Accessory Dwellings
A one-stop source about accessory dwelling units, multigenerational homes, laneway houses, ADUs, granny flats, in-law units…
Contribute
We welcome new contributors to this site. There are lots of ways to be involved — some of which only take a few minutes. While we won’t be able to pay you, you can still get the glory. 🙂
The easiest way to help is to send in a link to help fill in our table of local ADU regulations. If you’ve got a link, leave a comment below.
If you’re interested in writing anything else for the site, that’s great! We would love to have contributions from around the country and world. The most common and appreciated type of post is a “profile” of a specific ADU project, telling the story behind the creation of an ADU. You could write it from the point of view of the homeowner, renter, designer, or contractor. Some examples of project profiles can be found here. Some general guidelines are below. Read them, leave a comment below, and we’ll get back to you pronto.
Guidelines for posts
- Feel free to range widely in terms of content and style, but make sure whatever you write has some clear relevance to the accessory dwelling concept.
- The post should have some substance, making at least an itty bitty contribution to the amount of knowledge on the web on this subject. That doesn’t mean you have to write a phD thesis, just anything more than “hey I found this link on the web check it out.”
- The easiest way to contribute is to report your own personal experience. You might describe an accessory dwelling you built, live in, or visited (pictures are most welcome). Or your experience with a crucial issue related to accessory dwellings (financing, being a landlord/tenant, using a common yard, etc).
- If you want to write about the general benefits/drawbacks/potential/etc of ADUs, try to synthesize the issue or add intelligent commentary.
- If your business is related to accessory dwellings, that’s fine! You can promote your own service, products, or events. Just make it clear you’re promoting yourself, and provide some value to readers along the way.
- The only thing we’re shy about right now is unbuilt projects. We hope AccessoryDwellings.org can distinguish itself by publicizing dwellings that are actually being built or lived in right now. However, if you’ve got a really great unbuilt project story, let us know.
- Copyright and permissions: Please make sure you have appropriate permission or clearance to use the images that appear in your post, and credit the creators of those images. For example, you can get permission from the photographer directly, or you can use images that are licensed under Creative Commons. Your posts will be released with a Creative Commons license unless you declare a different license in the body of your post.
We’re anxious to hear your ideas! Thanks!
– the editors
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ADU’s around the web
- St. Louis aldermen consider making it easier to build 'granny flats' - St. Louis Post-Dispatch
- 'Granny flats' play surprising role in easing California's housing woes - The Washington Post
- Planning commission to review accessory dwelling unit rule changes - Eureka Times-Standard
- Accessory dwelling units awarded Cedar Rapids city tax incentives for first time - The Gazette
- Boulder City Council approves easing accessory dwelling unit rules - Boulder Daily Camera
- California Sees Spike in ADU Permits - Planetizen
- A San Francisco builder converted a former garage into 3 tiny homes - Yahoo News
- Naomi Darling and Preston Smith II: Support South Hadley's ... - GazetteNET
- Accessory Dwelling Unit Incentives Program launches in Santa Cruz ... - KION
- Canton leaders approve accessory dwelling unit program | Local ... - Cherokee Tribune Ledger News
Accessory Dwellings 
So happy to find this site. I have been researching ADUs for the past year (slowly) and believe your site will help me reach out to a broader community and find further information.
I am currently in my last semester of graduate school at The University of Texas at Austin, getting my M.S. in Community and Regional Planning. I am doing my thesis on Accessory Dwelling Units. Specifically, a program feasibility study for my hometown of Denton, Texas. The thesis will also include 2 case studies that review current programs for ADUs in the country. One of my case study sites is Santa Cruz, CA, I have not decided on the other yet. (maybe Austin’s SMART Housing program). Any suggestions on other cities with successful ADU programs??? I know Portland and Seattle have great programs but I am trying to find a city less urban or west cost. I wish Austin had a stronger program. Darn!
Again, so excited to see this site!!
Thanks!
Hi Jessica, glad to have you here. I hope you’ll find time to contribute some of what you’re discovering to the site! In fact I’ll make sure you’re invited as a contributor… look for that in your email. In terms of other cities to study, you might want to look through this bibliography I created (and you are welcome to add to as well). This thesis reviews some programs in the Boston area. This review may help you identify some other cities. I am glad you are not just focusing on Santa Cruz. For despite the wonderful publicity the Santa Cruz program has generated, it is really just one city, and the ADU phenomenon is much more widespread. Cheers! Martin
Martin, Thank you so much for all the resources. I was happy to see so many of the resources I had already downloaded on your list! I wish I found your site a year ago! I will definitely keep you updated as I discover new things.
