Detroit's Chapter 50 Zoning Ordinance does not impose a citywide owner-occupancy requirement on the limited ADU category (pre-1940 carriage houses). However, if both the primary dwelling and the ADU are rented to non-owners, both units must be registered under Detroit Code Chapter 8 Article XV (the Rental Ordinance) and pass an inspection-based Certificate of Compliance.
Owner-occupancy of an ADU is regulated by Detroit through the rental side of the code rather than the zoning side. The 2019 Zoning Ordinance (Chapter 50) does not contain a blanket requirement that the property owner live on-site to operate an accessory dwelling. Instead, Detroit Code Chapter 8 Article XV β the citywide Rental Ordinance β requires that any dwelling unit rented to a non-owner be registered with the City, pass a property inspection, and obtain a Certificate of Compliance every three years (annually for new registrations). Therefore an owner who lives in the main house and rents only the ADU registers the ADU; an absentee owner who rents both the main house and the ADU registers both units. Carriage-house ADUs in a Local Historic District must also obtain a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Historic District Commission for any exterior changes β that requirement is independent of who lives in the unit. The pending 'Let's Build More Housing' 2025 amendments do not appear to add an owner-occupancy mandate, but applicants should confirm current text with the Planning and Development Department.
Renting an unregistered ADU is a Chapter 8 violation enforced through blight tickets and rental registration penalties. Loss of Certificate of Compliance bars future rental until inspection and re-registration. Renting an unpermitted dwelling unit is a separate Chapter 50 zoning violation.
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See how Detroit's adu owner occupancy rules stack up against other locations.
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