Plano allows one detached ADU per lot — the ordinance calls it a Backyard Cottage — by right with a building permit in 13 of its 15 residential districts (all but Agricultural and Estate Development) under Zoning Ordinance §15.1800 (Ord. 2019-2-10). The gates are eligibility, not approval: a 6,000 sq ft minimum lot, a cottage of 400 to 1,100 sq ft capped at 50% of the main house, no taller than the house, placed behind it at least 10 ft away, architecturally matched, with one extra non-tandem parking space. As adopted, the owner must live in one of the two units and record a no-separate-sale covenant before the permit issues; a reported 2023 amendment to the occupancy rule could not be confirmed from the code text in September 2026, so ask Plano Planning (972-941-7151). Plano's Code has no impact-fee article and its $5,691 park fee exempts backyard cottages; the city's own 2024 diagnostic says the allowance has been used sparingly and the ongoing code rewrite may loosen it.
Zoning & Size Requirements [1][2][3]
Yes — Plano allows ADUs. The size limit is a formula rather than one figure — see the size rule in the table below — under current Texas and Plano zoning rules.
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| Allowed Zones | Permitted by right (use-table note 51 → §15.1800) in 13 residential districts — SF-20, SF-9, SF-7, SF-6, UR, PH, SF-A, 2F, GR, MF-1, MF-2, MF-3 and MH — and in the UMU (Urban Mixed-Use) and BG (Downtown Business/Government) districts (Zoning Ordinance §14.100 and §14.200 as amended by Ord. 2019-2-10). Not permitted in the Agricultural (A) or Estate Development (ED) districts; Planned Development (PD) districts follow their own ordinances — check your district at share.plano.gov/zoningmap |
| Max Size (Detached) | 400 sq ft minimum; maximum 1,100 sq ft or 50% of the gross habitable floor area of the main dwelling, whichever is more restrictive, and never above the district's maximum lot coverage (§15.1800.2.C–E). The city's permit handout lists 45% total coverage in SF-6, SF-7, SF-9 and 2F with garage and accessory buildings capped at 10% of the lot (25%/10% in SF-20) — confirm current coverage limits with Building Inspections |
| Max Size (Attached) | Not applicable — a Backyard Cottage is defined as 'a detached dwelling unit subordinate to and located on the same lot as a Single-Family Residence (Detached) dwelling unit' (§8.200, added by Ord. 2019-2-10). Plano has no attached-ADU category; an attached suite is simply part of the main house |
| Max Size (JADU) | Not a category in Plano or Texas — §15.1800 has no junior-ADU designation |
| Max Height | Must not exceed the height of the main residential building (§15.1800.2.B). Whether the general accessory-building height limits of Article 13 also apply to a cottage placed inside a required yard is not stated in §15.1800 — confirm with Plano Planning |
| Max Units | 1 Backyard Cottage per lot (§15.1800.1.C); it must be on the same lot as the main house and may not be sold separately from it (§15.1800.1.A–B) |
Setback Requirements [1][2][3]
Plano applies the underlying zone's rear setback to a detached ADU (no ADU-specific figure), and one off-street parking space is required. Owner-occupancy is required.
| Rear Setback | §15.1800 sets no cottage-specific rear setback — the rear-yard rule of your zoning district and the accessory-building placement rules of Article 13 apply. The current Article 9 and 13 text could not be read in September 2026, so confirm your district's rear-yard figure with Plano Planning before designing |
| Side Setback | §15.1800 sets no cottage-specific side setback — the side-yard rule of your zoning district and the accessory-building placement rules of Article 13 apply; confirm the figure for your district with Plano Planning (972-941-7151) |
| Front Setback | No cottage may stand in front of the main house — it must sit behind the main dwelling per §13.500.2.P as applied by §15.1800.3.A, with a minimum 10-ft separation from the main dwelling (§15.1800.2.F). Driveway curb cuts (excluding alleys) may not exceed 24 ft, and any front-yard driveway must be shared with the main house (§15.1800.5) |
| Parking Required | 1 off-street space per cottage (§16.700 parking schedule, added by Ord. 2019-2-10) on top of the main house's spaces, and it may not be tandem (§15.1800.6.B). Front-yard driveway parking is allowed only where it matches the prevailing design on the block, must be shared with the main dwelling, and curb cuts (excluding alleys) are capped at 24 ft (§15.1800.5) |
| Owner Occupancy | Required as adopted: §15.1800.4.A (Ord. 2019-2-10) says the owner must occupy either the main house or the cottage as a permanent residence, may not collect rent on the owner-occupied unit, and must file a notarized affidavit before the building permit. The city's current fact sheet no longer lists occupancy among its key rules and a 2023 amendment is reported to have changed §15.1800.4, but that text could not be read in September 2026 — confirm with Plano Planning |
| Min Lot Size | 6,000 sq ft (§15.1800.2.A; restated on the city's Backyard Cottage fact sheet) |
Permit Process & Fees [4][5][6]
An ADU permit in Plano goes through a ministerial, by-right review. Review time: not published — Plano posts no review-time target for residential permits; confirm current plan-review times with Building Inspections (972-941-7140). Permit fees: Set by City Council fee resolution rather than in the Code (Code §6-653 amends UAC §304.2), plus a fire-protection plan-review fee on all construction (§304.2.1); the current schedule could not be read in September 2026 — get the figure from Building Inspections.
