Side by side · Texas
Compare ADU rules across Texas
Flexible on where you build? The same backyard cottage can be routine in one city and impossible next door. This table puts 3 Texas 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austin | Allowed | Allowed | Within the Subchapter F (central-city 'McMansion') boundary: each new unit capped at the greater of 0.4 FAR or 2,300 sq ft; total site FAR capped at the greater of 0.55 or 3,200 sq ft for two-unit use (0.65 or 4,350 sq ft for three-unit). Outside that boundary, base zoning district limits control. Preserving a qualifying older dwelling excludes its preserved square footage from FAR. | Not required | None. Austin eliminated off-street parking minimums citywide (Ord. 20231102-028, Nov 2023): 'off-street motor vehicle parking is not required' except accessible spaces tied to what would formerly have been required. If parking is provided, placement rules in § 25-2-773(C)(2)-(3) apply (max four spaces in the front street yard; garage placement limits). | Permitted use |
| Dallas | No by-right ADUs citywide. A detached rentable ADU needs either a Board of Adjustment special exception (available in any district) or location inside an adopted Accessory Dwelling Unit Overlay, which a neighborhood must petition for (50%+ of property owners). Ordinance read July 2026 | Same two paths apply. The overlay expressly regulates attached ADUs (max floor area the greater of 700 sq ft or 25 percent of the main use); the base special exception covers a rentable accessory dwelling unit without distinguishing attachment. A separate non-rentable 'additional dwelling unit' special exception also exists (51A-4.209(b)(6)(E)(i)), which requires a deed restriction against rental. Dallas Development Code Secs. 51A-4.510(c)(2)(C)(ii) and 51A-4.209(b)(6)(E)(i)-(iii)Full rules for Dallas Ordinance read July 2026 | In an ADU overlay: detached ADU 200 sq ft minimum, maximum the greater of 700 sq ft or 25 percent of the main structure; attached ADU maximum the greater of 700 sq ft or 25 percent of the main use; one story maximum. Outside an overlay (special exception path), general accessory structure caps apply: an individual accessory structure may not exceed 25 percent of the main building's floor area (excluding parking), all accessory structures combined 50 percent, and height may not exceed the main building. | Required | Overlay: minimum one off-street space, waived within 1,200 feet of a DART bus or transit stop, and reducible via the overlay petition (75 percent of owners) or by council on steering committee recommendation. Special exception path: if one additional off-street space is not provided, the board determines whether a traffic hazard results and may require one space as a condition. | Not by right anywhere in most cases (the city's own ADU page says so). Either a Board of Adjustment special exception (discretionary, $600 fee per the city page) or a city-council-adopted neighborhood ADU overlay, after which ADUs are permitted within the overlay subject to its standards. Dallas Development Code Secs. 51A-4.209(b)(6)(E)(iii)(aa) and 51A-4.510; City of Dallas ADU pageFull rules for Dallas Ordinance read July 2026 |
| Fort Worth | Habitable accessory buildings are permitted by right as accessory uses in all one- and two-family districts, but in one-family districts they 'may be used only as an accessory dwelling unit and may not be used as a separate independent residence'. The ADU definition further limits occupancy to temporary guests or family members of the main dwelling and bars cooking equipment, so this is a guest house or family quarters, not a rentable independent unit. Ordinance read July 2026 | Not allowed | No ADU-specific square footage cap; habitable accessory buildings may not exceed the height of the primary dwelling and count toward district lot coverage (for example 50% maximum in A-5). The lot-size-based table in § 5.301(b) (120 to 400 sq ft, or 2% of lots of an acre or more) applies only to NON-habitable accessory buildings. | Not required | No ADU-specific parking requirement in § 5.301. District standards require 2 spaces per dwelling unit behind the front building wall plus 1 per bedroom over three (for example A-5, § 4.705(d)(2)); because an accessory dwelling unit is not a separate dwelling unit under the code, no additional spaces are triggered in the text read. | 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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