Caddo Parish, LA Accessory Structures: ADU Rules (2026)

Ordinance No. 6404 of 2024 was recorded with the Caddo Parish Clerk of Court on 16 February 2024 (instrument 2958115) and takes effect on adoption. It amends Article 5, Section 5.3 and Article 6, Section 6.1 of the Caddo Parish Unified Development Code, and it is the current statement of what the parish requires of an accessory dwelling unit.

Four standards carried over from the older text and were renumbered as items 9 through 12. One accessory dwelling unit is allowed per lot, and where permitted it does not count toward the maximum number of dwelling units on the lot, including when it sits in a detached structure. A detached unit may not exceed the height of the principal dwelling, and may not exceed a gross floor area of 60% of the principal dwelling's gross floor area or 1,800 square feet, whichever is less. Detached units may only be located in the rear yard, must be located five feet from any lot line, and must be at least ten feet from any principal building. No additional parking is required, though the parking required for the principal structure has to be maintained.

The ordinance also added eight standards that were not in the codified text. An accessory dwelling unit must have its own legal means of ingress and egress and function as a complete separate dwelling unit, and must include permanent provisions for living, sleeping, eating, cooking and sanitation, with a bathroom containing a sink, toilet and shower or bathtub. A unit may be attached to or placed within the principal dwelling or an existing accessory structure such as a carriage house or detached garage, and it counts as detached even where an unenclosed structure or shelter intervenes. Detached units may be built from freight containers or other prefabricated structures provided they comply with applicable building codes, including the International Residential Code. A unit must be visually subordinate to the principal dwelling, and where it sits inside an existing dwelling there may be only one main entrance on the primary street-facing facade unless that facade already had more than one before the unit was proposed. Manufactured homes may serve as accessory dwelling units where the zoning district allows them or special approval is obtained. A detached unit visible from a public right-of-way must carry windows, doors or other significant architectural features on the visible facade.

Scope matters here. The Unified Development Code applies, in its own words at Section 1.1, to the area of Caddo Parish "that falls within the jurisdiction of the Metropolitan Planning Commission's planning area, but outside of the corporate limits of the City of Shreveport." Land inside Shreveport is governed by the city's own Unified Development Code, a separate instrument. The boundary of the planning area is held on the official map rather than written into the code text, so a property owner near the edge should confirm with the parish before relying on these figures.