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Navigating the Accessory Dwelling Unit Process in Austin

4/28/2017

4 Comments

 
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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.
 

4 Comments
MYRA C ONG
4/27/2020 05:19:02 am

Hi. I am seeking advice on how to go about adding an ADU on my property. The house is in Austin but in Williamson County. Are building codes for ADUs in Travis County and Wilco different? I'm having a hard time finding online sources of building requirements and restrictions. Would you be able to point me in the right direction?

Many thanks,
Myra

Reply
Erika
4/27/2020 09:18:55 am

Hi Myra,

Feel free to give me a call or shoot me an email for more information. If you're in the city limits of austin then you will need to comply with COA building guidelines. These can be found in the land development code section § 25-2-1463 - SECONDARY APARTMENT REGULATIONS.

Here's a link

https://library.municode.com/tx/austin/codes/land_development_code?nodeId=TIT25LADE_CH25-2ZO_SUBCHAPTER_DNEPLCODI_ART4SEAPSPUS_S25-2-1463SEAPRE

Reply
Myra
4/27/2020 09:40:10 am

Thanks so much for the link: I learned so much. Though I may have visited that site before, but had a difficult time looking for the pertinent sections.

My property is zoned SF2 and based on the link you sent, I can add an apartment unit to it. So what's the next step? Find an architect to design one for me? I am trying to build a very small guest house/tiny home type. Maybe I can look for a recent graduate of architecture school to design it in order to save money.

Should I pay you for your time?

Erika
4/27/2020 09:44:28 am

Hi Mayra,

I'm here to help. No compensation is needed. You should be fine to build on an SF2 lot, but there are a variety of other technical requirements you will have to satisfy too that vary from one property to the next. I'd recommend reaching out to a builder for more guidance.




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