United States

The person posts on a public social-media account, under their own name, that the Holocaust did not happen and the gas chambers are a fabrication. The post contains no threat, no call to violence, and names no living individual.

No US law reaches Holocaust denial: viewpoint-based restrictions on offensive speech are unconstitutional (Matal v. Tam, 2017), and speech can only be punished as incitement if directed to and likely to produce imminent lawless action (Brandenburg v. Ohio, 1969). No federal or state agency has power to order a platform to remove lawful speech; platforms may remove it under their own terms, which is not state action.

Sources: Matal v. Tam, 582 U.S. 218 (2017) · Brandenburg v. Ohio, 395 U.S. 444 (1969)

The person posts a public rant using slurs against an ethnic or religious group, saying the group is inferior and unwelcome in the country. No threat, no call to violence, no named individual.

Slurs and claims of group inferiority without threats or incitement are protected; the Supreme Court said speech that demeans on the basis of race, ethnicity or religion is protected as 'the thought that we hate' (Matal v. Tam). US law has no group-libel or incitement-to-hatred offence; hate-crime statutes only enhance penalties for separate crimes. No prosecutions of non-threatening online slurs reach courts.

Sources: Matal v. Tam, 582 U.S. 218 (2017) · Brandenburg v. Ohio, 395 U.S. 444 (1969)

At a lawful, peaceful protest in a public square, the person burns a national flag they own and a copy of the dominant religion's scripture they own. No fire-safety rule is broken.

Burning one's own flag at a protest is protected expression (Texas v. Johnson, 1989), and no blasphemy offence survives the First Amendment. A 25 Aug 2025 executive order told the Attorney General to prosecute flag burners for other offences 'to the fullest extent'; the same day veteran Jay Carey was arrested at Lafayette Park and charged with two fire misdemeanours. DOJ dropped the case in March 2026 after a judge allowed a vindictive-prosecution inquiry. The arrest-then-drop pattern is the reason for the process penalty.

Sources: Texas v. Johnson, 491 U.S. 397 (1989) · NBC News: DOJ drops case against veteran arrested after burning American flag near White House

The person posts that the head of state is a criminal and a pedophile. They have no evidence and present it as their opinion of the leader.

No federal insult or lèse-majesté offence; a president suing for defamation must prove actual malice, meaning knowledge of falsity or reckless disregard (NYT v. Sullivan). An unsupported factual accusation of pedophilia could meet that test, so a civil suit is possible. Criminal-libel statutes survive in roughly 15 states and are rarely used; a New Hampshire man was arrested in 2021 under one for calling a police chief a coward. The sitting president files multi-billion-dollar suits against media (a $15bn NYT suit was refiled in 2025 and is still pending). In Sept 2025 a Tennessee sheriff jailed a man for 37 days over a Trump meme; the charge was dropped and the county paid an $835k settlement.

Sources: New York Times Co. v. Sullivan, 376 U.S. 254 (1964) · Free Speech Center (MTSU): Criminal Libel · NBC News: Trump refiles $15B defamation lawsuit against The New York Times

The person prints and hands out a pamphlet praising an organisation the state has banned as terrorist or extremist, saying its cause is just. The pamphlet urges no specific act, and the person has no contact with the group.

Praising a designated group without urging imminent lawless action is protected (Brandenburg). The material-support statute, 18 U.S.C. 2339B, covers only advocacy coordinated with or directed by a foreign terrorist organisation, not independent advocacy (Holder v. Humanitarian Law Project, 2010). A citizen with no contact with the group cannot be charged. Since 2025 the federal government has focused more on pro-terrorist speech, which in practice means scrutiny and possible FBI attention rather than charges.

Sources: Holder v. Humanitarian Law Project, 561 U.S. 1 (2010) · Brandenburg v. Ohio, 395 U.S. 444 (1969)

The person repeatedly refers to a named transgender public figure by their former pronouns and name in public posts, with no threats and no contact with the figure.

No US law penalises misgendering a public figure in public posts. Harassment statutes need targeted contact or threats, and anti-discrimination law covers employment, housing and public accommodation, not a private person's posts. Viewpoint-based penalties on demeaning speech are unconstitutional (Matal v. Tam). A transgender public figure could not win a defamation claim, because the use of a pronoun is opinion and not a false statement of fact.

