Secondary suite

In some cases, the ADU or in-law is attached to the principal dwelling or is an entirely separate unit, located above a garage, across a carport, or in the backyard on the same property.

[2] Reasons for wanting to add a secondary suite to a property may be to receive additional income, provide social and personal support to a family member, or obtain greater security.

This is different from a dual occupancy, where two primary dwellings are developed on one allotment of land, being either attached, semi-detached or detached.

The maximum fully forgivable loan depends on the location of the property: A 25% supplement in assistance is available in remote areas.

[26] After adopting legislation in 2009 to support secondary suites, Vancouver, British Columbia has become a leading city of their construction in North America.

Zoning permissions and laws concerning accessory dwelling units can vary widely by state and municipality.

[39] SB 1069 and AB 2299 are California bills approved in 2016 and effective 1 January 2017, that limit local government authority to prohibit ADUs in certain cases (and also reduce cost and bureaucracy hurdles to construction).

[44] The states of Vermont[45][46] and New Hampshire[47][48] have also adopted a number of bills that promote accessory dwelling units and reduce regulatory barriers to ADU construction.

The State of Illinois considered, but did not adopt, HB 4869 which would have required municipalities to permit (and reasonably regulate) accessory dwelling units (ADUs).

[57][58][59][60][61][62][63] Many other communities have maintained wide-spread single-family zoning but still updated codes to permit accessory dwelling units.

[65] Diverse smaller jurisdictions that permit accessory dwelling units include Lexington, KY,[66] Santa Cruz, CA,[67][68] and the County of Maui in Hawaii.

[71][72][73] In 2015, Honolulu amended its zoning code to allows ADUs as a sort of Ohana Dwelling, but with fewer restrictions.