Accessory Dwelling Units (TC-16-19)
Accessory Dwelling Units (TC-16-19)
Accessory Dwelling Units (TC-16-19) - Proposes the removal of the overlay district requirement and allows the construction of accessory dwelling units on residential lots by right.
Background Information:
An accessory dwelling unit, or ADU, is a dwelling unit that is located on the same lot like a house but is smaller in size and is used independently.
ADUs usually include:
- Living area
- Sleeping area
- Kitchen
- Bathroom
- Lockable entrance door
There are three types of ADUs:
- attached: these are built as an addition connected to the house
- interior: these exist within the house
- detached: these are stand-alone units not attached to the house
Learn more about ADUs here.
Current Rules:
In order to build an ADU on your lot, you would have to submit an application to the City of Raleigh asking for a rezoning of your neighborhood (minimum of 10 acres). This process includes: attending a pre-application meeting with Planning staff, hosting a neighborhood meeting to inform your neighbors about your request, sending ballots to your neighbors to see how they feel about this request, submit a rezoning application to Planning staff, present your case to the Planning Commission, and then present your case to City Council. City Council will review all of this information and make the final decision about the application. If approved, the application would mean that anyone living within the area mapped out in your request could submit a building permit for an ADU that meets the requirements of the building code.
Proposed Text Change:
The proposed text change would remove the requirement to rezone your neighborhood and would permit ADUs in all residential districts as long as they meet the designated criteria for size, height, placement on the lot, and other conditions.
Public Meeting Schedule:
This text change is scheduled for discussion at the Planning Commission public meeting on May 26, 2020. We will be collecting comments here through May 19, 2020. Comments after this date should be submitted directly to the Planning Commission via email.