Grand Forks, ND Accessory Structures: ADU Rental Restrictions (2026)

The zoning code's rental restriction on accessory dwellings lives in the definition itself. Section 18-0204 defines a 'guest house' as an adjunct living unit with sleeping area and a bathroom, with or without a kitchen, detached from the main single-family residence on the same lot, and says such units 'may be used for temporary housing of family members and guests without compensation, but they may not be rented, leased or sold separately from the rental, lease or sale of the main single-family dwelling unit on the lot.' The A-1 agricultural preservation and A-2 agricultural urban reserve districts allow a guest house only as a conditional use under Section 18-0206(3)(N), and layer on extra conditions: the lot must be five acres or larger, only one guest house is permitted per lot or parcel, mobile and manufactured homes cannot serve as the guest house, and the owner must record a declaration of covenants, conditions and restrictions with Grand Forks County repeating that the guest house cannot be sold, leased or rented apart from the primary dwelling.

The guest house must also meet the district's setback rules, with its front yard setback no closer to the street than the primary home's, and the city reserves the right to revoke the conditional use permit for any City Code violation. Because the restriction is written into both the citywide definition and the conditional use permit's recorded covenant, an owner cannot simply argue the definition does not apply to their district; the covenant follows the land and binds future owners too.