-J
Hello Jessica,
I am looking into building ADU’s in Denton, TX and wondering if you found any ADU regulations or zoning regulations for Dention, TX?
Looks like Jessica wrote a thesis on the topic, maybe that will help: https://repositories.lib.utexas.edu/handle/2152/ETD-UT-2012-08-6136
Hi,
Hope you are well!
I really enjoyed your posts on ADU’s, they show how important they are to building structures and the flexibility of modern homes.
I’m working with WhatHouse we’d love to work with AccessoryDwellings, would you be open to a guest post on your site?
Here are a couple of ideas that we think could work really well
• The opportunity for ADU extensions on new build homes
• What is more cost effective – a new build or an extension
• Trends in new housing
Just to give you a bit of background on WhatHouse in case it’s not a name
you’re familiar with. WhatHouse offers offer homebuyers looking to purchase new-build homes in the UK everything they need to help their search, from brand new builds to retirement homes.
Looking forward to hearing from you
Best,
James
sounds good, James, I’ll email you.
Hi James,
I love what you are doing here! I’m glad I found this site. I have some ideas on the subject I’d like to share with you and I’d love your feedback. I first thought this concept a few years ago when I was brainstorming for cheap housing options for myself. I envisioned building a small building or parking a large enclosed trailer on my friends lot and turning it into a simple living unit. I made an agreement to pay my friend who owned the property a small monthly “rent” fee for the land to park on and also pay for my portion of the utilities. It was a win-win solution for my friend and I that would have radically reduced my housing bill. The only problem was the law. Its illegal to permanently live in an RV on residential land. And building a structure requires a permit, which would not be granted for building a second residence. But, a building permit is not required for building accessory buildings on your property as long as its 120 square feet or smaller, only one story tall, a certain distance from the border of your property and all of your accessory buildings do not make up more than X% of your land. So legally, you could throw up several 120 ft buildings in a backyard and run a water hose and electrical cord out to them. This idea could then be expanded to create dirt cheap intentional communities. Imagine being awarded a Community Land Trust and buying a house with many acres on it. You could then build some public facilities for the community and then each person receives a 120 ft building which is only theirs where they will sleep and store their personal belongings. Applying a few more principles to this idea could easily allow this to be a sustainable eco-community as well. Its a beautiful idea that holds the possibility of providing the cheapest and smartest housing in the US. The biggest question in my mind is legality. My understanding is that its perfectly legal for people to “sleep over” or camp out in these dwellings. However, it is not legal to claim a “storage building” as your primary residence. An individual might be able to avoid problems by simply being smart and keeping a low profile. But thats not possible for a community. So I would love to hear your thoughts and feedback. Is this possible? Has it already been done? Are there cities in the US that would allow this? Are there any loopholes? What if you called it a campground instead of accessory buildings behind a primary residence?
In Montgomery County, Maryland, the Planning Board has proposed a very modest liberalization of accessory apartment rules. Advocates for transit, tenants, and smart growth want something less restrictive. Here are my blog post on the subject and testimony being submitted to a Tuesday hearing by the Action Committee for Transit
http://greatergreaterwashington.org/post/15719/legalize-two-family-houses-in-montgomery-county/
http://actfortransit.org/archives/testimonies/2012Sep11Tst2Family.html
Hi- I enjoyed your posts on ADUs in Portland! Do you have any ideas (or have heard stories) for how someone who is interested in living in an ADU might be able to buy/build one without owning the larger house? Would a homeowner who has built an ADU be able to sell it? I doubt they would, but who knows…
Greg, an ADU is by definition owned by the same party who owns the larger house. It’s not a division of land or property — it’s just an additional dwelling on what is usually a single-dwelling property. The whole property is bought or sold as a single package. So I’d say building one on somebody else’s property wouldn’t make a lot of sense.
HOWEVER you could just drive an RV onto someone else’s property (assuming they give permission 🙂 )– in a way that would function as an ADU. People do that a lot in rural areas. Or your could build a tiny house on a trailer, as a lot of people out there are doing, and pull that onto somebody else’s property. Let us know what you come up with.
