Camden County, MO Accessory Structures: ADU Rules (2026)

Statutory framework: Missouri is a Dillon's Rule state for county zoning. Under RSMo Sec. 64.510-.690 (third-class counties) a county may exercise zoning only after a vote of the people, and the boundaries of the resulting zoning district must be described in the ballot. In November 1997, Camden County voters approved a county zoning district covering all unincorporated land lying within five miles of the 660-foot contour shoreline of Lake of the Ozarks; that vote is the legal source of all Camden County zoning power. Land more than five miles from the lake is outside the zoning district entirely, and Camden County Planning and Zoning has no authority to require a use permit there - the only county-level controls are the building/sewer/onsite-wastewater permits administered by the Camden County Health Department under RSMo Chapter 701 and the Camden County floodplain ordinance for FEMA-mapped Special Flood Hazard Areas. ULUC structure: The Unified Land-Use Code is published on camdencountymo.gov and is divided into Articles covering Definitions, Zoning Districts, Use Regulations, Bulk Regulations, Subdivision Standards (Article 400 - Plats and Subdivisions), Floodplain Management, and Administration. Article 200 establishes the residential districts: R-1 Low Density Residential (large-lot single-family), R-2 Medium Density Residential (single-family on smaller lots), and R-3 High Density Residential (single-family, two-family and multi-family). The ULUC's permitted-use tables list 'single-family detached dwelling' as the principal use in R-1 and R-2 and add 'two-family' and 'multi-family' dwellings in R-3; an 'accessory dwelling unit' is not enumerated as a stand-alone permitted accessory use. Accessory structures (detached garages, sheds, boathouses, dock cribs, pool houses) are permitted as customary accessories to a principal dwelling but the ULUC's accessory structure standards prohibit using an accessory building as a separate dwelling unit unless it is approved as part of a two-family or multi-family use in R-3 or is approved through a conditional use permit / planned development. Setbacks are measured from the property line, road right-of-way, road easement, or the 662-foot contour line of Lake of the Ozarks - whichever is most restrictive - to the structure or any attached appurtenance (deck, eave, dock anchor). Building height limits in R-1 and R-2 typically run 35 feet; the 120-foot height allowed in B-2 and B-3 commercial districts is for commercial uses only and does not apply to residential structures. Tiny homes: the ULUC and Camden County Health Department treat a permanently sited tiny home on a foundation the same as a single-family dwelling and require it to meet the residential district's lot-size, setback, and onsite wastewater rules; a tiny home on a chassis (RV) is treated as a recreational vehicle and may not be used as a permanent residence in residential districts. Permits and fees: any new dwelling, addition or accessory structure inside the five-mile zoning district requires a zoning permit from Camden County Planning and Zoning (182 HaHa Tonka Cut Thru, Camdenton; phone 573-346-4440 ext. 1350) before a building permit or septic permit will be issued; the Camden County Health Department issues onsite wastewater permits separately. Inside city limits: properties within the cities of Lake Ozark, Osage Beach, Camdenton, Sunrise Beach and Linn Creek follow the city's own zoning code (e.g., Lake Ozark Code Ch. 405, Osage Beach Title IV) - the Camden County ULUC does not apply inside an incorporated municipality.