Sources: Matal v. Tam, 582 U.S. 218 (2017)

A blogger writes that a named local businessman (a private figure) is a fraud. The claim is false, but the blogger honestly believed it after reading a news report.

A private-figure plaintiff must prove at least negligence, and without actual malice can recover only proven actual injury, with no presumed or punitive damages (Gertz v. Robert Welch, 1974). Honest reliance on a published news report usually defeats a negligence claim. About 40 states plus DC have anti-SLAPP laws, many with fee-shifting, but the US 'American rule' otherwise leaves defendants paying their own costs. Criminal-libel statutes in about 15 states need knowledge of falsity, so they do not reach an honest blogger.

Sources: Gertz v. Robert Welch, Inc., 418 U.S. 323 (1974) · Reporters Committee: Anti-SLAPP Legal Guide

A journalist accurately reports, with evidence, that a sitting politician is having an extramarital affair. The politician sues for defamation and invasion of privacy.

Truth is a complete defence, and a public official must prove falsity and actual malice (NYT v. Sullivan). Public-disclosure privacy claims fail where the matter is newsworthy, and an official's conduct is newsworthy. The suit will lose, but costs are recovered only where a state anti-SLAPP law with fee-shifting applies, which covers about 40 states and DC. Several federal circuits refuse to apply those laws in diversity cases.

Sources: New York Times Co. v. Sullivan, 376 U.S. 254 (1964) · Reporters Committee: Anti-SLAPP Legal Guide

A foreign billionaire sues a local critic in local courts over a harsh but clearly opinion-based review of their business conduct.

Pure opinion is not actionable, and a foreign judgment obtained abroad cannot be enforced in the US unless it meets First Amendment standards (SPEECH Act, 28 U.S.C. 4102). About 40 states plus DC have anti-SLAPP laws, often with early dismissal and fee-shifting. A foreign claimant can usually sue in federal diversity court, however, and the 5th, 10th, 11th and DC Circuits do not apply state anti-SLAPP laws there. In those courts the critic pays their own costs until summary judgment.

Sources: 28 U.S.C. 4102 (SPEECH Act) · Reporters Committee: Anti-SLAPP Legal Guide · Reporters Committee: Anti-SLAPP latest developments

The person wants to buy a common centrefire semi-automatic rifle (e.g. an AR-15 pattern rifle with a 30-round magazine) and keep it at home.

Federal law needs only a NICS check at a dealer, and in most states private sales need none (score 8.5). About 31% of the population lives in states that ban buying AR-15-pattern rifles, scored about 1: CA, NY, NJ, IL, MA, MD, CT, DE, WA (sale ban) and RI (purchase/possession ban from 1 July 2026, up to 10 years). Penalties include class D felonies of up to 7 years in New York. Colorado (about 2%) has required a 12-hour course and a sheriff's eligibility card since 1 Aug 2026. Virginia's 2026 ban is enjoined by state courts. Weighted, the de jure score is about 6. SCOTUS granted cert on 30 June 2026 in Viramontes v. Cook County to decide whether AR-15 bans are constitutional, with argument set for 2 Dec 2026.

Sources: Supreme Court docket 25-238, Viramontes v. Cook County · Gun Law Map: Assault weapon and magazine bans by state · WTVR: Virginia assault weapons sales ban blocked by judges

The person wants to buy a 9mm handgun and keep it loaded at home for self-defence.

Handgun possession for home self-defence is a constitutional right, and storage rules that make the gun unusable for self-defence are unconstitutional (District of Columbia v. Heller, 2008). Most states need only a NICS check at a dealer (8). About 30% of the population lives in states with a licence or permit to buy (NY, NJ, IL FOID, MA, MD HQL, CT, HI, MI). These are shall-issue but cost fees and can take weeks to months, and some add locked-storage rules (scored 6). Self-defence is accepted everywhere.

Sources: District of Columbia v. Heller, 554 U.S. 570 (2008)

The person wants to carry a loaded handgun, concealed, in everyday public places.

29 states with about 46% of the population allow permitless concealed carry (10). After Bruen (2022) struck down proper-cause rules, every other state must issue on objective criteria. Former may-issue states (CA, NY, NJ, MD, MA, HI, about 25%) now require fees, long training (16+ hours in NY), months of processing and broad sensitive-place bans, scored about 5.5. SCOTUS struck down Hawaii's default no-carry rule on private property open to the public in Wolford v. Lopez (25 June 2026). Visitors carrying on out-of-state permits are still arrested in NY and NJ, where unlicensed carry is a felony.