| Approval Process | By-right building permit through Plano Building Inspections (972-941-7140) — no rezoning, hearing or special exception. The city's cottage permit handout (FM624RY007A) lists a scaled site plan showing the cottage, its distance to the house and the parking space, elevations, floor plan, engineered foundation and braced-wall design, energy-code compliance, the occupancy affidavit (§15.1800.4.A) and the county-recorded no-separate-sale covenant (§15.1800.4.B), with proof of recording before the permit issues. HOA deed restrictions apply separately |
| Review Timeline | Not published — Plano posts no review-time target for residential permits; confirm current plan-review times with Building Inspections (972-941-7140) |
| Permit Fees | Set by City Council fee resolution rather than in the Code (Code §6-653 amends UAC §304.2), plus a fire-protection plan-review fee on all construction (§304.2.1); the current schedule could not be read in September 2026 — get the figure from Building Inspections |
| Impact Fees | None — Plano's Code of Ordinances has no water, wastewater or roadway impact-fee article, and the $5,691 single-family park fee (Code §16-266(d), Ord. 2025-7-11) does not apply to backyard-cottage permits (§16-264(a)). Expect only permit and trade fees plus any water meter or tap charges |
| Plan Check | Standard residential plan review under the 2024 International Residential Code as amended by Plano (Code §6-709, Ord. 2025-6-15); Plano's amendments delete the IRC one- and two-family automatic sprinkler section (§6-710), so a cottage needs no fire sprinklers. Fire-protection plan review is a separate fee line |
| Pre-Approved Plans | None — Plano publishes no pre-approved cottage plan library; each cottage needs its own engineered foundation and braced-wall design (permit handout FM624RY007A) |
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Construction Costs [7][8]
Building an ADU in Plano typically costs $140,000-$350,000 ($250-$400 per sq ft); a garage conversion runs $30,000-$100,000.
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| Average Build Cost | $140,000-$350,000 |
| Cost per Sq Ft | $250-$400 |
| Garage Conversion | $30,000-$100,000 |
| Prefab ADU (Installed) | $150,000-$300,000 |
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Rental Income Potential [9][10][11][12]
A 2-bedroom ADU in Plano rents for around $1,900-$2,500/mo, an estimated 5-12% gross rent yield.
| Avg Rent (1 Bedroom) | $1,350-$2,050/mo |
| Avg Rent (2 Bedroom) | $1,900-$2,500/mo |
| Short-Term Rental | Only with a city STR registration — $300 per registration or renewal, $200 for a renewal after an incident-free year (Code §6-738, Ord. |
| Est. Annual ROI | 5-12% gross rent yield |
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Recent Law Changes
What's Changed Recently
- September 2026 update: rent and cost ranges re-based on HUD FY2027 Small Area FMRs, Zumper and DFW 2026 cost guides; the park-fee exemption, 2024 IRC adoption and STR registration rules were added from the Code of Ordinances (codified through Oct. 13, 2025); the owner-occupancy field now reports the 2019 rule as adopted because the current §15.1800 text could not be read
- July 27, 2026 — City Council amended the STR registration article (Code §§6-731, 6-733, 6-748) to tighten definitions, delineate enforcement responsibility and set a deadline for nonconformity determinations; the $300 registration fee (Ord. 2024-4-14) is unchanged
- July 28, 2025 — Ord. 2025-7-11 reset the single-family park fee to $5,691; backyard-cottage permits remain exempt under Code §16-264(a)
- June 9, 2025 — Ord. 2025-6-15 adopted the 2024 International Residential Code with Plano's amendments, which delete the one- and two-family sprinkler requirement
