Carrollton, TX Accessory Structures: ADU Rental Restrictions (2026)

Article 35 of the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance, updated April 2026, defines GUEST HOUSE as 'a secondary structure on a lot which may contain dwelling accommodations for the temporary occupancy by guests, but which is not for rent, lease or permanent occupancy. Such building shall not have a separate utility meter or kitchen facilities. Kitchen facilities may be provided in accordance with Article 7 of this ordinance' (Ord. No. 1947, 10/19/93). The companion definition, SERVANTS QUARTERS, imposes the same restriction on any accessory building used to house household staff: it is 'an accessory building or portion of a main building located on the same lot as the main building and used as living quarters for servants employed on the premises and not rented or otherwise used as a separate domicile nor containing kitchen facilities.'

Both uses are grouped together as Use C012, 'Guest House or Servant's Quarters' (Ord. No. 1739, 10/01/91), in the Article 5 Use of Land and Structures table, marked 'A' for permitted accessory use in Carrollton's (SF) Single-Family Residential Districts. The no-rent language means the city treats these structures as strictly incidental to the main house: an owner can house a relative, guest or employee there rent-free, but leasing the space, listing it as a short-term rental, or giving it a separate electric or water meter converts it into an unauthorized second dwelling. That collides with Article 7, Section B's cap of one dwelling unit per lot of record in single-family districts, so a rented guest house is doubly out of compliance, violating both its own use definition and the district's dwelling-unit limit.