Sources: New York State Rifle & Pistol Ass'n v. Bruen, 597 U.S. 1 (2022) · Wikipedia: Constitutional carry (state list)

The person wants to carry pepper spray, or a folding knife with a 9 cm locking blade, in public for self-defence.

Pepper spray is legal for adults to carry in all 50 states, with size or seller limits in some: NY limits it to 0.75 oz sold only by gun dealers or pharmacists, and MA sales go only through licensed dealers. A 9 cm folding knife is lawful under most state laws, though some cities set blade limits (Chicago 2.5 in). Carrying either is lawful with minor limits.

Sources: SABRE: Pepper spray laws by state

The person wants to own a machine gun, or a destructive device such as an artillery piece or a grenade launcher with live rounds.

Federal law bans possession of machine guns made after 19 May 1986 (18 U.S.C. 922(o)). Pre-1986 registered guns and destructive devices can be transferred after ATF approval, fingerprints and a $200 NFA tax; the 2025 reconciliation law cut the tax to $0 only for suppressors, SBRs, SBSs and AOWs. That route scores 6 in most states. About a quarter of the population lives in states that ban civilian machine guns or destructive devices outright, often as felonies (e.g. CA, NY, NJ, IL, WA, HI, DE, RI), scored about 1. Transferable machine guns cost tens of thousands of dollars because the registry is frozen.

Sources: 18 U.S.C. 922 (incl. 922(o)) · NSSF: One Big Beautiful Bill NFA tax changes

At night, a stranger armed with a knife breaks into the person's home. The person shoots and kills the intruder with a lawfully held gun.

Every state recognises the castle doctrine, and most have statutes that presume a person who forcibly enters a home is a deadly threat. Florida 776.013 is an example; Florida 776.032 also gives criminal and civil immunity and bars arrest without probable cause that the force was unlawful. Seven states (AL, FL, KS, KY, OK, SC, TN) limit arrests of people claiming self-defence. In practice a homeowner who shoots an armed intruder is questioned and the death investigated, then rarely charged.

Sources: Florida Statutes ch. 776 (776.013, 776.032) · Giffords: Stand your ground laws

On the street, a stranger attacks the person with fists. The person could safely walk away but instead punches back once, breaking the attacker's nose.

38 states impose no duty to retreat in public (30 by statute, 8 by case law). In the remaining duty-to-retreat states the rule applies only to deadly force, so one punch in response to a fist attack needs no retreat anywhere. In practice police at a street fight with an injury often arrest or cite both parties until self-defence is sorted out, which keeps the de facto score below the de jure score.

Sources: Giffords: Stand your ground laws

The person wants to buy a course of amoxicillin for a sinus infection without seeing a doctor.

Amoxicillin is a prescription drug under 21 U.S.C. 353(b)(1). Dispensing it without a prescription misbrands it, a federal crime for the seller under 21 U.S.C. 333. The buyer commits no offence. In practice a prescription is easy to get from cheap same-day telehealth services, and pharmacists cannot sell on request.

Sources: 21 U.S.C. 353 (prescription requirement)

The person wants to take a drug approved by the EMA or FDA but not approved in their own country, for a non-terminal condition.

FDA states that importing unapproved drugs is illegal in most circumstances. It may use enforcement discretion for a 3-month personal supply for a serious condition with no US treatment, under a US doctor's care. That is discretionary and does not cover drugs that have a US alternative. Small mailed shipments are often let through, but CBP and FDA can detain and refuse them.

Sources: FDA: Personal importation

A terminally ill patient wants a drug that has passed Phase 1 trials but is not approved anywhere, and the manufacturer is willing to supply it.

The federal Right to Try Act (2018) lets a terminally ill patient who has exhausted approved options get a drug that has passed Phase 1 directly from a willing manufacturer. The FDA does not approve individual requests; its role is limited to receiving annual reports. FDA expanded access is another route with near-universal approval. With a willing manufacturer, access is effectively by notification.

Sources: FDA: Right to Try

The person wants to sell one of their kidneys to a willing recipient, with surgery by licensed surgeons.

