To help more residents own and rent accessory dwelling units (ADUs), the City is currently seeking submissions of designs for detached ADUs, often called DADUs or backyard cottages. Pre-approved designs will offer a faster, easier, and more predictable path to permit and construct a DADU. Homeowners choosing a pre-approved plan will pay reduced permit fees and get their permit within 2-6 weeks for sites without protected trees or environmentally critical areas and that do not need drainage review.
Pre-approved Plans for Accessory Dwelling Units
As part of our comprehensive effort to enable more residents to own and rent accessory dwelling units (ADUs), Mayor Jenny Durkan has called for pre-approved plans for detached ADUs that offer homeowners a faster, easier, and more predictable design and permitting process. Our first step in this effort was a public survey about design principles we should consider when selecting plans for pre-approval. Between September 30 and October 21, we received almost 600 responses to the survey.
City Launches Effort to Develop Pre-Approved Plans for Accessory Dwelling Units
The Seattle Department of Constructions and Inspections (SDCI) and Office of Planning and Community Development (OPCD) together are launching a survey to help guide our effort to select designs for pre-approved plans for accessory dwelling units (ADUs).
Small, secondary homes located on the same lot as an existing residence, ADUs create more places to rent in neighborhoods where housing is often unaffordable and give homeowners flexibility to generate income, build wealth, and meet their changing household needs.
New Accessory Dwelling Unit Regulations Begin August 8
The new accessory dwelling unit regulations go into effect on August 8, 2019. This was a multiyear effort to help increase the number and variety of housing options in single-family zones and to remove barriers to developing accessory dwelling units in the city.
Accessory Dwelling Units Construction: Fire and Sound Separation
Seattle DCI has recently clarified its interpretation of the Seattle Residential Code (SRC) requirements for accessory dwelling units (ADUs). (ADUs are separate living spaces within a house.). Our code requirements are different, depending on whether the ADU is in a new construction project, or it is a remodel of an existing space within a single-family residence.
