Salem, OR Accessory Structures: ADU Rental Restrictions (2026)

007, accessory dwelling units are a special use permitted in most residential zones, but subsection (a) sets standards that override any conflicting UDC provision, and subsection (a)(6) flatly prohibits using an ADU as either a short-term rental or an accessory short-term rental. 006. The code also caps ADU size at 900 square feet or 75 percent of the main building's gross floor area, whichever is less, limits a lot to one ADU, and requires detached ADUs to sit in the side or rear yard with setbacks as narrow as 3 feet on the interior side and as little as 1 foot from an alley.

Detached ADUs also count toward the property's overall 60 percent lot-coverage ceiling and cannot exceed 25 feet in height. Ownership cannot be split from the main house parcel, and the ADU must be in a lawfully built structure that meets building code, not a tent, RV, or vehicle. The rental restriction is enforced through the City's code compliance process for special-use violations, and an ADU found operating as a short-term rental would be treated as a UDC use violation subject to the enforcement remedies in SRC chapter 20, including citation and required correction.