Kansas City does not impose a citywide owner-occupancy requirement on accessory living quarters under KCMO Code Section 88-305-09. Missouri has no state ADU law restricting local rules, so KCMO retains full discretion to amend this.
KCMO Code Section 88-305-09 governs accessory living quarters and does not require owner-occupancy of either the principal dwelling or the ALQ. The KC City Council has not adopted an owner-occupancy mandate as some other Missouri cities have (St. Louis, for example, does require it). Because Missouri has no statewide ADU preemption (unlike California or Oregon), KCMO retains full discretion to amend this in the future. The general lot occupancy rule that one principal dwelling per lot applies remains, and the ALQ cannot be platted as a separate fee-simple parcel without a re-subdivision. Short-term rental of an ALQ is separately regulated under KCMO Code Section 88-300-12.
There is no owner-occupancy violation in Kansas City. ALQs operated as illegal short-term rentals are cited under KCMO Code Section 88-300-12 with penalties up to $500 per offense in municipal court.
Kansas City, MO
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See how Kansas City's adu owner occupancy rules stack up against other locations.
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