Hi Editors,
My company, newavenuehomes.com, has recently expanded to the Portland market and would love to be a part of your group and provide posts for this page. We’ve helped over 65 clients in the Bay Area in just a few short years of business and are very excited about the Pacific Northwest.
It’d be great to hear from you,
John
Hello,
I created a design/build firm, LilypadHomes.com, in Marin County, California. We specialize in space and energy efficiency. We develop ADU’s and JR Units in existing homes to provide more affordable housing options in the San Francisco Bay Area.
I would love to contribute content to your site. You provide a great service to the community – Thank you so much! I look forward to hearing from you.
Rachel
Hi Editors, John of New Avenue Homes recommended that I check out your site! WOW, there is alot of useful info to sift through.I’m hoping to develop a tiny house myself– though have just started doing research and there is a great deal of legwork to do! ie securing a lot on the coast or in the wine country, TBD. If you are in need of a photo contributor I appreciate your keeping me in mind. Where can I send you photo links? Thank you! Best, Sarah
Thanks for your message, Sarah, I’ll send you an email.
Here’s a link to PIttsburgh, PA’s regulations: http://ecode360.com/13715623
thanks!
My husband I plan to move to Portland soon, and we hope to buy a home with an ADU so that … well, for more reasons than I can list here! I have contacted two realtors; neither has an efficient way to find these homes without my wading through dozens of listings that might include certain key words in their descriptions. At this point I don’t even want to consider a home without an ADU; there must be a better way to find these elusive needles in the Portland haystack, isn’t there? Are there realtors who specialize in homes with ADUs? Help!
Kristie, I don’t personally know a better way to search for houses with ADUs. There had been some talk of updating the RMLS database (used by realtors) to include an ADU field, but I don’t know if it has been put into effect. It’s worth asking your agent about. Here on this site we hope to have a forum of some kind where ADU-friendly professionals can list themselves, but we haven’t set it up yet. If you’d like to help out with that project, let us know. 🙂
Good luck!
I just wrote a fairly long, detailed reply, but then must have hit a wrong key and it’s gone! Gggrrr! Did you get it? Kristie Francis
Hi Kristie, sorry, I think it was lost in the ether. But the shorter comment came through. I can email you if you’d like. –Martin
Just discovered this site thanks to a Congress for the New Urbanism newsletter. I noticed you do not have a link to ADU regulations for my city, El Paso, Texas, so, here is one: https://library.municode.com/HTML/16180/level2/TIT20ZO_CH20.10SUUSRE.html#TIT20ZO_CH20.10SUUSRE_20.10.035ACDWUNAD
Keep up the good work!
The City of Tualatin, Oregon allows ADUs by right, without need of a zoning permit, and assuming compliance with the standards in Tualatin Development Code (TDC) 34.310 .
By the way, Metro, the regional government of the Portland, Oregon metro area, requires cities and counties to allow ADUs pursuant to Metro Code Section 3.07.120(G).
Opelika, AL. County: Lee.
Illegal to live in a tiny house on personal property because only one residence is allowed per lot. Got an empty lot? Still can’t live in it because they have to be 800 sq ft minimum.
I’ve been told i can park it in an RV park but I have to move it frequently (I think either 30 or 60 days)
Thanks Emily. I put it on the “Rules” page.
I am not sure what the building codes are here in Huntsville Alabama.
Is there a link to the Lee County, Alabama regulations on Accessory Dwellings on line that I would be able to read? The regulations for an accessory dwelling in the City of Auburn state that the utilities must be tied in to the primary residence and the size may not be more than 30% of the size of the primary residence or 1000 Sq Ft, whichever is lower. It also has to meet the same construction standards as a single family residence. I am understanding this to mean that a site built accessory dwelling is allowed in the Auburn City as long as it meets building codes. I am looking at Loachapoka and a city official there has advised that a single family home cannot have someone living full time in their yard in an RV. If your tiny house is on wheels, it would be considered an RV. Loachapoka follows the same codes as Lee County from the information I have been able to find.
Hey Katherine and Emily, thanks for your interest. Let’s move the discussion to the “Rules In Your Area” page of the site. If anyone finds rules for Lee County or Auburn please leave a comment with a link to the source information on that page. Thanks! -ed.
do you have Atlanta, GA on your list of regulations needed
We don’t have anything for Atlanta right now on the rules page. If you can find out we’d be happy to post the details there.