The National Organ Transplant Act, 42 U.S.C. 274e, makes it a crime to transfer an organ for valuable consideration, with up to 5 years in prison and a $50,000 fine. Only paired exchange and reimbursement of costs are allowed. In practice no donor has been prosecuted. Transplant centres screen for payment and refuse the surgery, so the sale cannot happen with licensed surgeons.

Sources: 42 U.S.C. 274e

An adult declines a vaccine the state recommends or mandates for adults (score the strictest adult mandate in force in the last 5 years).

In the past 5 years the strictest adult mandates were COVID-19 vaccine rules. The OSHA vaccinate-or-test rule for 84 million workers was stayed by SCOTUS in Jan 2022, but the healthcare-worker, federal and military mandates operated, and unvaccinated service members and workers were discharged or fired. Until 7 Mar 2022, New York City's Key to NYC barred unvaccinated adults from indoor dining, gyms and entertainment, and its private-employer mandate continued after that. This was broad exclusion from work and venues, with no fines or forced vaccination. All such mandates have now ended.

Sources: NFIB v. OSHA, 595 U.S. 109 (2022) · Law and the Workplace: Mayor Adams ends Key to NYC vaccine requirements

A competent adult with a terminal illness and under 6 months to live asks their doctor for lethal medication to take themselves.

Medical aid in dying is lawful with safeguards (6-month prognosis, waiting periods, 2 requests) in 13 states plus DC with about 100 million people, about 29% (scored 8): OR, WA, MT, VT, CA, CO, HI, NJ, ME, NM, DC, DE (Jan 2026), IL (Sept 2026) and NY (Aug 2026). In the other states a doctor who supplies lethal medication commits assisted-suicide or manslaughter offences carrying 1 to 15 years, e.g. a felony under Cal. Penal Code 401 outside the End of Life Option Act. Those are scored 1, though doctors are rarely prosecuted because they do not provide it.

Sources: Death with Dignity: US legislative status map · Petrie-Flom Center: New York enacts medical aid in dying · Compassion & Choices: Illinois authorizes medical aid in dying

A competent adult with unbearable but non-terminal suffering (e.g. advanced multiple sclerosis) asks their doctor for the same.

Every US aid-in-dying law requires a terminal illness with a prognosis of 6 months or less, so no jurisdiction allows help for non-terminal suffering. A doctor who helps commits assisted suicide, a felony in California under Penal Code 401, and manslaughter or other felonies carrying 1 to 15 years elsewhere. Such cases are rarely charged because doctors do not do it.

Sources: Cal. Penal Code 401 · Death with Dignity: US legislative status map

A layperson gets lethal medication for a competent friend who has clearly asked to die, and is present when the friend takes it. No payment.

Lay assistance is a crime almost everywhere: a felony under Cal. Penal Code 401, and up to 15 years in Minnesota for anyone who 'assists another in taking the other's life'. Prosecutors often decline compassionate cases, but not reliably. Final Exit Network was convicted in Minnesota in 2015 and fined $30,000 for helping a 2007 suicide, and relatives and friends are periodically charged and investigated.

Sources: Cal. Penal Code 401 · MPR News: Right-to-die group fined $30K in Minnesota woman's suicide

The person is found with 5 grams of cannabis for personal use.

Federal simple possession is a crime carrying up to 1 year (21 U.S.C. 844), and adult-use cannabis stays in Schedule I; only state-licensed medical cannabis moved to Schedule III in April 2026. The 24 states plus DC with legal adult use hold about 52% of the population: legal under state law but federally criminal, scored about 5 de jure and 8 in practice. Most of the other states keep it a crime, e.g. Texas makes 2 oz or less a Class B misdemeanor with up to 180 days. Police made about 188,000 cannabis-possession arrests in 2024.

Sources: NORML: FBI marijuana possession arrests in 2024 · MPP: DOJ reschedules state-legal medical cannabis to Schedule III (Q&A) · Texas Health & Safety Code 481.121

The person is found with one personal dose of psilocybin mushrooms or MDMA.

Psilocybin and MDMA are Schedule I, and federal simple possession carries up to 1 year (21 U.S.C. 844). Only Colorado (Prop 122, about 2% of the population) removed criminal penalties for adults 21+ possessing psilocybin. Oregon allows it only inside licensed service centres and recriminalised possession of small amounts in 2024. In most states possession of any Schedule I drug is a felony or a jailable misdemeanour, e.g. a state jail felony in Texas. City 'lowest priority' resolutions (Denver, Oakland, Seattle, Detroit) are not decriminalisation. The usual outcome is arrest followed by diversion or probation.

