Upper Darby, PA Accessory Structures: ADU Rental Restrictions (2026)

" That single sentence forecloses the short-term or long-term rental model that makes ADUs attractive as income property in many jurisdictions; in Upper Darby, an ADU approved under § 550-17B may only house family, such as an adult child, an aging parent, or in-laws living alongside the homeowner. The restriction sits alongside the unit's other conditions, including the two-person occupancy cap in § 550-17B(5) and the requirement that the ADU share the principal dwelling's utilities in § 550-17B(4), reinforcing that the use is meant to accommodate extended family rather than function as a separate rental unit.

Because accessory dwellings are approved as special exceptions by the Zoning Hearing Board under Article XII, a change from family occupancy to an unrelated tenant would violate the terms of that approval, not merely a private lease term, exposing the property owner to the Township's zoning enforcement process under § 550-53.