ADU rules in Jenks

Jenks's Unified Development Ordinance (Chapter 16, adopted by Ord. 1581 in 2022) lists Accessory Dwelling as a permitted (P) accessory use in the RE, RS1, RS2 and RS3 single-family districts and the AG district, and in the Downtown Transition overlay. The definition expressly covers a unit 'as an accessory building detached from the principal building.' It is not listed in the RD duplex, RTH townhome or RM multifamily districts or in the commercial and industrial districts, where a blank cell means prohibited. One ADU is allowed per lot.

The same use-table row covers attached and internal units: the definition says an ADU 'may be located as a partitioned area within the principal dwelling, as a building attached to a principal dwelling unit, or as an accessory building detached from the principal building.' Allowed by right in RE, RS1, RS2, RS3 and AG (and the Downtown Transition overlay), with the ADU's entrance on the interior side or rear facade so the front shows only one entrance.

Section 16-5-12(B) caps an internal ADU at 20 percent of the size of the primary building and a detached or attached ADU at 80 percent of it. The internal-unit sentence ends with a stray 'whichever is less' with no second figure, so a fixed square-foot alternative appears to have been dropped from the text; ask the City Planner how it is applied. No absolute square-foot cap is printed for ADUs, though a detached ADU is also a building on the lot, and the general accessory building rule in §16-5-12(A) (one accessory building per lot; 700 sq ft or 75 percent of the house on lots up to 20,000 sq ft, 1,200 sq ft or 75 percent on larger lots, whichever is more) may be read alongside it. Height follows the district maximum of 35 ft in RE and RS districts.

The owner must live on the property, in either house: 'The primary residence of the owner of the property shall be either the primary building on the lot or the accessory dwelling.' The rule is written as a standing condition of the use, not just an application-time test. Oklahoma has no statute limiting owner-occupancy rules.

Section 16-5-12(B)(7) requires ADU parking 'as required by section 16-6-1(E)' in addition to the primary home's spaces (a single-family home needs 2), bars locating it in the required front yard and prohibits tandem parking behind the house's spaces. Table 16-6-1(E) has no Accessory Dwelling row, so under §16-6-1(E)(4)(d) the City Planner applies the ratio of a similar use; the code does not say which, so the exact count is a staff determination. Both units must also use the primary building's driveway.

Where listed, the ADU is a 'P' use, 'allowed subject to all applicable regulations of this UDO' with no hearing. It needs a Zoning Clearance Permit issued by the City Planner and a building permit; single-family and two-family development is exempt from Site Plan Review. Deviating from the standards would need a variance or rezoning to a PUD, which are hearing processes.

The UDO has no rule against renting an ADU long term, but the owner-residency rule means the owner must live in one of the two units. The definition of 'Short Term Rental' expressly includes renting 'an existing or otherwise permitted accessory dwelling'; it is a conditional use (C) in every residential district and in AG, DC and RTC, approved or denied by the City Planner under the Conditional Use Permit criteria (no public hearing), and it owes the city lodging tax, gets a life safety inspection and needs 1 parking space per sleeping room. HOA covenants may forbid short-term rentals. The UDO does not address selling the ADU separately; it is an accessory use on one lot.