City · Nevada

ADU rules in North Las Vegas

3 sources

These are the primary sources for accessory dwelling unit regulations in North 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

Conditional

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.

NLVMC 17.20.030.F.2.c and Table 17.20-3

Attached or internal ADU

Conditional

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).

NLVMC 17.20.030.F.2.b-c and Table 17.20-3

Maximum size

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

The 50-percent-or-800-sq-ft cap applies both in the single-family districts and in the planned districts. Accessory buildings collectively may not occupy more than 25 percent of the rear yard.

NLVMC 17.20.030.F.2.c(iv), 17.20.030.F.2.b(iii), 17.20.030.D.2.a.iii, 17.20.030.D.2.b

Owner occupancy

Not required

The ADU standards in 17.20.030.F.2 impose no owner-occupancy requirement for the ADU or the principal dwelling. Related restrictions: the ADU may not be sold apart from the principal dwelling, and home occupations are prohibited within an ADU. (For short-term rentals, individual room rentals are allowed only in owner-occupied units.)

NLVMC 17.20.030.F.2.c(x)-(xi)

Extra parking

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

Same one-space standard in the single-family districts and the planned districts. Nevada AB 396 caps what the city may require at one additional space where existing and street parking satisfy anticipated needs.

NLVMC 17.20.030.F.2.c(vii)

Approval process

Conditional use

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.

NLVMC 17.20.030.F.2.b-c and Table 17.20-3

Rental restrictions

Long-term rental of a permitted ADU is not prohibited by the ADU standards. The kitchen-less guest house/casita use expressly may not be offered on a rental basis. Short-term rentals require a conditional use permit with owner application, a 660-ft separation from other STRs, 2,500-ft separation from resort hotels, HOA authorization letter, and noise monitoring

The Chapter 17.32 definition of Guest House/Casita states the term 'does not include a structure that is available on a rental basis', so only the full ADU use (kitchen and restroom required, special use permit) yields an independently rentable unit. STR standards are in 17.20.030.F.16; STRs are a conditional accessory use in several residential districts and prohibited in apartment buildings.

NLVMC 17.32 (Guest House/Casita definition); 17.20.030.F.2.c(ii); 17.20.030.F.16

The fine print: 6 caveats that can change the picture

Two distinct uses: a rentable 'accessory dwelling unit' (complete dwelling with kitchen; special use permit in O-L, R-E, R-EL, R-1) versus a by-right 'guest house/casita' (no kitchen facilities, may not be rented, max 25 percent of principal living area or 800 sq ft on lots of 6,000+ sq ft). Flat values above describe the true ADU use.
ADUs are prohibited (blank cells in Table 17.20-3) in the R-CL, R-2, R-3 and R-4 residential districts; the special use path exists only in O-L, R-E, R-EL and R-1, plus planned districts (PUD/PID, MUD, PCD, R-A/DC, C-3, M-3) under their own review procedures.
Lot-size gate: minimum 6,000 sq ft lot with a single-family principal dwelling for an ADU in the single-family districts.
Anti-clustering rule: no ADU may be located within 300 feet of another ADU (17.20.030.F.2.c(v)); one ADU per lot; ADU may not be sold separately; home occupations prohibited inside an ADU.
State law overlay: Nevada AB 396 (2025) required North Las Vegas (population over 60,000) to have an AB 396-consistent ADU ordinance before July 1, 2026; under Section 11(2), failure means ADUs are authorized on any residentially zoned parcel without restriction. The city adopted no new ordinance; city staff told local media in June 2026 that the existing code already complies. Whether the special-use-permit requirement, the 6,000 sq ft lot minimum, the 300-ft separation rule and the R-CL/R-2/R-3/R-4 prohibition are 'consistent with' AB 396 has not been tested; if they are not, the statutory default would override them.
ADUs in C-1, C-2, M-1 and M-2 are a different animal: special-use quarters for security or related personnel accessory to a nonresidential use (17.20.030.F.2.a).

Summarized from North 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

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

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