I contacted you a year and a half ago; my move to Portland is still scheduled for next summer (2016), and I am still hoping to buy a house with an ADU or the potential for one. I am working with a realtor who does not know of an organization or process that can help me find these rare needles in the PDX real-estate haystack. Actually, the availability of homes is more like a bale of hay, or a bucket at best … the selections are pretty limited in this sellers market, aren’t they! Apparently there’s no list of such homes that are for sale – can you offer any suggestions?
Kristie, have you or your agent tried looking in the MLS system in the “notes” field, looking for anything like “ADU”, “granny flat,” “in-law unit,” etc. It’s not efficient, but tThat’s what I would do. Some of the results would not be real ADUs, but you can always check for ADU permit status for a particular address at portlandmaps.com . Hope that helps! Martin
We’ve been using the wide range of ADU keywords in the notes, and it does provide a few hits. The permit-status-checking website will be helpful – Thanks! Kristie
Kristie, it may be that, since ADU’s are rare, there simply aren’t that many relevant properties for sale at any one time. Not that that really helps, but it is an explanation for why you might not find much. 😐
Martin, Lennar is working on a few communities in the Portland area; each community has ten or so different styles, and they say that one or two of those are “NextGen” homes (which, as you probably know, include an ADU … “two homes under one roof”). The communities are too far out for me, and the homes are pretty pricey, but other readers of your blog might want to take a closer look. Good luck to all!
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Wisconsin – Madison error: not a .pdf file
New Hampshire: in March 2015 a bill, SB 146, was brought before the Senate that “establishes requirements for local regulation of accessory dwelling units” http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/legislation/2015/SB0146.html . I know very little about legislation so I don’t know its chances of passing. I did a Google search for the zoning laws for my town and it seems that ADUs, both detached and attached, are permitted at the local level. Now I’m off to check that with a lawyer!
We have a home in NE Portland with an ADU unit. We have been trying to refinance the house in order to get the interest rate lowered. We live in the ADU Unit and rent out the main house. We have been leasing out the main house for over 6 years. THe problem that we are running into is that we will need the income from the rent in order to qualify for a conventional 30 year loan. The rental income has always been claimed on our taxes and the state and federal govenment want taxes paid on the income. We are being told that the proceeds of rent from an ADU will not be able to be used as Income to qualify for a loan.
We do not understand how the government will tax the rent as income and the banks tha are regulated by the goernment do not see it as income.
Does anyone know of a way to use ADU rental income as income to finance our refiannce? We are paying 6.25% interest and if we could get it down to 4.5% or so we could afford to keep the house.
Any thoughts?
Hi Tim, sorry to hear about your refinancing woes. I am surprised with that long a track record the income isn’t being considered. Have you gotten this response from more than 1 lender? How about financing it as a duplex, where it is a common scenario for the owner to live in one unit. Just some ideas. Good luck!
We have talked to several lenders we are just now looking at the duplex option. We need to find out what would need to be done to convert. Do you know what would need to be done. Separate electric Meters? Gas meeters? We have seporate entrances. Lenders have indicated that a duplex would help with counting the rent as income. Thanks for your help.
Tim, I am not talking about re-permitting it as a duplex. I am talking about refinancing it as a duplex. I know at least one person with a house + ADU who has done that.
I think one source of your confusion might be this: you are assuming that zoning or permit status (which comes from the local government) is strongly tied to lending policies (which comes from various corporate underwriters). It is not! In my experience they have little to do with one another.
The whole thing with separate gas meters, etc is a distraction. Some corporate underwriters might ask about it, but it is a very weak proxy for the number of units. Obviously there are many old multi unit apartment buildings with only one water meter, but that doesn’t mean the apartments aren’t separate and legal!
I would keep looking for lenders who understand the situation and recognize your long history of demonstrated income.
Kol and Eli, any input here?
We had one appraiser tell us that he could not call it a duplex because it was permitted as an ADU. ANy idea who the lender was that they might have used?
So far we have been hitting a wall with this.
Thanks for your help?
It’s very inconsistent, that’s for sure.
I did not intend to end with a ?
Tim,
Is your ADU permitted?
The information that follows is only relevant if your ADU is permitted. If your ADU is not permitted, then your appraiser will not able to look at the ADU as an income generating unit. They must appraise the property as they would appraise any other single family property.
