Requirements
The City of San Antonio has recently amended the Affordable Housing Initiative to provide quality affordable housing to all citizens regardless of income level. Accessory dwelling units (ADUs) have become a source of income to help families remain in their homes while providing affordable housing to elderly, single-person households, and students.
The following requirements must be met for an ADU:
Category
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Requirement
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Owner Occupancy
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- Owner must reside at the main house or in the ADU
- Properties where owner does not live on site must be rezoned to allow more than one dwelling unit
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Permitted Zoning Districts
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- R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4, R-5, R-6, RM-4, RM-5, RM-6 and in multi-family districts up to a total of five (5) units
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Size
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- Up to 800 square feet or 50% of the size of main house (whichever is larger)
- Cannot exceed 1,600 square feet
- All properties, regardless of main home size, can have an ADU of at least 800 square feet
- Applies to attached and detached ADUs
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Bedrooms
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- No limit on number of bedrooms
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Utilities
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- Can have separate utilities (meters) or can share meter with main house
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Height
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- Detached ADUs =limited to 2 stories and 25 feet in height
- Attached ADUs = must comply with height limit restrictions for the underlying zoning district
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Setbacks
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- Detached ADUs = may be located 3 feet or more from side and rear property lines
- Cannot have an eave overhang within 3 feet of the property line
- Must be fire rated if within 5 feet of the property line
- To avoid above measures, setbacks from side and rear property lines must be 5 feet
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Parking
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- Only ADUs over 800 square feet require a dedicated off-street parking space
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