Anchorage, AK Accessory Structures: ADU Rental Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Owner-occupancy required
- No, not required citywide
- ADUs allowed per lot
- One ADU per parcel
- Girdwood text
- ADU may be a rental unit
- Permit needed
- Building or land use permit
- Illegal ADU penalty
- Civil penalties, AMC 14.60.030
Summary
Anchorage's accessory dwelling unit rules explicitly promote rental income and set no owner-occupancy or minimum-lease requirement: homeowners may rent out an ADU to any tenant once it is permitted under Title 21 zoning standards.
Only one accessory dwelling unit, as defined in Section 21.05.070D, shall be allowed on any single-family residential lot. The accessory dwelling unit may be a rental unit.
(B) Location. An accessory dwelling unit shall be on the same lot as the primary dwelling unit. An accessory dwelling unit may be attached to, or detached from, the single-family dwelling unit.
(C) Size. The gross square footage for an accessory dwelling unit, not including any related garage, shall be no greater than 900 square feet or 75 percent of the gross floor area of the primary dwelling unit (excluding the ADU and garages), whichever is less.
(D) Floor area ratio; density. The floor area of the accessory dwelling unit is included, along with the floor area of the primary dwelling unit, in calculating the floor area ratio on the lot, but the accessory dwelling unit is not included in calculating the average density for a new single-family subdivision.
(E) Maximum height. Accessory dwelling units shall not exceed 35 feet in height, nor be greater than twice the height of the primary dwelling unit.
(F) New accessory dwelling unit. Where single-family dwelling unit already in existence a new accessory dwelling unit to be constructed on a lot with an existing single-family dwelling unit shall conform to all development and dimensional standards in the applicable zone district regulations.
(G) Maximum number of bedrooms. The ADU shall have no more than two bedrooms.
(H)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 5010260; v11 updated 2026-09-01).
Full Breakdown
Anchorage's Title 21 zoning code allows one ADU per single-family lot after a building or land use permit from Development Services. The citywide standards in AMC 21.05.070.D.1 cover permit process, size, height, setbacks and utilities, and state as intent that ADUs should 'obtain extra income' and improve affordability 'through rental income opportunities', but they never require the owner to live on-site. Girdwood's parallel ADU rules make it explicit: 'the accessory dwelling unit may be a rental unit.'
Violations & Fines
Building or renting an unpermitted ADU risks code enforcement; unresolved illegal units face civil penalties under AMC 14.60.030 and the ADU permit itself expires if the unit falls out of code compliance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Anchorage require the homeowner to live on-site to rent out an ADU?
Is there a minimum lease term for renting an ADU in Anchorage?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Anchorage
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