Sources: 21 U.S.C. 844 · Mind Medicine Law: Are magic mushrooms legal? (2026)

The person sells 30 grams of cannabis to another adult.

Under federal law any sale of under 50 kg of cannabis carries up to 5 years (21 U.S.C. 841(b)(1)(D)). In the 24 legal states retail is licensed, but an unlicensed 30 g sale is a state misdemeanour or citation and still a federal felony (scored about 3). In non-legal states it is a felony: in Texas, delivery of more than 1/4 oz is a state jail felony, scored about 1. Police made about 16,000 cannabis sales and manufacturing arrests in 2024.

Sources: 21 U.S.C. 841 · Texas Health & Safety Code 481.120 · NORML: FBI marijuana arrests in 2024

Two adults agree to have sex for money, in private, with no third party involved.

Paying for sex is a crime in all 50 states, typically a misdemeanour with up to 6 months to 1 year. Nevada's legal brothels are in a few rural counties and do not cover a private deal, and Maine decriminalised selling in 2023 but still penalises the buyer. Police routinely run sting operations against buyers and sellers, which leads to arrests, published names and 'john school' fees.

Sources: Wikipedia: Prostitution in the United States · Maine House Democrats: Governor signs Reckitt bill to partially decriminalize prostitution

Three consenting adults want to live together as a family, share property, and make binding arrangements for inheritance, medical decisions and parenting.

Three adults living together commit no offence. Bigamy laws apply only to purporting to marry a second spouse, and Utah cut even that to an infraction for consenting adults in 2020. Wills, powers of attorney, health-care proxies, co-ownership deeds and cohabitation contracts cover inheritance, medical decisions and property. Group marriage is unavailable. A third legal parent can be recognised by courts only in a few states such as CA, WA, ME, VT, DE, CT and CO, so parenthood often cannot be made binding.

Sources: FOX 13: Polygamy is essentially decriminalized in Utah under SB102 · NCLR: Children with more than two parents

Parents want to homeschool their 10-year-old using their own curriculum.

Homeschooling is legal in every state. About 26% of the population lives in states that need no notice at all, scored 10: TX, IL, MI, NJ, IN, MO, OK, ID, AK, plus CT and IA. Roughly 60% live in states needing notification only (8) or notification plus testing or evaluation (6). About 12% live in high-regulation states, scored 5.5: NY, PA, MA, RI and VT need approval or curriculum plans plus assessments. No state forbids a parent's own curriculum.

Sources: HSLDA: Homeschool laws by state · HomeschoolPicks: Easiest states to homeschool (no-notice list)

The state wants to read the person's end-to-end encrypted messages, although they are suspected of no serious crime.

Domestic interception needs a judicial warrant (Fourth Amendment, Title III), and no backdoor mandate exists for end-to-end encryption. FISA Section 702 bulk collection, and the FBI's warrantless queries of Americans' communications in it, continue. The statute lapsed on 12 June 2026, but FISC certifications keep collection running until 17 March 2027. Courts split on compelled decryption: Massachusetts (Commonwealth v. Jones) and others allow orders to give up a passcode under the foregone-conclusion doctrine, enforced by contempt jail. Device hacking under warrant is allowed under Rule 41.

Sources: Brennan Center: Section 702 will not lapse if reauthorized by March 2027 (Sept 2026) · State of Surveillance: FISA 702 lapsed June 12, 2026 · NACDL: Compelled decryption primer

The person wants a prepaid SIM card and an internet connection without giving their identity.

No federal or state law requires prepaid SIM registration or ID at purchase; a 2010 Senate bill to require it did not pass. Prepaid phones and SIMs can be bought for cash, and some carriers ask for a name or ZIP code at activation, but nothing verifies it. Fixed broadband needs a named contract as any service does, and public Wi-Fi needs no identity. There are no real-name rules for online services.

Sources: Wikipedia: Prepaid mobile phone (registration)

The person wants to pay a dealer 15,000 USD (or the local equivalent) in cash for a used car.

Paying any amount of cash for a car is lawful; the US has no cash-payment limit. The dealer must file IRS/FinCEN Form 8300 within 15 days for cash over $10,000. Splitting the payment to avoid the report is structuring, a crime. The buyer need not prove the source of funds.