- Zoning & Subdivision Ordinance Rewrite: the November 2024 diagnostic report found Backyard Cottages 'used sparingly since adoption' and recommended revisiting minimum/maximum sizes, placement and parking; as of the August 17, 2026 P&Z packet the new Unified Development Code is still being drafted by the Rewrite Advisory Committee — nothing adopted yet
- Texas: SB 673 (89th Legislature, 2025), the statewide ADU bill, died on the House General State Calendar (last action May 26, 2025); SB 15, HB 24 and SB 840 carry no ADU text, so Plano's rules fully control until at least the 2027 session
- A 2023 amendment (cited in earlier research as ZC2023-011, Ord. 2023-8-15) is reported to have revised §15.1800.4; its text could not be read from a primary source in September 2026 — treat the 2019 occupancy affidavit and covenant as in force until Plano Planning confirms otherwise
- Backyard Cottages were first allowed on February 25, 2019 (ZC2018-033; Ord. 2019-2-10), which set the 6,000 sq ft lot minimum, the 1,100 sq ft / 50% cap, one non-tandem parking space and, as adopted, the owner-occupancy affidavit and no-separate-sale covenant
Tips for Building an ADU in Plano
- Check your lot size first — the 6,000 sq ft minimum in §15.1800.2.A is the single most common disqualifier in Plano's older, smaller-lot neighborhoods
- The 50%-of-main-house rule usually bites before the 1,100 sq ft cap does: a 1,800 sq ft house limits you to 900 sq ft, not 1,100 — and the 10% garage-plus-accessory coverage cap on SF lots can bite harder still (700 sq ft total on a 7,000 sq ft lot with a detached garage already counted)
- Budget for the extra off-street parking space up front — it cannot be tandem, so a second car parked behind the first in the driveway will not satisfy §15.1800.6.B
- Architectural compatibility is judged on style, roof profile and pitch, and window/door proportions — a modern box behind a traditional brick ranch will not pass; the city's Backyard Cottage fact sheet shows compatible and not-compatible examples
- Start the no-separate-sale covenant with your title company early — proof of recording with Collin or Denton County is required before the building permit issues (§15.1800.4.B) — and ask Planning whether the owner-occupancy affidavit in §15.1800.4.A is still collected
- Look up your zoning district on share.plano.gov/zoningmap before hiring a designer: cottages are barred in A and ED, and Planned Development districts can override the base rules
- Renting the cottage for under 30 days needs a $300 city STR registration on top of zoning permission — and many Plano HOAs bar short-term rentals outright, which registration does not override (Code §6-733(b))
- Cost basis: DFW industry guides dated April–June 2026 put ground-up garage apartments and casitas at $250–$400 per finished sq ft ($150,000–$400,000+ for 600–1,000 sq ft) and installed modular units at $200,000–$400,000; Plano's engineered-foundation and architectural-match rules keep builds toward the middle of that range. Rents are HUD FY2027 Small Area FMRs for Plano ZIPs 75023–75094 (1BR $1,610–$2,300, 2BR $1,900–$2,710) bracketed by Zumper's September 2026 Plano medians (1BR $1,349, 2BR $1,924)
- Cost basis (2026-09-01 re-verification): short term allowed: Only with a city STR registration — $300 per registration or renewal, $200 for a renewal after an incident-free year (Code §6-738, Ord. 2024-4-14) — and only where the Zoning Ordinance allows that STR type in your district; STRs operating before May 15, 2023 (Ord. 2023-5-1) may seek nonconforming status (§6-735). Council tightened the registration article on July 27, 2026. Whether a cottage can be registered separately from the main house (Zoning Ordinance §15.2300) could not be read in September 2026 — confirm with Planning
ADU Builders in Plano
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Sources & References
All data on this page is sourced from official government records and verified market data. View our full methodology.
