ADU rules in Garland

Garland defines an Accessory Dwelling as attached or detached, so detached ADUs exist in the code, but no zoning district allows one by right. A detached Guest House (not for rent) needs a Specific Use Provision (SUP) from City Council and is eligible only in the AG, SF-E, SF-10, and SF-7 districts; a rentable Accessory Dwelling Rental Unit is SUP-eligible only in AG and SF-E. Owners of typical SF-5 small-lot homes, townhouses, and duplexes have no ADU path at all, and an ordinary accessory building may never be lived in without that SUP.

The same three Accessory Dwelling use categories cover attached units; every definition says the unit may be either attached or detached, and the Land Use Matrix does not distinguish the two forms. An attached ADU therefore also requires an SUP in the same districts: Guest House in AG, SF-E, SF-10, SF-7; Rental Unit in AG and SF-E; Guard/Manager/Caretaker in AG, LC, HC, IN. No district grants attached ADUs by right.

Size is controlled by proportion rather than a flat number: a 2,000 sq ft house supports at most about 600 sq ft of accessory dwelling. The SUP process can impose stricter site-specific limits. Setbacks follow §2.58: same front and street-side setbacks as the main building, 3 ft side and rear in the rear yard.

No provision read requires the owner to live in the main house as a condition of having an accessory dwelling. Occupancy is instead restricted by use type: a Guest House may only house guests or relatives of the property owners and may not be rented, while the Rental Unit type (AG and SF-E only) may be rented. Because every ADU needs a discretionary SUP, City Council can attach case-specific conditions, and landlords renting any dwelling must hold a single-family rental permit, whose eligibility rules bar applicants claiming homestead exemptions on more than one property.

The Land Use Matrix assigns each accessory dwelling type its own parking requirement on top of the single-family home's 2 enclosed spaces per dwelling unit. The SUP process can add further site-specific parking conditions.

Every accessory dwelling type appears in the Land Use Matrix only with an 'S': allowed solely upon approval of a Specific Use Provision, Garland's conditional-use instrument granted by City Council. No district shows a 'P' (by right) for any ADU. Ordinary accessory buildings are by right in residential districts but may not be inhabited without that SUP, and any accessory building over 20 sq ft needs a building permit under GDC Chapter 4.

On most Garland single-family lots an ADU cannot legally be a rental at all: the only ADU type allowed in the common SF-10 and SF-7 districts is the Guest House, defined as not for rent, and §2.58(E) bars subletting any accessory building. The STR article (Ord. 7403 of 2023, amended by Ord. 7625 of September 2025 and Ord. 7677 of June 2026) adds neighbor notice, a required landline, prohibited conduct rules, and occupant-side offenses.