Navigating the Accessory Dwelling Unit Process in Austin

In an effort to increase the current housing stock, the City of Austin has passed a number of initiatives in recent years to ease the process of adding an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) to your lot.  These separate stand-alone residences essentially allow for two independent fully livable buildings that can be legally separated as well.  Traditionally, if you wanted to build two homes on one lot and sell them to different purchasers you would need to have the lot subdivided.  Now, owners and developers can do a simple condo regime to account for the two units.

Originally, the ordinance only allowed for the development of such secondary units on lots of at least 7,000 square feet.  However, amendments in recent years have reduced the lot square footage requirements.  Additional regulation changes included removing cumbersome parking requirements, increasing the maximum size of the accessory dwelling unit, and decreasing required setbacks between the two buildings.

If you are considering building a secondary dwelling unit on your lot, the best place to start is by looking at the exact requirements as outlined in the city code.  A few highlights from the code in relation to ADUs are as follows:
 

• may not exceed: a) 1,100 total square feet or a floor-to-area ratio of 0.15, whichever is smaller; and (b) 550 square feet on the second story, if any
  
• may not exceed a height of 30 feet, and is limited to two stories
• must be located at least 10 feet behind or to the side of the primary residence
• impervious coverage for the lot may not exceed 45%
• building coverage for the lot may not exceed 40%

These secondary units represent a great opportunity for Austin to expand the affordable housing stock available, increase density while limiting urban sprawl, and allow residents to make a profit on their existing investments.  If you're worried about the hassle of red tape involved, feel free to give me a call.  I'm happy to walk you through the process.