ADU rules in North Platte

A detached ADU is a permitted (P) use in the R-L, R-1, R-2 and R-3 districts under the Residential Use Table, added by Ord. 4092 in June 2022, and is not allowed in R-M. The catch is a lot-area gate: § 156.311(A) requires the lot to meet the district's minimum lot area for a two-family dwelling, which is 6,000 sq ft in R-2 (against 5,000 for a house) and 4,000 sq ft in R-3 (the same as a house). R-1 and R-L list no two-family lot area at all (duplexes are conditional in R-1 and not allowed in R-L), so staff must read the gate against the 9,000 sq ft R-1 'conditional uses' figure or the 12,000 sq ft R-L figure. A detached ADU must also sit at least 50 feet back from the front lot line.

The code's ADU definition covers 'an attached or detached extension to an existing single-family structure' with its own entrance, kitchen, sleeping area and full bath, so an attached ADU follows the same rule as a detached one: permitted in R-L, R-1, R-2 and R-3, but only on a lot that meets the district's two-family minimum lot area under § 156.311(A). In R-3 that gate matches the 4,000 sq ft house minimum; in R-2 it is 6,000 sq ft; R-1 and R-L carry no two-family figure, so the larger conditional-use lot sizes are the likely yardstick. A full duplex is a separate route, permitted in R-2 and R-3 and a conditional use in R-1.

§ 156.311(B) caps the ADU at the lesser of 40 percent of the total square footage of the main building or 800 sq ft, and allows no more than one bedroom. A detached ADU and all other accessory buildings together may not exceed 55 percent of the lot area. The ADU follows the district height limit (35 feet in R-L, R-1 and R-2; 50 feet in R-3) but may be no taller than the main house, must meet the main building's setbacks, and must share utility connections with it. The Board of Adjustment granted a variance for a 1,460 sq ft, two-bedroom detached ADU on a 0.92-acre R-1 lot in June 2025, so oversize units go through the variance process.

§ 156.311(C) requires the owner to live on the property, in either the main house or the ADU. The text states it as a continuing condition of the use, not just a requirement at application. Nebraska has no statute limiting owner-occupancy rules for ADUs.

§ 156.311(G) requires one parking stall for the ADU in addition to the parking required for the single-family house. The parking chapter refers to 2 spaces per single-family or duplex unit, so a lot with an ADU needs 3 off-street spaces in total. There is no transit or lot-size exemption.

The ADU is a 'P' use in R-L, R-1, R-2 and R-3, and § 156.081 says permitted uses 'are allowed outright provided the uses and/or structure meet the minimum requirements of the district', so a compliant ADU needs only a zoning check and building permit from the Development Department. There is no ADU-specific permit or hearing. Relief from the size, bedroom or lot-area standards requires a variance from the Board of Adjustment after a public hearing.

The code does not bar renting an ADU. Because § 156.311(C) requires the owner to live in either the house or the ADU, only one of the two units can be rented. North Platte has no short-term rental chapter. The only nightly-lodging use in the zoning code is the 'bed and breakfast guest home' (up to 4 rooms in the owner's home), which is a conditional use in R-L, R-1, R-2 and R-3. Nebraska's 18-1758 forbids cities from prohibiting short-term rentals and requires them to treat short-term rentals like similar properties under land-use rules.