Bloomington, IL Accessory Structures: ADU Owner Occupancy (2026)

" That means a duplex, a multi-family building, or a single-family home the owner rents out rather than lives in cannot add an ADU under this section; only a single-family detached house that is genuinely the owner's own home qualifies for the special-use approval. This owner-occupancy condition sits alongside the six other ADU standards in § 44-908E, covering size (no more than 800 square feet or 50% of the primary building), height, rear-yard location, facade orientation, alley access and added parking. Because ADUs are approved as a special use under § 44-908C(7), the special-use application and any renewal or transfer review gives the Development Services Department and the Zoning Board of Appeals a point to confirm the owner-occupancy condition still holds.

The requirement is aimed at keeping ADUs tied to owner-occupied single-family lots rather than turning them into a second unrelated rental unit on an absentee-owned property, and it applies the same way whether the ADU is a new detached structure or a conversion of existing space inside the primary house.