Sources: IRS: Form 8300 reference guide

The person wants to found a new religion, or an association, and hold weekly meetings without registering it.

Founding a religion or association and meeting weekly needs no registration or permission (First Amendment free exercise and association). Incorporation is optional and only for legal personality. Even for tax purposes, churches that meet 501(c)(3) requirements are automatically tax exempt and need not apply to the IRS (IRS Publication 1828).

Sources: IRS Publication 1828: Tax Guide for Churches & Religious Organizations

The person organises a protest of 50 people in a public square with one day's notice to nobody. It is peaceful.

No permit is needed for protests on sidewalks or for small groups in parks. Cities may require content-neutral permits for street marches, amplified sound or certain plazas, and the First Amendment requires exceptions for spontaneous protests reacting to current events (e.g. Chicago). Where a permit is validly required and missing, organisers can be cited or arrested for a misdemeanour. A peaceful 50-person gathering in a square is normally left alone.

Sources: ACLU of Illinois: When can government require a permit to protest? · ACLU: Protesters' rights

The person publicly announces they have left the country's dominant religion, or Islam, and criticises it.

No US jurisdiction punishes apostasy or blasphemy. Government cannot force anyone to profess belief or disbelief in a religion (Torcaso v. Watkins, 1961), and criticism of religion is protected speech. Apostasy has no family-law consequences, and police protect apostates from threats like anyone else.

Sources: Torcaso v. Watkins, 367 U.S. 488 (1961)

The person wants to move abroad permanently, taking 1 million USD of savings and shares.

The US taxes citizens on worldwide income wherever they live, so moving abroad does not end US tax filing, FBAR or FATCA reporting. Ending it requires renouncing citizenship. Renouncers who have $2m+ net worth, more than $206,000 average annual tax (2025) or cannot certify 5 years of tax compliance pay a mark-to-market exit tax under IRC 877A. There are no capital controls.

Sources: IRS: U.S. citizens and resident aliens abroad · IRS: Expatriation tax

The person, who already holds another citizenship, wants to renounce this one.

Renunciation is a right under 8 U.S.C. 1481(a)(5) and is done in person at a consulate. A State Department rule of 13 March 2026 cut the fee from $2,350 to $450 from 13 April 2026. The renouncer must still file Form 8854 and certify 5 years of tax compliance, or be treated as a covered expatriate subject to exit tax. Consular appointment waits often run to months.

Sources: Erickson Immigration Group: DOS cuts fee to renounce US citizenship to $450 · IRS: Expatriation tax

Police find 20,000 USD in cash in the person's car at a traffic stop. They charge no crime.

Police may seize cash and seek civil forfeiture without charging anyone. Federally the government must prove forfeitability only by a preponderance (18 U.S.C. 983(c)), and most seizures end in administrative forfeiture unless the owner files a claim within the deadline. Culley v. Marshall (2024) held that no prompt retention hearing is required. Only Maine, Nebraska, New Mexico and North Carolina have ended civil forfeiture, and local police in other states can use federal equitable sharing. Fighting a $20,000 seizure often costs a large share of the sum.

Sources: 18 U.S.C. 983 · Culley v. Marshall, 601 U.S. 377 (2024)

The person is arrested for a non-violent offence carrying up to 2 years in prison. They have a home and a job.

A judge must find probable cause within 48 hours of a warrantless arrest (County of Riverside v. McLaughlin, 1991). Money bail is legal in most states, though Illinois abolished cash bail in 2023 and New Jersey and New York sharply limit it for non-violent offences. About 457,000 people sit in jail unconvicted; the median felony bail is $10,000, and inability to pay is the main reason. A defendant with a job and home in a non-violent case is usually released, but pressure to plead guilty is strong.

Sources: County of Riverside v. McLaughlin, 500 U.S. 44 (1991) · Prison Policy Initiative: Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2025

The person wants to build a 20 m² wooden shed on their own rural land.

Under the model International Residential Code (R105.2), sheds up to 200 sq ft (18.58 m2) need no permit. A 20 m2 (215 sq ft) shed is just over that limit, so in code-adopting jurisdictions it needs a building permit issued on objective criteria plus zoning setbacks. Many rural counties have adopted no building code, and agricultural buildings are often exempt. Building without a required permit brings stop-work orders, fines or orders to remove the structure.

Sources: Springville, UT: Work exempt from permits (2015 IRC R105.2)