The Colorado Springs ADU Ordinance (#25-45), Explained
On April 8, 2025, Colorado Springs City Council approved Ordinance #25-45, which replaced the city's old accessory-dwelling rules and made an ADU legal on any property with a single-family detached home. This page translates the ordinance into plain English for homeowners: where ADUs are allowed, how big and tall they can be, the parking and design requirements, and the rules that most often surprise people (the short-term rental ban chief among them). Every rule here is taken from the city's published development standards, checked August 2026. It applies inside Colorado Springs city limits; unincorporated El Paso County has its own rules, which are less permissive.
What changed, and why
The ordinance is Colorado Springs' implementation of HB24-1152, the 2024 state law that required larger Colorado cities to allow one ADU per single-family lot "by right" (meaning administrative approval, no public hearing or rezoning) by mid-2025. The city went from a restrictive accessory-suite regime to a streamlined one: if your property has a single-family detached house and your project meets the standards below, you are entitled to a building permit. Approval runs through the ordinary permit process, not a discretionary review.
The three types of ADU
The city defines three, and several rules differ by type:
- Integrated: inside the main house (a basement apartment, for example).
- Attached: physically connected to the main house by a wall or other permanent connection.
- Detached: a separate structure on the same lot. This covers backyard cottages, converted garages, and new detached ADU construction generally.
The rules at a glance
| Standard | The rule (Ordinance #25-45) |
|---|---|
| How many | One ADU per lot developed with a single-family residence, permitted in all zone districts |
| Wildfire overlay | In the Wildland Urban Interface Overlay (WUI-O), only integrated ADUs are allowed; detached and attached are prohibited |
| Size | The lesser of 50% of the primary structure or 1,250 sq ft; if the primary home is under 1,500 sq ft, the ADU may be 750 sq ft |
| Height | Detached: 16 ft max; a garage converted to a detached ADU: 25 ft max; attached and integrated follow the main building's height limit |
| Setbacks | Front and side setbacks match the principal building; detached ADUs need a minimum 5-ft rear setback |
| Placement | Prohibited in front yards; permitted in corner, side, and rear yards |
| Parking | One off-street parking space, in addition to parking required for the rest of the property |
| Access | Attached and integrated ADUs may not take their exterior access from the front; where possible, a 36-inch-wide access path from the front property line is required |
| Design | Architecture, design, colors, and materials must be compatible with the main house |
| Short-term rental | An ADU may not be used as a short-term rental |
| Separate sale | The ADU may not be subdivided or sold separately from the principal residence (one narrow exception; see FAQ) |
Two helpful details hiding in the standards: an ADU does not count against your lot's maximum total floor area for accessory structures (so an existing shed or shop does not eat your ADU allowance), and the city publishes a map tool (SpringsView) to look up your zoning, plus the Fire Department's wildfire risk site to check whether you are in the WUI overlay.
The size rule, with real numbers
The cap is the lesser of 50 percent of the primary structure or 1,250 square feet. Examples: a 2,000-square-foot house allows a 1,000-square-foot ADU (50 percent governs). A 3,000-square-foot house allows 1,250 (the hard cap governs). And the floor matters for smaller homes: if your house is under 1,500 square feet, you may still build a 750-square-foot ADU even though 50 percent would allow less. A 750-square-foot unit is a genuine one-bedroom, so the ordinance works for modest properties, not just large ones.
Does my neighbor get a say?
Mostly no, and this is the practical meaning of "by right." The city requires a public notice poster along your street frontage for 14 days before the building permit issues, so neighbors will know an ADU is coming. But the approval standard is code compliance, not neighborhood sentiment: there is no public hearing, no planning commission vote, and no rezoning. If your project meets the standards in the table above, the review is administrative. The notice informs; it does not create a veto. The one private-law exception is your HOA, covered below.
