Side by side · Nevada
Compare ADU rules across Nevada
Flexible on where you build? The same backyard cottage can be routine in one city and impossible next door. This table puts 6 Nevada cities side by side so you can shortlist the friendly ones before reading a single ordinance, or narrow it to just the cities you are deciding between. Every value is summarized from the city's own code; open a city's page for the full notes, citations, and fine print.
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| City | Detached ADU | Attached / internal | Max size | Owner occupancy | Extra parking | Approval |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clark County | Allowed | Allowed | On lots under 10,000 sq ft: 75% of the habitable gross floor area of the primary dwelling (this cap cannot be waived or varied). On lots of 10,000 sq ft or more, or in the Nonurban Area: up to the gross floor area of the primary dwelling. Not allowed at all on lots under 4,000 sq ft. | Not required | 1 space per accessory living quarters unit | Permitted use |
| Henderson | Allowed | Allowed | Greater of 25% of the principal dwelling's floor area or 1,000 sq ft; tiny houses max 400 sq ft (excluding lofts); an attached garage does not count toward the maximum | Not required | 1 space per ADU | Permitted use |
| Las Vegas | Allowed | Allowed | No fixed square-footage cap; the ADU may not exceed the total gross floor area of the primary dwelling. Detached ADUs must also meet the district accessory structure standards, e.g. R-1 Table 2 caps all accessory structures at 50% of the principal dwelling's floor area and 50% rear yard coverage. | Not required | 1 additional space beyond the parking normally required for the primary dwelling. | Permitted use |
| North Las Vegas | Detached ADUs (including tiny houses 200-400 sq ft) are allowed only with a special use permit in the O-L, R-E, R-EL and R-1 districts on lots of at least 6,000 sq ft with a single-family principal dwelling; allowed subject to individual review in PUD/PID, MUD and PCD planned districts; prohibited (blank cells) in the R-CL, R-2, R-3 and R-4 districts. Mobile homes, RVs and travel trailers may not be used as ADUs. Ordinance read July 2026 | The code does not distinguish attached from detached ADUs in Table 17.20-3; the same special use permit route applies in O-L, R-E, R-EL and R-1. For planned districts the code states nothing shall be construed to prevent an ADU from being located within or inside the principal dwelling (17.20.030.F.2.b(i)). A separate 'garage conversion' use is conditional in most residential districts (17.20.030.F.6). Ordinance read July 2026 | 200 sq ft minimum; maximum 50 percent of the principal dwelling's gross floor area or 800 sq ft, whichever is less (tiny house ADU: 400 sq ft max). Kitchen-less guest house/casita: 25 percent of the principal dwelling's living area or 800 sq ft, whichever is less | Not required | 1 off-street space for the ADU, in addition to the parking required for the principal dwelling; no more than 2 spaces may be provided for the ADU | In the base single-family districts (O-L, R-E, R-EL, R-1) an ADU requires approval of a special use permit through a special use review (a discretionary public-hearing process), not a by-right building permit. In PUD/PID, MUD and PCD districts ADUs are shown as P but remain subject to the individual review procedure and applicable development agreements. A kitchen-less guest house/casita, by contrast, is permitted by right in O-L, R-E, R-EL, R-1 and R-CL. Ordinance read July 2026 |
| Reno | Allowed | Allowed | Varies by district via detached accessory structure Tables 3-6 and 3-7: 1,600 sq ft or 50% of the principal structure (whichever is less) in SF-3 and the LLR districts; 1,200 sq ft or 50% of the rear yard (whichever is less) in the mid-density SF/MF-14 columns; 2,400 sq ft in the highest-density columns. Attached ADUs follow the same maxima; the code's own example: an attached ADU in SF-3 is capped at 1,600 sq ft or 50% of the principal structure, whichever is less | Not required | 1 designated on-site space per ADU (Table 4-6 lists 1 per unit as both the minimum and maximum) | Permitted use |
| Sparks | Allowed | Allowed | 1,000 sq ft or 50 percent of the main structure's floor area, whichever is less; no more than two bedrooms; no more than two stories or taller than the principal dwelling | Not required | No ADU-specific parking requirement; the ADU section is silent and the citywide parking table has no ADU row (single-family dwellings require 1 space per bedroom) | Permitted use |
Summarized from each city's ordinance text, most recently read July 2026. Tap a value marked with an info icon to see exactly what it depends on, straight from the ordinance. Nearly every value has zone, lot-size, or process caveats beyond that; the per-city pages carry the full notes and code citations. Treat this as orientation, not a permit determination.
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Reading the table
- Detached ADU is the make-or-break column for backyard cottages: minimum lot sizes (often 8,000 to 14,500 sq ft) hide behind many of the "Allowed" values, so check your lot before celebrating.
- Attached / internal (basement apartments, additions) is legal almost everywhere and is usually the path of least resistance.
- Approval: "Permitted use" means staff-level sign-off; "Conditional use" means a public hearing, which adds time, cost, and uncertainty.
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