- Ordinance No. 2019-2-10 (Zoning Case 2018-033) — Backyard Cottages: §8.200 definition, §14.100/§14.200 use tables, new §15.1800, §16.700 parking (adopted Feb. 25, 2019; Wayback capture of the City's PDF) Municipal Code — Accessed 2026-09-20
- Plano Zoning Ordinance (Ord. No. 2015-5-2, as amended) — official posting page Municipal Code — Accessed 2026-09-20
- Plano Backyard Cottage (BYC) Fact Sheet — City of Plano Planning Department Planning Department — Accessed 2026-09-19
- Residential Backyard Cottage Permit Requirements (FM624RY007A, rev. 02/25/19) — Plano Building Inspections, with §15.1800 text and lot-coverage table Planning Department — Accessed 2026-09-20
- Plano Code of Ordinances Ch. 16 Art. XII — Park and Recreation Fee: §16-264(a) backyard-cottage exemption, §16-266(d) $5,691 fee (Ord. 2025-7-11) Municipal Code — Accessed 2026-09-20
- Plano Code of Ordinances Ch. 6 Art. XV §6-653 (permit fees by council resolution; fire-protection plan-review fee) and Art. XX §§6-709–6-710 (2024 IRC adopted by Ord. 2025-6-15; sprinkler section deleted) Municipal Code — Accessed 2026-09-20
- UHS Remodeling — DFW casita / garage apartment cost guide (June 29, 2026) industry — Accessed 2026-09-20
- Dwelling Index — Modular and prefab ADU cost guide (May 27, 2026) industry — Accessed 2026-09-20
- HUD FY2027 Small Area Fair Market Rents — Dallas, TX HMFA, Plano ZIP codes 75023, 75024, 75025, 75074, 75075, 75093, 75094 Government Data — Accessed 2026-09-20
- Zumper — Plano, TX rent research (updated September 20, 2026) Market Data — Accessed 2026-09-20
- Plano Code of Ordinances Ch. 6 Art. XXIV — Registration of Short-term Rental Properties: §6-735 zoning proof and May 15, 2023 nonconformity date, §6-738 fees (Ord. 2024-4-14) Municipal Code — Accessed 2026-09-20
- City Council file 26-624 — Ordinance amending §§6-731, 6-733 and 6-748 (STR registration), passed July 27, 2026 Municipal Code — Accessed 2026-09-20
- Zoning & Subdivision Ordinance Rewrite Diagnostic Report (Nov 20, 2024) — City of Plano, §5.3.3.4 Backyard Cottages Planning Department — Accessed 2026-09-19
- Planning & Zoning Commission packet, August 17, 2026 — Rewrite / Unified Development Code status (CPH2026-001 staff report) Planning Department — Accessed 2026-09-20
- Texas Legislature Online — SB 673, 89th Legislature Regular Session (bill history) Government Data — Accessed 2026-09-19
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I build an ADU in Plano?
Yes. ADUs are allowed in Permitted by right (use-table note 51 → §15.1800) in 13 residential districts — SF-20, SF-9, SF-7, SF-6, UR, PH, SF-A, 2F, GR, MF-1, MF-2, MF-3 and MH — and in the UMU (Urban Mixed-Use) and BG (Downtown Business/Government) districts (Zoning Ordinance §14.100 and §14.200 as amended by Ord. 2019-2-10). Not permitted in the Agricultural (A) or Estate Development (ED) districts; Planned Development (PD) districts follow their own ordinances — check your district at share.plano.gov/zoningmap in Plano. The maximum size for a detached ADU is 400 sq ft minimum; maximum 1,100 sq ft or 50% of the gross habitable floor area of the main dwelling, whichever is more restrictive, and never above the district's maximum lot coverage (§15.1800.2.C–E). The city's permit handout lists 45% total coverage in SF-6, SF-7, SF-9 and 2F with garage and accessory buildings capped at 10% of the lot (25%/10% in SF-20) — confirm current coverage limits with Building Inspections. Owner-occupancy is required: Required as adopted: §15.1800.4.A (Ord. 2019-2-10) says the owner must occupy either the main house or the cottage as a permanent residence, may not collect rent on the owner-occupied unit, and must file a notarized affidavit before the building permit. The city's current fact sheet no longer lists occupancy among its key rules and a 2023 amendment is reported to have changed §15.1800.4, but that text could not be read in September 2026 — confirm with Plano Planning.
How much does an ADU cost in Plano?
ADU construction in Plano typically costs $140,000-$350,000. Garage conversions run $30,000-$100,000, and prefab ADUs cost $150,000-$300,000.
How much can I rent an ADU for in Plano?
Average ADU rents in Plano are $1,350-$2,050/mo for a 1-bedroom and $1,900-$2,500/mo for a 2-bedroom unit.
Do I need parking for an ADU in Plano?
1 off-street space per cottage (§16.700 parking schedule, added by Ord. 2019-2-10) on top of the main house's spaces, and it may not be tandem (§15.1800.6.B). Front-yard driveway parking is allowed only where it matches the prevailing design on the block, must be shared with the main dwelling, and curb cuts (excluding alleys) are capped at 24 ft (§15.1800.5). Check with Plano planning department for the latest Texas ADU parking rules, as many states have relaxed requirements in recent years.
How long does it take to get an ADU permit in Plano?
Plano does not publish a standard ADU review timeline. Plano posts no review-time target for residential permits; confirm current plan-review times with Building Inspections (972-941-7140). Permit fees: Set by City Council fee resolution rather than in the Code (Code §6-653 amends UAC §304.2), plus a fire-protection plan-review fee on all construction (§304.2.1); the current schedule could not be read in September 2026 — get the figure from Building Inspections.
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