If it IS permitted, then you can read through this post to help you seek out a mortgage advisor that will help ensure that you can look for an appraiser who understands what ADUs actually are and how the rental income can be used a viable source of income to qualify for loan and to show that the permitted ADU has income value for purposes of appraising the ADU correctly (like a duplex).
https://accessorydwellings.org/2012/03/13/refinancing-an-adu-best-practices-best-execution/
Also, there’s an upcoming class on appraising permitted ADUs that you want to consider attending.
http://www.earthadvantage.org/education/2317-309
Buying a property in Black Mountain NC, where ADUs are permitted, but sellers have a hard time selling great properties. Apparently lenders are still not granting conventional loans on these. Do you have any update as to how to obtain a loan at conventional-financing rates? At least one unit will be owner-occupied.
Sounds like a local situation — you might want to keep looking for lenders who understand what an ADU is. The general practice of lenders and the industry has been to kind of ignore an ADU if it is already on the property (in fact there is a whole bunch of Fannie Mae policy about how to deal with illegal ADUs). Generally lenders treat the whole property as a Single Family Residence — which is what they are used to dealing with. This can be good, or bad. If someone can make the payment while pretending the ADU doesn’t exist, they can get the loan. The trickier part is getting lenders to recognize the value, and income, associated with having an ADU. The lender may not recognize any income that might be generated by the ADU, for example. We’ve written a lot about financing for ADUs — look here for example https://accessorydwellings.org/2014/11/03/finance-guide-for-adus/ . While that is mostly about getting together the money to build an ADU, a lot of the same issues apply. Good luck!
Here in Houston, we call ADU’s garage apartments. All we build are garage apartments in the historic Houston Heights. We have zero down financing with Frost bank, I don’t know i they have branches up there our contact is Gary Roney 713-388-7848. Good luck
Hawaii Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice created an ADU website specific to the City & County of Honolulu. I’d like to share the website with the viewers of accessorydwellings.org to get some feedback on how we can improve it.
Just did some searches for Baltimore County Maryland and found this information. Thought it would be good for your list.
http://ecode360.com/15637722?highlight=accessory%20apartments,accessory%20apartment,apartments,accessory#15637722
thank you – ed.
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In California, the framework of state law on ADUs is very important to consider, and would make a good entry for your “What are the rules?” page.
See California Government Code (CGC) Sections 65852.150, 65852.2, 65852.22. This is the link to the appropriate section of the California Legislative Information Website: http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displayText.xhtml?lawCode=GOV&division=1.&title=7.&part=&chapter=4.&article=2.
Also, CA just passed two bills, SB 1069 and AB 2299 which make significant changes to CA’s ADU law in favor of making it easier to build ADUs (more information below). These bills go into effect January 1, 2017.
SB 1069: http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160SB1069
AB 2299: http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201520160AB2299
CGC Section 65852.150 communicates the legislative intent and expresses the value of second units.
CGC Section 65852.2 requires that local governments approve second dwelling units in a ministerial (non-discretionary) manner, subject to default development standards which are fairly permissive, unless they pass an ordinance, which may determine where in the jurisdiction second units are allowed and which may also impose typical zoning regulations like off-street parking requirements. This has been used by many local governments in CA to comply in a very minimal way with the spirit of the law and to allow second units only on a small percentage of the single-family-zoned land in each local jurisdiction.
CGC Section 65852.22 just went into effect, and allows local governments to voluntarily allow for the creation of “junior accessory dwelling units.” However, this law doesn’t appear to be very significant because local governments already had that power.
SB 1069 and AB 2299 make significant changes to CGC Section 65852.2. Local governments still retain the ability to decide where in their jurisdiction ADUs may be allowed, but take a look at this, from SB 1069:
“(f) Notwithstanding subdivisions (a) to (e), inclusive, a local agency shall ministerially approve an application for a building permit to create within a single-family residential zone one accessory dwelling unit per single-family lot if the unit is contained within the existing space of a single-family residence or accessory structure, has independent exterior access from the existing residence, and the side and rear setbacks are sufficient for fire safety. Accessory dwelling units shall not be required to provide fire sprinklers if they are not required for the primary residence.”