Inside city limits vs. El Paso County
Everything on this page applies to properties inside Colorado Springs city limits. Unincorporated El Paso County is a different jurisdiction with its own land development code, and its accessory-dwelling rules are older and more restrictive; the state ADU law that drove the city's ordinance applies to municipalities, not counties. If your address is in unincorporated county territory (common in Security, Widefield, Falcon, and Black Forest areas), confirm your rules with El Paso County Planning before assuming anything here applies. The same caution goes for neighboring incorporated towns, each of which implements state law its own way.
The rules that surprise people
- No Airbnb. The city prohibits using a structure as both an ADU and a short-term rental, and combinations only exist where they predated June 30, 2025. If your business case depends on nightly rates, an ADU is the wrong vehicle here. Long-term rental is the model the ordinance supports.
- Your HOA still matters. The city does not enforce or override HOA covenants. If your neighborhood's covenants restrict accessory buildings or rentals, resolve that question (the city suggests independent legal advice) before spending on design.
- Owner-occupancy is more nuanced than the headlines. State law (HB24-1152) bars cities from imposing ongoing owner-occupancy mandates on ADUs, and the ordinance's standards impose none. But the city's permit packet includes a notarized Owner Residency Determination Affidavit in which the owner affirms they currently reside in the principal residence at the time of permitting. If you do not live in the home (an investor purchase, for example), ask the city's Development Review Enterprise (719-385-5982) how the affidavit applies to your situation before you plan an ADU.
- Tiny and prefab homes qualify; RVs do not. Prefabricated, manufactured, and tiny homes can be detached ADUs (with a permanent foundation required for utility connections), while mobile homes and recreational vehicles are expressly not allowed.
- Garage conversions get extra height. A garage conversion to a detached ADU may stand up to 25 feet versus 16 for a new detached structure, which can make a two-story carriage-house layout possible where a new build could not reach it.
What approval actually involves
A compliant ADU is authorized through a standard building permit from the Pikes Peak Regional Building Department. On top of PPRBD's normal submittal requirements, the city requires an ADU application packet (including an Owner Residency Determination Affidavit and a Subdivision and Separate Sale Covenant), a utility "Ability to Serve" determination from Colorado Springs Utilities, and, only in Historic Preservation Overlay districts, a Report of Acceptability. City Planning issues a public notice poster during plan review, which must be posted along your street frontage for 14 days before the permit can issue. There is no separate land-use application fee for ADUs, though normal plan review and impact fees apply; our Colorado Springs ADU cost guide breaks down every fee with the official schedules.
Frequently asked questions
Does the ADU ordinance override my HOA?
No. The City of Colorado Springs does not enforce HOA covenants, and the city advises owners in HOAs to seek independent legal advice about whether their association can restrict ADUs. Check your covenants before you spend money on design.
Can I rent my ADU on Airbnb or VRBO?
No. The city does not allow a structure to be used as both an ADU and a short-term rental. Combinations that existed before June 30, 2025 were grandfathered, but a new ADU means long-term rental only.
Can I use a tiny home or prefab unit as my ADU?
Yes. Tiny homes, prefabricated, and manufactured homes can serve as detached ADUs, though different building-code requirements and inspections may apply, and the city requires a permanent foundation to connect utility services. Mobile homes and RVs cannot be used as ADUs.
Do I have to install separate utilities for an ADU?
Not necessarily. An ADU may connect to utilities independently or tie into the main house's service. Colorado Springs Utilities evaluates service availability case by case during building-permit review, and the outcome of that determination is one of the biggest swings in project cost.
Can I sell my ADU separately from my house?
Usually no: an ADU generally may not be subdivided or sold separately from the principal residence. The city's FAQ notes one exception: if a property with a detached ADU meets all applicable provisions of the Unified Development Code, it may be subdivided so the two dwellings sit on separate lots and can be sold separately.
Sources
- City of Colorado Springs: Accessory Dwelling Units (the official standards table and FAQ this page summarizes)
- Colorado Springs Unified Development Code (the underlying code text)
- Colorado General Assembly: HB24-1152 (the state law behind the ordinance)
- City fee schedules