ADU Rulebook

City · Nevada

ADU rules in Las Vegas

6 sources

These are the primary sources for accessory dwelling unit regulations in Las Vegas: the city's own zoning code, planning department pages, and permit guides. Start here before talking to anyone: the rules below are what your permit reviewer will apply.

Rules at a glance

Detached (backyard) ADU
Allowed

The ADU use covers structures that are 'either detached, attached or built within the primary residence'. Listed as a conditional use (C) in all 11 standard residential zoning districts (U, R-E, R-D, R-1, R-SL, R-CL, R-TH, R-2, R-3, R-4, R-MH); not listed in office, commercial or industrial districts. Detached ADUs must meet the district's accessory structure placement and height tables.

LVMC 19.12.070 'Residential, Accessory Dwelling Unit' (Ord. 6963 §7, 07/01/26); LVMC 19.12.010 Table 2 (Ord. 6963 §6); LVMC 19.06.040(C)(8)
Attached or internal ADU
Allowed

Attached and internal (built within the primary residence) ADUs are covered by the same use listing. An attached ADU must conform to the underlying district's Table 1 building placement standards and is not required to have interior access to the primary dwelling.

LVMC 19.12.070 'Residential, Accessory Dwelling Unit' (Ord. 6963 §7, 07/01/26); LVMC 19.06.040(C)(7)
Maximum size
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.

The citywide condition is relative (100% of primary dwelling gross floor area), but for detached units the district accessory structure tables are usually the tighter constraint and vary by district.

LVMC 19.12.070 'Residential, Accessory Dwelling Unit', Conditional Use Regulation 1 (Ord. 6963 §7, 07/01/26); LVMC 19.06.040(C)(8); LVMC 19.06.070 Table 2 (R-1)
Owner occupancy
Not required

No owner-occupancy condition appears in the ADU conditional use regulations. The use description allows the ADU to house 'the occupants of the principal dwelling or their tenants, domestic employees or temporary guests'. (Owner occupancy is required for the separate Short-Term Residential Rental use, but ADUs are excluded from that use entirely.)

LVMC 19.12.070 'Residential, Accessory Dwelling Unit' (Ord. 6963 §7, 07/01/26)
Extra parking
1 additional space beyond the parking normally required for the primary dwelling.

This is the maximum AB 396 allows a Nevada city to require (no more than one additional space, and only where existing plus street parking do not satisfy anticipated need per the state bill).

LVMC 19.12.070 'Residential, Accessory Dwelling Unit', On-site Parking Requirement (Ord. 6963 §7, 07/01/26); AB 396 (2025) Sec. 1(2)(b)
Approval process
Permitted use

Classified as a Conditional Use (C) in the land use tables, which in Las Vegas means administrative approval without a public hearing if the fixed conditions are met (LVMC 19.12.040(A)). The Special Use Permit fallback of 19.12.040(B) is expressly disapplied for ADUs, so if a condition cannot be met the use is simply not allowed; there is no discretionary route.

LVMC 19.12.010 Table 1 and Table 2; LVMC 19.12.040(A); LVMC 19.12.070 'Residential, Accessory Dwelling Unit', Conditional Use Regulation 2 (Ord. 6963 §7, 07/01/26)
Rental restrictions
Long-term rental allowed: the ADU may house tenants of the principal dwelling's occupants. Short-term rental prohibited: the Short-Term Residential Rental use definition expressly excludes 'residential accessory dwelling unit', so an ADU cannot be licensed or used as an STR (rentals under 31 days).

AB 396 requires cities to allow ADU rental housing but lets them prohibit ADU use as transient lodging; Las Vegas does exactly that. No minimum lease term is stated for long-term ADU rentals.

LVMC 19.12.070 'Residential, Accessory Dwelling Unit' description (Ord. 6963 §7, 07/01/26); LVMC 19.12.070 'Short-Term Residential Rental' description (Ord. 6815 §23, 09/17/22); AB 396 (2025) Sec. 1(2)(e)
The fine print: 7 caveats that can change the picture
  • New regime as of July 1, 2026: the ADU use was created by Ordinance 6963 (introduced June 3, 2026; adopted and effective July 1, 2026) to conform with Nevada AB 396 (2025). Before this ordinance, Las Vegas had no rentable-ADU use; only non-rentable accessory structures.
  • AB 396 required adoption 'before July 1, 2026'; Las Vegas adopted Ord. 6963 on July 1, 2026. Whether an on-the-deadline adoption satisfies Sec. 11 (whose fallback authorizes ADUs on any residential parcel 'without restriction') is an open legal question this directory does not resolve; the codified ordinance is treated here as the operative law.
  • One ADU per lot (AB 396 would allow a city to authorize up to two; Las Vegas allows one).
  • Zone dependence: ADUs are a conditional use only in the 11 standard residential districts (U, R-E, R-D, R-1, R-SL, R-CL, R-TH, R-2, R-3, R-4, R-MH). Form-based code areas (LVMC 19.09) and master plan special areas (Summerlin, Town Center, etc.) use their own use tables, which have not all been updated to add the ADU use.
  • Development standards vary by district: detached ADUs must meet each district's accessory structure tables (setbacks, height, and size caps such as R-1's 50%-of-principal-dwelling floor area limit), and no ADU may be placed in front of the primary structure except limited side-entry cases (LVMC 19.06.040(C)).
  • Summerlin is different: the Summerlin Development Standards (last revised June 9, 2022, before AB 396) allow only 'Guest Houses/Casitas' in the EQR, ER, SF1, SF2 and SF3 land use districts; they may be occupied only by occupants of the principal dwelling, their temporary guests or domestic employees, 'shall not be rented', are limited to one room plus bathroom and walk-in closet, and stoves are not permitted (Summerlin Development Standards, Section 2, Land Use Standard 18).
  • Private covenants still apply: much of Las Vegas is in HOA-governed common-interest communities, and AB 396 does not override CC&Rs (its other sections amend NRS 116 on rental restrictions but do not mandate HOA approval of ADUs).

Summarized from Las Vegas's ordinance text, read July 2026; every row links the code section it came from. Rules often vary by zone and lot, so treat this as orientation, not a permit determination, and confirm with the planning department before you commit to a design.

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ADU regulations

Short-term rental rules

Planning to rent your ADU on Airbnb or VRBO? Las Vegas regulates short-term rentals separately; check these before counting on nightly rental income.

Nevada statewide law also applies

Nevada sets baseline ADU rights at the state level. Where local rules are stricter than state law allows, state law usually wins, so both are worth reading.

See Nevada statewide rules

Spotted something outdated?

Zoning codes change. If a link is dead or Las Vegas has updated its ordinance, report it and we'll verify against the official source.

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