ADU rules in La Vista

La Vista's Zoning Ordinance (Ord. No. 848 of 2001, reprinted with revisions through February 3, 2026) has no accessory dwelling unit, guest house, granny flat or secondary dwelling use anywhere in its text. The R-1 Single-Family district permits only 'Single family dwellings' plus accessory 'Buildings and uses customarily incidental to the permitted uses', and a single-family dwelling is defined as 'a building having accommodations for or occupied exclusively by one family'. R-2, R-3 and R-4 likewise list no second detached dwelling on a house lot, so a backyard cottage or garage apartment cannot be permitted in any residential district; the only route would be a rezoning to a Planned Unit Development overlay (3-acre minimum) or a text amendment.

There is no attached, basement or internal accessory apartment use. The only lawful way to put a second unit inside or onto a house is to make it a two-family dwelling (duplex), which the R-2 Two-Family Residential district permits by right (§5.07.02.03) on a lot of at least 10,000 sq ft and 100 ft wide with 30 ft front and rear and 10 ft side setbacks (§5.07.05.01). R-1, the city's main single-family district, permits single-family dwellings only, and the R-3 and R-4 use lists name townhouses, condominiums and multiple-family dwellings rather than two-family dwellings. The value is 'conditional' because the route exists only in R-2 and only on lots that meet the duplex size standard.

Because no ADU use exists, the ordinance sets no ADU floor-area or percentage cap. Accessory buildings in R-1, R-2 and R-3 are limited to 17 ft in height and 10 percent lot coverage, 'Provided total area of accessory structures for single family does not exceed 700 sq. ft. and the total lot coverage of all buildings and accessory structure does not exceed 50%', with 5 ft side and rear setbacks and a 10 ft sidewall limit (§4.14.05); none of that space may be a separate dwelling. A two-family dwelling in R-2 is bounded by district lot rules rather than a unit cap: 10,000 sq ft lot, 100 ft width, 35 ft height and 40 percent building coverage.

No owner-occupancy rule appears in the Zoning Ordinance. The duplex route in R-2 is a permitted use with no residency condition, and the ordinance's definition of a dwelling unit contemplates 'owner occupancy or lease on a weekly, monthly, or other basis'. Both units of a duplex may therefore be occupied by tenants, subject to the city's rental license.

The §7.06 schedule requires 'Two (2) spaces per dwelling unit' for a duplex and, for single-family attached and detached residences, 'Two (2) spaces per dwelling unit with 1 required to be enclosed', so converting a house to two units doubles the requirement. In R-1 through R-4 required parking must be on the same lot as the use it serves, and all residential parking must be paved with asphalt or concrete (§7.05). Ord. No. 1581 (6-16-2026) restated §7.05 after the February 2026 reprint, adding a test-track surface rule for I-2 and renumbering the same-lot rule to §7.05.08 without changing its text.

There is no ADU permit. A two-family dwelling is a listed permitted use in R-2, so a duplex conversion or addition there needs only a building permit from the Chief Building Official, who checks the plan against the ordinance (§9.04), with no Planning Commission hearing. Nothing ADU-like is listed as a conditional use in any district; a second unit in R-1 would require a rezoning to R-2 or a Planned Unit Development, both legislative decisions by the City Council after a Planning Commission recommendation.

Every rental dwelling in the city limits needs a rental license under the Rental Inspection Program, renewed each year by the end of March and subject to periodic inspection (Municipal Code §150.64, Ord. 1095 of 2009). Ord. No. 1506 (adopted 2-6-2024, effective 2-14-2024) made short-term rentals a permitted use in R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4 and MU-CC under §7.19: each must hold the rental license, provide 'at least one off-street parking space per sleeping area', house no more than two persons per permitted sleeping area and 12 in total, display no sign, and pay city taxes (the city's page describes a 5 percent Short-Term Rental Occupation Tax under Ord. No. 1507). Bed and breakfasts remain a separate conditional use in R-2, R-3 and R-4, with guest rooms only 'within the principal residential building only and not within an accessory building'.