Bossier City, LA Accessory Structures: ADU Owner Occupancy (2026)

The Unified Development Code (Appendix A, Section 5.6.2) permits one freestanding single-family Accessory Dwelling Unit in the rear or side yard of an existing owner-occupied single-family residence in the R-A Residence-Agriculture district, or in the rear yard only within R-E, R-LD and R-MD districts, inside the incorporated city limits. Because the ordinance ties the ADU to an owner-occupied primary residence, an absentee landlord cannot add a detached unit and rent out the whole property; the primary home must remain owner-occupied for the ADU to stay lawful.

Before building, the owner must obtain Conditional Use approval through the review procedures of UDC Section 3.3.2, which routes the application through the Metropolitan Planning Commission (MPC) rather than allowing it by right. Size is capped by lot area: up to 800 square feet of heated area on lots to 12,000 square feet, 1,200 square feet on lots to 25,000 square feet, 1,600 square feet on lots to one acre, and up to 50 percent of the primary dwelling's heated area or 1,600 square feet, whichever is greater, on larger tracts.

The ADU must sit at least twice the required side-yard setback away from the primary dwelling, with a minimum 20-foot rear-yard setback and 10-foot side-yard setback of its own. Any construction, use or occupancy that departs from these Conditional Use terms is enforceable by the MPC's Executive Director under UDC Article 17.