

As the previous posters have said, under the Building code it has to be its own height away from the fence to avoid building consent requirements. Your local District Plan may have additional requirements, for example in Christchurch “accessory buildings” can be built on the boundary in most zones to a maximum length of 10.1m cumulatively per side/rear boundary, but have to be further away from the road boundary. Councils don’t tend to enforce the building code requirements for sheds, being hangovers from where everything was wooden and more of a fire risk, but if it is brought to their attention they have to follow up on it.  

You will find out when you sell the property who cares. I discovered a 10sqm building I had a builder put up was not put the correct distance away from the boundry. It was identified on the building report by a buyer who put and offer on my place. The bank would not lend them the money until problem rectified. 

Most of auckland its 1m

dukester:

 

You will find out when you sell the property who cares. I discovered a 10sqm building I had a builder put up was not put the correct distance away from the boundry. It was identified on the building report by a buyer who put and offer on my place. The bank would not lend them the money until problem rectified. 

 

A garden shed is a bit different to a building. I'm assuming you mean something like a sleepout with power etc?

I have 2 on the property, one when the house was built, well before me and its flush on the fence.

The other we built asd its 100m off the fence on two sides.  Installed by the factory that produced it

Garden shed - a small garage on a fixed base ? Or one of those kit set flimsy jobs ?

Generally if portable, noone cares. (Unless its my old neighbors who would report a kids balloon flying past their deck as an invasion of privacy / blocking their view)

Like others have said...many have sheds that are hard against the fence - I have two. One on one side of the house and one on the other. I built them both (kitset - one plastic, one tin). 

I've lived in the same house for 20 years...nobody has ever mentioned them except my wife. 

Our neighbours is hard up against our fence too - I definitely don't care, though we do also have a jasmine plant growing next to said fence which did a pretty good number on the roof of said shed by sending lots of vines up and into it - something to beware of.