ADUS IN DENVER
RECOMMENDATIONS OVERVIEW
Denver’s population has grown, and we need to make it easier to provide a range of housing options that fit in with
existing neighborhoods. Accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, are self-contained, smaller living spaces that are an
extension of an existing property. The ADUs in Denver project builds on adopted city policy to evaluate how ADUs
are designed, how they fit in with different types of neighborhoods, and how updates to the zoning code may reduce
barriers to creating ADUs. The project will not rezone any properties.
After a year of work with an Advisory Committee, focus groups, City Council
members, and the public through surveys and open houses, the city has
released recommendations to update the zoning code to allow more
flexibility in the design of ADUs and make ADUs more responsive to different
neighborhood contexts.
The recommendations for Urban and Urban Edge districts (zone districts U- or
E-) would make it easier and less expensive to build one-story ADUs and to
convert existing structures like garages. Detached ADUs on lots without alleys
in Urban Edge districts (E- zone districts) would have increased setbacks to
protect neighbor privacy, reflecting focus group feedback of residents in these
neighborhoods. In Suburban districts (S- zone districts), the recommendations
also respond to focus group feedback by requiring one-story ADUs with greater
setbacks from neighboring properties. Through simple updates like these, the
city will address a number of neighborhood concerns around ADU design and
provide homeowners more flexibility for lower-cost ADU options, like reusing
older, single-story detached garages.
These recommendations are summarized in the table on the next page and
have informed the drafting of a proposed text amendment to the Denver
Zoning Code. For more details and graphic diagrams of these recommendations,
please refer to the Strategy Report on the project website.
ADU requirements would be different for
Suburban (top), Urban (middle) and Urban
Edge (bottom) zone districts. The Urban
Edge illustration below shows requirements
for a7.500 square foot lot with no alley.