This means that local governments, even those with an ADU ordinance, cannot prohibit the conversion of existing built space to an ADU as long as the three conditions are met! This means you could easily use a two step process to build an ADU on pretty much any single-family lot in the state. Step 1: build a permitted addition that meets setbacks for habitable space and get your permits finaled. Step 2: Get a permit to convert that existing built space to an ADU. Alternatively, simply get a permit to convert an existing part of your house. This also appears to allow garage conversions to be permitted even by local governments who don’t want to permit them. The fire-setback condition is weird because that isn’t really something in the California Building or Residential Code (if you build close to a property line, the methods of construction just have to be more fire-resistant). Another section of the new laws prohibits off-street parking requirements for ADUs in this conversion of existing space situation and in many other situations (e.g. if the site is within 1/2 mile of transit).
If homeowners, architects and contractors know their rights, they can take advantage of the new laws.
Here is a link to rules for Folsom, CA
http://www.codepublishing.com/CA/Folsom/#!/Folsom17/Folsom17105.html
thank you! -ed.
Hello from Narberth, Pa. We are a very small Borough just outside of Philadelphia. Recently there has interest in accessory dwelling units as a way of housing aging parents. As a new member of the Planning Commission, I thought I would try to get some answers.
As you know, there are many positives to multi-generational living. But, there are these tough issues:
If we allow separate living quarters in homes/garages that would normally not be allowed to have them, what happens to the apartment once it is no longer needed? We know owners will be tempted to rent them out. We don’t want to have to become apartment police and we are hesitant to increase our density.
If, instead, we solve the problem by only allowing temporary structures, like a movable tiny house, would the Borough be liable in the event of a fire, etc. since the tiny house might not meet building codes? Are there other issues with temporary tiny houses? Thanks.
Hi Nancy, thanks for reaching out to us here at accessorydwellings.org.
To answer your second question, the one about portable tiny houses, first– I have no idea about the liability consequences. I will forward this note to a colleague with more experience in that area, but until you hear from her, I would assume that the answer is exactly the same as would be true for people living in RV’s in your borough. Tiny homes on wheels are essentially RV’s, even if their style is different.
In any case, because of their small size and the difficulty in making them accessible, I don’t imagine that tiny homes on wheels can meet all of your needs.
Regarding permanent ADUs, I think you’ll find that indeed, some do switch uses over time. Though that sounds “bad,” it’s probably not, really.
And whether they switch or not, ADUs are unlikely to meaningfully increase density in your community.
That’s because building an ADU is a major challenge for a homeowner, and in reality their numbers increase VERY slowly. Here in Portland, the American hotbed for ADU development, after 10 years of the city pushing them, they exist at only about 1-2% of all the properties where they would be permitted. So that’s like 0.1% – 0.2% per year. They are not taking over the town!
As your community comes up with its approach to ADUs, I hope you will consider the consequences of outlawing or overly restricting a kind of housing that people want for their family members. Once the family (or financial) motivation becomes strong enough, people will build anyway, and just hide it, permit it as something else, or make it substandard.
So, whether you like it or not, multigenerational housing will be with you, and eventually some portion of those units will be rented to non-family.
All these changes are just human nature interacting with the demands of the time. You can’t really stop them, in my opinion. You can just try to direct them along a positive course.
That’s what positive ADU programs do. They take these human impulses about housing – these things that are going to happen anyway, such as extended family living together, or Mr. Cunningham renting out the garage apartment to Fonzi 🙂 – and make real assets out of them, instead of things that slink in the shadows. If you read some of the project profiles on this site, you’ll see how well they can work!
Hope that helps, Martin
This is for your table of ADU’s
California – Union City – ZIP 94587
Requirements for Accessory Dwelling Units –>
http://www.ci.union-city.ca.us/home/showdocument?id=8879
thanks!
Here’s a link to Plano, TX ADU regulations
http://www.plano.gov/documentcenter/view/221
Where can I ask a specific question about the ADU rental requirements? As written there seems to be no requirement that an ADU be rented out. People in our town are using the new laws to build guesthouses that will not be used as rentals. Exploiting the new guidelines. That seems to be a huge oversight.
Well, you asked in the right place. I’m one of the editors of the site.
I’m not sure where you’re writing from, so I don’t know what your local rules are. If people are violating local rules, you obviously can report them.
But it sounds like you are saying that, where you are, there are few local rules about how an ADU can be used. I’ve actually written a fair amount about how non-residential uses and residential uses interact, and even done a bit of mathematical modeling about it. You might want to check out this post and this one on the topic.
The upshot is: the relationship is complicated, because one of the main reasons people create ADUs is that they are a very flexible kind of space. They get used as extra living space, offices, etc, … all sorts of things besides long-term rentals, and what’s more, those uses change over time. However, it appears that most of them at some point do serve as long – term rentals. So the question becomes, how can we produce the most long-term housing? Do we require all ADUs to only serve one purpose (which would decrease the number being produced)? Or do we have few rules about their purposes (which would increase the number being produced, even though sometimes they will not be serving as long-term rentals)?
Read the posts for the full arguments and data.
Hope that helps.
Martin
Thank you for the informative reply Martin. Quite a lot of information to take in. My concern is the across the board forcefulness of the new CA rules for ADUs without taking into consideration the size of the town. Some of us live in very small towns, 1500 people. On very small lots built out to the max FAR. Think 1200 sq ft homes with a 20′ deep backyard. Most homes do not have the lot space to add on to their homes given the small lots. That is the character of the town that people came here for. The new laws allow ADUs to be built despite our FAR rules and are putting ADUs on garages 5′ from the neighbors homes for them to only be used as extra bedrooms or guest houses that would not otherwise be allowed. It is a bit frustrating.
Dear Martin and Editors,
The ADU information on this site is amazing, and we’d love to contribute! I work for a design-build firm in San Diego, CA and a sizable percentage of our business involves ADU projects that address a lack of new housing, increasing real estate costs, and aging in place needs for residents in San Diego.
We’d love to share some news, knowledge, images, etc. related to ADUs with your readers. Please let me know how to go about becoming a contributor to the site. Thanks!
Zac Heisey
Director of Marketing
Murray Lampert Design, Build, Remodel
Hi there. I’m researching attic ADUs in Roanoke, Virginia. If I’m reading correctly, the code only addresses stand alone structures. (Sec. 36.2-402. – Accessory apartments) https://library.municode.com/va/roanoke/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=CORO1979_CH36.2ZO_ART4SURE_S36.2-402ACAP
Sorry for the delay in responding, Mark. I couldn’t get your link to work. Any updates? -ed.
Help Kol, et.al.
We bought a house in Hood River that has a 570 sq. ft. ADU over the double garage. We have renters moving into the house and we plan on living in the ADU.
We are having trouble finding a company that will insure the property. Can you point me in the right direction? Apparently it would be no problem if we lived in the house and long termed rented the ADU, but the other way around is not desirable for the insurance companies.
Thank you,
Rita
Hi editors! My name is Karen Robes Meeks and I’m looking for ADU renters to talk to for a story about ADUs. Do you know anyone who can speak from that perspective?
Hi Karen,
Just saw this, so maybe you have found your stories.. let me know if you need more.
Editors, new ADU regs in Boulder: https://library.municode.com/co/boulder/codes/municipal_code?nodeId=TIT9LAUSCO_CH6USST_9-6-3SPUSSTESUS
Somerville, Massachusetts just passed a new ordinance allowing ADUs. Listed as “backyard cottages” whereas “ADU” in ordinance are affordable dwelling units
Click to access Residential-Districts-FINAL.pdf
Thanks, Edmond. I put it in the collection of ADU rules by city. Man, that is incredibly confusing, using “ADU” to represent something else!
The link for Corvallis, OR os dead. I found this one: https://www.corvallisoregon.gov/ds/page/accessory-dwelling-units
Click to access LF1329011.pdf
This is the code for Pittsfield, MA. Thank you for keeping this list! Since our own Governor and congressman ignores Western Mass. at least you can say we’re included!
I have a 12’ X42’ ADU built in 1954 & rehabbed in 2004 in my rear yard. Tried to obtain some of the equity from my home & purchase the house next door. Appraiser did not assign any value to the ADU, lowering my value of the property & causing me to lose the opportunity to purchase the house next door. When I complained to the appraiser, he said he could find no comps.
Sorry to hear that. Appraisal is a topic we’ve written a lot about on this site, for example https://accessorydwellings.org/2014/06/16/a-practitioners-guide-to-appraising-adus/ . Appraisal policy among the GSE’s, such as Fannie Mae, is changing, hopefully to reflect different approaches to valuation, including methods that don’t rely so heavily on “comps”. Make sure your appraiser is up on the latest standards!
Tucson, AZ evidently allows ADUs now; just found this link:
https://www.tucsonaz.gov/pdsd/accessory-dwelling-units-code-amendment